Suddenly, a great flash of blinding light erupts over the city and, for a moment, there is silence. Then another terrible explosion rocks the city. An enormous black dragon can be seen circling above the Grand Lodge, near the ghostly light pillar. He roars and plunges toward the light. Combat ends as remaining enemies flee toward the Grand Lodge—it seems the flash of light and the explosion were a signal for something.
Defying all recent memory, the Grand Lodge’s great steel gates stand closed and fast. Now silent, the façade is heavily scarred with claw marks and acid burns. A long crack divides the arch above the doors, splitting the glyph of the open road. On the ground below, the shattered bodies of half a dozen men and women lie in the dust.
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The gates are not only locked, but heavily damaged. This damage destroyed part of the locking mechanism. It takes a DC 60 Disable Device check or DC 60 Strength check to get the doors open. You can work together to climb the gates, or higher tier PCs can fly lower tier pcs over. The gates and the shining white walls are both 30 feet tall
So thievery and brute strength and ignorance are not going to work
so Fly? Climb? or (my personal favourite) other?
(you do have to explain to me what other is though)
Meanwhile that last goblin is running for the hills.
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Walking next to the gate, Alli cranes her neck back and stares. "Damn it's tall."
"Kreighton Shane might have set a command word to open it in case his favorite Vudran curry delivery needs to get through. Knowing him, it would be... difficult to guess, though." Alli knocks on the gate and starts to catalogue her options.
She pulls out an adamantine wiresaw. Looks at the gate. Like sticking a knife at a golem. "Nope."
She considers casting long arm. Looks at the gate. Rhu can already reach higher. Nope. "Nope."
She considers the Absalomian entrepeneurial spirit. If I manage to sell the gate and someone buys and removes it, Ambrus Valsin is going to be mad at me. "Nope."
She touches a copper coin dangling on her neck. Chaldira doesn't approve of someone asking for a lucky break. "Nope."
"Explore! Cooperate! Report!" She waits a bit. "Didn't expect it to work, really."
She puts her hand in the rucksack, stops, blinks, and stuffs her arm deeper comically. I actually forgot to buy a grappling hook? She scowls. "Nope."
She thinks back on her training with Swords. Marcus Farabellus himself isn't going to flip over that. "Nope."
She looks at the fleeing goblin. Could have tied a rope on him and make him run over the wall with a pace like that. "Too late for that."
She looks at Janus Too's feet, looking for climbing pads. Now I'm just getting desperate.
She shakes her head like a dog and turns to the team. "If no one here knows where Shane gets his curry, climbing it might be the swiftest option? Rhu looks like he's raring to go, and I'm willing to help him." She pauses. "I could dig out an amulet and rub out a monkey fish spell for myself to climb over easier, but it'll take a moment, I'd prefer to recharge the shield I cast at the arena, and most importantly, that spell makes me look goofy as heck. But I can survive being embarrassed as a secondary plan." She starts knotting a rope to make climbing it easier.
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Katswiri looks up at the tall door, her neck craning upward. "I have a folding ladder in my Handy Haversack, but it isn't going to get us over this. Can get you up part of the way to find a handhold though. There's no way I can climb this without a rope being dropped, but I have a grappling hook to help fix a rope."
"There might be another entrance to the lodge. The sewer system around here is substantial, and if there are any maintainence tunnels that would connect under the wall, my second sight may reveal the way. Even if guarded or locked, they would likely be less formindable. Or perhaps there is a postern gate or an ancient bricked up passage we could reopen."
Katswiri mutters a quick prayer, casting Guidance as she pulls out a reference book from her pack and flips through it, her eyes glazing over as she allows her second sight to recall the information she seeks.
The host of assembled Pathfinders scramble into action as they collaborate to get everyone to the other side of the massive locked gate. Grappling hooks and rope stream toward the top of the wall while others climb, some magically aided and some not, to the top, ready to affix ropes to help their fellows. Magically aided, one senior Pathfinder flies up to help secure the ropes as well.
Still, many of the more heavily-armored Pathfinders struggle to find their way across the immense gates. A small group gathers at the base of the gates, consisting of an elderly human scholar, a dwarven wizard, a half-orc martial artist, a tall elven woman, and a rather pale-looking rogue. Working together, they set about trying to get the gates open using their combined knowledge of engineering and skullduggery. Some tinker with the lock while others act as guide, advising on what pins and tumblers should be jostled, and when. And just when it seems that their efforts will end in failure, the dwarven wizard utters arcane words and points at the lock. Shockingly, the great lock falls away and, with a heave from the waiting Pathfinders, the immense gates swing open enough to allow entrance!
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Defending Skyreach, a valiant group of Pathfinders line the towers and stations along the fortress’s exterior. On the grounds in front, a large black dragon lies in a crumpled heap, its corpse riddled with arrows and leaking acid and ichor.
Some goblins see you coming and take defensive positions.
Initiatives:
Goblin
Goblin
Goblin
Goblin
Goblin
Goblin
Bigger Goblin
Bigger Goblin
Pink tosses an alchemical fire at Katswirl. Janus and Janus II get one point of splash.
Carlin is next up followed by Green
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Polymorph Plague, Berix whispers. Simultaneously with these words, many tentacles rapidly grow out of the cat's back and it rushes at the enemy with a growl. In addition, the tail also lengthens, becomes like another tentacle and clearly gets the opportunity to beat at a distance. It looks creepy. Berix himself sighs, muttering something about the fact that he should have remembered about it earlier and casts a spell on himself . After that, he sighs again and goes after the cat.
The cat rushes to the goblins with incredible agility, using both paws and tentacles, goes out to one of them behind his back and immediately hits his legs with his tail.
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Not if we do it first it yells back.
Some of the goblins behind the dragon start singing.
Let it burn, let it burn
They're no longer our concern,
Let it burn, let it burn.
Time to show the world it's our turn
We don't care how they're going to scream
Let the fire rage on
Flames never seem to bother us anyway ...
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"Not in our Lodge!" Ally screams, and starts dashing toward the creepy choir singing from behind the dragon corpse. Not being able to charge, she makes a circling motion to avoid Rhu's line of fire and ends up face to face with one of the goblins with a sword in her hand.
to hit
to confirm if 19-20 to hit
on hit
if critical
Just as the Pathfinders wrap up their respective battles, a great shadow passes over the battlefield. The cause is obvious--an enormous black dragon that sweeps over Skyreach, breathing acid on the defenders in the towers. Its angry roar is almost deafening as it wheels and soars over toward the Mausoleum.
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Braving the dragon’s wrath, a team of Pathfinders has forced open the door to the mausoleum!
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As the dragon's shadow passes overhead, the goblins turn and flee.
Come quickly! a voice from the shadows calls out. Wedged into one of Skyreach’s darkened doorways is the enigmatic Pathfinder, Osprey. He’s paler than usual, several arrows pierce his skin, and his hands are smeared with blood. I have little time to speak; however, I must now burden you with a suspicion that is now a reality. Lowering his voice to a soft hiss he whispers, The Shadow Lodge is real.
Somewhere in the distance a Duh da DUMMM! is heard.
Please, take this. It may help you defeat Charvion. He hands you a Deck of Illusions. I must check on what remains of our Decemvirate.
To get to the Mausoleum, your options are to stealth past the dragon or just go for it and take an attack from the dragon.
So if you want to stealth past make a stealth check
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"I just got back from Thuvia and expected to just watch the show, get some fresh clothes, thanks for that by the way Carlin and sorry about the state of the dress, and now it's an onslaught of dragons and the Shadow Lodge." Alli draws a breath, looking at the sky. There's alwas a bigger dragon, they said, and they were right. She takes a look at Osprey's wounds, evaluating them while continuing. "What does Charvion even want? This doesn't look like it's for the good of the Society. Or have I been abroad so long I don't even know what the fabled Shadow Lodge wants?"
A roar breaks the halfling's concentration and she startles back to the present. "That acid resistance was useful, but just by being closer to this one's corpse makes me tingly enough to realize it has worn off, and I don't want to take another spit shower. We brought only so many changes of clothing. I vote for sneaking."
She looks at the team holding the deck of illusions. "Anyone want this? It's Chaldira-approved best-of-luck-to-you tool. I usually just run in close to harass the foe before they realize this sword is rather small, but I can try to use the deck if nobody else has the hands for it."
with an option to use inspiration (not used for now)
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Katswiri looks at the deck thoughtfully. "I will enchant us again to resist acid. If any of you feel confident in your stealth capabilities, you go on ahead; there is no way I will make it through undiscovered. I gave up trying to sneak anywhere without magical aid long ago. That being said...." Katswiri examines the deck carefully. "...I think we have a great many built-in distractions for a short run right here."
Katswiri will heal the minor burn and grazing arrow wound with her wand of Cure Light wounds, then cast Resist Energy Communal to cover the group with Acid protection. Her plan is to then attempt to make the run by pulling a card from the deck of illusions, and if she gets a good draw have whatever it is run out to draw fire from the dragon.
"Also, why are we trying to defeat Charvion? It really did not look like he was in league with the dragon when it carried him off. What do you know, exactly, about what is going on here Osprey?"