[Gameday XI, PFS1 CORE]#4-25: Glories of the Past Pt 3 - The Secrets Stones Keep (5-9) (Inactive)

Game Master Aldizog

@GM Aldizog - Would activating the stela count towards participating in a magical ritual? Dark Archive members would like to know. :)

"Don't get started there without me Khellek. I want to see how that old magic works."

Sylvester looks around.

"So, who is going to be the brave person to retrieve the valuable and historically important belt for the society?"

Someone has to pick it up. It is just worth too much to leave behind.

@Sylvester - no, I don't believe so. It does not use the Ritual rules.

@Khellek - Comprehend Languages is still running, so you can read the Dwarven runes on the stele. And I'll assume for the sake of RP that there are some runes to be read on the sixteen thrones... but the stele is the real mission goal, and this place is unstable as you may recall.

The runes on the Stele say "Dongun Hold, Highhelm, Janderhoff, Koldukar, Kraggodan, Kravenkus" - locations of both active and ruined Sky Citadels - as well as "Jormurdun," a name that Khellek does not know.

Doodle closes her eyes and grab the belt. Her feelings about the mission hadn’t improved over the last several rooms.

The dwarf's corpse crumbles to dust as Doodle disturbs it.
Only the silver belt remains.

Does Fethril think his scroll of Lesser Restoration will help resolve Grog's 'cursed' wounds?

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26

"Good job Doodle. Alright Khellek it is time to activate the stela and get out of here."

@Fethril - no, that seems unlikely to work.

"Okay grab the belt, and lets see if I can work out how to make this thing work. Interesting names... and Jormurdun... its not familar... but feels like it should be so. Bah... ever since that mix up with the time ritual, things have been a bit funny."

"Not sure about this dwarf stuff...I'll hang back"

Try to do something to activate the stele.
Your location matters, so place yourself on the map.
I'll probably just give it to Khellek given his ability to Take 20 for a 50 on Knowledge checks, but no harm in letting you try to puzzle it our for a little bit.

Sylvester and Shaggy waits for Khellek to enter the antechamber with the stela first but then shortly follows taking the same path.

"Perhaps we should try to call out the name of the stone that activated this one and try to communicate with our fellow pathfinders?"

"Janderhoff. I believe in the correct name and stone."

This is all in the mission brief so it is better than a random guess.

Khellek approaches the stella, and then starts to trace the various runes and sigils. As he does so he pauses and also starts to sketch the Stele.

"I think you are right Mr Solstar." says the scholar.

He stands in front of Janderhoff and tries to pronounce the name carefully.

linguistics: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (14) + 20 = 34

Khellek with his Knowledge (everything) check of 50 recalls this from the mission briefing (the Knowledge check):

"Each stele has the ability to contact its sister steles. As long as the runes are intact at both sites, one can merely call out the desired Citadel’s name. If this is done properly, one can talk to the contacted stele as if that stele were the monument before them."

So, as he approaches and calls out Janderhoff, the Janderhoff stele responds. A slow, deep voice resonates from the stele, giving an ancient Dwarven greeting and saying (in Dwarven) I am the Janderhoff stele.

Also from the mission briefing (Canayven Heidmarch's direction): "If it is still intact and functional, activate it and see what else you can learn of dwarven history. I suspect that you will also be able to use the stone to signal Janderhoff. I will be there awaiting that signal, at which point I’ll coordinate your extraction from hostile territory."

So, as soon as you contact Janderhoff (which you decided to do right away), the Society begins the extraction process. You got the process right, but picked the wrong target. Might not make a big difference.

Sandricaan and others are coming to your location the stele replies.

But before they can get there...
There is a roar from outside the doors, as Shade spots incoming prey!
Fethril sees, headed towards the now stuck-open doors, four ordinary Rust Monsters and two BIG Rust Monsters!

They are drawn to the still-intact metal in the room and are moving quickly towards it.

Round 1
Sylvester
Fethril
Doodle
Grog
Rust Monsters
Stormy
Khellek
Alphas

Shade will get AOOs on them as they pass. It isn't really possible to start this fight at the range that Shade would have spotted them so I'm not going to have Shade be flat-footed.

@GM Aldizog - Is it possible to see the rust monsters from the upper floor with the assumption that your character is more or less lined up with the open front doors?

As the 6 creatures move by Shade reaches out and chooses a medium creature to play with.

Bite: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 9 + 1 = 231d8 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 6 + 1 = 8

Free grab: 1d20 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 15 + 1 = 25

@Sylvester - not very well. Maybe the first creature nearest the door.

Actually only high 30s for things other than history. I can only T20 once a scenario from Loremaster. Sad, I know.

"Oh the Stele talks. Ms Weathers, Ms Weathers... quick. Perhaps you could ask it when it was last used? We could find out lots of interesting things."

He seems totally unaware of the presence of the rust monsters.

Should we be in the upper room ? Distance is our friend in this encounter I suspect. Where is the Stele?

The stele is at the far southwest of the room, in the circular alcove. There are, however, iron-reinforced stone pillars holding up the room all throughout...

Sylvester rides Shaggy up to where he can see the opened front doors. He spots the first nasty creature and lets loose with a trio of missiles. He then continues on riding Shaggy towards Stormy.

@GM Aldizog - Magic Missile is pretty forgiving with both concealment and cover so this should work out all right. :)

Magic Missile CL 6: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (2, 1, 1) + 3 = 7

While the bard dithers the little man is decisive about what the party needs to do.

"Fethril web them up. Doodle blow them up."

"If they enter the room and eat the pillars they will collapse!"

Shaggy double moves. Sylvester automatically succeeds on his concentration check with vigorous motion. Sylvester is again guiding his dog with his knees and has four mirror images up.

@Khellek - You should be with the Stele at least. My character was right at the entrance to the small circular room but has now moved.

Doodle casts Dragon’s Breath, turning silver as she did so and fires a line of cold, hitting the large and one of the smaller rust monsters.

DC 18 Reflex for half

Cold damage 9d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 6, 3, 4, 4, 5, 4, 3) = 35

Game over.

Chronicles to come.