[Outpost VI] CORE #1-34 Encounter at the Drowning Stones (Inactive)

Game Master Aldizog

"I'd rather take the time now."

Atum create a simple pass to conjure Magic Armor also.
He also remembers good spells to disperse crouds and avoid rangers...

The diviner demands his Familiar to stay above and warn when troubles become visible.

Lasaraleen will complete her morning devotions to Sarenrae and continues with the party in the raft.

” Oh Everlight, Sarenrae. In your wisdom, teach us temperance and patience in all things. “

Survival check to hunt: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21
Survival check to hunt: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Survival check to hunt: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Alas, although Tere manages to find an appropriate animal, it gets away. Unless someone else wants to have a go?

Lasaraleen would attempt to assist, if possible.

survival aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14 DC10
survival aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 DC10
survival aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6 DC10

The party decides to pull the rafts to shore and attempt to hunt.

@Tere, I told you that Take 10 is a possibility. Would you care to use that option?

Doodle was glad the group decided to try to appease the locals. She tries to help.

Aid survival 1d20 ⇒ 17

Aid survival 1d20 ⇒ 3

Aid survival 1d20 ⇒ 3

Sure, I'll take 10.

Doru likes the hunt. He likely may aid or just add some experience

Survivavl aid, Doru Div: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Survivavl aid, Doru Div: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Survivavl aid, Doru Div: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

While Atum more observe surroundings and fighting insects...

"Waste of time, probably, but we can try."

aid survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
aid survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
aid survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

The various untrained Pathfinders blundering about in the woods do not help, and in fact actively impede Tere's efforts by scaring off his prey.

The drumming continues, and Tere is certain that he heard laughter from the jungle at his ineptitude.

Finally, he dismisses everyone else and tries it on his own, just as he had learned. The Take 10 attempt.

Tere is then able to track and kill a small antelope, slit its throat, and toss it into the river.

Crocodiles readily accept this sacrifice, devouring the carcass.

A few moments later, the drumming rhythm changes and a figure emerges from the jungle. He appears to be trying to contain his laughter as he greets you in Polyglot.

On my phone going from memory, so that's all I have for now. More tonight. Who speaks Polyglot?

Atum has Polyglot.

”Eww. Now I know why I don’t like jungles.“

***

”Oh hey, looks like they are telling jokes to each other. Something funny must have happened recently. Too bad we missed it. “ :)

Lasaraleen will cast comprehensive language if needed to translate.

"I knew I should have just stayed in camp," Silgil announces after being sent to the sidelines.

He glares at the savage the emerges from the jungle, almost wishing it had turned into a fight.

Duiker. The scenario clarifies that it was a duiker that the PCs managed to sacrifice. A "medium-sized jungle antelope."

Lasaraleen can tell that this man is the tribe's shaman. His skin is scarred to resemble that of a crocodile, and he wears an elaborate headdress.

Atum translates the Polyglot for the others. While Lasaraleen can cast Comprehend Languages to translate, that is only one-way; you will need Atum to speak Polyglot if you have any questions for the shaman.

"You appeased the crocodiles. Good. You showed respect.
Another band like you came this way. More than one moon, less than two.
They did not show respect. They attacked the Rumawa on sight. Killed four of our people, then fled.
They went upriver, to the Forbidden Place. What you call the 'Drowning Stones.'
Demons haunt the stones. Demons whisper strange things. Demon whispers spread madness; violence and suicide. Some of our ancestors died from such whispers, so the place is Forbidden.
If you are smart, you will not go there either.
But if you must go, to stop the other band from awakening the demons, then I can offer you some small help."

The shaman offers:

Speaking of weather, how is Silgil holding out with no protection?

He passes on the nasty smelling stuff in the pots and allows those more needy to take the potions.

Lasaraleen acknowledges the Shaman

”We tried our best to show respect to the customs of all we visit. “ she smiles

Figuring 5-6 weeks head start, any trail would be cold. Demons does not sound good at all.

”How far are the Drowning Stones and can they be reached faster by boat or trail?“

Tere listens to the translation without comment.

Doodle will take one of the offered potions, stowing it away while the others held their conversations.

Whoops, I read something in the scenario wrong. Thought that 8 miles an hour sounded awfully fast for the raft on the river. No, it is 8 miles per 8 hours, so therefore 3 days to the site you are going to. If that would change any of your purchases, feel free to retroactively make them.

Silgil Fort: 5d20 ⇒ (13, 10, 8, 5, 12) = 48
NL Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Silgil had started feeling a bit dizzy in the searing mid-afternoon heat, but his dwarven hardiness enabled him to shake it off before it became heatstroke.
He took 1 NL damage, which went away quickly.

The shaman responds to Lasaraleen's question (relayed via Atum). He notices that she doesn't need to wait for his translation in response.
"Ah, you understand our tongue but cannot speak it. Hmm.
With your rafts, the Forbidden Place is two days' journey down the river.
Having watched you try to hunt, I would advise that you do not go off the river. You outsiders are not at home in the jungle. You would get lost."

"If you go another hour along the river, there is a clearing where you may make camp. My people will let you be."

Assuming you take that suggestion, what is the watch order?

Atum stands tall and raise one hand palm up showing will to talk and prepareness to translate.

He completely ignores giggling and pssible jokes around Pathfinder's hunting style and skill. After listengin for shaman Atum suggests to approach.

-So, the shaman says crocodile appreciate shown respect. He mentions anoother band, probably Aspis - they did not show croco-respect and killed 4 tribe people and then left to Drowned Stones which is a forbidden place for locals. Because of demons or somthing demonic. The shaman thinks another group probably want to awaken the stones. Hm.

Atum made a pause looking at teammates gathering questions and than talk out loud and carefully.

- Greetings, respected Rumawa! We are aware of another group and the forbidden place you mentioned. When another band was here? What kind of weapon or magic they used to kill your people? What is the shortest way to the Drowned stones from here? We likely try to banish and cleanse demonic corruption. We are not only smart, but also have a mission, so we must go. We appreciate your hospitality!

Ended my post after ome answers already given .

Doodle volunteers to take first watch, knowing her lowlight vision will be handy for such a task.

"I'll take the midnight watch."

Lasaraleen will cast personal endure elements on herself and tap others with wand if they do not have their own for the entire trip.

”I will take the early morning watch as I must say devotions to the Dawnflower at the first gleam of the morning sun.“

"I guess it is the first watch for me."

Atum going to take the last (morning) watch only if it is higly necessary.

Sometimes he forgets about everything around and even about bad mood, when finds something curious like a new specie or a one-day long flower.

Nothing troubles you in the night.
The next day along the river proceeds uneventfully.
It gets blazingly hot in mid-day (between 11 and 4). It would be cooler under the trees, but the river offers little shade.

Most of your are protected against the heat. Silgil decides to brave the elements.

Silgil Fort Saves: 3d20 ⇒ (10, 7, 3) = 20
NL damage: 2d4 ⇒ (1, 2) = 3

"Heat deals nonlethal damage that cannot be recovered from until the character gets cooled off (reaches shade, survives until nightfall, gets doused in water, is targeted by endure elements, and so forth)...A character who takes any nonlethal damage from heat exposure now suffers from heatstroke and is fatigued. These penalties end when the character recovers from the nonlethal damage she took from the heat."

Silgil suffers in the mid-day heat and begins to falter.

Fortunately, around 2 pm, a thunderous downpour thoroughly drenches the party. You can barely see through the thick curtain of rain, and it comes down so hard that you can scarcely hear each other.
The downpour continues for duration: 10 + 4d20 ⇒ 10 + (8, 4, 19, 3) = 44 minutes.

Subsequently, a thick mist cloaks the jungle and the river, lasting another 10 + 1d20 ⇒ 10 + (2) = 12 minutes.

Okay, that is close enough to an hour for Silgil to heal his NL damage.
The downpour and the mist are cool enough that Silgil is able to recover.

When the sun comes out again, he withstands it.
Fort: 2d20 ⇒ (16, 8) = 24

Ah, the joy of the true wilderness experience. Hot, then soaked, then generally miserable.

Near the end of the day, you spot something in the river. A corpse lies face-down in the shallows. It appears that fish have gnawed away much of the exposed flesh including the face, hands, throat, and chest. The corpse does not move.

Do you approach and investigate? Or do something else?

”Sigil, dear. I am more than happy to expend charges from my wand or scroll. You look entirely uncomfortable…Ewww! what is that?“ she points to the corpse

”We should investigate as it could be our missing agent or someone he was traveling with. “

Are we still a day away from our destination best we can tell?

perception : 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (18) + 17 = 35

- I need a roof and some silence... - Atum sighs repeatedly over hours of poor weather conditions.

He forgets about inconvenience for a while seeing the corpse.
Any Good or Magic auras?

- Vesh. Approach the corpse and look around.
Doru flies closer to the corpse to look closer and from air around, maybe looking for a trap or a camping place.

The diviner is willing to try Scrying once more when we take dcare of the body and investigate it.
Can Atum Scry while sitting on the raft? U can roll concentration or smth...

”Sigil, dear. I am more than happy to expend charges from my wand or scroll. You look entirely uncomfortable…Ewww! what is that?“

With a snort, Silgil replies derisively.

"Bah. I can take it, I'm a dwarf. If it get's too bad I'll let you know. THAT is probably one of those Allspice fellows. Probably couldn't handle the weather and just passed out. We should check it out to make sure."

Tere poles the raft towards shore, looking around for signs of an ambush.

”You all watch for anything sketchy and I’ll check the body,” Doodle offers to the rest of the group. She makes sure her mage armor is active before heading forward.

Atum blesses Veshtahz with similar Mage Armor )As I remember - I can do this ) and sends him to aid Doodle.

-Bite her just if she confused, understood? Do not eat corpse, at least before my agreement. - demands diviner to his familiar, deciding to stand tall at the raft.

The corpse is quite dead and does not animate, move, attack Doodle, or curse her.

Doodle Perception DC 15: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15
Doodlevain almost misses it somehow, but the corpse is wearing a bronze bronze badge identifying him as a low-ranking member of the Aspis Consortium.

Doodle Heal DC 15: 1d20 ⇒ 20 Doodlevain can tell that he was slain by a combination of natural claw attacks and slashing attacks from a small, bladed weapon.

Off in the distance, about 100 yards upstream, you all can see a freshly-hacked passage into the underbrush.

---
Edit - forgot to reply to Atum's Scrying.

1d20 ⇒ 17

Atum casts Scrying while on the raft during the day. It is easy enough motion that he does not need a Concentration check. However, the spell does not perceive the undercover Pathfinder that you are seeking.

Atum demands Doru to fly through the underbrush passage (over it) and take a look there, remaining sneaky.

Perception +12 with Detections, Stealth +15 and invisible.

Meanwhile the diviner note:
-Maybe we should bring the body to raft or to shore for better observations?

"Yes, Master. Veshtahz will be back with the secrets you seek."
The fiendish familiar agrees, turns invisible, and flies off.

It soon returns, reappearing in its usual comforting form of a fanged and horned disembodied head.

"A trail through the brush.
A campsite.
Everywhere, scenes of violence and destruction. Glorious!
Torn tents.
Smoldering fire-pit.
And the bodies! Several bodies. Torn up, chewed.
Three big pigs in the campsite, big as horses, eating the bodies. Very funny!
And a man, safe from the pigs in a pit, mumbling to himself in terror. Even funnier!
Thank you, Master. Such fun you find for me."

Doodle tells the others what she saw from the body. She takes the badge and shows it to the others. ”The apsis have badges, looks like. This one was a low level member.”

"Perhaps it is time for a pig roast using a nice hot fireball. Though that might get the man in the pit."

The Doru reluctantly concedes,
"No, the man in the pit would be safe, unless the smelly dwarf aimed very carefully.
If Master agrees, then Veshtahz can show you where to aim to roast the pigs and the man!"

Given the Div's ability to scout, you can easily get a surprise round on the boars if you wish, and a Fireball would work. That probably wouldn't finish off the boars by itself, so what would everybody else do? Tell me what resources you are willing to expend (e.g. spells) and I can see if we'll need to set up a map or not.

- Well done! We will reach high magic and enigmatic miseries together!

Now, that's the plan, team. I need more solid ground to a shirt ritual. I want to observe a triangulate direction and distance. Thereafter I am going to smoke pigs away. Okay? Or you want some fresh boar fornnext lunch?

Atum shares his plan to launch Arcane Eye for more precise intelligence and then Stinking Cloud into the campsite. Following with some Minor Images and distracting Veshtahz of Doru would like more fun (he would! ). So this way we approach clearing without dirty job.

"Um, lamentable circumstances. The weather, you know, causes sweat and sweat, well, cases smelly. Still, anyone up for roasted pig or smoked pig, or both? And how about you, Doodle? Got anything to contribute to the pig roast? Maybe a little electrical frying?"

Lasaraleen agreed to the plan

”By the Dawn I could add another fireball to the pig roast if one is needed.
We may want to save some if we are close to our destination. But a rescue of the poor man in the pit is warranted.“

”I could use my Dragon’s breath spell and do all kinds of interesting things. Fire, ice, electricity, or even acid, if the situation called for it!”

Sounds like Silgil will toss a DC 17 FB from his staff. I will roll it here and the others can add their damage. No nice rods of empower and no spell specialization or anything like that so...

damage: 8d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 5, 2, 5, 5, 4, 3) = 31

Doodle’s dragon breath fireball 10d6 ⇒ (2, 2, 3, 3, 6, 2, 4, 2, 3, 3) = 30

The smell of burning hog flesh in the morning...smells like....bacon! Lasaraleen dreams of making waffles with fresh maple syrup.

Snapping out of her breakfast trance.

Well, if anything did survive all that we better check it out.

She approaches warily with scimitar in hand.

perception: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (9) + 17 = 26

3d20 ⇒ (16, 19, 12) = 47 Take 15, 15, and 31 damage
3d20 ⇒ (8, 9, 13) = 30 Take 30 each.

The party lines up in perfect ambush position, blasting the Dire Boars with fire. One of the boars falls, but the other two are not down yet!

Lasaraleen, care to add your Fireball? That should do it. The remaining ones are both still up only due to Ferocity; another 14 damage will finish them off.

Atum may add Black Tentacles to the ambush composition...

"Just make sure that, that whatever magic you're using doesn't hurt the man in the pit." Tere hangs back while the casters go to town, watching out for other scavengers that might appear.

Lasaraleen indeed is shocked the boars are still up and throws another to finish them off.

Fire in the hole! Well, not in the hole, but high enough above it. I don't want to cook the man...oh you know what I mean.

fireball: 10d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 3, 3, 1, 2, 1, 5, 6, 5) = 32 DC18

If that drops the last two, she will rush to the pit to heal the trapped man or help him escape.

Well hello down there. Are you ok?