EbonFist's #3-26 Portal of the Sacred Rune (Inactive)

Game Master EbonFist

Staying towards the front, Kal wonders listlessly in the room- a veneer of interest in whatever the stuff in the room is that he simply doesn't understand... statue included.

Rallas examines the statue with a trained eye.

perc traps: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (12) + 23 = 35

I trust absolutely nothing when it comes to such things...

Miraculously enough, given how most Pathfinder missions go, the statue does not animate, come to life, get replaced by a real version of what it represents or collapse through the floor taking everyone with it.

No...it is just a statue.

About a minute after the dog starts barking, it stops. When Diazepane looks, it is gone.

Diazepane will circle around to the front, to see what she is looking at.

Hmmph...one would expect there to be a trap there...I would put one on it. Perhaps I need a vacation...everything is looking like a trap... the elf says with a shrug as he peers over Diazepane's shoulder to see if he can shed some light on the statue.

Taariik walks to the spiral stairs.

GM, what are the two bold strips left and right of the spiral?

Diazepane and Rallas see that the statue is simply looking toward the doors. Under normal circumstances, visitors would come down the spiral stairs and this room would be their first introduction to the establishment.

Taariik finds that the stairs lead 20' up to the surface.

Those are places where tapestries once hung.

He slowly walks up the stairs to see what awaits them.

Silver follows behind Taariik.

Diazepane will follow, as well.

The group heads up the spiral stairs. On the surface, a circle of menhirs and capstones surrounds the shaft’s opening; while many have toppled over the ages, they once resembled a guardrail sized for giants. If you look over the edge you can see a pool almost 200 feet below with carved openings in several places along the walls.

As a note, Diazepane can fly and probably shuttle people down (he has 10 minutes of fly per day, to be used in 1 minute increments, plus ant haul), so this isn't a dead end for us - we can fly down and re-enter at a lower level if that would make the GM's life more difficult the characters' lives easier.

That's a bit of a drop... Rallas says as he looks down.

i'm up for that idea D...beats climbing....even with a climber's kit...

There's also stairs leading down...you guys just went up instead. And the dog has disappeared. But you're welcome to fly, too.

Taariik is a little dumb so he looks at the smart people around him.

Int: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -1

"Ehh ... you want to go down there? Ahh ... ok ... ehh .. should I jump down there?" he asks and the flames around him start extinguish a little which shows his uncertainty.

"Stairs? Like the plebes?"

Diazepane snorts with derision.

Seriously, stairs would be fine too. I had figured if there were more traps set, they'd be facing towards the portal, expecting that's the direction we're coming from.

"I'll take a lift, doc. If you are still offering them"

I am up for the flight plan, for the reasons Diazepane mentions above

Taariik casts detect magic and looks around while the others are discussing.

Diazepane will shuttle everyone down.

down (medium load): 80'/move = 1.3 rounds down
up (light load): 30'/move = 3.3 rounds up

(1.3 x 5) + (3.3 x 4) = 19.7 rounds total = 2 minutes of fly used

Diazepane sips a Crimson Buffalo and it gives him Wings! Another concoction makes his muscles far more efficient and he hefts the much bulkier Kal'Ryon with ease.

Diving over the side they get only about 10' below the rim before a ring of green runes running the circumference of the pit flashes brilliantly to life.

Greater Dispel Magic: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

Fortunately, Diazepane's wings are not magical and his ant haul magic is too powerful this time.

Unfortunately, the boosts both he and Kal'Ryon got from wands are dismissed.

The glow of the ring they just passed through is slowly fading but 8 more, spaced approximately 20' apart going down the shaft still glow a livid green, suggesting that Diazepane carrying Kal'Ryon the rest of the way down might be pressing their luck.

The flash of green light fills Kal's vision, taking a moment before he can speak.

"What the hell was that. Do you think there is more?" glancing down the cliff wall ahead of them.

"Seems like we are going to need to do this the old fashioned way..."

After the first flash, Diazepane will circle back up.

1 minute of fly used.

Taariik is confused.

”What now? We just jump down? I heard a dwarf did that once. They’re alive I think!?“

Izlin pulls out a coil of silk rope. "Anyone see where we can tie this off?

I have 100' of rope.

Give me a minute...I'll see if I can find a good spot... Rallas says as he fishes out his coil of rope too.

huh..thought i had a climber's kit...would a traveler's anytool give a bonus of some sort to climb if needed? only have a +6..I know...not very rogue-like...

Taariik shrugs.

“Or we take the stairs?! I like walking!?“

Give me a minute...I'll see if I can find a good spot... Rallas says as he fishes out his coil of rope too.

huh..thought i had a climber's kit...would a traveler's anytool give a bonus of some sort to climb if needed? only have a +6..I know...not very rogue-like...

I would allow a traveler's anytool to provide its bonus. It could be a climbing axe. If you guys want to climb down the shaft and not take the stairs.

My impression was that we lose our magical buffs whether we climb down or fly down. If we don't mind losing the buffs we can always fly, Diazepane's wings are not magical.

Just trying to avoid any 'separating the party' shenanigans the stairs may hold.

Taariik shrugs and moves back to the stairs.

“My father told me to keep it simple … respect the authority and fight for rights of the people! I take the stairs … “

Silver bullet follows Taariik.

"My magics gone, though easily enough reapplied. However, it seems that heading down this way may leave us vulnerable- isn't that right doc? The stairs would seem to avoid that- though at the cost of being obvious..." the Ganzi continues on...

"I don't mind being obvious"

Stairs it is!

After weighing their options and deciding that they don't want to test the rings, the group decides to take the stairs.

This long, narrow hall has fallen into disuse, even compared to other chambers in these ruins. A thick layer of dust covers the floor, only broken by a trail leading from one staircase to another. Numerous narrow alcoves branch off of the main room, each the size of a small cupboard. The room is otherwise plain and unadorned.

The contents of each cell are the same: a prayer mat facing a low wooden bench. The back of each cell is adorned with a small bronze mirror, etched with a rune.

Izlin scans the area for magic; then, if safe, he attempts to determine the meaning of the rune.

Detect Magic
Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23

Taariik casts detect magic and looks around.

Before heading down the stairs, Diazepane will drink another shield extract to re-up his protection.

---

Diazepane will examine the runes on the mirrors. Can he recognize them?

Knowledge: 1d20 ⇒ 10 +21 arcana, remainder of modifiers can be found in profile

The runes are all the same, the Rune of Envy. Each of them glows faintly with divination and illusion magic. The mirrors are so dirty that no reflection can be seen in them.

Taariik takes a piece of cloth and cleans the mirrors.

”Do they do something?!?????“

The magic item activates, reflecting not Taariik's but images of his friends and family possessing vast wealth and immeasurable power. The
architecture and clothing seen in these images suggests they depict ancient times.

Diazepane, envious of Taarik's success, cleans one of the other mirrors so he can see his friends succeed.

Be wary of mirrors...I've been attacked by them in the past... the elf says as he looks about.

perc: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (2) + 20 = 22

“Ahh … very interesting!! Okay, so let’s take them with us!“ he says.

“Where to next? Did you search everything? I can’t see anything even if it’s in front of me so I’m not a good spotter!“

Izlin takes care to avoid having his image reflected in any of the mirrors. "Call me paranoid if you like, but mirrors like these are nothing but trouble."

The mirrors are easy enough to pry off but it takes a Use Magic Device check to do so without damaging the magic.

Even faded by eons, this room’s decor suggests decadent, libertine usage. The chamber’s heart is filled by a five-footdeep marble indentation, apparently the remains of a once-sumptuous public bath. From the center of this pit rises a fifteen-foot-tall marble statue of a nude snake-torsoed
woman bearing a giant, tarnished copper bowl above her head—clearly once a fountain for the pool. Bowl, statue, and bath are all dry. The walls are covered in faded erotic murals, and several gauze-curtained alcoves lead off the main room. A wide arch leads out onto a western balcony, and northern and southern arches contain stairs leading up and down, respectively.

Please arrange yourself on the stairs going down into this room.

UMD first mirror : 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (11) + 22 = 33
UMD second mirror : 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (17) + 22 = 39

“Ahh, the mirrors are quite delicate! Let me do the cleaning… I had to clean often in the monastery!!“

I’m not sure if we are in the right room on the map. Did we check all alcoves? Can someone please roll perception around there?

Izlin is on the stairs I was talking about in my previous post and the room described is at the bottom of it, though anyone is free to make perception checks in the chamber with the mirrors.

Taariik is easily able to remove two of the mirrors.

Ahh sorry, I though that there were only two mirrors for some reason. There are five or six, right?

UMD 3rd mirror : 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (19) + 22 = 41
UMD 4th mirror : 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (2) + 22 = 24
UMD 5th mirror : 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (12) + 22 = 34
UMD 6th mirror : 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (3) + 22 = 25

Can someone please roll perception around this room with the mirrors?

I'll just throw out a bunch, and you can use them in the order they come out - let me know when I need to roll more.

Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (17) + 18 = 35
Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (8) + 18 = 26
Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (11) + 18 = 29
Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (17) + 18 = 35
Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (15) + 18 = 33

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (13) + 12 = 25