Masks of the Living God: Price of Immortality

Game Master polyfrequencies

We did find some other bodies.

Median describes where they are to Khuvaan, assuring him that they killed anything dangerous in that part of the crypt, and also telling Khuvaan how to get to Roldare, suggesting that he at least take him some water if possible.

Once they eat and everyone is ready, they head back into the pool room and try the southeastern door.

Ticked off a charge of the Bless wand.

Silvio also explains to Khuvaan about the fallen. "We had to fight Paak. Or what Paak had become--a burning undead creature. It was horrible! I only hope his spirit found peace."

Before he gets up to leave Garen says, "This was left for you in one of the inner chambers. I'll give it back once we get back to town. It just seemed prudent to use it while we were engaging things. Then after following Median back into the room they had just left, "Shall I lead my lady or do you wish to do the honors?" Garen asks Median as she walks p to the door.

"Oh no. We're not doing this again. Garen, you go first."

Median tries unlocking the door with the magical key, but before going in, she glances at Sledge and then backs off, letting Garen go first.

Khuvaan chuckles at Garen's introduction of the donkey. "All right, donkey. Let's be friends."

Handle Animal: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

The donkey seems, at the very least, not put off by the ranger.

Khuvaan ties the donkey up and follows you all briefly before taking Median's directions and disappearing off beyond the leather-covered swords.

---

The magical key does not work, but the large key that the party found in the room where you fought the Combusted fits perfectly. (With a keen eye, Silvio realizes that the keyhole matches the one on the back of the golem's neck. Or at least, it did before the golem was reduced to splinters.) Garen opens the door.

A small stone bench sits in the center of this dusty chamber. On the far wall is a faded mural depicting the hero Kassen defeating the mercenaries at the entrance to this crypt, with his blade piercing the chest of the mercenary leader. These figures stand alone in the center of a scene of carnage, with dead villagers and mercenaries all around them. A fine wooden placard off to the side reads The right and noble Sir Ekat Kassen slays the dreadful bandit leader Asar Vergas.

The room continues on into a hallway beyond, with a curve off to the east.

Please give me a Perception check. No taking 10 or 20.

Perception (Silvio): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Perception (Winter): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

"Wow, that's awfully gruesome," says Silvio as he surveys the mural with so many dead.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Looking at the mural, Silvio and Median each notice that both Kassen and the bandit leader Asar are wearing golden necklaces, each made up of a simple golden chain, from which hangs an oddly shaped medallion. While not identical, the amulets look similar.

What do you do?

I can't get a perception as high as Median's so, I'll just detect magic instead. Glowy things are easier to see.

Noting the similarity in the medallions, Median is confident that companion Asar and bandit Asar were the same person.

Why did they turn on each other?, she wonders, looking around at her companions and wondering if any of them would turn evil someday.

... then she shakes herself out of it, focusing once again on the task at hand. She continues down the corridor, allowing Garen to lead if he wants to.

Sledge doesn't detect anything magical in the room, at least not anything more than the key in Median's pocket or the dagger in Silvio's hand. Or the wands. Or the scrolls. Or the potions. But nothing new.

Moving to the end of the hallway, Garen and Median see another door to the east. This one has a handle and appears to be neither trapped nor locked.

What do you do? Please put yourself in the order you want. I have approximated.

Median hangs back until she knows if it is dangerous.

(If it is, she plans to use a charge of the mage armor wand before going in.)

If anyone else needs it, I can use the wand on someone else too (+4 AC), but not sure if that would improve on anyone's armor or not.

Silvio is surprised that Kassen has the same medallion as the bandit. Was it somehow possible that Kassen was once an allied bandit?

As the party moves down the hall, Silvio and Winter try to move up behind Garen, keeping close.

Are you just assuming bandit Asar was companion Asar or is there a tale I am missing that speaks of a companion?

"Here we go," Garen says and opens the door.

It was part of the research that Median did before coming on the journey. There was a companion Asar for sure, and she was just looking for proof that the bandit leader was the same person. The other party members would know this, because they heard her asking about it in the inn, but your character wouldn't know it... we can have an in character conversation about it if you want. Not sure it matters to the plot, but those necklaces might, since they came up.

A single pillar in the center of the room supports this wide, domed chamber. The pillar is surrounded by a pit, but a stone bridge crosses the pit on the south side. Dozens of arrows jut from holes in the pillar, facing every direction. There are two closed doors in this room: one to the east, and one to the south.

What do you do? Please limit your actions to what can be done in one round.

"Well, this pillar of arrows seems obviously horrible," says the halfling. "I wonder if that pit is the safest place in the room?"

Silvio looks for any clues about how the obvious arrow trap would trigger. Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Median remains outside the room and says

That eastern door is probably that dead end door from the other side. I vote south. But I think only one person should investigate, so no one else gets shot with a billion arrows. Is the southern door locked? If not, let's run for it. If so, is there a keyhole, or is it some trick door like the one in the pit room?

Garen stands where he is and tries to spot some sort of trigger for the pillar of arrows. "Anyone see any triggers on that thing?"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

If nothing happens as we stand there. "I don't see a trigger from here. I'm going to make my way along the wall toward the southern door. Here goes." Moving slowly and looking for danger, Garen proceeds toward the southern door.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

"The Gods be with you." As Garen leaves, Silvio gives him the divine guidance of Erastil.

Cast Guidance.

"Have fun, try not to die."

From the door, Garen cannot see anything clear about a potential trigger for the trap. Silvio unfortunately cannot see anything from around the corner either.

With not one but two gods' blessings actively guarding him, Garen nods to moves into the room. As he steps forward, the door closes behind him unless Median/someone else would have tried to keep it open. He presses to the southwestern edge of the room, moving towards the southern door. As he reaches the southern door, Garen hears the sound of stone gears beginning to grind together as the pillar begins to rotate.

Round One
Median 16/16, 10 nonlethal
Sledge 18/18
Pillar
Silvio 16/16 & Winter 26/26
Garen 21/21, Guidance
Map

Median and Sledge are up. It is a DC 15 Perception check to have heard the grinding of gears.

Median would have stopped the door. They need to be ready to run to the southern door. However, she would just be looking through the crack, leaving the bulk of the door to protect the people in the hall if possible.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Median hears nothing, so she just continues to watch through the door, waiting to see what Garen figures out about the door before the obvious trap goes off.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

"There are definitely gears turning!" says the worried halfling. As the arrows begin their assault, Silvio comes to a realization. "The tower shields--maybe we need to get those to pass through this obstacle!"

Guess I'm waiting on the pillar.

Do we have those shields anymore? I think at least one of them was broken doing something else... like breaking the swords in the last trap or something? I wasn't sure.

One of the shields was broken trying to destroy the swords, as it was not made for such a task. But you do still have one of the shields, or at least someone does.

I'll let the pillar go so that we can continue on. If Sledge was planning to do anything, you're free to do so.

It doesn't take long before the paladin begins to hear arrows fire, turning around to see them flying around the room in all directions. Four arrows careen towards Garen. One splinters off his armor, but three more hit in uncomfortable places, bruising the young knight. Garen takes 12 nonlethal damage.

Another arrow whizzes through the door, narrowly missing Median's face before it shatters on the wall behind her.

Round One
Silvio 16/16 & Winter 26/26
Garen 21/21, 12 nonlethal, Guidance

Round Two
Median 16/16, 10 nonlethal
Sledge 18/18
Pillar
Map

The party is up!

Garen hurries to the southern door and tries it.

Sledge will gently pull Median back towards safety. "Yell Garen, if the door opens, or if something attacks you!"

Garen finds the door locked tight.

You have a standard action remaining.

Not sure what you are doing Sledge. I am just peeking out from behind the door. Not in danger, as far as I know (as a player and as a character). If you really want to do that, Median will resist, leaving the door open a crack.

Come to think of it GM, what is the door made out of, and can we take it off its hinges and use it s a shield if necessary?

Median is in danger peeking through the door, but she has cover. It's a DC 28 strength check to break down an iron door. It would otherwise be a disable device check, with a DC higher than what can be attempted untrained.

"Door's locked!" Garen yells and hustles back to where the group is.

Weird, I was so sure I posted but don't see the post.

As the arrows start flying, Silvio becomes more certain of his plan. "We'll grab the tower shields. Garen--get out of there!"

Winter and Silvio ride quickly toward the donkey. Silvio grabs ahold of the large tower shield.

Double-move by Winter with Silvio riding; then Silvio takes an action to get the shield. Question for the GM: Can Garen see how deep the pit is and whether there are any arrows being shot into there?

Median closes the door after Garen comes through, glad she held it open for him in case it wasn't able to be opened from the other side, which seemed exactly like what a stupid trap like that would do.

Locked, okay... what kind of keyhole?

Silvio spurs Winter on to go retrieve the remaining tower shield from the donkey in the main entrance hall. With little effort, he unstraps the burden from the burro and turns to ride back to the party's rescue.

Down in the trapped arrow room, Garen tries the door only to find it locked. Dodging some arrows, he makes his way back to the original door, where Median opens the door to let him back in and swats Sledge back.

As mentioned in the chat, the action economy was that Garen tried the door (move action), move back 20 ft, and then Median opened the door. Garen cannot move further, and Median cannot close the door behind him or else she would shut the door in his face. Median readies an action to close the door behind Garen, which will tick next turn.

The pillar continues to spin out blunted arrows. If Garen was looking at the time, it appeared to him that the pillar was shooting arrows in every conceivable direction, including into the pit. Garen provides as much cover as he can, and in doing so manages to rebuff a small handful of arrows. But several more come careening around him into the open door. Despite his protection, three arrows strike Median for 13 nonlethal damage and one bounces on and strikes Sledge square in the chest for 4 nonlethal damage. Woozy from the bruising blows, Median falls unconscious. Thankfully for Garen, he should have an opportunity to squeeze in through the open door before falling unconscious.

The trap was mean.

Round Two
Silvio 16/16, carrying tower shield & Winter 26/26
Garen 21/21, 12 nonlethal, Guidance

Round Three
Median 9/16, 16 nonlethal
Sledge 18/18, 4 nonlethal
Pillar
Map

The party is up!

"No one listens to me," Sledge grouses, pulling Median's unconscious body around the corner. "Maybe the rest of you lot don't care about the brain damage that being battered into unconsciousness causes, but some of us actually have to *OOF* (she's always heavier than I remember) study to cast spells."

Median dreams of a world without sadistic tomb builders.

Garen shoves his way into the room pushing Median with his feet if he must and closes the door behind him. "That's a nasty trap. We'll need to rest and set it off again, see if we can get it to empty itself of arrows." Garen suggests as he moves Median into a sitting position and attempt to revive her.

Silvio and Winter hurry back to find Median wounded and Garen safely returned. He sets the shield down and dismounts, looking over poor Median. "Do you think this giant shield could give one of us enough cover? I'm pretty short, after all."

If we're out of rounds, I can also start healing Median with a wand, or else I think I can start next round.

"I'll get her back up and running, you two work on getting the trap disabled." Sledge was a little bit worried about using the infernal healing wand in front of the two holy types... but hopefully they were distracted.

One use of infernal healing, fast healing 1 for 10 rounds, should remove both non-lethal and lethal at the same time, just like regular healing.

"I got pummeled pretty good in there. If this door will open just a little, I'd like to listen to see if it will continue to shoot. It detected me somehow, most likely my weight. We could either use the shield as full cover for whoever steps into the room while someone remains by the door keeping it just barely ajar, say with the blade of a sword in the way. Or, we could try throwing a table or something else heavy in there and closing the door. It's got to run out of arrows at some point." Garen suggests.

I have moved you all out of the room on the map, but we'll stay in rounds for now while you decide what to do. I'm also consolidating the round counter.

The door closes automatically behind Garen as he re-enters the hallway, just squeezing in as Median collapses to the ground. Silvio rounds the corner to see the party in much rougher shape than he had left them in, but Sledge is already seeing to Median's health. Although she is certainly still feeling battered and bruised, Median's lapse of consciousness was very brief and she comes to. On the other side of the door, Garen can hear arrows continue to pelt the door.

Round Four
Silvio 16/16, carrying tower shield & Winter 26/26
Garen 21/21, 12 nonlethal, Guidance
Median 10/16, 15 nonlethal, fast healing 1 for 9 rounds
Sledge 18/18, 4 nonlethal
Pillar
Map

The party is up!

Median just stays where she is, recovering.

As long as he can hear arrows thumping, Garen waits.

”When the trap finally stops, I’ll go in with the big shield, “ responds Silvio. ”If the trap goes off again, I think I can hide safely behind it, and we can keep it up until the arrows run out, like you said.”

Waiting by the door, Garen listens to the barrage of arrows. The arrows hit often, sometimes two or three every second. It's not quite like the rain, but the vibrations of impact reverberate through the hall as Sledge's magic works on Median. After about another 30 seconds or so, the arrows slow. And finally, they stop. Not long after, Median seems to be doing much better.

Silvio 16/16, carrying tower shield & Winter 26/26
Garen 21/21, 12 nonlethal
Median 16/16, 6 nonlethal
Sledge 18/18, 4 nonlethal

Silvio then opens the door carefully and encourages Winter forward, holding the comparatively enormous tower shield in front of the both of them. The door closes unceremoniously behind him. Making his way forward in a defensive fortress, Silvio hears the pillar begin to spin again, but...nothing more comes out. Around the chamber, he sees what looks like hundreds of arrows scattered everywhere. But as he looks at what could likely have spelled certain death, he realizes that all of the arrows are blunted. They would have bruised, certainly, but this was yet more evidence that the villagers had come to ensure that the Crypt would not be overtly deadly. But all those arrows...well, they would have been knocked unconscious at least, and been out for hours.

The chamber is otherwise empty now. The one-way door leading in from the west is closed between Silvio and the others. The one-way door leading out to the east, back towards Roldare, is closed but now seems passable. There is also a door to the south, which Garen indicated was locked.

Congratulations on surviving the Pillar of 1,000 Arrows! In prepping this module, I saw one game where the GM rolled over the nonlethal damage into lethal damage and then kept shooting people once they were down. They TPK'd the party, which seems entirely outside of the spirit of the module. Anyway, what do you do now?