GM Ansha's 5-99 The Paths We Choose (Inactive)

Game Master Ansha

To-to whispers short prayer and his allies are surrounded by faint aura.

Deflection Aura (Su): Once each day, you can emit a 20-foot aura for a number of rounds equal to your cleric level. Allies within the aura gain a +2 deflection bonus to AC and combat maneuver defense.

Elemenar pauses for just a moment to consider the darkness filling the northern part of the room. He doesn't have any magic at his disposal that would counteract it. He puts forth his hand and a ball of fire shoots into the darkness. There is a loud explosion inside the dark cloud. Seconds later wisps of dark smoke float outwards.

fireball dmg: 5d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 2, 6, 6) = 16 DC 19 Reflex for half

Owb reflex vs fireball: 1d20 + 8 - 1 ⇒ (18) + 8 - 1 = 25

Round 3/4:

Effects: Prayer, deflection aura

To-to-obika
Lin Ki Chin (-3 hp)
Owb (-45 hp, dazzled round 2/2)
Aya
Aylanna (-1 hp)
Glorin (-7, potion of darkvision)
Elemenar (-2 hp, mage armor)

Ki Chin is up!

Pointing his wand of magic missiles in the last position he saw the owb Ki Chin lets loose his spell. Magic missile: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Ki Chin: I don't think you can just target something's last known position with Magic Missile, so I assume you're readying.

Nothing comes forth from the darkness to meet the party's spells this time. Instead, there is an eerie silence for a few moments; finally, a flickering orb of blue flames emerges, streaking toward Elemenar to strike him across the chest, leaving blued, frostbitten skin instead of scorched flesh in its wake.

Ranged touch vs Elemenar: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (16) + 14 = 30
Cold dmg: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 1) = 6

Round 4/5:

Effects: Prayer, deflection aura

To-to-obika
Lin Ki Chin (-3 hp)
Owb (-43 hp)
Aya
Aylanna (-1 hp)
Glorin (-7, potion of darkvision
Elemenar (-8 hp, mage armor)

The whole party is up!

"We're sitting ducks if we just wait for the ghost to just keep tossing snowballs from darkness! Does anyone have a fog or huge light to deal with this thing?"

Glorin holds his ground and waits.

Hold action, will still act before the owb depending on the party.

Concerned that the sorcerer will keep on taking hita Ki Chin drags Elemenarthrough the nearest door.
Can't move the tokens right now but if he'll allow it I drag Elemenar to cover through the door where tje owlb first attacked.

At the start of Aylanna's turn, Glorin and Elemenar both heal for 5 and Aylanna takes 10.
Then she heals herself with a swift lay on hands.
Lay On Hands (self): 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (3, 3) + 4 = 10

"If it's hiding, that fireball and negative channel can probably keep hitting it."

She readies again with a burning hands, just in case the owb flies out.
Burning Hands Reflex 15 for half: 4d4 ⇒ (3, 2, 4, 4) = 13

Net HP:
Glorin +5
Elemenar +5
Aylanna + 0

Seeing the room shrouded in darkness Ki Chin curses and takes a five foot step to place himself between the owlb and the sorcerer, readying himself to strike back should it show itself.

Ki Chin grabs Elemenar but he pushes him off. "Hold on a minute! Let me return fire." He points and sends another ball of fire into the darkness. Then he moves with Ki Chin.

fireball dmg: 5d6 ⇒ (3, 1, 6, 4, 2) = 16 DC 19 Reflex for half

"We're sitting ducks if we just wait for the ghost to just keep tossing snowballs from darkness! Does anyone have a fog or huge light to deal with this thing?"

Glorin holds his ground and waits.

Hold action, will still act before the owb depending on the party.

"You are a genius!!" Aya shouts.

She takes out her scroll of obscuring mist and casts it.

To-to nervously waits for the monster to act. Delay after owb

"You are a genius!!" Aya shouts.

She takes out her scroll of obscuring mist and casts it.

"That's more like it..." Glorin snarls.

He steps into the mist. "You want to come find us, you frigid poltroon? I'm right here. Come get me, weakling!"

5' step and ready a full attack.

Owb Reflex save vs fireball: 1d20 + 8 - 1 ⇒ (18) + 8 - 1 = 25

A mist billows forth from Aya's scroll, obscuring sight outside of the darkness. The action is met with a whispered, hissing cackle, and the party ready themselves for the appearance of the shadowy foe. It doesn't take long, and the owb is heard more than seen as it passes through the mist among you. Only Aya seens the creature, as its skeletal frame bursts from the mist to take a swipe at her with its claws. Instead of slashing her, however, it simply touches her. Then it vanishes back into the cloud of darkness covering the northern part of the room.

Touch vs Aya: 1d20 + 12 - 1 ⇒ (8) + 12 - 1 = 19

Aya, give me a Fortitude save.

Round 5:

Effects: Prayer, deflection aura

Lin Ki Chin (-3 hp)
Owb (-51 hp)
To-to-obika
Aya (Fort save needed)
Aylanna (-1 hp)
Glorin (-2, potion of darkvision
Elemenar (-3 hp, mage armor)

To-to-obika is up!

Did you account for the second fireball?

Knew I forgot something. It's updated/edited into the prior post now.

fort : 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

To-to readies attack expecting the owb show up again. "Should we try to grab it so it can't retreat back to darkness?" he asks

+1 longsword: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 5 + 1 = 21
slashing: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

The color momentarily seems to fade from Aya's form--skin, hair, clothing, and all--before she seems to shake off the effects of the owb's touch. To-to and Ki Chin tense in preparation should the creature reveal itself near them.

Round 5/6

Effects: Prayer, deflection aura

Round 5
To-to-obika
Aya
Aylanna (-1 hp)
Glorin (-2, potion of darkvision
Elemenar (-3 hp, mage armor)

Round 6
Lin Ki Chin (-3 hp)
Owb (-51 hp)

Everyone minus To-to are up.

Aya again readies to channel negative energy to daze the owb!

Standard action to Variant channel RULERSHIP for damage that cannot be reduced and will save DC 18 or dazed for 1 round : 2d3 ⇒ (3, 2) = 5

"Feel the power of HORUS!!" Aya shouts again.

As I can only take out 5 from the area with selective channel she will affect her animal companion if all other party members are in the 30 ft range at the time of channel.

will save vs daze Bjk : 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

Aylanna heads to the back of the room and readies a scorching ray in case she can see the owb.

Scorching Ray (Touch): 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 7 + 1 = 28 Fire Damage: 4d6 ⇒ (2, 6, 6, 6) = 20
Scorching Ray (Touch) confirm: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 7 + 1 = 10 More Fire Damage: 4d6 ⇒ (1, 4, 6, 3) = 14

Glorin moves to interpose himself between the undead monster and his companions.

Move and ready power attack.

Ki Chin steps up beside Elemenar and readies to strike with his flaming burst longsword.

Elemenar stands steady and readies himself to cast another fireball spell in the event that the owb appears.

Owb Will vs channeling: 1d20 + 8 - 1 ⇒ (2) + 8 - 1 = 9

The owb does indeed fly out of the cloud of darkness and the mist again, aiming for Aylanna again. The party is ready this time, and a pulse of energy from the cleric greet the owb along with a ray of fire from Aya. The ray of fire catches the owb an instant before the pulse of energy, and the owb lets out a plaintive wail. As the magics fade, the owb has vanished.

What do you do now?

"I hate flyers, I hate magical darkness..." Glorin grumbles as he puts away his weapon.

He looks around. "What do you think? Did that creature come out of one of the trinkets scattered around here? Is it going to summon another one?"

He shrugs and looks around. He might not be any good at understanding the magic held in each object, but he still has a keen eye for craftsmanship. He figures he'll know if he sees something is broken or opened.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

Revisiting the body of the fallen woman, Aylanna says "I guess this is our unfortunate agent. Should we collect these pieces or leave that effort to the ones who care for this place? Just in case..."

"It can be still be out there stalking us. We have to be extremely careful and stay together."

To-to recalls that during the commotion, he caught a glimpse of the owb reflected in the shattered shards of the mirror strewn throughout the room--even while it was in the area of its darkness spells.

It takes a few moments after the owlb vanished but the magus finally lowers his guard slightly. "Let us hope that was the only one of its kind here." he warily says as he keeps on the lookout.

"Well, obviously, this darkness is going to last a while. The alcove on this side isn't covered in that magical darkness. We should start here."

Elemenar moves over to the southern alcove.

Can he see anything in there?

Both alcoves are actually covered in deeper darkness. There is a dead Pathfinder in the middle of the room, and a lot of shattered glass from the mirror. If you don’t want to wait out the darkness effects dissipating, you can look at those two areas of interest or go up and knock on the door to have the dwarf gardener let you out again.

“Let us just wait until the darkness is gone. We have no time pressure, right? Or we can just come back in two hours!“ she says.

Glorin shrugs. "Let's start with what we have right in front of us."

He starts examining the Pathfinder's corpse, looking for evidence of injury and any odd markings or equipment.

To-to joins Glorin examining the corpse "I saw reflections of that shade thing even while it was in the darkness. Let's see if there's anything noteworthy about dead Pathfinder."

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

"Waiting it out sounds fine, but we could tap the door and let the gardener know we defeated it but will be a while investigating. Maybe there's someone he could alert to bring some expertise to this situation."

If no one objects, Aylanna will notify the gardener.

"I don't mind waiting for this darkness to fade but I don't want to stand here doing nothing." Elemenar sees Glorin and To-to examining the body and so turns his focus to the shattered glass.

"I wonder if this shattered mirror has any significance." Elemenar reaches out with his arcane energy to see if there is some magical aura surrounding the shards.

With Elemenar's magical insight, he is able to determine that the owb had been able to escape the mirror into the Prime Material Plane, but even with the mirror shattered, residual magic had prevented it from escaping the room. In addition, it seems the mirror fragments still held power over the owb, as it would seem--at least, based on some intellectual deduction and To-to-obika's observation of the owb's reflection--that the owb's reflection always appeared in the mirror's pieces. Had the owb been too much to handle, it seems likely that holding a mirror fragment up would have enabled the party to locate the owb, even in the dark--even without any sort of ability to see in the dark.

It would seem that something possessed (not literally--just a figure of speech here) the slain Pathfinder to shatter the mirror, thus releasing the owb from its magical prison. She paid for it with her life, and her friends were only able to escape and seal the door behind them, if what they said of the story to the Society is true (it is).

Reasonably sure that they've solved the mystery, Aylanna knocks on the door and the dwarf Hasjald opens it, escorting the party outside.

Hasjald leads you to the Paracountess, who has already returned from her own errand with a leather folio in hand.

"I'm pleased to hear you were successful. Together we are preparing to open a new chapter in the Society's illustrious history. I have with me a formal proposal for the creation of a dark archive dedicated to the study and proper handling of any artifacts the Decemvirate deems dangerous enough to hide away. Knowing that they can trust me--and agents under my direction--to do this should seal the bargain. If you are strong enough to handle what lies in darkness, I welcome you to join me. For now, though, there are more festivities."

As she parts ways with the party, she winks knowingly at To-to-obika and Elemenar, as if hinting that greater rewards best left unspoken await.

For your part, you have a bit of free time before the evening. As you recall, there is a Commemorative Service scheduled to take place in remembrance of the previous Councilor at moonrise in the Docks district. You could make a brief appearance there, or may think it wiser to get some rest after the skirmish in the Vaults.

Where to next? The Commemorative Service is a few hours away, so there's an opportunity for dining at another tavern, carousing in the streets, or whatever else you can think of. You can also skip the Commemorative Service and head for bed. The next event after the Commemorative Service is a Preinaugural Feast at a great hall in the Wise Quarter on the afternoon of Day 2. (It's currently late afternoon on Day 1.)

"Well I, for one, have worked up an appetite with all this, we'll need some ale to celebrate."

A bit more quietly, he adds, "And we should see what we can learn about Jirril and what he's brought back from the Worldwound."

Ki Chin sighs as Elemenar shares his discovery regarding the mirror. He nods at Glorin's suggestion. "Yes, a meal will do us well right now. We will need to be more careful in the future. That fight would have been easier had we paid attention to our surroundings better."

"Oh Glorin, you had me at appetite!"

Aylanna nods enthusiastically at the prospect of another fine meal out with new companions.

"Absolutely we have to celebrate defeating such dangerous opponent! You never know which meal will be your last."

"Since meals are necessary, I will join the rest of you. It seems like the least distasteful of our options."

Speeding this up a little, since there's actually not a particular event tied to getting dinner.

The party decides to head toward the Docks district and finds a tavern on the way. A respectable establishment with a completely incongruous sign bearing a golden needle and spool of thread, it bears the name "Golden Thread Pub." You all find seats inside, and, since the hour is relatively late, you find that there's as much sloshing of tankards as there is eating of food. A waitress comes over and tells you that the special of the day is a shepherd's pie, then takes drink orders. Returning a few minutes later with the various wines and ales the party orders, she then takes the rest of your orders.

The service is speedy, and soon enough you're all happily downing alcohol and dining on fairly fine-quality fare. You don't see any familiar faces at the tavern, and as the wining-and-dining ends, you step out into the street again to see that the moon is starting to rise. You'll need to head for the memorial site now if you're going to make the Commemorative Service in time. Of course, bed is starting to sound better now too, given bellies full of food and spirits.

Up to you whether you go to the Commemorative Service or head for your beds.

Glorin burps and looks up at the moon. "Fine night for it! Wonderful fare and companionship. I'm headed to the Commemorative Service."

"Yeah resting can wait, let's head to this service."

Full with food and wine Ki Chin can barely nod in agreement before letting out a large burp. "Buuuurp! Pardon me for the rudeness. That pie was better than I expected."

“We definitely go to the service!! I would never miss it. I’ll even go alone!!“ she says with a smile.

Due to a lack of indulging, Elemenar was clear-headed when they left the Golden Thread.

"I have a feeling that going to this memorial is expected of us so I suppose we should."

He follows the others as they make their way there.

You make your way to the Commemorative Service in the Docks district. You arrive at the small plaza where it is taking place just as it begins, with a number of speakers taking turns to praise the late councilor, Hadrel Grayrain. A portly man--a merchant, by his manner of dress and the weight of his belly--takes a few steps forward, raising his voice so that it carries throughout the plaza and extols the late councilor's prowess as a negotiator. "Never before have I seen a man convince a pirate to give him his cloak and his purse on the strength of his words alone," he claims. "But more than that, Councilor Grayrain was a good friend, and a better business partner. He will be missed."

He takes a few steps back into the small crowd, and a moment later, a platinum-blonde elf woman takes his place. She too extols his...virtues, although she makes sure to throw a lot of innuendo in there, and then steps back into the crowd.

Another man takes her place after a few moments, and then another. As you listen to this long list of speakers reminisce about the late councilor, a tall, dark-haired woman clad in armor that glistens in the moonlight approaches you (Those of you in the Silver Crusade faction recognize her as Ollysta Zadrian.) Quietly, she hails you all with a raised hand, then motions for you to follow her. She leads you a stone's throw away from the crowd, then turns to address you:

"While I am happy to see you here, I have come because I need someone I can trust to help me right a grievous injustice," the woman begins. "When Queen Galfrey called for troops during the Fifth Mendevian Crusade, many who answered her call were criminals in their homelands who joined our cause in efforts to seek redemption. For their valor and sacrifice, Queen Galfrey granted them a warrior's pardon. Despite this official declaration, a number of bounty hunters followed these criminals north. Either ignorant of the declaration or in defiance of it, they have begun capturing several of these felons-turned-war-heroes and turned them in for profit. More trouble, when they cannot claim their bounties, these hunters simply sell our heroes off as slaves."

"I have learned that three of these champions are to be auctioned in the slave pits of Absalom tomorrow. What's more, I am familiar with the particular villain who is hoping to buy all three--an unfitting end for these redeemed souls. Such auctions are generally closed to the public, and those bidding are required to purchase special coins in advance. Fortunately, the Society owes us many favors for our valor over the past year, and they were willing to provide me both seats at the auction, and auction coins. However, I'm too well known in Absalom, and my appearance at the auction would jeopardize the mission. Please, attend the auction, buy the freedom of these crusaders, and bring them to the Grand Lodge to give them a true fresh start."

The paladin looks each of you over, a plea in her eyes.