Redelia's PFS1 3-06 Song of the Sea Witch (Inactive)

Game Master Redelia

"Are you sure you want to do this? Very well..."

Dimak draws his Earth Breaker and swings it at the last thug.

MW silver Earth Breaker + PA: 1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (17) + 10 - 2 = 25
Bludgeoning, silver + PA: 2d6 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (5, 1) + 6 + 6 = 18

There didn’t appear to be any foes left on their feet after the group had pounced.

Dimak's earthbreaker smashes the lat thug,

Yargos insists that this ambush reveals someone else is also interested in the book, and insists that you hurry to find Ollysta. A quick search of the thugs reveals nothing about who hired them.

An assemblage of dilapidated wooden shacks, baked-clay huts, and random tents denotes the neighborhood of Gilltown. The smell of stale water mixed with a hint of long-decayed seafood permeates the air here. Only a handful of people wander the area, the majority of them gillmen, though
a smattering of other humanoid races mingle here as well. Most seem to be perusing the small stalls and impromptu markets, haggling with their gillman owners.

Ollysta is in the midst of a haggling war with a local gillman merchant attempting to sell her a strange unholy symbol. She insists on finishing her negotiations before listening to you.

Keene takes a deep breath and stands by, waiting for the negotiations to finish. ”It is quite important, ma’am,” he sighs.

Ollysta finishes her barter, and then turns to you. Yargos immediately blurts out the entire story. Ollysta is disappointed in Yargos's recklessness, but even more disturbed that she did not receive the Celestial Song. She does know that the only way to reseal the Infernal Incantation is with the Celestial Song. The ambush you faced on the way clearly indicates someone else wants the books.

The gillman who Ollysta was bartering with tells you that Nicola, Yargos's aid who disappeared with the Celestial Song, was seen entering a Gilltown tunnel with some cultists who match the description of the thugs who ambushed you. He offers to sell you a map of the tunnel network used by the cultists for 5 gp. He is willing to direct you to the tunnel entrance even if you do not purchase the map.

"I think we should buy the map - it will be helpful", Dimak says. He then adds under his breath: "Although, 5gp seems a lot for a piece of paper..."

Keene reaches into his belt pouch and pulls out the five gold. ”If this map is accurate, five gold is a bargain. I don’t fancy traipsing around unfamiliar tunnels with no guidance,” he whispered to Dimak.

If you want to add to the chronicle I spent the five gold, that’s good with me, GM.

"I'll be the judge of what's a bargain here. Let me see that... hmm, I am fairly sure that this tunnel would lead straight into the sea, and..." Gnagnatsu tries to haggle the price down.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

The gillman just shakes his head at Gnatsu's arguing.

Yargos goes with Ollysta while you head off to look for the missing book.

Following the gillman's instructions, you find your way to what were obviously old smuggling tunnels used by gillmen. Once in the tunnels, the map makes navigation easy. As you continue, you begin to hear the distant sounds of angelic chanting. The chanting gradually becomes far more audible, beginning to interrupt even simple conversations due to the echoing noise. You cannot make out the sounds, and the words are lost among the cacophony of voices.

The tunnels open to a vast chamber of crudely cut stone that extends upward sixty feet to a large, cavernous ceiling littered with moss-covered pipes. Eight tunnels exit the chamber, four on each side of the room. With the exception of the two southernmost exits, slabs of solid granite block the tunnels several feet down the halls. In the center of each of these six granite slabs is a crude, rusted chain extending into a hole. A set of great stairs begins at the halfway point of the room, ascending upward to a sealed metal door. Inexplicably, the stairs begin at a height of thirty feet off the ground, their base made of the cut stone that fills the room.

Please place your tokens in the room and give me perception and intelligence checks, everyone.

Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22
Int: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (1) + 0 = 1 LOL.

"Hm..."

Dimak scratches his head - he has clearly no idea what to make all these... things in this room.

Perception 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
Intelligence 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Would someone please place my token? Anywhere would be fine. Thanks so much!

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20
Intelligence: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (5) + 0 = 5

"Is there a rope hidden somewhere or can they fly?"

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
Intelligence: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15

"Stupid gillmen don't know how to haggle worth a - Hey, I think I found something..."

"... The hell?"
Morait stares at the weirdly placed stairs.
Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (1) + 13 = 14
Intelligence: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

Jasmine? I'll wait one more day and then explain what you notice and have figured out in terms of the puzzle here.

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31
Intelligence: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (12) + 0 = 12
Hey! Lucky number! Rerolling
Intelligence 2: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (11) + 0 = 11

Jasmine sweeps her head for side to side and stares around the room, alert for anything that might cave in under her or shoot sharp things at her head or try to drop a larger sharp thing on her.

Jasmine has a +3 to find traps

You see that there are tunnels marked with Azlanti symbols. They are clearly full of water, and pulling on a chain will flood the current area with that water. You see two sets of small holes in the walls of the current area, the first at 30 feet, the second just above that. It is clear to you that you want to flood the room with exactly 30 feet of water. 30 feet will open the door to the next room, but any more than 30 feet will trigger a trap of some sort. Your pathfinder training is enough that you are able to recognize that the azlanti symbols are numbers, and clearly tell you how much water that tunnel will add.

Tunnel Number Water Height
1 5 ft.
2 20 ft.
3 12 ft.
6 4 ft.
7 6 ft.
8 3 ft.

this puzzle is really awkwardly written. What you want to do is to open some of the tunnels by pulling on their chains so that the sum of their numbers is exactly 30.

Which tunnels do you open?

2, 6, and 7 add up to 30’. Is it that simple, do you think?

Opening all tunnels except #2 would also work. ;-) Well, it wouldn’t be that simple if we hadn't recognized and translatd the azlanti symbols. I think it's fine.

so what are you doing, team?

This was a hard one to translate to PbP; it would probably have been a better puzzle live, where there is room for back and forth without taking two weeks.

Dimak will do what the more intelligent people order ask him to do. He rolled a nat 1 on the Int check after all... ;-)

Yeah, I figured. Puzzles can really kill the momentum in pbp...

With a result of 5, Jaakko can't do much either so he will help in whatever he can do.

Keene listens to Dimak and begins opening all the tunnels except for the second one, if the group doesn’t object.

"Works for me. But just in case. . ."
Jasmine pulls out her sword so if enemies come out with the water she can stab them.

As you pull on the handles, the water sloshes into the chamber you are in. The water level rises to the point where it fills the lower holes but does not touch the upper holes, and the door opens.

In the next room, rudely carved stonework expands into a dank circular chamber. Twin torches on both the eastern and western ends of the cavern illuminate a large stone slab that resides in the northern portion of the chamber. Littering the area around the slab are all manner of strange offerings, ranging from chipped skulls, ancient coins, strange pearls, crude tools, and broken pieces of art. Among all the treasures on the makeshift altar, the largest item appears to be an open tome of the most immaculate bone-white shade. From the tome comes an earshattering hymn—a chorus which sings the most beautiful of melodies.

You see an unusual creature, looking like a human on top and an octopus on the bottom. He is reading from a book that is clearly the Celestial Song.

please place your tokens just inside the room. Also, you may roll your own initiative for this final fight.

Initiative 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

If someone would please place Keene for me. Anywhere is fine. Thanks!

”Itd probably be a good idea if you stopped reading that book. It’s dangerous,” the mage calls out as he pulls his sword.

"Step away from that book. Now." Jaakko snarl while holding his musket ready

Initiative: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Placed Keene on left side

Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

"Do as they say or I'll get angry. And you won't like it when I'm angry..."

Before entering the room Dimak changed which weapon he is wielding - it's the longhammer again.

Initiative: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
"Do what they say, you really don't want to see what that hammer does to a person's head aight?
Morait notches an arrow to his bow.

Initiative: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

Is it loud enough in here that I could cast vanish without being noticed?

Gnagnatsu, it's not a sure things, but it's very likely your casting could go unnotices.

bad guy init: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

botting...
Jasmine: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

OK, you all go before the bad guy.

Gnagnatsu casts vanish and circles the enemy.

Dimak hates being ignored. He gets visibly angry. starting rage (free action)

"Are you deaf? Step away from that book! NOW!"

The barbarian steps a few feet forward and waits for the opponent to make a move.
ready: attack (standard action)
condition: 'When the opponent doesn't do what he is told and comes into range of his longhammer while trying to attack the pathfinders.'

readied attack: Rage adamantine Longhammer, Dwarven + RA + PA: 1d20 + 12 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 12 + 2 - 2 = 17
Bludgeoning + PA, adamantine: 2d6 + 9 + 6 ⇒ (1, 3) + 9 + 6 = 19

AoO: Rage adamantine Longhammer, Dwarven + RA + PA: 1d20 + 12 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 12 + 2 - 2 = 21
Bludgeoning + PA, adamantine: 2d6 + 9 + 6 ⇒ (3, 4) + 9 + 6 = 22

Jaakko fires his musket at the monster and draws a new bullet.

+1 musket vs. touch, point blank: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18
damage: 1d12 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Morait, Rondolpho, and Jasmine?

Keene tosses a magic missile at the book reader.

Damage 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (2, 3, 1) + 3 = 9

Jasmine moves farther into the room and slashes at the monster.

+2 short sword: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23
regular damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
sneak attack: 4d6 ⇒ (3, 2, 4, 3) = 12

Also 4 bleed damage per round, and debilitating injury: disoriented: if the foe takes sneak attack damage it also takes attack penalty -2 (-4 vs. striker) for 1 round.

Morait fires an arrow at the creature, then draws his sword.
attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27
damage: 1d6 + 3d6 ⇒ (5) + (1, 5, 5) = 16 +3 bleed damage on its turn

Jasmine, Morain, Keene, and Jaako all damage the creature.
-54 HP

A few of his tentacles reach out and try to grab Jasmine.

1d20 + 18 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 18 - 4 = 26
success, Jasmine is grappled.

The party is up again. He is looking quite injured (somewhere near 1/2 HP)

edit: due to bleed damage from Morait, now at -60 HP

Morait moves towards the creature, then stabs it.
acrobatics: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17
attack: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 11 + 2 = 23
damage: 1d6 + 3d6 + 7 ⇒ (5) + (4, 5, 4) + 7 = 25

The bad guy almost falls over after Morait's attack.

-85 HP

Jasmine shrieks at her attacker and attempts to stab the stupid sea monster again.

+2 short sword: 1d20 + 13 - 4 ⇒ (9) + 13 - 4 = 18
regular damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
sneak attack: 4d6 ⇒ (6, 1, 5, 5) = 17

Also 4 bleed damage per round, and debilitating injury: disoriented: if the foe takes sneak attack damage it also takes attack penalty -2 (-4 vs. striker) for 1 round.

Using GM campaign service coin reroll with permission:

attack: 1d20 + 13 - 4 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 13 - 4 + 4 = 24

As Jasmine's blade slams into the sea creature, he falls over, dead.

The team is able to rush over and close the Celestial Song.

You are then able to lock the covers of the books together, which replaces the wards on the Infernal Incantation.

Retrieving the Celestial Song and Infernal Incantation is enough to spark further Pathfinder Society interest in the tomes. The Society steps in following the debacle and offers Yargos Gill further assistance with his work on the tomes, an offer the old man can’t refuse, given the
Society’s help in saving him from his own foolishness. Though his mysterious benefactors may not be pleased with the Society’s meddling, the inclusion of Pathfinder scholars ensures that the two tomes are respected and no further outbreaks occur. Amara Li and the Lantern Lodge are grateful for preventing the perversion of Tian imports, and Amara Li is given further control over the imports of Tian goods into Society hands. Along with these changes, the assistance of Ollysta Zadrian does not go unnoticed by the Society, and the agents of the Silver Crusade are requested to assist in the research of several other fiendish artifacts, a request that only increases the nascent Crusade’s standing within the Society.

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Thanks for playing, everyone. Chronicle sheets and reporting should be out later today.