NostalgiaCon: PFS 09: Eye of the Crocodile King (Retired) (Inactive)

Game Master Tonya Woldridge

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

"Only fools try to skirt the fate that Madgh foresees. The Armenian Man tried for too many years before finding this peace. The world is a much brighter place when we don't fight fate. Fight brigands, not destiny!"

Kyra guides her 'horse' into a tight half-circle to coconut-clap Madgh's Man, before resuming her course, riding Meri in reverse for a time.

clop-clop clop-clop clop-clop

perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

The building has three doors evenly spaced along its side. Fuln approaches the rightmost door, on the end of the building furthest away from the main Arcanamirium edifice.

Looking closely at the wall next to the door, Khorshid, The Armenian Man, and Roland notice that some of the siding has been recently repaired, and not well. The paint is different colors, the boards aren't made of the same wood, and the nails are showing. Whoever repaired the wall did so quickly and without much skill.

Fuln lifts a key from where it hangs on a woven piece of cord from his belt and unlocks the door. Pulling it open, he gestures to the group. "Quickly inside, before we are spotted." He holds the door open with one hand and gestures for the group to enter with the other.

Through the open doorway, daylight spills into the room and illuminates the area near the door. Looking in, the group can see battered, empty cages hanging from the ceiling and a large workbench littered with broken glass and twisted pieces of metal along the wall opposite. Many colored liquids stain the flagstones of the floor.

Z'hor'll follows, this time reasonably quietly.

"What happened there?" The Armenian Man asks, pointing at the hastily-done repair work. "Have an encounter with the Kool-Aid Man?"

Roleplaying FYI: this doesn't come up much, but sometimes I make pop-culture references with The Armenian Man that don't make much sense on Golarion, so I like to explain it when I do. His back-story had him abducted by quirky fey that took him to strange places where they enjoyed both his reaction to the places, and the reactions of locals to him. As such--while I wouldn't expect any other PCs to understand the reference--in his backstory The Armenian Man has seen a Kool-Aid commercial on one of these strange trips.

When he enters the room, he looks for the equivalent inside wall to check to see if the damage or repair went straight through the wall.

Khorshid is now a little restless.

“Listen sir wizard! You obviously have contacts because we would otherwise not be here! So please be so kind to explain properly what happened to you, who was involved, what exactly is missing, if there are any threats, what you want us to exactly do! Thank you!“ the gnome says expectantly.

Zinta prepares to listen carefully.

Roland shoes Baldo in quickly, as requested. Then he looks around to see if any of the enclosures was suitable for a crocodile.

With the others inside, there is no way Kyra is not going to follow them.

She runs a hand over the doorway absently, as she runs her eyes over the.. Flamin' Mess!

Wouldn’t mind a silver weight for every trashed room I’ve seen over the years.

The cleric’s tone is neutral and somewhat interested. “Want to tell us what happened here, Professor? And where your companions might be?”

Once everyone is inside, Fuln closes the door, leaving the crew in darkness, the faint line of light around the door the only illumination. A faint swishing sound accompanied by the command"Lux!" and a bright light emanates from the twisted metal remains of a lantern hanging from the ceiling.

Facing the workbench and looking around, Roland can see a large twisted pile of metal spikes, approximately ten feet square, positioned in the middle of the right-hand wall.

The Armenian Man can see no signs of damage as he inspects the wall above the workbench.

Fuln sighs slightly as he starts his story, focusing his attention on Korshid. "I've been working on my grand thesis. I'm at the experiment stage and everything was going well. I thought I found the perfect combination of magic and alchemy until the compounds I was mixing exploded." He gestures to the workbench, then turns to Kyra. "The force was enough to knock me over and I must have hit my head because I lost consciousness for a few. When I came too, my workplace was destroyed." His tone grows desperate as he scans the group "I've lost all my research, including my test subject and his handler. I need you to retrieve them so that I can continue my project. Once I file it with the Spell Lords, I will earn my place as docent!"

Roland continues to look around while this demonstration occurs.

I have a couple of quick questions:
You have found the perfect combination of magic and alchemy To Do What, exactly?
I assume your test subject was the crocodile we are tasked to find, who is the handler?
What was supposed to happen?

“The force was enough to knock me over and I must have hit my head because I lost consciousness for a few.”

“Oh, yeah? Let’s take a look then.”

Kyra moves behind the researcher, examining him for injuries (and clues!) firmly but professionally.

heal: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

“Most people don’t realize they’ve been unconscious, unless they’ve been out for hours.”

“If you ask a patient if they’ve been unconscious, they’ll usually say ‘no’ or ‘I don’t know.’ It’s the latter group that almost certainly have.”

When she’s finished, the priestess adds:

“Now, as to your test subject and his handler. Was their involvement entirely voluntary? How did you get on with them? And where might we find them now?”

“Any known haunts, bars or riverbanks?”

"Or enemies?" adds Zinta.

If it exploded, it wasn't really the "perfect combination of magic and alchemy was it?

No posts since the 11th?

The Armenian Man raises an eyebrow at Fuln's tale. Oh yeah, you'll be docent for sure! Maybe that's what Magdh has in store for you, but The Armenian Man doesn't think so! The only outward evidence of his inner thoughts is the sly grin that's perpetually on his face.

"So many questions...let me take them one at a time!" Fuln looks flustered as he turns to look at each group member as they speak, then stiffens as Kyra approaches him and begins to look him over for wounds.

Kyra finds a small knot at the back of his skull, just above where it meets the spine, which causes Fuln to wince when the area is pressed

"What is my research for? Well, I'm developing an elixir to strengthen our defense forces so that we are prepared for the next invasion. We've seen Thurl with the flesh warped soldiers and the Whispering Tyrants legions. We need to be ready to defend our walls! While this version wasn't perfect, I know what I did wrong, so just need to make one correction and it will be all great!"

Fuln took a deep breath and continued before more questions could come his way.

"As for the crocodile, he wasn't my test subject, absolutely not! He provided an ingredient to the potion. His handler, Lemador, and he got along well. Lemador used to work in the stables until I convinced him to help me out. He has a way with animals, he does."

"I went to the stables before I sent word to the Society. No one has seen Lemador there for weeks, not since I started paying him to look after the crocodile. So I'm not sure where else to check."

He sighs, then shrugs. "I was hoping you would have some ideas of where to look. I mean, a ten foot long crocodile can't hide many places. And it isn't on the grounds of the Arcanarium, or we would have heard some kind of alarm by now."

Where was the crocodile in the room when you last saw him?

Once the location is pointed out to him, Roland will take Valdo to the area and command "Track"

Baldo Survival, with +4 for Tracking by scent: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

"Can you give us a physical description of this Lemador?"

”Silky question, but much the crocodile have eaten Lemador? Sort of seems the obvious answer”

Khorshid waits for the next answers but seems ready.

“I sincerely believe that we need to get going! We have a mission and we know what to find and I think it makes sense to hurry up! Good questions but a little too much! Believe in the lord of hell’s protection and he’ll guide us!!“ the little gnome says.

“Steady, Tiger.”

Kyra settles a hand on the shoulder of the Lord of Light’s mounted canine cavalry. “Seems to me the croc would head for water.”

“That could be the Puddles District, sewers, private swimming pools, lakes in district parks, or Dockside by the Bay.”

Once the location is pointed out to him, Roland will take Valdo to the area and command "Track"

“If Valdo can give us a general direction, I’m sure we’ll find passers-by along the route who did not miss the passage of a ten-foot crocodile.”

Fuln looks at Roland, then gestures with his hands to the area to the right of the entrance door. Looking closer, you can see where what looked to be a pile of slag metal bars could have actually been an enclosure of some sort.

Addressing Zinta, he furrows his brow in thought. "Middling height and build human, with long brown hair, usually pulled back at the nape of his neck. Wearing woolen tunic and trews, with some stains. Not sure of the original color, as they are worn enough to have faded to a meh color, and leather shoes. Not dressed with any fashion sense at all."

He cocks his head at Z'hor'll's question, then looks around the room. "Possible, but wouldn't there be evidence if he had? I can't imagine even a large crocodile could swallow an entire human whole.

Baldo sniffs the area of the cage, then makes a straight line to the middle of the room, coming to a stop at a square flagstone next to the workbench and sitting back on his haunches.

“Hmm, know anything about a trap door or secret cellar in your lab, Professor Fuln?”

Kyra inspects Valdo’s flagstone for traps, concealed mechanisms and the like.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

“Anyone better at this than me? Got a jemmy-bar, Professor?”

Z’hor’ll shrugs. ’Well, if that’s what he thinks.’ he thinks.

When Kyra asks, he casts open/close on what looks like might be a trap door. Just to find out!

Zinta thinks the others have things well in hand, but moves near the spot they are investigating.

"Oooh, this is why nobody out there saw anything!" The Armenian Man exclaims, delighted at the discovery of the trap door.

Kyra examines it closely and is pretty sure there are no traps, but can't locate any signs of opening mechanisms

Fun looks at the group gathering around Baldo and scoffs. "Of course there's no trap door in here. This is a laboratory, not a dungeon."

While most of the group is looking, it is The Armenian Man who notices a gap between the stone and the surrounding ones. It looks as if a thin object could be inserted between them.

As Zinta walks toward the group, her attention is caught by a diamond shaped burn on the workbench, as if something had sat on the bench when the explosion occured.

Confident that Baldo would not have stopped if there wasn't something there, Roland examines the area more closely.

If I can take 10, perception is 21. If I can take 20, it is a 31. Otherwise, roll is below

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

"Yes there is."

Kyra sighs. "Professor Fuln, we're here to help you. Lying to us doesn't help anyone."

"If you've done something bad or are embarrassed by what we're going to find, please don't be. I've seen just about everything."

"And if you're remorseful, consider the comfort offered in the Dawnflower's warm embrace."

"Does anyone have a crowbar?" The Armenian Man asks. "Or maybe something thinner? Maybe The Armenian Man's scythe will do!" He approaches the trapdoor and tries to slip the tip of his scythe into the thin gap to pry the door open.

I take it that Z'hor'll's open/close spell had no effect?

Zinta uses detect magic to examine the burnt spot she found and the possible trap door.

"I could watersing a sort of ice wedge." says Z'hor'll, "But maybe a dagger, or a crowbar, would work better?"

Fuln looks very uncomfortable at Kyra's words, not meeting her eyes and shifting where he stands. "It isn't wrong to try and protect your city!

Roland's keen eye picks up that liquid doesn't pool around the stone, like it does elsewhere in the room.

The Armenian Man's scythe slips in and the flagstone lifts. Looking at the area, he briefly sees a large hole under the flagstone, before it slips off the edge of the scythe and clatters back into place. Watching the action, Z'hor'll notices no hinges or other mechanics to mark this as a trap door. It looks to be a paving slab not mortared into the floor.

Zinta finds lingering traces of transmutation magic, along with a slight whiff of necromancy.

"Maybe we need a crowbar or something." ponders Z'Hor'll. "Or, I have an idea. If you can leverage it up, Armenian Man, I can get a water-sung wedge in there... at least we can potentially get through it?"

GM - not sure this will work...

At 1st level, a watersinger can use bardic performance to manipulate and control the shape of water within 30 feet. A successful Perform check allows the bard to animate and control a 5-foot-cube of water. The watersinger can command the water to take various forms, bend, rise, fall, or sustain a shape, and can make it support weight as if it were solid ice. For example, the watersinger could create a pillar of water (to provide cover), ladder, channel, bridge, stairs, slide, and so on. The manipulated water is as slippery as normal ice. This ability cannot create forms more fragile or complex than what could be carved in normal ice. While under the bard’s control, the water has hardness 0 and 3 hit points per inch of thickness. At level 3, the manipulated water gains hardness 1, and this increases by +1 for every 3 bard levels beyond that. At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, the volume affected increases by an additional 5-foot cube (these cubes must be adjacent to each other). The manipulated water retains its shape for 1 round after the bard stops spending bardic performance rounds to maintain it.[/ooc]

Trying not to be haughty, Zinta shares what she has found out.

"On the other hand... brute force works, too. We could just break the flagstone."

Let's see if this will help.

As Roland finally checks his inventory and pulls out a crowbar.

Z'hor'll, by the spell it appears it would if it could get under the edge of the flagstone.

The Armenian Man puts his scythe away when Roland pulls his crowbar out. "Okay, Roland, you lever the flagstone up; The Armenian Man will grab it. Maybe The Armenian Man can just lift it and set it to the side, but if it's too heavy, Z'horr'll, you put your awesome water wedge in while The Armenian Man holds it up for you. Sound good?"

18 Strength; The Armenian Man can lift up to 300 lbs over his head. Unless the stone is incredibly heavy, or there's an in-scenario rule that trumps the default rules, this shouldn't be hard.

Makes sense Armenian Man.

Roland will work the crowbar into the crack and work to lever the block up. The Armenian Man doesn't even have to lift the block, just slide it to the side.

Working together, The Armenian Man and Roland shifted the flagstone to the side, revealing a 5'wide pipe descending into the ground further than the limits of The Armenian Man's vision. Set into the side of the pipe are evenly spaced wrought iron handles to aid in climbing.

Assuming that Z'hor'll didn't need to use the wedge?

While the two move the flagstone, Z'hor'll, somewhat unwisely, slips past them, trying to sneak down there.

stealth: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
perception(darkvision): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

Plus, if needed
init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Initiative : 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

“Urban underground tunnel. Yay!” *crocodile eye roll*

Kyra Initative: 1d20 ⇒ 13

The priestess follows the Armenian Man.

init: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Perception to notice Z'hor'll slipping into the opening

Z'hor'll enters the tube and sees the handholds/pipe extend about 50 feet down. They can see that the space opens up at the end of the pipe and faint light reflecting from a surface about 100' from where they are on the pipe rungs.

He was trying to hide from whatever is below, but that's cool, too. He can use that. :D

Z'Hor'll makes his way back up, quickly. "Come on down. Long pipe with a ladder. There's light down there."

He waits for the more burly teammates to head down, totally not thinking about creating ice on any of the rungs.

Roland will gather Baldo and proceed down the ladder.

I wonder how that block got moved to get the crocodile in here? And how the got the crocodile down this shaft?

Baldo is small, has a Training Harness and we carry lots of rope. I assume I can either carry or lower him down the shaft without issue.