[Gameday XI] GM Zin's CORE 10-10 The Shattered Shield (Inactive)

Game Master Zin Z'arin

Menudo glances over the door.

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

He requests others to look as well. Then, unless someone stops him, he opens the tomb.

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

”I’ve seen these before. They’re made for a specific family. These illustrations here on the outer walls were probably forms of a specific deity. Impossible to tell which, though.” Iladora keeps her sword at the ready behind Menudo.

Will try opening the tomb if he can’t for some reason.

The door emits a grinding, sorrowful howl when Menudo pushes it open. The door opens onto a long set of stone stairs that descend along a 15-foot-wide passageway, dimly lit by flaming torches set into wall sconces. The stairs descend to a small room with marble floors before descending further.

Map updated! I've placed your tokens in this small landing room; feel free to rearrange them as you like; there's no rhyme nor reason to my placement.

Zim winces at the shrieking door before pulling out her crossbow. She takes a look around the room at the bottom of the stairs.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Milo has his crossbow out as well, and stays behind the bruisers in the party unless his questionably legal skill set is needed.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Sensing a threat, but not an immediate one, Menudo tries to activate his Wand of Shield.

UMD DC 20: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13

D'oh!

Theron grabs a torch from its sconce.

Be ready...no telling what we might find here... he warns as he heads down the steps, leading the others into the unknown.

If nothing jumps out at them, Iladora will head further down the stairs.

The Reverend stays close behind, relieved to finally be with his people.

As Iladora is about to venture further down the stairs, Zim stops her, noticing what looks like some kind of pit trap! Pit trap marked on map.

Sparks fly from Menudo's wand as he misfires it; it doesn't look like it will work for him again this day!

Zim looks at Milo, assuming he knows how to take care of this problem.

Iladora jumps back from the trap. "Thanks," she says.

When Zim points out the pit, Milo moves up and sets down his crossbow while he works on disabling the trap.

Disable Device: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23

Milo works on disabling the pit, and is able to find a failsafe that locks the pit closed so that it can be safely walked over.

Zim smiles at Iladora. "No problem!"

Milo puts his tools away quickly and efficiently, and retrieves his crossbow. Sighing softly, because he does not want to be in front when they find more trouble, he moves across the pit and studies the next set of stairs.

Perception vs. traps: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

I'll watch over you, Milo...I've got your back... Theron says as he rests a meaty hand on the halfling's shoulder to reassure him.

Zim gives Milo an encouraging thumbs up. "You've got this! We believe in you." I hope...

"Good to see that whoever built this put in precautions against the residents being disturbed. Though better for us that they were not particularly skilled."

Milo finds no more traps, though when he seals the pit, Milo does find the broken body of one of the traps prior victims. While the body has nearly rotted away, a gleaming, black leather eyepatch--adorned with a ruby--remains, along with a tattered cloak. Sorry, missed this loot yesterday.

You continue to the bottom of the stairs, where a quick examination reveals no further traps on the door either. Pushing the door open, you find something unexpected: a sitting room? While the crypt architecture is clearly an antechamber, this seems to have been repurposed into a reception area. Four iron chairs, two on each side, sit against the walls. Two funeral beds--pushed together to form an "L"-shaped desk--stand in the middle of the room.

Behind the desk is a gold-clad skeleton, writing furiously in a large, lined book with an ink-dipped quill. It raises its gaze to you when you enter. "Welcome to the Grave Wager. Name?"

The Reverend makes a deep bow and speaks more respectfully than any of you have seen before. "His Austere Holiness, Exarch-Acolyte Rufus Sorrell, Blessed Talon of the Psychopomp of Urgathoa, at your service. And guests." He then stares at his fellow Pathfinders as if to say just because they're dead doesn't mean you don't have to be nice.

Menudo twitches slightly, but stays calm.

Theron. the fighter says coldly, gripping his morningstar after sheathing his sword. He nods to Red.

Iladora lifts the point of her sword, shocked that a skeleton of all things would address her so casually. ”How dare—” she starts to say. But when her ally steps up and speaks to it with deference, she decides to hold her tongue. The mission, remember the mission.

Zim side-eyes Red, but doesn't make an immediate move against the skeleton. She sidles to the left as the enters the room, keeping a close eye on the gold monster as she works her way around towards the door.

The Red Reverend's speech surprises Milo enough that he catches Zim's eye and mouths, "He actually has a name?" But he seems content to let the Urgathoan handle negotiations for now.

The skeleton dutifully scratches The Red Reverend and Theron's names in the ledger; it's clear from the time it takes to scratch it down that the skeleton has recorded Red's full name as dictated. It then looks up at Milo--who seems closest to its default line of sight--and repeats "Welcome to the Grave Wager. Name?"

Torn between lying, giving the creature his name, and just killing it, Menudo opts for a (literal) song and dance number...

"They call me Taldan Pete, I'm the king of the rhumba beat
When I play my maracas I go
Chick chicky boom, chick chicky boom

The senorita, they sing and they swing with terampero
It's very nice, so full of spice
And when they dancin they bring a happy ring that era keros
Singin a song, all the day long."

Perhaps the thing will mistake that for his name?

Untrained Perform: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Bluff: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Milo's attempt to hide his pained look at Menudo's performance proves...equally unconvincing.

"Milo Nimblefingers," the halfling says in a rush, hoping to move on quickly.

As she continues to slide around the room, Zim attempts to figure out what's with the skeleton, if it's more than just a basic undead.

Religion: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Oh, right, Milo should roll that, too!

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14

The skeleton has no intelligence. It merely records names that it is given.

In the next room, you find defaced statues of an old merchant house, with the nearby shelves rummaged through and the contents destroyed.

The larger adjoining room used to contain many sarcophagi and coffins, but they have clearly all been disturbed recently, the bodies scattered and often eaten. A bridge across the chamber goes over a pool of stinky, rotting carrion.

please give me a fortitude save for crossing the bridge, and place your tokens in the yellow box.

Fort: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

The stench of decay makes Milo clap a hand over his nose and carefully and shallowly breathe through his mouth. "And I thought the drunkards' alley behind my first pleasure-house smelled bad," the foppish halfling croaks in disgust.

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, EW!" Zim exclaims pulling out a silk handkerchief which she claps to her nose and mouth as the crosses the bridge.

Fort: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Unfortunately, she breathes at the exact wrong moment and spews all over the stones.

fort: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Better out than in, Zim...

Fort Save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

Fortitude Save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

The Reverend is surprised to find himself retching at the smell.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Iladora also chooses the wrong moment to inhale, and takes a lungful of the wretched air.

Everyone but Milo is sickened for ten minutes from the stench.

pausing in case anyone has a way to remove the negative effect, and to let you decide whether to pause to let it pass or not

i think we wait...10 minutes won't matter ...I hope..lol

Not built to fix things. Fine with waiting.

Would we need to keep making saves if we wait?

FWIW, sickened is just a penalty. It's not nauseated, which shuts down non-move actions.

Milo sees that the others are having a harder time blocking out the stench, but he has nothing to help them recover more quickly. Instead, he speaks in an urgent whisper, "I know it's bad, but stay alert, everyone. We know there are other undead here. They won't take pity on those with living stomachs." He holds his crossbow at the ready until the others are ready to move on, and strains to hear anything over the pained moans of his companions.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12 (+1 to detect traps)
I'm guessing that means he just hears retching...

"Well, it's a good thing I just remember my new power to use my lay on hands to make people not sick. I can do it three times, so myself and two others."

I don't hear a decision here yet. You could move over the bridge to the other side and wait, or you can let Menudo take care of part of the party and then move on with two people still sickened. (or move on with more than two still sickened, if you wanted...)

(and yes, sickened is -2 to a bunch of things, nothing more than that)

Milo would prefer to move on, and save the paladin's healing for more urgent emergencies. He's also paranoid enough to expect something to jump out at them before they finish waiting it out--and is surprised nothing has yet.

"Best get moving before things get worse..."

Zim holds her stomach and swallows reflexively. She pulls out her waterskin and rinses out her mouth, trying to hold her nose at the same time. "Save your healing, Menudo. Let's just go and finish this."

Menudo chooses to heal himself, at least, to get back to fighting form.

"If that is your decision, let us move on."