Masks of the Living God: Price of Immortality

Game Master polyfrequencies

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 (fail)

After Garen has identified the trap, the group considers how to move past it. Silvio whistles encouragement to Garen's donkey before urging Winter on. The sheepdog easily makes it past the pressure plate. Sledge backs up to give Median some running room, moving between the lower two pairs of statues. Then Median takes a running start and...twists her ankle, sliding down directly onto the pressure plate.

Leather-Wrapped Sword vs Median: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12 Nonlethal Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Leather-Wrapped Sword vs Median: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24 Nonlethal Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

All at once, all eight swords swing down, and Median is caught directly in the line of swinging! Thankfully, these two swords were among those wrapped in leather, and so the blows are merely dazing rather than deadly.

Median takes 10 nonlethal damage as the trap is sprung.

However, the hallway is now much more difficult to get through. The squares between the northernmost four statues will be treated as difficult terrain, if it comes up. If you attempt to climb between the southern four statues, I will need either an Acrobatics or Escape Artist check for each pair (two for Garen, one for Sledge). You cannot take 10 or 20 on this check.

What tricks does the donkey know? It may be less comfortable walking through sharp swords, so I don't know if it'sa simple Handle. It may be a Push.

Garen opts to not try and dodge swords nor bring the donkey through. Hoping once this thing is finished he can make his way back in to free the beast. So, he takes the bits of a couple of rations the donkey will likely eat and sets them in the corner of the statue room. then he takes off the shields and gathers all of the food and water in his own pack. Finally, he takes a shield (tower shield size I would guess?) and using the shield as cover he crawls along the floor to get to the other side. (since a tower shield can be used for complete cover and I do not have an enemy that will try to maneuver on me, it seems like this should work. Perhaps the attacks would count as smash attempts on the shield.)

As he does this Garen will call to Sledge, "You want one of the shields?" If so, he will slide one across the floor to Sledge.

Once the trap has been triggered, the swords remain in place, creating a barrier that is difficult to navigate, as creatures must climb over the angled swords. I like the thinking, but it probably won't manage the sort of cover you're looking for since it's no longer an active attack.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to pass on trying to climb over some sharp blades and get my thighs all cut up." So Garen picks up one of the shields and uses it as a two handed bludgeon to break the blades off.

So, how much damage does a 100 pound shield cause? The closest thing in weight I could find was a butchering axe at 25 pounds causing 3d6. Since a shield is not edged I think it would get less so maybe 2d6. Swinging it two handed, otherwise he couldn't swing it probably, and power attacking should give me about 2d6+3+3 damage. With hardness 10 for the swords and 5 hp even on average I should be able to break a sword every two rounds. Thoughts?

Silvio and Winter keep their distance as Garen smashes a path forward. He spends the time cautiously looking at the next door for a trap and listening for dangers that might lie beyond.

And so Silvio attempts yet again to Take 20 perception at a door!

The golem was doing 1d8 damage with each Shield, so that's what you get. The Shield will also be taking some damage from repeatedly hitting a blade, with an attack of 1 resulting in taking crit damage.

Garen hoists one of the heavy shields and begins hammering away at the swords. Through the din, it is virtually impossible for Silviovto properly listen beyond the door, but he has ample time without impatient interference from Sledge to check the next door carefully. He sees no apparent dangers as he proceeds. As far as he knows, the door is unlocked and untrapped.

The first sword shatters after only three blows, though Sledge observes that the shield starts to splinter in the exchange. With some extra care to avoid damaging the shield, the next sword seems more resilient, but breaks after about a minute. Sledge takes the opportunity to shift back around to the other side of the paladin while Garen goes for broke on the next pair of swords. He beats the shield mercilessly into the third sword, splinters flying everywhere, until both sword and shield break on each other.

With determination, Garen picks up the second shield and finishes the job. The final blade breaks as easily as the first, and it is a simple matter to move sagely through the rest of the hallway unhindered.

One of the Tower Shields has been destroyed. The second has 22/25 hit points remaining. What do you do now?

With a big heave of air Garen says, "I hope I don't have to do that again anytime soon. That's like splitting firewood with a dull axe. Find anything on that door?"

"Nope, door looks clear. And if there's anything on the other side, they probably heard us."

Silvio looks over the battered and bruised Median. "How are you feeling? I still have one prayer of healing left if you need it.". @Median--If you'd like healing, Silvio will do it--you can feel free to roll 1d8+1.

Silvio lets Garen do the honors with the door.

I know someone in the chat said that I wasn't unconscious, but not sure why not... I have 8 HP, and took 10 NL, so I should be unconscious at least according to "When your nonlethal damage exceeds your current hit points, you fall unconscious." So, until someone explains why I am not, I can't ask for healing... I can just lie there.

Announcing here to make sure that everyone sees it: I am granting everyone a racial hit die for the purposes of HP only (not skills, feats, etc.). You do not add your Con or favored class bonus to this. Humans get 8 hp, and halflings/sheepdogs get 6 hp. So Median has 10 nonlethal out of 16 hit points.

I'll wait to reveal the room until you officially decide to move into it.

Median looks at Silvio and says

Hey, thanks for the offer, but let's save it for now, in case we run into more skeletons, or bugs, or fire spirits. ... If we get to sleep anytime soon and you haven't used it for something else, then I'll take it then.

Garen readies himself, looks at the others and pushes open the door.

Garen pushes open the door to see a large room with four pillars and a large pool of clear water. The pool is fed by a fountain on the wall above it. The fountain has a stone statue of a weeping maiden holding the slain body of Ekat Kassen, but his head has been broken off. As the paladin pushes open the door, a voice booms out from the darkness, echoing around the room.
"Magic is the key!"

The voice slowly fades, leaving a pregnant silence.

The snake around Median's neck looks concerned at her bruises. Winter looks up concerned at his rider. The mule brays concerned from the next room, but seems to content itself with some food.

The knight sees no sign of any apparent dangers within the room, and the voice does not repeat as anyone else enters.

What do you do?

Hearing the voice, Median shrugs and casts Detect Magic, walking into the room further and looking around for magical auras.

Garen looks to Median, "Anything?"

Silvio and Winter look inside.
Perception (Silvio): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
Perception (Winter): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

But they otherwise wait patiently for Median to describe what magics she sees.

Hold on. I'm trying to concentrate. I need to cover the whole room. Might take a bit.

Median leads the way into the room, her eyes glowing lightly with the effects of the cantrip enhancing her vision. She sees two doors leading out, one directly to the east of the pool and one to the southeast. The door to the southeast has a keyhole in it. She does not detect any magic coming from either door.

Following up, Silvio checks both doors. Neither door appears to be trapped. The door to the east is unlocked, and you can hear movement coming from beyond. The door to the southeast is locked.

Median does, however, detect two faint magical auras. The first is coming from the statue, though its aura is already beginning to fade. Median almost misses the second aura until she gets a faint glimmer approaching the pool. As she turns her sight downward into the murky depths, she senses something else magical somewhere in the pool.

You're not sure how deep the water goes and your un-aided vision ends after just a few feet. A creature can swim half its speed up or down with a DC 10 Swim check as a full-round action. Characters carrying a medium or heavy load can automatically descend 10 feet per round without making a swim check.

You can give me one Knowledge (arcana) roll per aura. DC = 15 + Spell Level to determine the school of magic. If you exceed the check by 5 or more, you identify the spell.

What do you do?

Knowledge Arcana (statue): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14 (fail)
Knowledge Arcana (pool): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Median distractedly tells the group that there is something magical about the statue (she points to it) and in the pool, at which point she (also distractedly, since she is still concentrating on the spell) takes off all of her gear and her clothes down to her underthings, holds her breath and jumps in to try to figure out what it is.

Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

She swims towards the aura.

"Another time that may have been fun to watch. As it is, good luck." Garen says and keeps an eye on the statue as well as the door from behind which they hear noise.

Silvio is curious but also embarrassed as Median undresses--so he looks away, keeping his gaze at the door to the East. "Something is definitely shifting on the other side of there," he notes, as he tries to watch that door vigilantly.

Median swims 15 feet down, and thinks that she may be about halfway to her destination. She begins to see keys--hundreds of keys!--glowing in the light of her cantrip. But only one radiates the essence of magic, which she recognizes as being some sort of illusion magic. A glamer, more specifically, one that imbues a mundane object with a magical aura. It might be Holgast's handiwork.

Median, I will need two more swim checks to get to the bottom, and then three more to rise back up. You will be able to find and identify the key automatically thanks to detect magic.

Are the rest of you doing anything other than maintaining a vigilant watch?

Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20 (down)
Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Median gets stalled for a bit because she isn't naturally sinking anymore, and has to put in some extra effort to push her way to the bottom of the pool.

Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18 (down)

Reaching the bottom, Median grabs the key that radiates magic, placing that key in her left hand, and then gathers up all the other keys she can fit into her right hand.

Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8

She starts to swim back up, but her fist full of keys changes the way she swims, and she flails a little before she realizes that she just needs to use her legs more effectively.

Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17 (up)
Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12 (up)
Swim: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16 (up)

Con is 12, so should be able to hold my breath for 24 rounds, minus standard actions. Grabbing the keys might have been two (?), and all the swim checks were 9 total, so I think it was well within the limit.

She surfaces, and tells the rest of the party

Got the magical key, but there are hundreds of keys down there... not sure if any of them are needed for other parts of the place, like that room we couldn't get open. We already know about another locked door too. Might be worth fishing them all out, if you guys feel like a little diving.

Silvio turns back in delight. "Woah, nice job Median!" It was great to see one of them solve a puzzle without injury, for a change. Then he remembers he's supposed to be embarrassed, so he goes back to looking at the door. "Alright, well, once you're dressed, should we try this door next or the one to the South that needs a key?"

Well, I think we should fish out the rest of the keys just in case, since we don't know which door the magic key even goes to.

She reaches for her pants by the side of the pool and puts the magic key in the left pocket and piles the others on the edge of the pool nearby to dry off.

Then she fishes her waterproof bag out of her pack and takes it with her (along with her silver piece that she has light cast on) when she dives back down so she can gather more keys than just a handful.

”I guess we’re swimming. You’ve got the door.” Garen says and starts removing his armor. Once he is out, he strips down to his skivvies and jumps in. At the bottom he grabs as many keys as he can in three rounds and then kicks off the bottom to head back up.

swim: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
swim: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
swim: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
swim: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11
swim: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
swim: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
swim: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
swim: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

Silvio looks skeptically at the collection of keys. "Do you all really think anything but the magical key will be of any use? Imagine trying a hundred keys for a random lock!"

If you don't want to dive, that's fine, but you could lighten up on the criticism. For all we know, the magical key is to the keyhole on the back of the golem that we already defeated. Obviously some sadist designed this place. It definitely isn't a place to just come and remember your loved ancestors. Better to be prepared than to have to redo any of it.

Where are you all headed? There are three closed, accessible doors that you have come across so far: one to the east (behind which you hear something moving), one to the southeast (which is locked), and one down south where you fought the golem.

Sledge had been uncharacteristically quiet, but that was because he had been spending a long time looking at the statue with detect magic running.

Arcana: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

"If only we had a bucket," he mused. "Median, you're a blacksmith. Can you tell if these keys open the same door or not? Or if they repeat? I'd go myself, but..." he pauses for a second, and then admits, "I don't know how to swim."

Sledge recognizes the lingering magic on the statue as having been illusion magic, colloquially known as magic mouth.

Anyone is welcome to roll a Craft check relevant to metalwork, a Profession check relevant to keys, or an Appraise check to identify anything about the keys.

After gathering the keys, drying off, and getting dressed again, Median stuffs the waterproof bag with the keys in her pack, and then says

So, I'm going back to the door by the golem to see if I can get it open.

then she starts to do exactly what she said.

"Give me a minute there high speed. I have armor to put on. Either of you have a cantrip that can dry me out before I get all dressed up? If someone could help me with the pieces as well that would be great." Once he is as dry as possible he begins to don his armor. Once he is dressed out, Garen follows to the golem door.

Silvio takes a peek at the large collection of keys.
Appraise: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
And discerns very little. "Well, I think the keys are a long shot for any door, but we haven't gone too far wrong by taking our time."

Silvio helps Garen put on his weighty armor again. And then his attention turns to the headless statue. He wonders if the head has been broken recently or if it looks like old damage. He spends some time admiring its artistry, and then decides to look carefully to see if it might hide any secrets.
Perception Take 20=22.

Silvio thinks that the damage is old. He can't make any sense of the keys one from the other.

---

The key with the magical aura fits perfectly into the lock of the door on in the room where you all tangled with Kassen's golem. With a few choice clicks in a lock, Median lets the party in. There is a wooden table in the small chamber upon which lie several pieces of paper, along with a few sticks, a cloth package, an iron bar, a sword, and a flail. There is also a truss with a breastplate on it. Anyone detecting magic quickly discerns that that two of the pieces of paper, along all of the sticks, are magical. The other four pieces of paper each have one of the chosen's names on them. Garen moves towards the paper with Khuvaan's name on it.

What do you do?

Median is so thunderstruck that her father sent her gifts to help her that she almost cries. Luckily, she is able to get over the urge, but she folds up the note from her father and puts it in her pocket with the magic key.

After everyone else gathers their things, she says

Okay... I feel a little more prepared now. Should we try one of the other doors from the pool room?

Silvio is stunned by the items that had been tucked away for their care. When he realizes what he has, he starts to laugh, giddy with excitement.

"Just what we need--healing tools, a healing wand, and a wand of blessing. And looks like I'll have to help Garen get into some new armor. The odds are suddenly much more in our favor!"

Once everyone has collected what they need, Silvio is ready to proceed. "There was some noise in the door to the East. I think we should go there. But be ready for trouble."

If the party does go there, Silvio intends to use the Wand to cast Bless right before anyone opens that door.

"Yes, I will need to give it to Khuvaan when we get back but for now, I think it best I use the tools provided. With that he begins to strip off the armor he just donned. Once it is off, he begins the process of putting on the breastplate armor. Once armored he gives a swipe or two of the cold iron longsword. "Nice balance and a keen blade. It is a very fine weapon." He announces to no one in particular.

"Shall we head back to the pool room and try one of those doors? I'm about ready to find our way free of this place."

Median says

Yes, Silvio selected the eastern door, so that is the one we will try first.

When everyone is ready, they proceed to the eastern door in the pool room, allow Silvio a round to perform his intended action (and if anyone else wants to do something to prepare), and then they open the door.

As Median opens the eastern door, everyone hears the telltale sound of a bowstring pulling, but then relaxing.
"Oh, good, you're alive," says the gruff voice of Khuvaan. "It's been almost three days. Did you find the Everflame yet?"

The party emerges back into the entrance of the Crypt, where Khuvaan has set up a fire over which he is currently roasting what looks to be a few rabbits. The skeletons and bodies which littered the floor days ago have all been removed. The room is overall much less grimy than it was when you first entered, as it seems like Khuvaan has kept himself busy.

Not yet, but if you have enough, I'd love to have a little bit of rabbit before we get back to it.

Khuvaan nods and motions for Median to take a seat. "Please, eat up, by all means."

He looks you all over, seeing the evidence of various battles on you. "I take it the skeletons here were not the only ones you found. Have you found any living?"

"Not yet" Garen says and sits down for a bit. "We have a few more options. Hopefully one of them pans out and we find Damyra. We found one of the others but we could not convince him to come out."

Khuvaan grunts in recognition. "So then one, maybe two survivors?" He curses. "Well that's awful. I buried two folks. If you found any other bodies, I'll bury them, too."

Roldare might come out if we talk to him again. He came out temporarily, but was still pretty excitable, and when we couldn't get the door up far enough to bring him back here, he went back into his room. He's probably getting pretty thirsty again though, so maybe we should go take him some water and clean him up again... he's got himself holed up in a room and he's using it as a toilet too.

You have to be really gentle with him though, so he doesn't get himself worked up again. And probably don't mention Damira.

"Speaking of getting someone out, I'm going to go bring the donkey out this way." Garen says getting up and walking back down the corridor to where he left his donkey. Assuming nothing ambushes him along the way, he heads back with the donkey in tow. "You guys didn't get a chance to meet. Khuvaan this is donkey, donkey this is Khuvaan." After a quick bite to eat, likely from a ration because it is unlikely Khuvaan was counting on us returning just now, Garen says, "Okay, everyone ready to head back in and see if we can find our last remaining person?"

Sledge weighs his new flail. He was surprised that master Holgast had put any stock by melee weapons. A wand of infernal healing? Really? You knew a warrior of Erastil was coming on this adventure. Hopefully they're too dumb to know what the spell is. And I'll have to distract Garen when I use it... Shaking his head at his master's combination of thoughtfulness and forgetfulness, he follows the party outside to Khuvaan, and then back into the crypt.