[Gameday XII] PFS 2-19 Enter the Pallid Peak - author run (Inactive)

Game Master motteditor

"Twas just sittin' inna middle o' pile uh rocks. Must be worth sum'it." If there seems there are no traps, he grabs it and stows it for further research.

"Let's be off."

I propose chatting with Slayse and then Yandrada in their respective rooms, then heading to Yellow when done there.

Off to chat with Slayse as mentioned above.

Sorry for the delay; it was a long weekend. I'm hoping my schedule settles down a bit after Wednesday.

The mole seems like it might have some significance, though it certainly doesn't seem to be a trap.

Heading back, you find Slayse and Yandrada in their respective rooms, and then head toward the room with the strange box. I've also opened up a little more of the map as you were able to see across the magma flow. Painted stone rubble litters the floor below badly damaged wall murals. A stone box stands in the center of the chamber. Each side of the box has a set of two stone dials. One side has the carved image of a dwarf woman with a slight scowl above the dials, but the images on the other three sides are smashed beyond recognition.

So, this is a puzzle that you're going to have to solve to open the box. There's a handout on the map link, but you'll need to determine one weapon and one animal to go with each of the four sides. Obviously you can try to solve this now, or come back to it later if you want.

It's like playing Battleship with my skills. Miss...miss...miss... :-D

Qarawyn desperately tries to keep himself from grabbing the box and turning all the dials while his companions work on it.

Brundar takes a look at the box. "P'haps we can ask one o' these three Ifits if'n they knows anythin' 'bouts it."

Crafting: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Recall Knowledge-Religion: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

He relates the above knowledge. "Aye believe tis be tha' face o' Torag's sister. Mayhaps one uh tha defaced be Torag 'imself an' 'is brothers. Donna remember thar names. Thar weapons musta be a Warhammer an' thar other uh Greataxe." He hefts his Greataxe for reference.

"Do you know what the sister's animal or weapon are?" asks Jessa, who certainly doesn't. "How do these dials turn, exactly? It doesn't seem like there are that many combinations possible."

The dials turn relatively easily, though they seem to spin wildly if you try to set a combination that's wrong. You can set Dranngvit's to light pick and hound, which means you can also eliminate those options from the other three faces, thanks to Brundar's familiarity with this type of lock.

I'll give a little more time if anyone has any ideas here, but then move you on. You can always come back. (I've spent more time than expected in doctors' offices this week, so it may not be until tomorrow, though I'm hoping I'll get a chance to post tonight.)

Kosh’s brow furrows as he tries to follow along, then shakes his head.

”Aroight, ‘ere’s wot we know”, he says, as he starts marking the boxes.

I put markers on the choices on the slide.
Yellow = Right
Red = Wrong
Feel free to add or change anything, but if you make a change, please note it here

Not sure how much Brundar or each of our characters know about the Dwarven Pantheon. I know most people would know about Torag the Dwarven All-Father but not sure what else. Personally, I don't know more than what I have already posted.
I would have to guess the top one be Mace/Badger, 2nd one be Pick/Hound, 3rd one be Warhammer/Mole & last one be Greataxe/Bear. What is everyone else's guess?

Not sure how much Brundar or each of our characters know about the Dwarven Pantheon. I know most people would know about Torag the Dwarven All-Father but not sure what else. Personally, I don't know more than what I have already posted.

I would have to guess the top one be Mace/Badger, 2nd one be Pick/Hound, 3rd one be Warhammer/Mole & last one be Greataxe/Bear. What is everyone else's guess?

Those all sound good. I might've said horse for the second one, since it's the only time it appears, but that doesn't really fit the theme. I think the second one is definitely warhammer, since it almost certainly appears once, and it's the only one that has it. Other than that, I'm not sure.

"Maybe we could draw some sort of connection between the animals and the weapons? Such as how they attack or their functions? Although that would have paired the pick with the mole."

It definitely feels like we're missing some elements here to correctly solve it.

Qarawyn looks at the rest of the group. Maybe there's more information to be found in the rest of the chambers, the kobold says with a shrug. If not, maybe we can discuss it with Rowsh, Slayse, and Yandrada once we've finished exploring.

Those all sound good. I might've said horse for the second one, since it's the only time it appears, but that doesn't really fit the theme. I think the second one is definitely warhammer, since it almost certainly appears once, and it's the only one that has it. Other than that, I'm not sure.

Warhammer appears on the third one as well. The second one's configuration is the only one we are sure of even though it doesn't fit the theme. (Hound for a dwarf?). It seems we are dealing with dwarven ruins which has a dwarven artifact. I suggested the weapons and animals based on association with dwarves. (Boar, horse, falcon, tadpole, lizard do not make much sense to me for a dwarf). After eliminating the second choices, bear & badger are only on first & third but mole is on all three. (All are ground digging/cave dwelling animals). Thus the above suggestions. They may not be in the correct order but until we uncover more clues or try the combinations, we will not know for sure.

It definitely feels like we're missing some elements here to correctly solve it.

We can definitely wait, talk to the Ifrit and search the other areas.

Hallow Orevine wrote:

Those all sound good. I might've said horse for the second one, since it's the only time it appears, but that doesn't really fit the theme. I think the second one is definitely warhammer, since it almost certainly appears once, and it's the only one that has it. Other than that, I'm not sure.

Warhammer appears on the third one as well. The second one's configuration is the only one we are sure of even though it doesn't fit the theme. (Hound for a dwarf?). It seems we are dealing with dwarven ruins which has a dwarven artifact. I suggested the weapons and animals based on association with dwarves. (Boar, horse, falcon, tadpole, lizard do not make much sense to me for a dwarf). After eliminating the second choices, bear & badger are only on first & third but mole is on all three. (All are ground digging/cave dwelling animals). Thus the above suggestions. They may not be in the correct order but until we uncover more clues or try the combinations, we will not know for sure.

Qarawyn wrote:

It definitely feels like we're missing some elements here to correctly solve it.

We can definitely wait, talk to the Ifrit and search the other areas.

The last one has hammer, but since 2 has both hammer and warhammer I think those are two different things, although I'm not entirely sure what the difference is.

Yes, hammer and warhammer are different weapons. I think a warhammer is much bigger; hammer is what's now a light hammer in 2e.

Deciding to leave the puzzle until you can perhaps find some more information, you decide to explore more.

Blue dot: The next chamber you enter is brutally hot from the lava that flows right by one ruined wall. The walls and ceiling of this chamber are crusted with rough black stone that glints in the reflected light of the lava slowly churning past. Shards of the crusted stone cover the floor in a jagged blanket.

Brundar and Hallow recognize the stone as obsidian, and you think you could bundle up some chunks here as a valuable resource.

Pink dot: Fire in three stone braziers casts light across a relief that runs the length of the western wall of this hallway. The center depicts dwarves greeting humans and elves; the far ends show both groups crafting goods to trade. Several areas have been damaged, including the lead dwarf figure, though a badger is still visible at their feet.

Purple dot: Crumbling stone weapon racks, now empty, line the walls of this long, wide hall stretching north and south. About two-thirds of the way down, a wall protrudes across much of the passage, creating a natural chokepoint for anyone trying to move through. Chunks of stone cover a bin built into the obstruction. To the south, a passageway leads to a long tunnel, that you think leads out of the ruins.

The bin contains a brass plate worth 6 gp that bears an inscription in
Common and Dwarven: “May no enmity pass through this gate from Kazhlik, western doorway to the empire of Tar Khadurrm.”

Gave you a few locations quickly, which you can interact with. Once you're done, you can either continue south over the bridges from the area where the ghosts were (red dot), or continue east from this portion of the ruins (near where your tokens are).

Society: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Brundar helps bundle up the obsidian.

Society vs DC:15: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Recall Knowledge-Religion vs DC:15: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Perception (E) vs DC:13: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

Brundar points at a carved image of a powerfully built dwarf, with a boar at his feet, creating a greataxe at a smoking forge. "Guess tis one less ta guess 'bout."

Now we know badger is definitely another animal. Looks like Boar & Greataxe go together for another figure. I think we have all of the animals covered. I think we can maybe narrow down the third as warhammer and the fourth as hammer but should wait to confirm/verify this.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Qarawyn doesn't have much luck looking about.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Kosh frowns at the scene, but nods approvingly at Brundar.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

"I was thinking that there weren't enough combinations to really work well as a lock, unless it punishes you in some way for wrong answers. A puzzle or test makes sense, so if there are some clues around we might be able to find clues for the whole thing. But let's not hang around near lava."

1d2 ⇒ 2

Deciding to go look for more clues, you head back to the bridge, and cross over to see if there's anything more you can find there. Despite not looking like the safest span -- no hand rails! -- you make it the rest of the way across the room to discover another chamber. Shackles hang from short chains attached to the patched walls in this room. Pallets of filthy rags litter the floor. Another hallway leads south.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

”Oi! Dere’s a dog wif a pick!”, says Kosh, pointing at a crude drawing on the wall.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
Recall Knowledge-Religion: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Righ'cha are, Kosh. Jus' confirms wha' we a'ready knew."

You head further south before the sensation of being watched permeates the area, stopping you. It seems to emanate from a small anvil atop a stone altar in the center of this octagonal chamber. Around it, scattered on the floor, are bedrolls, pots and pans, and other travel gear. The southern end is open to a hallway running east and a larger, unworked passage to the south. A wide hallway leads east, opening to passages heading north and south before leading deeper into the mountain.

So, this encounter may be a little odd in PBP. We're going to go into initiative, but you don't see any obvious threat, other than the feeling of being watched emanating from the anvil. Brundar and Kosh are up.

”Look aloive!”, Kosh snaps. Continuing his cadence, he looks over the room for any hidden threats.

Cast shield, Search

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Kosh definitely thinks there's something in there. In the three spots now noted with stars

Brundar grips his great axe and seeks around the area for hidden opponents slowly moving forward. He is ready to swing at something if it attacks him. He makes sure to look above as well. Only moved him 10' into the room. if nothing happens, he continues in more.

Perception(E): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Seek is an action (as is Point Out if you want to use it. With that check, you'd have the same idea as Kosh that there's something there. But there's no reaction to your move, so you have a third action still to use. Kosh also still has a third action.

”We got comp’ny!”, Kosh barks. ”Make ‘em bleed!”

Cast inspire courage (+1 attack, damage, fear save)

Brundar "points out" the three areas where he thinks something is. "Seems ta be somethin' unseen 'ere, 'ere an' 'ere."

Can only do one, but I will assume it's the now blue star, since that's closest to the most people

As Brundar turns back around toward where the other hidden figures are, he suddenly feels a chill on one wrist and then the other! Looking down, he sees that he's no bound by a pair of metal manacles! Standing in front of him, now clearly visible to everyone, is what looks like a gray-skinned dwarf!

A moment later, a second one appears on the other side of Brundar as it slams its own set of manacles into the dwarf's head! 6 bludgeoning! It continues to swing the shackles around, sweeping them first at Brundar's legs and then his head again, but the Pathfinder manages to stay on his feet and duck the third attack!

1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26
1d8 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
1d20 + 8 - 5 ⇒ (10) + 8 - 5 = 13
1d20 + 11 - 10 ⇒ (2) + 11 - 10 = 3

Qarawyn is up!

Qarawyn moves forward and launches a line of acid at Green (DM discretion as to whether it affects the square with the red star as well)

Kobold Breath ◈◈ (acid): 1d4 ⇒ 4 DC 18 basic Refl
reset: 1d4 ⇒ 4

Stride, Kobold Breath ◈◈ (use again on Round 5).

The nearest foe doesn't seem to be expecting acid breath and lets out a cry -- echoed with a curse from behind him -- as the acid hits him. A moment later, a third of the gray-skinned dwarves appears in front of the kobold wildly swinging his manacles Natural 1! :(. He steps back, not wanting to be caught between Qarawyn and Brundar.

Jessa, Hallow, Brundar and Kosh are up!

Okay, I tried to open the map on my phone and I've done something horribly wrong. I tried to put the map back in a spot that looks... maybe right? But some other things look like they were moved and I don't think I did that...

Being attacked may not be a good thing, but at least the solution is straightforward! This is a little more Jessa's speed. Keeping her shield up, she approaches the nearest enemy and brings her sword down toward him.

* Raise Shield
* Stride
* Strike longsword: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15 for slashing damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Hallow messes with his armor a bit, runs forward, and slams his hammer into the gray-skinned dwarf near Brundar.

Overdrive, DC 15: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Stride
Warhammer, Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 1 = 26, 1d8 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 2 + 1 = 7

Even though his wrists are manacled, Brundar takes advantage of his position and swings away at the first dwarf that manacled him (Blue) ◆ then spins and sweeps a powerful strike with his great axe ◆◆ into the foe behind him (Red).

Strike#1 vs Blue w/Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 10 + 1 = 13
Slashing Dmg#1 to Blue: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16
Sweeping Power Attack Strike#2 vs Red w/Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 5 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 5 + 1 + 1 = 22
Slashing Dmg#2 to Red: 2d12 + 4 ⇒ (10, 4) + 4 = 18

”’At’s da way!”, Kosh snaps. ”Make ‘em cry for dere mamas!”

He shoots at the nearest foe, then draws his sword.

Cast inspire courage with lingering composition, Strike Green, Interact

Performance: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Attack: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 4 + 1 = 24
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Jessa, I may have moved some of the other dots while adjusting the map, so I think that's on me. The map's a little too big for Google Drawings, so I've been cropping and recropping as we go.

Brundar's ax misses its first target as he feels his way around with the manacles, but the second drives home into its target. The gray dwarf snarls for a moment and starts to speak -- before he's permanently silenced by Hallow's hammer, which splatters him like a gourd!

Behind them, Jessa rushes forward but misses with her sword. Still, she's enough of a distraction that it's unable to completely avoid Kosh's arrow, which skims across its head, drawing a bloody line. Hit, but minimal damage

Green swings again with his manacles at Brundar's head then ankles. The first blow doesn't hurt too badly, but is enough to leave Brundar dazed for a moment, which makes it easy to topple him to the ground. 5 hp, then crit success on the trip, which leaves Brundar prone and does 2 hp damage The blue-garbed foe then steps back to give himself some space. The

Qarawyn is up.

Whoa, careful there, Brundar! You wouldn't want us to report to the Society that you were lying down on the job!

Qarawyn flings an arc of lightning leaps from Blue to Green. Cast electric arc, DC 18 basic Refl.

He then conjures up a disk of force for protection. Cast shield. AC now 19.

Cast a Spell ◈◈, Cast a Spell ◈. Breathe again on Round 5.

Both of the gray dwarves let out little yelps of pain, but they seem pretty resistant to magic. The blue-garbed one ducks down the corridor, putting some space between himself and his companion as he attacks Qarawyn. The shackle hits home on the kobold's head, leaving a dark welt 9 hp

Jessa and Brundar get AoOs, so there's a small chance that they could put the raider down and spare Qarawyn that damage. Also, everyone but Qarawyn is now up.

Hallow once again fumbles with his armor's mechanisms before moving to the next grey dwarf.

Overdrive, DC 15: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Stride
Warhammer vs Green, Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 1 = 11, 1d8 + 2 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 + 1 + 2 = 9

Brundar swings his great axe at the departing grey Dwarf (Blue).

AoO Strike with Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 12 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 12 + 1 = 17
Slashing Dmg with Inspire Courage: 1d12 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 1 = 7

Jessa swipes her sword at her retreating four, before stepping over to pursue the one harassing Hallow.

AoO: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25 for slashing damage: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
* Raise Shield
* Stride
* Strike longsword (IC): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30 for slashing damage: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Brundar stands then strides over to Green and swings his great axe.

Great Axe Strike with Inspire Courage: 1d20 + 12 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 12 + 1 = 28
Slashing Dmg with Inspire Courage: 1d12 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 1 = 11

If Green went down from previous crit damage then Brundar could stride over to Blue instead.

Brundar misses the dwarf as he passes, but Jessa manages to get in a solid blow before they both turn to the closer foe, cutting him down with two vicious strikes.

Kosh is still up; green is down now, so Qarawyn is up too!

Kosh starts up his battle cadence again, as he steps up to the last dark dwarf and gives him what for!

Cast shield, Step, Strike Blue. Inspire courage still in effect

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Qarawyn steps behind Kosh and pulls out his magical spear. Let us dance, hmm?

+1 Dancer's Spear (Reach): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
piercing: 1d6 ⇒ 4

Step, Interact to Draw, Strike. Breathe again on Round 5.

Kosh can't quite hit, but the tight quarters mean the gray dwarf can't quite dodge Qarawyn's spear, which draws blood. The remaining attacker, apparently undeterred by his companions' fate, swings his manacles at Kosh -- but misses horribly. The second blow, though, hits the half-orc's legs, knocking him down as the dwarf steps back.

Everyone is now up. Kosh is prone.

Jessa pursues, hopping over Kosh to stand between him and his attacker. She wasn't one to press a retreating foe, but he was still attacking.

"You could have just stopped and explained yourself," she says, punctuating with a sweep of her sword.

* Raise Shield
* Stride
* Strike longsword (IC): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28 for slashing damage: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Hallow, not wanting to make an already tight squeeze worse, moves towards the opening, readying himself to bolt through once the grey dwarf opens up into the previous room.

Stride
Ready an action: if the grey dwarf moves backwards, stride into the room

Letting the others take care of the remaining Grey Dwarf, Brundar searches around on the bodies for a key to unlock the manacles. Seems like the area is too crowded anyway.

Search/Seek Exploration Action-Perception(E): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24