Zero's B18: From Family Lost (Outpost VI) (Inactive)

Game Master Super Zero

Chomper shakes his head and states, "If'n yous goes in touchin' things before I's finds traps whatcha expect. Gotsa wait till I's says its clear."

The lead that the Doctor is following is Pellas, and what happened to him. With the information he has he can deduce Pellas was the town trapmaker and that he, along with several others, decided to defend their village to the last against the demons, laying traps to slow them down or to take out as many as possible before having a final stand in what used to be a Church of Iomedae.

As for the deed, it would seem to be in Pellas's house. Now which one is it?

Let's find it out.

The dwarf raises his shield looks around to choose a building which seems to be the right one.

I'm back... with a bolt pierced on me.

"OUCH!" the bolt already pierced him before he can even react. He pulls the thing out of his body and quickly heals himself to close the wound it made.
2-action Level 2 Heal: 2d8 + 16 ⇒ (4, 6) + 16 = 26 HP restored for himself.

"I think so..." he sheepishly responds to Dran'Thal when asked if he is okay. The fact that he is still alive, he believes he is okay. He gives Chomper a scowl after he is given a piece of unsolicited advice, though he thinks he might be right.

"You can keep going on. I'll follow along with you." he shamefully tells after what just happened.

Not locating anything else, Chomper goes to search for traps at the next indicated building.

Olaf follows his enthusiastic companions...

Well, Chomper, so is there any trap?

Trap schematics litter the inside of this home, along with hastily written instructions on how to install them. Much like his brother, it would seem that Pellas had a knack for engineering, though whereas Castor focused on architecture, Pellas enjoyed intricate mechanics. These skills may have become vital to Bulviss’s last stand.

This place certainly has traps. The mechanical defenses in this house have been long triggered--many of them smashed and broken.

The furniture in the house is also stained and broken. Despite the house itself remaining more intact than most of its neighbors, the invaders seem to have made a point of breaking everything.

Though in the bedroom the adventurers do find an intricate lockbox which is only slightly damaged, hidden below the broken bed.

Well, Chomper, I think the privilege to open this box is yours.

All the trap schematics are collected along with the instructions.

Chomper looks at it to see if it is trapped and if not pulls out his Thieve's Tools and tries to open it.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Thievery: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

The box clicks open. Chomper finds assorted personal mementos, and some papers that look to be the deed the party is looking for.

Ah ah! Good job, Chomper. Now we can go back to the civilization with our findings.

"Well done, young man(?) As the good dwarf says, let's be away from here and back to civilization."

As the group leaves the house, a mournful howl echoes from the well in the center of the town.

Flickering light like fire is visible near the edge of the well, and then a group of flaming skulls burst out of it.
No, that's not quite right. Some of them are flaming skulls, but there are also heads that still have flesh and are not on fire.

One of the flaming skulls has a key embedded in its forehead. All six of the undead heads float haphazardly for a moment before snapping to attention facing the heroes' direction. The skulls cackle as the group sweeps forward to attack.

I've left their tokens on the map larger for "so we can actually see them" purposes, but the undead here are all Tiny if it matters.

Olaf's turn.

Initiative:
Olaf
Yellow Severed Head
Chomper
Red Severed Head
Silver Flaming Skull
Purple Severed head
Green Flaming Skull
Blue Flaming Skull
Quadennillia
Dran'Thal
Raphaeleos
The Doctor

The Doctor makes sure the lockbox and all it's contents are collected before leaving.

Olaf takes a look at the creatures all bunched up together and sees a plan.

"I think I have just the thing," he declares and drops a sonic boom on the Purple Severed Head.

Sound Burst, Sonic Damage, DC 19 Fortitude: 2d10 ⇒ (10, 4) = 14

10' burst

He then casts Guidance at Chomper.

◆◆ Sound Burst (HONK!!)
◆ Guidance

Olaf's spell blasts the floating fleshy heads or if the air. The flaming skulls seem more powerful than the others though. They waver, but do not fall.

Two servers heads critically fail and the third succeeds--but half damage still destroys it. The skulls are tougher. Blue succeeds and the other two fail, but all are still up.

Chomper's turn.

Chomper
Silver Flaming Skull (-14)
Green Flaming Skull (-14)
Blue Flaming Skull (-7)
Quadennillia
Dran'Thal
Raphaeleos
The Doctor
Olaf

Chomper Srides next to Silver and Strikes out with a powerful bite.

Magical Bite Power Attack #1 with Guidance: 1d20 + 12 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 12 + 1 = 29
Bite Dmg #1: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (2, 1) + 2 = 5

Well that damage was pitiful!

Chomper finds the flaming skull is hot to the touch, but not so much to burn him on a quick bite.

His teeth latch over the thing's jaw, and he hears a loud CRACK. And not from his own teeth, either!

It is a crit, though. And it's bloodied.

Its jaw hanging loose, the flaming skull sweeps closer to Chomper and attempts to ram him. Ineffectually. (Two misses.)

The other two circle around a bit while spitting gobs of fire into the assembled Pathfinders--with largely similar results, though poor Raphaeleos is struck fairly straight-on. (Random targets: Miss Dran'Thal, miss Quadennillia, hit Raphaeleos for 11 fire damage, miss the Doctor; I promise I'm not picking on you.)

All PCs' turns.

Initiative:
Quadennillia
Dran'Thal
Raphaeleos (-11)
The Doctor
Olaf
Chomper
Silver Flaming Skull (-24)
Green Flaming Skull (-14)
Blue Flaming Skull (-7)

Qen tries to remember

◆ Recall Knowledge

Crafting +11, Arcana/Occultism/Akiton-Lore/Society +9, Nature/Religion +1

What she does next depends if they are undead.

Qen recognizes that the flaming skul O s are undead. They're appearance from the well suggests bodies may have been stuffed down there rather disrespectfully, and the demonic corruption of the area probably didn't help. She notes that these might explode when destroyed.

Hey bomb hits, and the brilliant light burns it in a way that fire likely could not. It shrieks and bursts under the pressure, pelting Chomper (and its fellow) with flame and jagged bits of bone.

It's weak to positive damage, and that takes it out. Chomper, that's a DC 18 basic Reflex save against piercing: 1d6 ⇒ 5 and fire: 1d6 ⇒ 5 damage. The other one makes its save. It's immune to the fire but takes half the piecing.

Initiative:
Dran'Thal
Raphaeleos (-11)
The Doctor
Olaf
Chomper
Silver Flaming Skull (-26)
Blue Flaming Skull (-7)
Quadennillia

The Doctor draws his sword cane then devises a Strategm versus silver DS: 1d20 ⇒ 2

He uses his Bend Time ability to step forward. (extra action)

He then realises the Strategm was a bad idea so he hits Blue instead
sword cane: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21 piercing: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

The dwarf moves to the blue flaming skull and bashes it casting a spell at the same time.

+1 Shield boss, Spellstrike: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

Damage, Shocking grasp height +1: 1d6 + 3 + 3d12 ⇒ (6) + 3 + (1, 3, 11) = 24

The Doctor's blade scrapes along the skull.
Dran'Thal's shield boss cracks it, and then the energy he pumps into it... well. the creature shrieks and explodes in a burst of flame, hurling teeth and shards of bone at its assailants.

(Two hits, and it's destroyed. The Doctor and Dran'Thal should make basic Reflex saves (DC 18) against piercing: 1d6 ⇒ 3 and fire: 1d6 ⇒ 1 damage.

Raphaeleos, Olaf, and Chomper's turns.

Initiative:
Raphaeleos (-11)
Olaf
Chomper (DC 18 Ref vs 5 piercing and 5 fire)
Flaming Skull (-26)
Quadennillia
Dran'Thal (DC 18 Ref vs 3 piercing and 1 fire)
The Doctor (DC 18 Ref vs 3 piercing and 1 fire)

Ref Save: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

Chomper tries to power bite the remaining skull in the same square as him then bites again.

Magical Bite Power Attack #1: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18
Bite Dmg #1: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (5, 2) + 2 = 9

Magical Bite Attack #2: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Bite Dmg #2: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Not sure if there is a flank with The Doctor. If so then add flank bonus to the roll.

reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Hero Point

reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

"Back to where you came from foul being!" Olaf roars, waggling his fingers and pointing at the remaining flaming skull.

◆◆◆ Magic Missile: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (2, 2, 3) + 3 = 10

If the skull is down before Olaf's turn

◆◆◆ Heal, Healing Hands: 2d10 ⇒ (4, 9) = 13

Chomper's powerful jaws shatter the skull, spraying the Doctor with sharp bone fragments. The goblin finds himself with a mouthful of similar shards--and a small bronze key that looks like it may be a match for the lockbox.

piercing: 1d6 ⇒ 4 and fire: 1d6 ⇒ 5 damage to Chomper and the Doctor, with DC 18 basic Reflex.

Chomper dodges some of the damage.

Ref Save: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

He hands off the key and goes over to look down the well to see if bodies were dumped down there.

Chomper doesn't see anything that looks like intact bodies, but he also doesn't see any well water.

The bodies may have been burned, though it is unclear whether it was the demons or the crusaders who would have done it.

Raphaeleos is too slow to act on what has just happened, or his allies are so quick to eliminate the undead. He looks around if everyone is alright or needs his healing. "Everyone is okay?"

so who killed the last skull? Chomper?

wasn't sure whether the magic missiles were needed so I threw in a 3-action heal to everyone within 30'...

Yes, Chomper did also have an AoO to make. You can use your heal.

Everyone gets 13 hp back from this post

The Doctor collects the key. It seems likely that the skull with this key used to be Pellas

Reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

The dwarf takes the explosion before to be healed by Olaf. A kind of double action move.

In what seems to be the end of the fight he says:

Okay guys. It was quick but perhaps no need to stay here too long. Let’s go back now.

"Let's at least make sure we have the right key - and that the box has no surprises - before we leave."

The key does match the box, though it doesn't hide anything that wasn't already found by picking the lock.

Castor is grateful to receive the box and the deed, and eagerly pays the promised bounty.

"Did you learn anything about what happened there?" he asks uncertainly.

Indeed yes. The evidence indicates that your brother was instrumental in preparing the village for the attack. When it was obvious they were about to be overwhelmed, those that stayed decided to make a last stand in the hall. They fought bravely but lost

"Well, there are traps and I was hit by a bolt actually. Good thing it did not end my life." Raph winces in pain from the wound inflicted on him. "But we did not see any survivor. Sorry."

"Oh, I didn't expect you to at this point. That's something the crusaders would have found."

Things end on a bittersweet note, as Castor takes the news with a mix of overwhelming sadness and pride at his brother’s actions. What is clear is that the people of Bulviss chose to put the lives of others above their own, even understanding that it might’ve been in vain. Now armed with the truth, Castor gets to choose how to live the life his brother left him.