Rusty Iron Henges (Inactive)

Game Master Dennis Muldoon

Otoro paces around nervously, scouting for danger as the party searches the room.

Neither Demonica nor Henry are able to make any sense of the tables and their odd connections to the pillars.

"Only one way to find out if this is our way down."

Puddins pulls on the book.

Sorry, I missed something:

As Henry and Demonica examine the tables, they find a few items that might be of use:

As you surmised, pulling the false book causes the section of bookshelf it sits on to swing back. Within you see a vast chamber, a sluggish clicking sound ringing through. A wide, rusted metal cylinder stands in the northeast corner of the room. Long cables and articulated armatures attach from the cylinder to cube-shaped devices with ticking gears and monotonously clicking weights that swing in lazy circles. Just west of the metal cylinder, a copper cauldron stands on a rusted iron stand; one of the legs has bent, growing weak from the encroaching rust. The fire under the cauldron has burned down to mere embers.

In the southeast corner sits a stone basin holding a broad, sloped bowl with runes carved along the outside rim. Across from the basin in the southwest corner is a wooden cage built into the stone floor. Chalk-drawn runes surround a circle of chalk drawn around the cage. In the northwest corner, an empty bookcase stands against the wall behind a staircase that descends into darkness.

Two creatures, similar to Azomi who you destroyed above, look up from their posts near the top of the stairs, their strange mouths opening as they snarl and advance, halberds at the ready!

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Initiative

Otoro slips into the room and pours snow and sleet onto the enemies.

cold damage: 2d4 ⇒ (1, 2) = 3
Basic Ref DC 18. 1 target that fails I can move 5ft. Area is difficult terrain. I'll try and move red northest, as a secondary choice I'll move blue southwest

BEEP BOOP

Puddins moves into the room and points her greatsword at blue and fires off needle darts.

needle darts vs blue: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
piercing: 3d4 ⇒ (1, 1, 1) = 3

The red-clad figure manages to avoid the worst of Otoro's frigid blast, but its companion is less prepared, getting pummeled with ice and snow. Red success, blue failure; I'll move blue southwest.

Frozen and sluggish under the weight of the snow, they are unprepared for Puddins needles, which catch it square on. Hit for Puddins.

Demonica is up.

Demonica charges in and attacks Blue with her sword.

greatsword: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19
ouch!: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Stridex2, Strike

Demonica rushes in and attacks, her sword slashing into the nearer of the creatures! The strange figure responds immediately, bringing its halberd down at Demonica before trying twice to bite her.

Blue Halberd vs. Demonica: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13
Piercing: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Blue Jaws vs. Demonica, agile 2nd attack: 1d20 + 10 - 4 ⇒ (14) + 10 - 4 = 20
Piercing: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Blue Jaws vs. Demonica, agile 3rd attack: 1d20 + 10 - 8 ⇒ (5) + 10 - 8 = 7
Piercing: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

It misses with its glaive, but sinks its alien maw into her arm. Meanwhile, the other creature also approaches, bringing its halberd around then trying once to bite Demonica.

Red Halberd vs. Demonica: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17
Piercing: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Red Jaws vs. Demonica, agile 2nd attack: 1d20 + 10 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 10 - 4 = 9
Piercing: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

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Initiative

Puddin's holds her sword to the sky and fills it with divine energy as she moves up, to stand shoulder to shoulder with her sword sister as she takes a mighty swing at blue.

sword: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 7 + 1 = 17
slashing: 2d12 + 4 ⇒ (7, 2) + 4 = 13

Stride, weapon surge, strike.

Otoro joins the sword sisters, providing Demonica with some life giving water.

healing for Demonica: 1d8 ⇒ 4
Resist fire 2 1/m.

and blasts red with some water.

melee blast: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
b damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

"Nissa!" Bireli calls out as his sister rushes into the midst of the two demons. He raises his shield before charging after her. He snaps his wooden sword at the horror's face.

◆ Raise a Shield
◆ Stride
◆ Strike: ”Practice Sword” (probing cane) (T): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
Bludgeoning, Panache: 1d6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 + 2 = 10

Otoro heals some of Demonica's wounds as he, Puddins, and Bireli all rush the monstrosity attacking her. None of them are able to connect in the melee, however, as the creature deflects their blows. All three attacks missed, unfortunately.

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Initiative

Will: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

Demonica feels sick to her stomach. She retches.

Fort save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Feeling better I presume, she then strikes twice with her sword against Blue.

greatsword: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22
ouch!: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

greatsword: 1d20 + 9 - 5 ⇒ (8) + 9 - 5 = 12
ouch!: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Demonica clears her stomach and lands a blow on her assailant, but is unable to connect on the followthrough. Retch successful, one hit one miss.

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Initiative

Demonica 22/28hp
Otoro
Puddins
Blue -17hp
Red -1hp

Henry rushes inot the room, glaring at the strange monstrosities. His eyes widen for a moment, realizing these cultists have been experimenting and hope his own mother hasn't been tortured or even worse experiments beset upon her.

DC 17 Will vs Jealous Hex. (-1 on a failure and -2 on crit fail) The target is cursed with an adverse condition depending on its highest ability modifier: Strength (enfeebled); Dexterity (clumsy); Constitution (drained); or Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (stupefied). At the start of each of your turns, the target can attempt another Will save, ending the effect on a success.

Blood Magic: First creature to damage Henry this turn takes 2 Mental Damage (Basic DC 17 Will save)

◆ Stride
◆ Stride
◆ Jealous Hex

Going to assume Henry is targeting the nearer creature to the door (red) since he's equidistant from the two.

Henry's hex seems to have no effect on the strange creature as it glares right back at him (Success on the save).

The creature in blue continues attacking Demonica, bringing its halberd around before trying to bite her again!

Blue Halberd vs. Demonica: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29
Piercing: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

It's strike lands true, dropping the sword sister bleeding and unconscious to the ground! Crit for 26 damage; Demonica is unconscious and dying 2.

Turning to the other sword sister, it tries to bite Puddins!

Blue Jaws vs. Puddins, agile 2nd attack: 1d20 + 10 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 10 - 4 = 18
Piercing: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Blue Jaws vs. Puddins, agile 3rd attack: 1d20 + 10 - 8 ⇒ (4) + 10 - 8 = 6
Piercing: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

The other creature turns to focus on Otoro!

Red Halberd vs. Otoro: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29
Piercing: 1d10 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Red Jaws vs. Otoro, agile 2nd attack: 1d20 + 10 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 10 - 4 = 17
Piercing: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Red Jaws vs. Otoro, agile 3rd attack: 1d20 + 10 - 8 ⇒ (15) + 10 - 8 = 17
Piercing: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

It too lands a devastating blow with its halberd, though it's not enough to drop the azarketi.

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Initiative

Otoro pushes back against the powerful blow with a deflecting wave.

Resisting 2 damage.

Otoro then ducks between the two, moving to flank with Puddins before blasting blue with water.

2action melee blast vs blue Flanked: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
bludgeoning damage: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Otoro just manages to take down the blue-clad opponent! Exactly how many hp it had left!

*Beep Boop*

Puddins casts stabalize on her Swordsister and steps up into melee.

Reading is hard, not preventing damage to Otoro.

Yes, apologies was targeting Red.

Henry gets a better angle and sends his needle darts into the abomination. "There you go Otoro!"

Needle Darts: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26
Damage (Piercing): 3d4 ⇒ (1, 1, 1) = 3

◆ Stride
◆◆ Needle Darts

Puddins stabilizes Demonica while Henry sprays the remaining creature with needles, drawing pinpricks of blood.

Initiative

Otoro 18/32hp
Puddins
Demonica 0/28hp, Unconscious, Stable, Wounded 1
Red -4hp
Henry

"No! Sissa!" Bireli shouts as his sister falls to one of the demons' blades. He batters away at the alien creature. His emotions building, he tries to past the creature and then swings at it again.

◆ Confident Finisher: ”Practice Sword” (probing cane) (T): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25 vs. flanked target
Bludgeoning, Panache: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7 + Precise Strike (target still takes half on a miss): 2d6 ⇒ (2, 5) = 7

◆ Tumble Through: Acrobatics (E) vs. Reflex DC: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
Arrow for path, if successful.

◆ Confident Finisher: ”Practice Sword” (probing cane) (T): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Bludgeoning, Panache: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
The following only if the 19 beat Red's Reflex DC:
+ Precise Strike (target still takes half on a miss): 2d6 ⇒ (6, 3) = 9

AC 19

Bireli rushes in to drive off the creature assaulting his sister, striking it while it's distracted by Puddins (just shy of a crit vs. flank), then nimbly tumbling by it before landing a sharp blow to the creature's head which drops it!

Out of combat! With Demonica stable, we can drop out of rounds here.

-----

Looking around the room, possibly after attending to Demonica:

Lying on the desk, you find a scroll of mud pit, a scroll of dispel magic, a scroll of resist energy, and a wand of grease. Tucked behind one of the workbenches, you find another wand, this time of burning hands.

With the apparent threat gone, Bireli drops his wooden sword and shield as he rushes to her side. "Angelica?" he says with worry in his voice and kneels next to her. He gently jostles her by the shoulder.

Unable to use the two wands so other should take them.

Occultism: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Henry looks worried. "She alright Bireli?" He watches as his companion tries to get her to her feet.

We may need someone to bot some medicine from Puddins.

What's next for you all? Down the stairs? One of the doors you haven't opened? Retreat to somewhere safe and rest up?

Puddins-bot tries to rouse her sword-sister.

Natural Medicine: Nature vs. DC 15: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Healing: 2d8 ⇒ (6, 6) = 12

Henry motions to the stairs. "You think they took her below?"

Demonica staggers to her feet. "What...hit me?"

Bireli releases a breath of relief as Demonica comes to her senses. "Thank Sarenrae!" he says as he fumbles to assist his sister to her feet. "You should rest. I can keep searching with Henry for his mom."

Henry looks to Bireli, his own body getting ready to fail itself from exhaustion. "We are close, but I feel like I am about to collapse." He looks to the others admiring the length the were going for him. "Let's set up a camp near by and get a few hours."

"If you're sure, Henry," Bireli says while looking at each of his companions. "You're right. We'll handle those demons better if everyone has a chance to rest."

Retreating a short distance, you find Ragnulf's former quarters as a defensible space to catch a few hours of badly-needed sleep. After enough time to stave off exhaustion and regain your strength, you emerge to find things as you left them.

Between Treating Wounds and Otoro's ability to heal someone every 10 minutes, we can assume everyone is healed up. Where to next?

"When you're moving the herd, papa says to never leave critters behind you, else they cause you all kinds of trouble. I say we tidy up this level before going down, just in case. Maybe we see what's behind that secret door to the East?"

"You wouldn't have a secret door without a secret to put behind it!"

Otoro nods "Good idea."

"Isn't this the secret side?" Bireli says good-naturedly.

Upon closer examination, Bireli is proven correct: this is the secret side. Opening the door leads you into a room lined with largely empty stone shelves. Only a few empty bottles, rusted metal tools, and blank stone tables now remain. Muddy footprints trail from the secret doorway you now stand in to the normal door to the east.

In his worry and frustration, Henry knocks over one of the empty bottles. Surprisingly, it sloshes, as if full of an invisible liquid! Examining it more closely, you see a logo in the stopper, portraying a stylized eyeball with a slash through it.

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Continuing on, the hallway on the far side of the door leads to a large chamber filled with stone tables, many of them covered with cutlery, dishware, goblets, or tools. Rusty iron chandeliers hang from the ceiling, but instead of large candles providing light, huge glowing mushrooms spring out of each holder, bathing the room in a dim bluish-green radiance.

When you enter the room, two human-sized bipedal frogs scramble to their feat, reaching for weapons. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Otoro sighs and quips "I was hoping for a slide."

Then looking down in embarrassment, realizing that he may have just not been helpful.

Puddins looks toward her more well spoken comrades to smooth things over with the frog men.

"We're village folk looking for our lost family and neighbors," Bireli says. "I am not far traveled. I have not seen many of Golarion's peoples. If it is not too rude, may I ask who are you? Or what sort of folk you are? I don't want to assume that just because you look different from me you're demons, but we've encountered quite a few."

I'm not sure we have time for true Diplomacy, and he has no Deception. Ugh. And I need to past my 2nd level onto my profile.

Diplomacy (T): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16 I doubt it matters with that roll.

The frog people look skeptical. "Hmph. Maybe you are and maybe you aren't. Gurga will know what to do."

They warily direct you back into the hall, then open the door immediately to your left. Inside, the sound of falling water and the pungent smell of mold fills the air of this moist chamber. Dripping rills of what seems like an endless supply of water trickle like rain into a large mud-filled basin dug into the broken stone foundation of the floor, yet the artificial rain never seems to flood the room. A series of glowing runes are clustered together on the eastern wall.

Lounging inside the mud pit is another Boggard, who looks up at you with skeptical curiosity. "So strangers, you say you're village folk. If that's true, how did you get so deep into this place? Did the rusty ones let you in? Are you working with them?"

She looks unfriendly at the moment, but you have a chance to try to change that. The other frog folks seem to defer to her.

"We are most definitely NOT working with them. They are our enemies, and we intend to rid this place of them, by Gorum.

"Rusty ones?" Henry asks curiously. "Some folks pretending to be of the religious sort took my Mother." He grips his dagger so tight that his knuckles turn white. "We snuck in at night and managed our way here. Did they come through this way?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

The frog woman considers, for a moment, then seems to relax. "They pass through this floor, but they do not come into these chambers. I know nothing of your captured kin. We bear no love for them. We wait for them to leave this place so we can return to our home, below."

"Will you help us get rid of them?" Henry asks for aid. "We aren't warriors." He explains as he sheathes his feeble dagger.

Bireli laughs. "Well, that assertion makes me feel a little glum, Henry!"