GM Top's Dungeon Delver's

Game Master Pete H.

Dran continues to hold his breath and double moves up the stairs to be next to the fog machine and hopely out of the fog itself.

hold breath: 1d100 ⇒ 61

Dran has a second round of actions and Ander is up. Halali’s sling stone did not damage the orb, but it DID hit.

Yeah..gimme a moment... Ander says as he slams in an adamantine slug and takes aim at the orb.

burning a grit to hit touch since its outside first increment...sorry for delay...couldnt get on yesterday..got bad gateway error...

bang: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 231d12 ⇒ 12

The whole site was down yesterday while servers were physically moved, and will be again next Saturday.

And with a blast of gunpowder, the orb shatters into… well, not a million pieces but definitely more than several. The fog stops pouring from it and slowly dissipates.

Combat Over! No need for more breath checks or Fort Saves.

"Good shooting Shooter!"

Halali's about to give Ander a clap on the back, but remembers just in time that at her current size she'd probably knock him clean off the walkway. She grins and winks at him.

Anytime... Ander says with a smile as he slams a round back into the gun should something need to be ventilated in a hurry.

Everyone good? he calls out as he takes a deep breath of the now clean air.

Jerky? he sits down and takes out a waxed canvas pouch and offers it to the others after snagging a piece ans somehow chewing it and still smoking at the same time.

"Somebody should probably check on the ᛓᛁᛐᚴᚽ..."

Grunigon moves over by the orb, examining the pieces. "I thought we were going to try to disable it, not shatter it.... Can someone check the pieces for any active magic?"

He examines the area around where it was sitting, looking for traps or anything that might look important? Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

"You're good, Grungy, but a bullet is faster." Halali shrugs.

"Now, if you could've flown over to the orb, you might've had enough time, right?"

Bilos will move toward the orb and check it for magic.

The orb is completely destroyed. No traps or magic found.

You hear a lady’s voice from the door, ”Hey uh… sorry about being brusk earlier, that was a bit stressful. I assume you all are pathfinders here to bail us out yet again. I certainly appreciate the help. Do you know where my brother went and what the heck this was all about?”

Welp, I posted a double double-move but it seems to have been eaten. Oh well.

Ander swallows the piece of his jerky he was working on, as it is rude to talk with your mouth full.

No worries, yes, no and no...to answer your questions. he says as he takes a drink from his waterskin,

That had some spice to it...

"Something to do with eldritch orbs. Who's the guy we killed here? What's supposed to be in this exhibit? Maybe we can finally get to the bottom of this now."

She looks at you all, quite amazed.

"This is just junk and old exhibits, though that door over there is probably related to the orb. Or was, cause it looks like that one is toast. Anyway, I am Imrizade Blackros and this is the Blackros Museum. We have all sorts of antiquities here, cause it is a Museum. I have no clue who the mutant guy is, he literally just showed up here a bit ago and threw a bag of stuff at my brother Nigel upstairs."

She pauses at the possible blank looks, "Mousy little elf guy? You see him up there? Anyway, the dead guy over there tossed this bag of stuff at us and a bunch of creatures emerged and then he ran downstairs. My brother and I, Nigel if you had forgotten again, killed a few of them and then I gave chase to the guy and the rest. Last I remember was being stabbed in the back down here and passing out. When I woke up I was being dragged through fog by a stin... helpful dwarf. All caught up? Can you tell me who sent you?"

Footsteps are heard on the stairs around this point and quickly Zarta Dralneen emerges from the doorway surrounded by a quick response team. They spread out, check the bodies and begin administering healing to the group. A mousy looking elf man pokes his head around the corner. A look of relief moves across the siblings' (brother and sister by marriage, if wondering) faces as they see each other.

Zarta takes a moment or two to assess the situation and then speaks, cutting off any comments by Imrizade or Nigel, "Alright pathfinders, what happened here? And what is the condition of the other orb or do you still need to track it down?"

”Weve boxed the orb from the Arcane place up, but this one shattered, as you can see,” the Paladin tries to explain.

Ander listens to the woman give some context to the happenings at the museum. He takes a relaxed puff as he sees Zarta and company come in. He stands straight up after she inquires about the orb.

That one is on me, ma'am. It was spewing toxic gas that was getting everywhere. I blew the thing apart. I'm sorry it's busted, but choosing between that or my friends..well, it's a not even a question, really...

She frowns, "Did the box not work on it then? Interesting. I may have to talk with the crafter, a guarantee was given."

Ruya will quickly peek into the box with the first orb to see if it is misbehaving.

The other orb in the box seems to be completely inert.

Grunigon shakes his head at the destruction. The others covered anything he might have wanted to say. He's tempted to apologize to the lady for 'rescuing' her.... but decides to pass. She seemed sorry enough and stressed.

Dran, standing near the shattered orb quickly puts his sword behind has back and does a quick shamble away from it. Was just gonna pry it into the box when the box was presented. he says, mostly to himself.

"The dead mutant guy on the floor activated the third orb and it spewed poison gas into the room, like Shooter said. Too late to box it up.

Ms Blakros here thinks it was linked to that door over there. Maybe you can get a necromancer to ask the dead guy some questions?"

Shit. I forgot about the boxes we put the other orbs in. Still. Poison gas and mutant guy.

Zarta frowns, ”Well, alright then. Maybe next time cooperate a bit more and at least try the box like your friend was waiting for. If there is a next time. You say this door here was involved? Know anything more about the orbs? Was something trying to come through maybe? Doors tend to work that way.”

"Well, the fool of a wizard who had one of the orbs accidentally summoned a weird alien thing that told me that something called "Corners of Spheres" was trying to come through.

Then the alien attacked us for no reason and we killed it."

The Dark Archives Venture Captain thinks for a few moments, "Interesting. Perhaps you all know more than you think. Would any of you be willing to participate in a little follow up research on these items and creatures? There would be some pay, obviously. And a living stipend. Nothing like a full mission, but a significantly lower risk."

This would be the in game opportunity to use K: Arcana for your dayjob, as a few of you have done.

That's pretty much all of the mission, well done! Well, at least no one died and your enemies got obliterated.

Bilos looks somewhat surprised that they are being offered another job, but is willing to do so.

I appreciate the gesture, but I've got some researching of me own to do. Gotta find the right mix to prevent these blasted misfires...or get different powder... Ander says with a thoughtful puff on his cigar.

Halali and Kaztor take Zarta up on her offer. Kaztor is only invited for the first day though. He spills Zarta's hot drink on her lap after going on a coffee run and is sent home with his day of pay.

Halali seems to do well enough, working for about a week before the job gets too tedious for her and she cuts out.

Dran does the bare minimum work at one of his contracted breweries, bringing home a little gold. But his heart just isn't in it. Maybe their almost failure on the last mission is weighing him down.

Grunigon puts his frustrations into his day job, taking all sorts of jobs. A few of them are pretty lucrative and when all is said and done he feels he did pretty well for himself.

Ander screws up his alchemy commission three times before finally getting it right. The cost of lost materials eats into his profit to almost make it not worth doing.

Bilos is the only one that really cooks, and not in the traditional sense. He is starting to get quite a bit of good scribe work, but the best job he grabbed was for the Temple of Abadar. Great pay, decent hours, complicated scribe work that is interesting and rewarding.

_____________________________

The dwarves are then assigned their next mission. Couriers are sent out to have everyone arrive the next morning for a meeting with the Master of Spells, Aram Zey.

”Sorry about your…spill,” Kaz blushed as Zarta sent him away in a less than kindly manner.

He was ready to move on to his next mission. He grinned when he received the next missive. His smile turned upside down when he realized his supervisor on this one would be that creepy finger wiggler, Aram Zey. He pulled on his hat and headed to the assignment, trying to hide his disappointment.

Receiving the missive Grunigon says his goodbye to the day job and packs his equipment for the road again.

The missive includes the following mission background.

Victory in the Ruby Phoenix Tournament earned the Pathfinder Society a pick of the legendary treasures of the Tian sorceress Hao Jin, and the Decemvirate knew just what item to select: a frayed and dirty tapestry hidden deep in Hao Jin’s vault. This unassuming tapestry acts as a doorway to another dimension in which Hao Jin stored her most massive items, including entire buildings, battlefields, and the ruins of ancient civilizations. The Pathfinder Society is now methodically exploring and cataloging the diverse locales tucked within this extradimensional space.

And upon arrival, the pathfinders are ushered deep into the secure basements of the Grand Lodge, way beyond their normally allowed access.

Deep beneath Absalom’s Grand Lodge, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Spells, Aram Zey, gestures at the tapestry hung on the wall, surrounded by ladders and scaffolds. Scholars and diviners scurry around the tapestry, analyzing its abstract patterns and comparing insights.

Zey snaps his finger to quiet the room and speaks rapidly. “The aasimar nation of Tianjing contains a handful of temples to Korada, Empyreal Lord of forgiveness and foresight. The Pathfinder Society is interested in exploring these holy sites, but the aasimar disciples in Tianjing are reluctant to grant the Pathfinder Society full access to their faith’s secrets. Fortunately, the custodian council of Tianjing gifted one such temple to Hao Jin centuries ago. This temple—the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment—now sits vacant within the museum demiplane of the Hao Jin Tapestry. We need well-trained explorers to survey the isolated and abandoned site."

“We will transport you to the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment within the Hao Jin Tapestry and provide you with a small cache of supplies. We need a complete report on the temple with a focus on four key locations. First, locate the temple’s meditation room, find evidence of any meditative techniques described there, and record any effects of performing those techniques. Second, prepare a comprehensive catalog of all works in the temple library. Third, find the temple gardens and draft a detailed plan of the garden’s layout. Finally, enter the temple’s crypt and take rubbings of the carvings on each sarcophagus."

“You will enter the tapestry within the hour. Any questions?”

Trained Knowledge: History can be rolled to recall more information about Tianjing and the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment.

Trained Knowledge: Religion can be rolled to recall more information about Korada.

Purchases can still be made, but only until you all enter the tapestry.

Dran wonders why in the world Zey would send a group of dwarves on this one but says nothing.

Aram taps his chin, ”You may be wondering why I would send you all. Well it’s simple… there wasn’t anyone else.”

:D

I'm late...yeah yeah...I know...I ain't meant for hurrying... Ander says as he rumbles into the room. He listens intently to Zey's instructions and cocks an eyebrow.

We're going in to write stuff down and take drawings? Fine by me. Let's stock up on paper such from the store. And chalk...gotta get some stuff as well...almost out of jerky...he says with a puff of almost blue smoke from his stogie.

going with a +1 cloak as well...and getting an antitoxin as well...used one last game...

Grunigon listens and smirks when told that there wasn't anyone else. So they hadn't stepped back when volunteers were called for.... "Sounds like a lot of writing but not much fighting. It's OK if we break, I mean kill anything that attacks us though, right? Better'n my day job!"

know.history: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
know.religion (Grim): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

Halali and her sagacious rook confer before divulging their learning, such as it is.

"We may need a few scrolls, as well as a journal, before we set off."

buying cloak of resistance +1 and some scrolls of magic weapon and comprehend languages.

Know. Religion 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

Kaz tried to remember anything about the religion of the land described therein.

Bilos is used to being the guy the call in when they need a warm body. And a cold one. He ponders what he knows about Korada, then meditates a bit before calling forth a phantom.

Knowledge Religion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

A heavily scarred dwarf, dressed all in black, appears before the group holding a sap that somehow looks bloody despite being unreal. "What now?" he says gruffly.

Grim and Kaztor know a bit.

Korada is the Empyreal Lord of foresight, forgiveness, and peace. He is a force of good, dedicated to peace and contemplation. Korada spends his time meditating in the Dream Lotus on the plane of Nirvana, balancing the spheres of existence in his mind and conversing with other enlightened beings. Devotees of Korada are scholars and mystics who are often contemplative pacifists. Korada’s worshipers meditate by spinning small glass spheres in their palms. Practiced disciples spin three glass spheres in each hand simultaneously while meditating.

Bilos knows all that, obviously. And a bit more.

The Spiral of Korada is a symbol sacred to the Empyreal Lord. The Spiral of Korada is an outward-sweeping arc balancing three circles. The circles represent reflection on the past, focus on the present, and contemplation of the future. This symbol is often prominently displayed in temples to the Empyreal Lord, and devotees take care to keep the sacred symbol unobstructed.

No one seems to know jack all about history though. Pshaw, who cares, really. After a few items are purchased and the dwarves return to the tapestry room.

Aram shrugs at the spirit, ”Nice trick. You all fully ready to go then?”

With no further ado Aram has you climb up onto the map structure and points to the spot to go. Touching your finger there you are instantly transported into the demiplane.

The Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment is a wide structure atop a forested hill. The graceful building has no sharp corners; the white marble walls are carved with soft, round edges. The edifice appears well-scrubbed, but despite this obvious care black flecks of mold cover its surface. A gravel path leads into an airy courtyard and up to a pair of large wooden double doors. The doors are carved with an image of four spheres resting inside an open lotus flower.

Map is up! Enter/Explore as you wish, the entrance described in the text is on the bottom left of the map.

Kaz took his standard spot near the front of the marching order, holding his shield at the ready. ”Grungy, you ready to start checking for traps? Don’t want to get blown up by something before we get good and started!”

Dran steps up next to Kaz. Plenty wide for both of us I think.

Grunigon moves up to the entrance and searches per Kaz's request. "I doubt there'd be any traps outside, but you're right that it's worth a look...."

Perception to search for traps while approaching: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

"Four spheres? Are we in the right place? Seemed like three was the number, not four."

Keeping Halali in Battle Spirit, same as last outing.

"Oh, hey. Boop my wand, would you Bilos?"

Mage Armour up, please.

Well, which ever of you lot is in front, just remember to keep yer thick skulls down when the time comes, ok? And maybe the four spheres represent the four elements? Just a wild guess...salted peanuts anyone? fresh off the boats from Mwangi...i think... the rifledwarf asks as he holds out a small burlap bag with some shelled nuts inside.

Bilos armors Halali.

"We're moving up in the world. Soon we'll have missions with dozens of spheres."