GM Harrow’s Curse of the Crimson Throne - AE

Game Master GM Harrow

"We should get them out, but not too far. We can't risk the undead variant of the disease spreading and we don't know for certain if any of them are still infected."

Elric says, casting a glance at the now motionless zombies.

"The irony is that this entire place is probably the best place in the city to treat the sick - if it was run by actual healers rather than murderous cultists."

Shrike nods. "Krand and these two might have the undead kind. Should stay in the building but separate from the sick above. But we shouldn't ask them to stay down here where the cult can get at them."

She is starting to pull all remaining unused masks out of the magical backpack. "Cultists may've already seeded the city with other plague zombies in waiting. Kroft and the temples need to know. The message can't die with us if we fail. Masks should keep these five healthy. They can give the rest to real healers. Free up some spells. Masks and plague-crow coats from storage should let them get to the Citadel unharmed. Just need to know if we can trust them. Convince them to carry the message. And if one of these could destroy the trap." The last thing she pulls from the haversack is actually two things: the silver-headed mace she used on the wererats; and a small arrowhead of a dull matte black identical to the color of Audria's glaive. It is clearly adamantine, and could probably be fitted to a regular arrow in place of its normal head with a little work.

She is perfectly willing to trigger the trap herself if it means the skeletons could be fought and put to rest permanently. Or, if they could find whatever magical writing contains the spell, perhaps Elric could shoot that part of the door from a distance and destroy it, preventing it from triggering. Unfortunately, she does not know exactly how the skeletons slicing anyone who gets close to ribbons would occur, or if physical methods of dealing with them have any chance of working.

Kandru nods as Shrike lays out her plan. "I think that would be best - I can't say what else we'll find out here, but what we have should be safeguarded. I can accompany the group back and deactivate the trap, if you so wish, but if you wish to activate it, I'll gladly help you there as well."

Turning to the five survivors, she clears her throat - when she speaks again, her tone is notably softer, still holding her customary utilitarian terseness, but with a hint of authoritativeness she prays will set their minds at ease. "Right, once you've left here, it should be fairly easy to find a way out from the Hospice. Do any of you five know the way to Citadel Volshyenek in Midland? There should be some empty bunks in Barracks 3 from the Bridgefront rota - you can wait there, and we'll try and get in contact with your families, let them know you're safe."

"Perhaps it would be wise to eliminate the trap once and for all, and jam the door open. After all, we might be forced to retreat in a hurry, and we don't want it active in that situation."

"Soldier boy's got the right of it. Let's not leave anything for some other poor souls to clean up."

A few of the survivors nod in the affirmative at Kandru's question; the others have been brought here while unconscious so they are not sure where in Korvosa they are currently - although they all know where the citadel is and could likely find their way to it from anywhere in the city. They are all eager to escape this hellish place and return to their families.

Does anyone have the ability to disable magical traps?

"I'll third that." Shane nods.

"Agreed." Shrike nods and goes back to the room with the displayed once-undead corpses and Rolth Lamm's body. She examines the large double doors from the back side for a minute or so, making sure to stay a good distance away. Might have to knock the cursed things off their hinges and smash them apart. Ugh, frogmakers. Wait, is that a shimmer...? Probably just imagining things.
Perception to look for where trap is located or applied, dim light or darkness?: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 10 + 2 = 16
Perception to look for where trap is located or applied, dim light or darkness?: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 10 + 2 = 17
Perception to look for where trap is located or applied, dim light or darkness?: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 10 + 2 = 32

Unfortunately, none of the PCs have the ability to disable magical traps with Disable Device, which rules as written is impossible without the rogue class ability Trapfinding, or some other text specifically saying you can do it. Vigilantes don't get Trapfinding, and Pava's rogue archetype replaces Trapfinding with Frightening. There is a campaign trait to get it from Mummy's Mask, but that would have had to be chosen at character creation and doesn't really seem appropriate for anyone in this campaign. However, if Kandru can use a channel to suppress the effect for a minute, potentially we could destroy the trap (if Shrike can see a specific location for it) or the doors altogether during that time. Audria's adamantine glaive should be very good at that, and Shrike's adamantine arrowhead, if put onto an arrow, could be used as an improvised dagger that ignores hardness, I believe. Alternatively, I think we found a scroll of dispel magic, and Shane casting that on the doors could, with a caster level check, either destroy the trap (if the effect is from a permanent spell cast on the doors) or suppress the effect for 1d4 rounds (if the trapped doors are themselves a magic object.) And then if suppressed, we could possibly destroy the doors with Audria's glaive or by other means.

For the future, there is this personal-range only spell that Shrike could potentially apply to herself with Use Magic Device and a wand or scroll.

Still here. I don't think Audria can really add anything that hasn't already been said, so...

While Shirke looks over the doors, Audria does what she can to comfort and calm the people who'd been trapped down here while the others figure out how to deal with the deadly doors. Despite the grim situation, the young paladin finds her curiosity getting the better of her and starts asking the newly freed unwilling test subjects about themselves and what they want to do when they fully recover. Of course, she does properly introduce herself and Tally, first.

Audria tries to put the freed people at ease, although most are too shaken and desperate for escape to be chatty. Most of them are working class folk or entertainers, and they are eager to get back to their families and friends. Hostler Krand and the stoic woman who was with him - a cobbler named Olena Hanch - promise to take word to the Sable Company and the Korvosan Guard about the truth of what is happening in this so-called hospice.

Meanwhile, Shrike carefully examines the double doors leading back to the upper level - it looks like touching either of the trapped doors will trigger the trap. What's more, on closer examination Shrike notices tiny holes with some sort of light dusting around them, which indicates that the skeleton scythes might be the least of their worry should the trap go off.

With Kandru's channeling of Abadar's blessing, the trap is momentarily rendered inert, and the freed prisoners rush through the double doors to the cargo lift.

These specific doors don't actually have stats in the book, but with the adamantine glaive and adamantine arrowhead it should be possible to destroy them before the trap resets. However, it is quite a noisy endeavour and will likely alert other enemies. You can also prop the doors open while the trap is inactive so you don't have to deal with them again.

I say we prop them open then bust them apart on the way out.

After getting a better feel for their mood, Audria changes tack and focuses on getting them safely out.

Sure, if Kandru still has a channel available to render it inert again at that point. She's used several today. If we can't render it inert, safer to leave it propped open and let the experts deal with it later. Shrike has an additional safeguard she wants to put in place, as well.

It's fine for the five uninfected Varisians to leave and go home, and we wanted them to take the truth about the Hospice, along with all the unused magic masks, to Kroft to be distributed to real healers in the fight against the plague. But we're pretty sure Hostler Krand and Olena Hanch are infected with the worse, undead variant of the blood veil, right? We really don't want that to spread in the city. Can we convince them to stay upstairs, like in Davaulus's office or something, and wait for help to come to them here? Also are there any unconscious but alive victims in the surgery room that needed hit-point healing in order to not die? Shrike would support using a wand on them. We have a cure moderate wounds one from the sea hag and a cure light wounds one bought as a party.

"It's touch-triggered. Jamming it open should work. Leave us an escape route without a lot of noise," Shrike reports to the others in her low croak after closely examining the doors in silence for a minute or two. "But there's something else. Tiny holes. Likely for poison dust or fog. Give me a moment, Justicar. Before you call on him." She makes a vague 'let-there-be-light' gesture with one hand.

Before the trap is rendered briefly inert, Shrike prepares by passing around some of the plague-crow canes they have found to use as wedges, and also, for some reason, drawing out a dagger and five candles from her pack. She lights all five of the candles with flint and steel and a pinch of char, and waits for the wicks to be burning clear and strong in their little pools of liquid wax. "Ready."

At the wash of light from Kandru's channel, she opens one of the doors to its full extension. Trusting her companions to wedge the doors open while the freed prisoners rush through, she grabs two of her candles, holds them up to the small holes, and tips the liquid wax over the emission system for the trap, using one edge of her nonmagical dagger to guide its progress into the holes so it does not simply drip down to the floor. If she is wrong about touch triggering the secondary trap, and instead only proximity is needed, it would be a bad time to find that out while they are trying to leave. Better to be safe and stop up the little holes entirely.

That's a very creative solution! Consider the trap disabled - or at least the worst effects of it. Yes, there were a couple of unconscious patients in the experiments room, they don't have a lot of HP so a couple of taps from a wand would restore them to consciousness. You also have some potions of Remove Disease if I'm not mistaken, but if you don't want to use them then the infected NPCs can wait upstairs while the healthy ones carry messages as needed.

Awesome, thanks GM. Here are some rolls to revive the other couple of unconscious experiments room patients then (both Audria and now Kandru are able to activate the curing wands):

Cure light wounds wand, CL 1, 43/50 charges remaining: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Cure light wounds wand, CL 1, 42/50 charges remaining: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Cure light wounds wand, CL 1, 41/50 charges remaining: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Okay, hopefully that will be enough to revive two people, and they can go with Hostler Krand and Olena Hanch. If it doesn't look like Krand or Olena or the two formerly unconscious patients are going to die of blood veil anytime soon, I think we should save the potions for now. If any look to be on their last legs, I would support giving them a potion. Mostly I'm worried that we're going to discover people (potentially Ruan) who are even worse off, farther into the complex, and not be able to help them. But also, if these guys can wait until Kandru is able to cast remove disease for them, possibly tomorrow, a spell from her would also have a better chance of working, because she is caster level 8 — more powerful than the likely-CL-5 potions. I don't want to speak to what Kandru would promise them though.

Once the freed prisoners have gotten into the lift and been sent on upward, and the candle wax liberally applied to the door trap, Shrike turns her attention back to the double doors east out of the hideous trophy room, approaching them with her usual cautious steps. According to the other prisoners, Ruan was here, alive, one day ago. If they are very, very lucky, he might still be both.

General door-opening procedure: Taking 10 Stealth for 28 and 10 on Perception for 22 on the door for traps and then what might be beyond it; also rolling for these once each, a secret check. If nothing detected, she checks for the door being locked and tries any key we have found that looks like it might work. If locked and no key we have works, she takes 10 with the masterwork thieves' tools first for 23; if that's not enough, she keeps trying, so feel free to roll for her until she hits the DC or rolls a 1. Once/if unlocked, she waits for everyone to be ready before stealthily opening the door with her spear in hand, taking 10 Stealth again for 28.

Shane wishes the five Varisians luck. And watches as traps are dealt with skillfully.

"That was right clever with the wax there, Murder Bird. Glad you've spent time thinking about all that kind of nonsense. If it's behind magic traps and all I've been mostly leaving well enough alone, but that's becoming less and less a working option..."

Shrike finds the doors unlocked, the clang of footsteps on metal sounding beyond them. Easing them open a crack, she gets a glimpse of what lies behind them. The stinging scent of harsh chemicals assaults her nostrils, even through the mask. Three huge metal vats bubble in the high-ceilinged chamber, each more than six feet tall. A sturdy series of catwalks ten feet off the ground stretches over and around the vats, allowing the half dozen cultists above to attend whatever slurry produces the foul green-brown mist emanating from each gigantic vessel. Circling the upper portion of the room is an elaborate mosaic of white, black, and green stone that depicts a giant half-skeletal woman in black veils dancing among fields of the dead, undead, and dying.

Slightly Earlier

"That was right clever with the wax there, Murder Bird. Glad you've spent time thinking about all that kind of nonsense. If it's behind magic traps and all I've been mostly leaving well enough alone, but that's becoming less and less a working option..."

"Rather not make it a habit. Don't have the training." She thinks of the imposing black spires of Castle Korvosa, ultimate source of this plague, and the croak grows grimmer. "Might not have a choice."

Now
Shrike eyes the foul greenish mist warily and silently closes the door where she had cracked it. "Hold your breath in there. Six cultists cooking up something bad in giant cauldrons. Let's go in hard and fast. Get up to the catwalks if we can. In case they tip the vats." She puts away her spear in her pack, and readies the large elf-made bow in her hands and the human-biting rapier at her waist instead. When everyone is ready, she takes a deep breath, opens the door just a crack once more and eels through, an arrow already hissing off her string for the closest cultist stirring the vats. Once everyone has made any preparations they want to for these enemies, I'm going to start the combat by shooting Green, hopefully while he's unaware of Shrike so that the party might get a surprise round.

Quietly, Elric gets in position by the door, arrows ready to fly at the cultist when Shrike opens up.

Shrike slips through the door like a shadow, taking the cultists inside entirely by surprise.

Party is up in surprise round (remember, one move action or one standard action, not both), then party goes first in Round 1.

The door has barely swung open before the rapid twang of Elric's bowstring echoes through the rooms, like a harp playing a deadly melody.

He focuses his fire on the cultists closest to the far doors, intent on preventing them from escaping and raising the alarm.

Target priority: Orange > Blue > Red > Yellow.

Surprise round

Ranged attack w/ +1 composite longbow (Favored Enemy (Human)/Deadly Aim): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (14) + 13 = 27
Damage: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20

Round 1 - full attack

Ranged attack #1 w/ +1 composite longbow (Rapid shot/Manyshot/Favored Enemy (Human)/Deadly Aim): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
Damage - Manyshot arrow #1: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18
Damage - Manyshot arrow #2: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16

Ranged attack #2 w/ +1 composite longbow (Rapid shot/Manyshot/Favored Enemy (Human)/Deadly Aim): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27
Damage: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19

Ranged attack #3 w/ +1 composite longbow (Rapid shot/Manyshot/Motivating Display/Favored Enemy (Human)/Deadly Aim): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Damage: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16

Audria follows Elric's first volley and rushes up the stairs to up on the catwalk. Her glaive glints in the eerie light as she brings it down on the cultist before her.

"I guess there's no point in asking for your surrender," she says.

Left a spot open so that Shrike or Pava can slip in there.

Glaive vs. Red: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22
Damage: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Surprise Round Standard Action
Mwk composite longbow v. Green, Deadly Aim: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20 Probably vs. flat-footed.
Damage, mwk composite longbow, Hidden Strike: 1d8 + 2 + 4d8 ⇒ (8) + 2 + (1, 8, 2, 2) = 23

Round 1
Shrike brings her heels together and springs into motion, shouldering her bow before reaching the stairs to the catwalk. She ducks under Audria and the glaive, and similarly goes low and around under the surprised cultist's arm, the rapier's point whipping out in one fluid motion for the vulnerable space left uncovered by his breastplate at the armpit.
Double move. Free action to activate boots, putting bow away as part of first move action, drawing rapier as part of second move action, using Acrobatics to move through Red's space as part of second move action, Up Close and Personal as a swift action to attack with rapier while moving through Red's space.
Acrobatics to move through Red's space, acrobat's pillar, daredevil softpaw boots: 1d20 + 14 + 2 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 14 + 2 + 5 = 30
+1 human bane rapier v. Red, daredevil softpaw boots: 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 13 + 2 = 22 Assuming human, hopefully still flat-footed.
Piercing damage, human bane rapier v. human, Lethal Grace, UPAC Hidden Strike: 1d8 + 2d6 + 2 + 4 + 4d8 ⇒ (2) + (2, 6) + 2 + 4 + (6, 7, 2, 3) = 34

As the door opens and the cultists on the other side move to intercept, Kandru springs into action - rushing into the room, she keeps her head down as she makes for the catwalk, keeping the wall to her back to limit the cultists' range of movement. The Justicar holds her crossbow at the ready, trying to keep as many of the cultists as possible in her direct line of sight, but as she moves, her hand shifts to her golden key, and she mutters a prayer under her breath for the success of Elric and Shrike.

Surprise Round:
Blessing of the Faithful (Elric) - +2 to-hit for first round's attacks

First Round:
Move 30 ft
Blessing of the Faithful (Shrike) - +2 AC until Kandru's next turn

Pava streaks up the steps in a blur, casually disemboweling the first cultist they come to as they try to keep the cultists from coming round to trouble the backlines. "You couldn't all rush me at once or something, yeah? Speed this up?"

Move in Surprise Round, beat hell out of yellow in round 1, 5' into their square if possible afterwards

Defensive Stance for +2 AC
Cut-Down Klar: 1d20 + 13 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 13 + 1 - 2 = 20
Cold Iron Piercing: 1d6 + 6 + 3d6 ⇒ (5) + 6 + (1, 3, 2) = 17
Cut-Down Klar: 1d20 + 13 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (14) + 13 + 1 - 2 = 26
Cold Iron Piercing: 1d6 + 6 + 3d6 ⇒ (4) + 6 + (5, 3, 1) = 19
Cut-Down Klar: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 8 + 1 - 2 = 25
Cold Iron Piercing: 1d6 + 6 + 3d6 ⇒ (1) + 6 + (3, 3, 2) = 15

Dazzling/Motivating Display: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20 Reaches Elric, Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple. DC is 10+HD+Wis to be either shaken or get a +1 morale bonus to attacks and skills for 2 rounds, +1 round/5 points the DC is beaten by

These guys are having a crappy day at the office. Since both Audria and Shrike are wailing on Red, Elric will pick another target if he makes it that far in his priority list.

Shane moves a bit slower than his friends. He envies their confidence as they seem to rotate between calculated and swift tactical genius and brave impulse, while he second guesses himself. Still, he must contribute. And when Pava bolts with bravado he follows their example and them as well!

Move in Surprise Round.
Then first round move to get behind Pava
Then he flings a blinding bolt at the one behind Pava's current target, hoping it renders that foe distracted!

Blinding Bolt -As a standard action you can fire a shimmering ray at any foe within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. The ray causes creatures to be blinded for 1 round. Creatures with more Hit Dice than your wizard level are dazzled for 1 round instead. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. Ranged Touch (against Purple): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Elric's arrows kill one cultists and wound another. Audria and Shrike together kill another, and Pava takes a third down by themselves. While Kandru's prayers bolster Elric and Shrike, Shane blinds a fourth.

The one towards the back of the room rushes through one of the doors leading further east, shouting at the top of their lungs. "Mistress! Mistress! We are under attack!"

The blinded one feels their way along the railing, reaching the northern door and pounding on it desperately. "Master Arkminos! Come out, we are being attacked!"

The third one still alive cautiously moves towards Shrike, trying to avoid being flanked, but his clumsy swing is easily intercepted.

Scythe vs. Shrike: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Party is up!

Elric calmly steps through the doors, never pausing his rain of arrows.

"See if you can take out the runner!" he calls up towards Shrike and Audria.

Target priority: Green > Purple.

Round 2 - full attack

Ranged attack #1 w/ +1 composite longbow (Motivating Display/Rapid shot/Manyshot/Favored Enemy (Human)/Deadly Aim): 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 11 + 1 = 25
Damage - Manyshot arrow #1: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20
Damage - Manyshot arrow #2: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18

Ranged attack #2 w/ +1 composite longbow (Motivating Display/Rapid shot/Manyshot/Favored Enemy (Human)/Deadly Aim): 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 11 + 1 = 29
Damage: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20

Ranged attack #3 w/ +1 composite longbow (Motivating Display/Rapid shot/Manyshot/Motivating Display/Favored Enemy (Human)/Deadly Aim): 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 6 + 1 = 20
Damage: 1d8 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17

I'm going to assume that the combination of Shrike's and Elric's arrows together have now taken down Green; if not, Shrike will use Acrobatics to move out of the threatened area, rolling at +16.

Still holding her breath against the stinging chemicals, Shrike shifts the rapier to her off hand and draws the longbow again as she dashes along the catwalk to the (open?) door the cultist exited by.

Free to switch hands on a weapon, move action, draw weapon as part of move action. What does Shrike see through the door? I'll hold off on declaring a standard action or another move until I have more information. These guys are wearing breastplates, and it was only 20 feet between her and the door, so I think she should probably be able to catch up to him, but I'm not sure yet if she would have the move speed be able to do Up Close and Personal. If there are a ton of enemies past the door she won't enter it by herself, either.

The one towards the back of the room rushes through one of the doors leading further east, shouting at the top of their lungs. "Mistress! Mistress! We are under attack!"

"Sounds like we may have finally found the bigger threat... and she is warned and ready for us now." Shane declares readying for an even greater threat!

The blinded one feels their way along the railing, reaching the northern door and pounding on it desperately. "Master Arkminos! Come out, we are being attacked!"

"Oh sweet Nethys laughs, make that we have found the TWO bigger threats, and THEY are warned and ready for us now!" Shane winces and fires a glob of acid at the fellow he blinded earlier realizing THAT has probably worn off. He doubts it will kill the foe, but hope it might soften him up for Pava, creator of nicknames, destroyer of obstacles.

Acid Splash on purple, Ranged Touch: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Dmg: 1d3 ⇒ 2

Elric's volley of arrows takes down the two cultists still in this room, while Shrike rushes after the third.

What Shrike sees:

The reek of burning wax wafts through this morbid chamber, with several tall, misshapen candles being the apparent source. Workspaces strewn with tall beakers of foul-colored liquids, parchments covered in insidious symbols, and cages of whimpering rodents fill large alcoves in both the northern and southern walls. A pair of huge stone doors hang ajar to the east, revealing a long hallway leading further into the dark. At the room's center stand four large, cylindrical glass vats, each filled with a bubbling emerald fluid that tints the chamber’s light a noxious green. Within each suspension floats a malformed abomination - something part human, part angel, and part horse - things of half-formed muscle with dead, fleshless equine skulls. Three of the forms are motionless, but the fourth twitches now and then.

Pava darts into the room past Shrike, taking up a position behind one of the strange vats.

Okay, I think that with a double move, Shrike has just enough move speed to be able to do Up Close and Personal with the step through his space costing double. That's what she'll do then, holding the rapier in one hand and the bow still in the other.

Shrike barely registers the horse-skulled abominations within the cylindrical glass chambers as she sees the fleeing cultist is alone and has not made it far into the room. Not getting away. She drops neither rapier nor bow, but clicks her heels together and vaults up and over the cultist's shoulder like a roof runner over a fence, her soft-booted feet pushing her up and off the nearest glass cylinder's side for purchase as the narrow blade punches outward with both precision and deadly force. Free to get rapier in correct hand and bow in off hand, continuing first move action into a double move, Acrobatics as part of move, Up Close and Personal as a swift action.

Acrobatics to move through Blue's space, acrobat's pillar, daredevil softpaw boots: 1d20 + 14 + 2 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 14 + 2 + 5 = 39
+1 human bane rapier v. Blue, daredevil softpaw boots, Power Attack: 1d20 + 13 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (14) + 13 + 2 - 2 = 27
Piercing damage, human bane rapier v. human, Lethal Grace, Power Attack, UPAC Hidden Strike: 1d8 + 2d6 + 2 + 4 + 4 + 4d8 ⇒ (7) + (2, 1) + 2 + 4 + 4 + (8, 7, 7, 7) = 49 Whoa.

She lands lightly with the rapier up in guard position, only now really registering the four creatures displayed in the vats. "Hunter guide me. What fresh hell did these crawl from."

Seeing that Pava and Shrike are dealing with the last of the cultists, Audria rushes up to the door that the one Shane had blinded was trying to beat down and puts her hand on latch to open it.

Double move, and that's all she wrote.

Kandru rushes up the stairs to the narrow catwalk, following Shrike and Pava as they enter the next room. "It's probably best if we stay together in groups - no telling what..." She trails off as she sees the horrific creatures bobbing in their cylindrical vats. "Gods... is - is that one there still alive?"

Unfortunately, I'll also only be able to double move to catch up with everyone else.

"Audria, wait! Don't go in there alone..." Elric calls out, watching his allies move off in different directions.

Careful, we don't want to trigger multiple encounters while we're spread out. I have a feeling this "Master Arkminos" fella the cultist was yelling for is not a low-level mook. Edit: ninja'ed by Kandru.

Actually, I think Audria going in alone in that room might be pretty fun. :D

The fleeing cultist is neatly killed by Shrike. The fiendish creature inside the glass tube seems unable to escape its transparent prison, although its empty orbits track the movements of anyone entering the room.

"Audria, please, stay with the rest of us, one pernicious assailant at a time and with us all united would be best." He moves to join the others when he can.

Not sure if we're out of combat init and if he can go move again so I'll roll Knowledge Planes for now and post his findings when I am sure if he makes the roll: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18

No matter as he has failed his roll, oh the shame!

Also not sure if we're still in initiative, but in any case, Elric wants to keep up.

All immediate threats neutralized, Elric rushes up on the catwalks to make sure he's still in position to cover his friends. Double move

With all the cultists dead, we are out of initiative unless someone wants to break the glass and fight the creature inside. :P

Audria hesitates. Elric, Kandru, and Shane are right, but she doesn't want to leave someone behind them, especially if they are dangerous. They could be caught in a pincer, and that could be disastrous.

"What do I do," she quietly asks herself.

One of the downsides of reading this module from years ago is that I know how this is supposed to go, so I'm going to roll and see what Audria does to avoid metagaming one way or the other.

1 - Audria opens the door, 2 - Audria joins the others: 1d2 ⇒ 1

I'm sorry, but you'll have to yell at me later. I can't leave a danger behind us. I just hope I can handle this on my own.

She takes in a deep breath and opens the door.

The room that Aduria sees beyond the door is rather dim - except for a brilliant pool of light in the middle. Bathed in the bright light focused by a system of mirrors and lenses, an elegant operating table dominates the center of this laboratory. Crossed with steel restraints and encircled by a gutter, the macabre device sports various cranks and levers, and is large enough to accommodate an ogre. Its spotless surface stands in stark contrast with the gore-encrusted operating room where they had found the few survivors just earlier.

The operating table holds a young, handsome Varisian man, currently unconscious and held fast by the table's three heavy steel crossbeams. Leaning over the table is an old, bald man with a hook nose and pointed ears. His skin is cadaver-pale and Audria can see deep, dark circles under his pale red eyes as he straightens and turns. "Iz zere a particular reazon vhy you interrupt my rezearch?"

Oh boy…

Suppressing the urge to voice some extremely colorful sailor curses, Elric sprints after Audria.

”Shrike! Pava! Back here now!”

I don’t think anyone wanted to bypass that room. But it would probably have been wise to regroup and maybe cast a buff spell or two before entering. Oh well, lets see how it plays out.

That's fair. Here's hoping things go well.

Audria looks from the man to the poor soul he has on the table. She holds her glaive ready to defend herself, but seeing the unnerving man so close to an innocent bystander, she doesn't move to attack, and hopes that the others will show restraint. This man could slit the young man's throat before they could get to him.

"May I presume that you are Master Arkminos," she asks. "I am Audria Lumina, Sister in the service of Shelyn. What research requires you to chain down a young man in this place?"

Hearing Elric and Shane call out to Audria, Shrike at first makes the reasonable if unfortunate assumption that everyone will be joining them shortly, and stays where she is. She peers at the misshapen human-ish creatures with horse skulls held suspended in the emerald-colored fluid, paying special attention to the one Kandru had said was alive. Were they... growing these? To unleash on the public as well as the plague when they were done? Or does their taste for imprisoning and experimenting on living things also run to monsters?

She does not recognize what they are and is sure she has just as little chance of deciphering the insidious symbols scrawled on parchment notes, so instead she studies the vats and creatures themselves, trying to work out their purpose, function, or disposition.
Perception, low light or darkness: 1d20 + 10 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 10 + 2 = 30

The alarm in Elric's voice breaks through her concentration. Flanked. Should've gone back to regroup instead of woolgathering, mayfly. Shrike spins on her heel and dashes out of the morbid chamber, rapier in one hand and bow in the other. She brushes past Shane in the doorway and then checks on the clanking catwalk, confused, when she sees only her allies.

Audria is talking to someone in the northern room — Master Arkminos? A chained young man? Oh no. Oh, no. Murder in her heart, Shrike tucks the bloody rapier into her sash again, and slides her feet carefully over the metal of the catwalk to avoid any noise as she prepares to ambush the likely-wizard second cult leader with the great elf-made bow. If we were still in rounds, her Round 4 would be one move action to move out of the cylinders chamber, and another at half speed to move next to Audria (and put away the rapier) but still be concealed by the door.
Stealth, dim light or darkness, belled catsuit: 1d20 + 14 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 14 + 2 + 2 = 28

He hears Elric call out. With time of the essence, Shane winks out of sight but this does not slow him down

Invisibility field: at 8th level he can turn invisible as a swift action for up to 8 rounds per day. Round one, then moving to get a look too.

Knowledge Religion: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21

Alas, in his haste he can't quite get a read on this fellow.

I think with a 21 Shane can tell he's a vampire, just not how powerful.

The bald man smiles thinly at Audria, an unsettling sight given his long, sharp canines. "Vhy, zuch a polite young lady. I am indeed Ramozka Arkminoz, at your zervice." He sets aside a shining steel syringe to offer a courteous bow.

"Az to ze purpoze ov my rezearch, hmm." He seems to think for a moment. "Are you very vamiliar wiz ze zientivic method?" He narrows his eyes, then shakes his head. "No, you do not zeem zo. To put it zimply..."

Perception: 1d20 + 30 ⇒ (9) + 30 = 39

He pauses, nostrils flaring. "Your vriendz outzide - do tell zem to come in. Vhere vhaz I...? Ah, yez. I am attempting to azgertain ze parameters of ze immunity to dizeaze zat zome Varizianz zeem to dizplay."

I think with a 21 Shane can tell he's a vampire, just not how powerful.

I hope this info is conveyed to the rest of the party ASAP. Elric still has some holy weapon balm left.

Ice-cold shivers run down Elric's spine at the strange voice coming from the room. He intentionally hangs back, giving the melee fighters space to enter first.

GM, can you update the map? Ideally, Elric would like to place himself with a clear line of fire to the vampire.

Map updated. And we are out of initiative, for now.

A low whisper from the invisible fellow that his companions might here, "the learned sir is a vampire.." His mind is racing This one is intelligent, educated, and that means however dangerous this vampire would be normally, it is more so now. And he just confirmed my hypothesis about Varisians being more resistant to the blood plague. Lovely, I may die, but at least I'll die being right. Mixed blessing.

As keen as the vampire's senses are, invisible or not, Shane thinks there are good odds his whisper was heard by the undead in question but his friends should know.