PFS2e 3-17 - Dreams of a Dustbound Isle (KS) (Inactive)

Game Master phaeton_nz

Will save versus Mental Damage, DC 28: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19

Bardic Lore for Pathfinder Society or Blakros Family Lore: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

Two Action Diplomacy Check to tell the statues Can't we all just get along DC 27: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33

As necessary, he would use his third action to move out of the statues grasp.

Meh. Lousy Save and Recall Knowledge, but good check to disable, so I'll take it

Grapple is Athletics vs Fort DC. Nina is Grappled, and I bet Fernardo is Restrained. Probably only Drak escaped and only because of the nat 1.

Huh. I would have thought it was Ref DC but ... many of those numbers looked so low that I assumed they were failures. And it says nothing abut Restrained unless that is a Crit Success result of the Grab

will save vs mental: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19

Teja screams in pain as the souls trapped within the statues assault her very sanity.

"Why are you doing this to us? We are trying to free you all!" she calls out, her hands clutching at her head as she does so.

occultism: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33 Only trained in diplomacy, otherwise I'd be doing that for sure. But I can't be expert in everything

PFS lore: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (20) + 13 = 33

Teja remembers the following: The Blakros family is a house that gained prominence smuggling relics and information across the Qadiran-Taldan border. This began during the Grand Campaign in the early 42nd century AR. Starting sometime around the year 4200, the Blakroses tried to circumvent the war zones by making a deal with the Onyx Alliance for smuggling routes through the Plane of Shadow in return for the first-born daughter of each generation, as well as other slaves on a monthly basis. Matriarch Hamaria Blakros finally contracted help to break this agreement to save her twins.

A lot of these Blakros women were lost to history, even their names are not known. It is reasonable that whoever is trapped here is a Blakros and is scared that she, and her name will also be lost and forgotten.

And there is that Blakros connection that Teja had earlier commented she would not be surprised to find.

"Maybe try to reasure them that we will remember them? Find out their names? "

she pauses for a moment. "Actually it would be really, really interesting to find their names and if we can get some of their stores. If these really are the missing Blackros women..."

Will save vs. DC:29: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20

Occultism (T)vs. DC: 33: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 24

Hero Point to re-roll the Will save. I am only trained in Diplomacy and have nothing in Intimidation.

Will save vs. DC:29: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17

Will Save DC 29: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

Forgot my level bump, so that’s a success

”AUUUUUUGH!”, Marigold screams, as she tries to squirm away. ”GETOFFGETOFFGETOFF!”

Acrobatics to Escape DC 31: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 23

Remembered it that time

OK. Let's try this again - properly

Drak - not grabbed, -27, One success to neutralise Haunt.
Fernardo - Grabbed and Restrained, -27
Jayma - Grabbed and Grappled, -27 (pending DC 29 Will save)
Marigold - Grabbed and Grappled, -13
Nina - Grabbed and Grappled -27 (pending DC 29 Will save)
Teja - Grabbed and Grappled -27. One success to neutralise Haunt

One action Athletics check DC 31 to escape
Two action DC 27 Diplomacy (expert) to urge the statues to work together, DC 30 Intimidation (expert) to Coerce the statues away, or DC 33 Occultism (trained) to oppose the psychic influence. One more success needed.

Manipulative actions such as Disable Device cannot be made while Restrained and a Flat check is required when only Grappled.

Hopefully this will help keep track

Nina and Jayma still to act.

Will: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17 vs DC 29
Will, Hero Point Reroll: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (3) + 15 = 18 vs DC 29
Oof. That's -54 for Nina, putting her at 10/64. But she has some 1-action heal stuff so as long as Jayma doesn't crit fail, Nina will go ahead and use her Diplomacy to try to end this thing.

"Stop this madness, we must cooperate! We're not your enemies!"

◆◆ Diplomacy (master): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (17) + 19 = 36 vs DC 27

If we drop out of Initiative, Nina can use some non-magical healing to patch up. If we're still in Initiative, Nina will use her last action to try to heal herself with Vital Beacon.

Flat Check: 1d20 ⇒ 12 vs DC 5
◆ Vital Beacon, 1st use: 4d10 ⇒ (8, 3, 3, 9) = 23
33/64

The statues reach out and grab Jayma. The screams of the statues drill into her head...

Basic Will Save vs DC 29: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30

...but she manages to ignore much of it.

But not all. Jayma takes 13 HP and is now at 54/67

Rather than a futile attempt to escape the statues (Unarmed Attack +8, Acrobatics +11, Athletics -1 means a nat-20 is required to succeed), Jayma instead decides to try and talk them into working together rather than drag her down into the dust. "My friends. You do not need to grab us to save yourselves. If you work in unison and help support each other you can raise yourselves out of the dust."

Jayma is a Master in Diplomacy

Diplomacy vs DC 27: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (19) + 18 = 37

Yay, a crit success.

And that is more than enough to shut down the Haunt.

A voice whispers, Enough. I won’t let fear rule me as the haunt ends. Her whisper is audible in each of your minds. You see her yellow eyes and feel an iron will steady you as she purges any fatigued conditions you may have, reduces the value of each of your drained condition (if any) by 1, and restores 4d8 ⇒ (1, 4, 5, 4) = 14 Hit Points to each of you.

If you wish to study the now, non-moving, statues for a minute, make Occultism, Religion of related Lore checks.

Occultism, +2 to this if it involves mental magic: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

Bardic Lore, because it covers all the Lores: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

This place is definitely unfriendly, although if a member of the Blackros family is here, I shudder to think what may have happened to her.

Marigold shudders. ”Ugh, creepy!”

Religion: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

I'll take that Bardic Lore as a Crit success so two more Dream Points are added to your Pool making a total of 16.

Drak recognizes the shifting statues as a psychic manifestation influencing a morphic planar domain, suggesting someone is exerting some small measure of control over a demiplane controlled by another more powerful being. He also understands that these psychic manifestations might also come in the form of objects or messages.

One statue holds a lady’s knife. Another clutches an obsidian pendant set with an amethyst worth 44 gp.

What now? Incidentally Teja having her Drained removed reactivates the Monolith at A1.

Feeling weak and slightly confused, Fernardo tries to figure out what's going on...

Occultism (T): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31

Fernardo comes to the same conclusions as Drak

Drak would like to examine the Lady's Knife. Is there any sign of the name of the Blakros woman?

Teja spends some time trying to understand what is going on.
occultism: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24

She takes out some tea leaves and a water bottle. "Now, we are all feeling a little stressed, I know just what would make you feel better?>"

Happy to use medicine (or battle medicine if we are pushed for time) on anyone who wants it. Feel free to roll your own healing. With assurance that is 2d8+10

Teja drinks some of her head-ache tea.
medicine(assurance) DC20: 10 + 11 = 21
healing: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (4, 4) + 10 = 18

So back on full

"That obsidian pendant... I wonder if it ties into the obsidian alliance... that group the Blackros family had dealings with."

She looks around "Can any of you detect magical auras on the pendant or knife?"

Marigold takes Teja up on her offer. ”Mmm”, she sighs. ”Is that bergamot?”

Healing: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (4, 2) + 10 = 16

Marigold, you should have been full after the statues healed us, since you succeeded the save.

Drak -13
Fernardo -13
Jayma -0
Marigold -0
Nina -40
Teja -13

Before people Treat their own Wounds, Nina will use a 3-action 1st-level heal from her staff and one from herself. (1st level slots are relatively useless in combat)

Heal, Staff: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Heal, Staff: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

She'll use 2-actions on herself.

Heal, Staff: 1d8 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 8 + 2 = 11
Heal, Staff: 1d8 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 8 + 2 = 16

Everyone should be full.

Occultism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19

Marigold, you should have been full after the statues healed us, since you succeeded the save.

Oh, right

When Teja asks for whether the pendant or knife are magical, Jayma comes over, passes her hand across her face and says, "vide magica".

Action: Cast a Spell: Detect Magic [L4] - You learn the school of magic for the highest-level effect within range that the spell detects. If multiple effects are equally strong, the GM determines which you learn. You also pinpoint the source of the highest-level magic. Like for an imprecise sense, you don't learn the exact location, but can narrow down the source to within a 5-foot cube (or the nearest if larger than that).

Identifying what the item is requires Identify Magic, a 10 minute activity requiring a skill roll corresponding to the magical tradition of the object being identified versus a DC set by the GM.

Activity: Identify Magic (Arcana +14, Occultism +14) - SECRET

When Teja is cured of her tiredness, Jayma feels the first monolith come back to life (so to speak). "Oh dear. It looks like the first monolith has reactivated. After I purify this monolith..." She points to the one on the nearby rise (A4). ... We'll have to go back and purify the first one we found to turn it off properly."

She trudges up the hill to the monolith (A4) and carries out the ritual much like she did on the second monolith.

Arcana: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (12) + 14 = 26

The pendant isn't magical but the knife is. It has three runes on it, +1 proficiency, +1 striking and returning. It also has an engraving on it which reads With love - Marina It is unclear if Marina is the giver of the knife or the giftee and whether or not she was a Blakros.

So ... off to A4?

So ... off to A4?

You're way too fast in reacting to my posts :-). I decided to cut to the chase and appended that Jayma went to A4 and purified the monolith. Feel free to ignore it.

Jayma starts up the hill to the monolith and...

Heh -- it's around mid morning my time and I just had breakfast - this is my usual posting time :)

Jayma starts up the hill to the monolith and ... the hill grows as she ascends, making ascent to the monolith impossible by normal means. She is forced to turn back.

The constellations above the isle’s highest point shift as the viewer changes position. Shadows obscure the faint star patterns carved into the stone steps.

Frustrated at not being able to reach the monolith, Jayma stomps back down to the group. "I'm being stopped from climbing this hill. I think it has something to do with the constellations and these obscured star patterns I saw on the steps." She snaps her fingers. "I know. Where is that lantern we found in the market?" Jayma takes the lantern, lights it, and tries to use it to see the patterns on the steps.

Nina will activate her angelic wings and attempt to fly up to the monolith.

The lantern does produce light to see the patterns better but doesn't aid in finding the right way to get up the stairs.

Nina flies into the same problem. No matter how far she flies, the monolith isn't getting any closer.

"Maybe we need to purify the other monoliths down here first?" muses Teja.

Investigating the other monoliths down here seems a reasonable way forward. agrees Drak.

The only other thing we picked up is the scroll from the captain. Since it helps in purifying the monoliths and as the picture of the scroll in the slides shows constellations, then maybe it can help decode the star patterns on the steps. If that doesn't do it, then we're missing whatever it is we need to get up those steps.

Jayma returns with the lantern. "No. That wasn't of much help. I think we need to figure out what those star patterns on the steps are all about before we can find the right way to get up the stairs." She ponders further and a twinge of memory comes to her. "Didn't that dustbound scroll that helped us purify the last monolith have pictures of constellations on it? Who's got it?" (actually, I think Jayma has it since she used it last). Taking the lantern and the scroll to the steps, she unrolls it and compares the star patterns that the captain drew there to those on the steps to see if they match up in some manner.

And you solved that puzzle. When you bring the Dustbound Scroll to the carvings, they light up, showing which ones you need to step on to make the ascent. the carvings illuminate, showing the path clearly. In this case, ascent becomes a trivial matter of following the indicated path.

The way up to the monolith is open.

That was unexpected. I figured the scroll had a low probability of success here. My money was on the lantern, but I treat everything we pick up in a scenario as a possible key to something, so there's (usually) no downside to throwing everything you have at a problem to see if anything sticks.

Jayma hops and claps her hands in joy as the scroll works its magic on the steps. "Yay! I was right. Come along now." In her excitement, she darts up the illuminated path to reach the monolith without waiting.

"Oh well done Jayma. That was Inspired!" gushes Teja.

She joins the gnome in lighting up the path.

"Well done, little one." Says Fermardo as he follows the ladies up to stairs.

Nina will attempt to purify the monolith.

Religion: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18

Presumably failing, she'll rest to regain a Focus Point.

”Woo hoo!”, cries Marigold. She hits the path like the fist of a small but angry god.

Nina attempts to purify the monolith

((Using Jayma's original roll))

You also discover that a four-pointed starknife constellation shines on countless words carved in the monolith, highlighting a specific section of a poem. ((see Slides))

Will: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (7) + 15 = 22 vs DC 25

Nina staggers back, mentally shaken. She'll heal herself with Treat Wounds, and then a low-level heal.

Treat Wounds, Assurance 22: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (5, 7) + 10 = 22
Heal (2nd), 2-action: 2d8 + 16 ⇒ (1, 4) + 16 = 21

"Well, that poem continues.." notes Teja.

"I wonder if going up back there counted as the endless stair? 'Calling on my name'... well... that would be the star map..." she thinks out loud.

"Song of spheres I remember thy music. Free me from these nighmares and restore dreams." she recites.

"I wonder if that is a clue to the next bit of this nightmare. Music might come into it."

Jayma is about to approach and examine the monolith when Nina steps forward and begins the purification ritual. Jayma watches from a distance to try and learn something new, but soon realizes that Nina has missed a small but vital step in the process. She opens her mouth to warn the aasimar, but it is too late; Nina staggers as the wild energies of the disintegrating ritual rebound into her mind.

While Nina recovers, Jayma takes her turn, a little more apprehensive than normal after having seen her new friend so brutally hurt. Fortunately, she avoids Nina's mistake and with a sigh of relief, watches as the minds trapped in the monolith flit awas as luminescent blue butterflies and the black pyramid rumbles in the distance.

As Teja tries to make heads or tails of the poem, it is clear that there are still parts missing; specifically the start of the poem. "I believe that we'll need to gather all the parts of the poem before we can fully understand its meaning. I suggest we return to the first monolith we found (A1) and purify it before we attempt the last, beyond the pyramid."

I should point out that in addition to the 4 Moderate Healing Potions (restores 3d8+10 Hit Points) that we picked up, we also have plenty of dream points to carry out the 2-action Restore ability of Lucid dreaming (restores 3d8+24 Hit Points).

And I have not used combat medicine on anyone yet

Teja nods "I think purifying as we go is a sound strategy."

So, presumably, you head back to A1 ((Correct me if I am wrong))

Yeap. BTW, away for the weekend, so feel free to bot me.

Assuming we all head back to A1 to purify the monolith...

Jayma leads the group back across the bridge to the first monolith. She takes a deep breath and prepares for the purification ritual knowing that a failure would cost her dearly. Approaching the monolith, she closes her eyes and with the help of her staff, maps out the energy lines leading to the black column. Then one-by-one, she shuts them down.

Arcana: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25

No need to spend that Hero Point.
And Jayma successfully purifies that monolith. Three down, one to go.

Did any more of the poem appear on the monolith? We're missing parts 1 & (presumably) 4.

Jayma sighs out her held breath, happy that she'd managed to purify another of the monoliths without suffering Nina's fate in the attempt. Opening her eyes, she addresses the group. "That three of the monoliths purified. Shall we go do the last of them before we try dealing with the pyramid?"

Whoops. Never mind. I see we got part 1 of the poem previously. It was hiding in plain sight on an earlier slide.

Part 1 is the first one on the slides, you haven't found Part 4 yet

Did any more of the poem appear on the monolith? We're missing parts 1 & (presumably) 4.

Jayma sighs out her held breath, happy that she'd managed to purify another of the monoliths without suffering Nina's fate in the attempt. Opening her eyes, she addresses the group. "That three of the monoliths purified. Shall we go do the last of them before we try dealing with the pyramid?"

Whoops. Never mind. I see we got part 1 of the poem previously. It was hiding in plain sight on an earlier slide.

”As long as we’re in the neighborhood”, Marigold replies.