Age of Ashes (Team Alseta)

Game Master ChesterCopperpot

Cerrus moves in front of Netkin and attempts to get on Roxie's good side.

"My friends and I require access to the back room, hopefully for the last time. As stated previously, this path expedites our journey to the citadel. We can happily share more information with you once our investigation is complete. Oh, and I'll take a pickle for each of us. Paying customers now, aren't we?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

"Indeed. Once again, we apologize for the disruption of your business, but consider that you are aiding in the defense of Breachill, and the stories that will spread from these events, drawing even more business to you."

Make An Impression (Performance): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

"Oh, and I'll take a pickle for each of us. Paying customers now, aren't we?"

Ellaeaanda fishes out a coin and hands over a silver. "To go, please."

She rubs her face with one hand.

”I s’pose I could make some coin if rumour spread. But folk gonna ask ‘bout those stories, so ya better bring me some bloody good tales to tell. Otherwise, you’re not gonna be welcome here. Now, follow me, pickles are in that storeroom anyways.”

She personally guides you to the tunnel, making sure that none of her staff is around as you enter.

”Here,” she says, giving you a jar of pickles. ”You did pay for ‘em. Now scram, an’ don’ tell anybody ‘fore you bring me those tales.”

Netkin receives the pickle with a profusion of embarrassed thanks. He is all too happy to leave the socially awkward situation and head straight into the tunnels to the Citadel.

"... I think I panicked a little bit back there," he says after a while, letting out a nervous chuckle.

Ellaeaanda gazes intently at the halfling with her disconcerting stare, then glances at the jar of pickles before calmly offering some sage advice. "Appease a peck of panic with a pickle picnic."

Summoning orbs of magical light for her companions, the elf enters the tunnel while contemplating how to restore peace to the skeletons in the crypt.

Drop investigation into Voz Lirayne. Pursue a Lead to figure out how to put the skeletons back to rest.

The walk through the tunnel is, once again, uneventful.

You make it to the citadel, past the room where Voz made her ritual, and into the hall of graves.

I am assuming you are wearing the hellknight insignias for this.

”All but one return to this restless place. If you are here to lay Arminger Stagram, I must turn down the request. This is no place for Armingers.”

"Nay, Armiger Stagram is alive and well," Ardoinel replies. "We come to cleanse the last remnants of chaos within this hallowed place that might disturb your rest."

"We do have one request," Netkin inquires timidly. "We took a notebook from... someone dangerous, but it's written in Necril. She won't return anymore, but... We'd rather know about her plans."

"Could you, by any chance, read it?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

"She was a source of much of the disorder that came here, and knowing what her plans were will equip us with the knowledge to enforce true order and peace here. 'Savagery must be quelled, in the land, home and mind,'" Ardoinel adds, quoting the Order of the Nail's creed and punctuating it by beating his fist against his chest, gauntlet and armor ringing out in salute.

Impressive Performance: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

"Necril is not a language I speak. What you heard me speak with Arminger Stagram was Diabolic. As for our rest, I do not know how to deactivate the magical ward, we left magic to the Signifiers. The ward is set inside the hall of lictors B14, the entrance to which is hidden."

"Oh... We thought..." Netkin stammers with obvious disappointment, before lowering his eyes. "Too bad..."

"Perhaps we can find this entrance, then?" He glances hopefully at Ellaeaanda. "Some of us are good seekers..."

Ardoinel shrugs.

"Thank you regardless, honored veterans."

He bows.

Where would you like Ellaeaanda to search for the entrance?

"And to you, for seeking our rest."

Assuming the skeletons pointed to the room, Cerrus would assume that the entrance must be accessed through the other tunnel.

"Hmm, an unexplored room with a hidden entrance. It's likely accessed by this other tunnel that we previously thought was a dead end."

Cerrus leads the group to the third tunnel on the southern side of this level, and starts searching for a loose rock or hidden lever that opens a door into the Hall of Lictors.

Netkin keeps his eyes peeled for any secret doors.

What did a secret door even look like? If he had to rely on book knowledge, it was typically disguised as a bookcase, with the trigger artfully disguised as some volume on ancient Osiriani esotericism...

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Resa keeps to herself during the talking, already knowing that she was at a disadvantage with other sometimes. She does speak up when the topic of serect doors come, saying "Serect tunnels have been built for many reasons. Sometimes lovers separated by a war, others for a quick escape. What is the best use of these path? That would lead to think of where it is easy to access from really."

She also tried her best to look for the Serect latch or button.
Perception look: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Ellaeaanda acknowledges Netkin with a slight incline of her head, then slowly searches the main room (B13) for the hidden entrance to the Hall of Lictors. Should her search prove uneventful, she then joins Cerrus in the tunnel to follow his hunch.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 10 + 1 = 25
That's Odd, as always, is also in effect

You find the entrance to Hall of Lictors in the "deadend" of the vaultway, with the masonry shifting back and to the sides as you push on the right block.

Inside, six raised daises stretch from east to west, each bearing a massive stone coffin with a carving of a fully armed and armoured Hellknight lying in stately repose. The details of the various weapons and the minor variations in the armour of the figures distinguishes these tombs.

Two of the coffins loom open. Standing besides these two are two wights in hellknight armour, holding halberds. They turn to look at the opening door, but they do not attack.

The east wall bears a complex series of inscriptions composed of faintly glowing pale-blue runes.

Netkin instinctively ducks behind Ellaeaanda for protection. "Do-Do you think the insignias will work on them too?" he stammers.

Occultism: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24 Wights - Recall weakness?

Is the entrance where Cerrus is positioned or Ellaeaanda & Netkin?

Cerrus stares at the closest wight to him, trying to ascertain its disposition towards the party and learn more about it.

Exploit Vulnerability w/ Esoteric Lore: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15

"Do-Do you think the insignias will work on them too?"

“All things are possible, but only some may pass,” Ellaeaanda replies. She adjusts her hellknight insignia so that it is clearly visible on her chest, then hails the wights from the doorway. “Speak you Taldane, the common tongue? Or read you the words of the dead?” She proffers one of the pages written in Necril while pondering the nature of the softly glowing runes. “Resa, do you share a tongue with these as well?”

Cast Detect Magic. Arcana +9+1 to read/decipher the runes.
Religion +8+1 to identify wights. What special abilities do they have?

"I can speak a... Another tongue yes, but I do not know from where. I do not know if they would react positively or what to hearing it, and if pressed, I could not say how I know it. It is like... In my head all the time?" Resa offers, willing to try but unsure the nature of it.

just diabolic

Much to Netkin’s dismay, the wights don’t seem to have any weaknesses.

Cerrus, the entrance is where you and Ellaeaanda are. And you can exploit their personal antithesis but your diverse lore doesn’t trigger.

The wights turn to Ellaeaanda.

”We speak your tongue, recruit,” they reply in common. Their voices are empty and don’t elaborate further. But they also don’t move towards Ellaeaanda.

Ellaeaanda can perceive that the runes are magical and that they are, in fact the ward. Within the runes, there are twelve major glyphs that are connected to the undead, one for each of them. As mentioned by Alak, the runes do come into play when someone uses necromancy within the citadel, but it should be possible to disable them through both magical and non-magical means.

Wights can curse their victims, draining them of their energy and turning them into vassal wights when they die.

The wights also speak diabolic, thanks to their hellknight training, just like the skeleton did.

"Oh, wonderful! Can we, er... Enter this room? Or is it off-limits?"

With the wights speaking common, another language is unnecessary, and Ellaeaanda gently shakes her head at Resa. “Another time, another place, another tongue,” she advises the rogue in a soft voice. To Netkin’s question she adds “Your peace we seek. Gone is the necromancer who disturbed your rest; reset the ward we would.”

Turning slightly to the others, she expounds on what she knows. “Twelve glyphs, twelve undead. But not all arise.” She glances at the four closed coffins, each depicting its own weapon, distinct from the halberds borne by the standing wights. “Both magical and mundane may calm the runes.”

Turning back to the undead, she holds out forth the parchment again. “Can you read Necril?”

"You may enter."

"I led an army against a Lich, I can understand it. Why do you seek this knowledge?"

Netkin steps inside the room, hesitantly at first, then more confidently as he trots from rune to rune. "Hmmm... I wonder how we could... Oh, yes, I think I recognise that one..."

Arcana: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17
Occultism?: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15 To learn more about how the runes work/ figure out a way to disable the ward

"Um," he distractedly answers the wight's question. "We obtained a notebook from someone who had rather... ill intentions towards this citadel. We managed to put a stop to it, but we know she was working with more powerful people who might be pulling the strings... Long story short, we'd like to decipher her notes, but they're written in Necril, a language none of us can understand. Could you, perhaps, tell us what is written on the pages?"

Diplomacy (+1 Make an Impression?): 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 5 + 1 = 21

Cerrus adds to Ellaeaanda's and Netkin's answers. "Yes, we believe that this necromancer - Voz is her name - sought to find gates underneath the citadel. We found her and told her to leave, which she did. Now, we seek your help to understand who she is working with and why the gates are important. This piece of parchment is our strongest lead currently."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

Assuming the wights decide to translate, the rest of this would happen:

While the wights are engaged as translators with Ellaeaanda, Cerrus advances into the room alongside Netkin with tome in hand. "Let's figure out this ward, and quick." Cerrus references his tome to help decode the runes.

After Netkin and Cerrus explain the reason behind her request, Ellaeaanda hands all three pages of Necril to the wight to read. She gives the others space to examine the runes; while waiting for her turn, she peers intently at the coffins, wondering why the different weapon depictions seem odd to her.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

“Magic are the runes,” she intones softly to Resa, “but magic is not required to reset the ward. Of service are your skills in opening and closing.”

Ardoinel, having kept silent as they speak to the Hellknight dead, bristles a bit as the group explains themselves. He wasn't certain they will appreciate the fact that Voz was released. True Hellknight aspirants would not let a lawbreaker go to possibly commit more crimes; incarceration or execution were the Hellknight way.

He watches and waits for their reaction.

”The chain is weak within you. Your enemy has exploited your mercy. You have much to learn.”

”Nonetheless, you did well in protecting the citadel. And in bringing order where she brought chaos.”

”Controlling the fire is not enough. You must extinguish the fire.”

”If translating the documents would help you bring order, I will translate the documents.”

Summary of the first document

Transcription of a Soldier’s diary:

Our unit found the goblinblood caves. The place was crawling with enemies. We pushed forward. The goblinoid army only occupied the entrance to the cavern system. They were afraid of moving deeper into the caves. We kept exploring past the goblinoid outpost. Deep within the system we discovered a ring of strange archways, but we were driven away by stone statues which emerged from the nearby doors. The enemies were nowhere to be found so deep within the caves. We returned to out outpost.

Summary of the second document

Voz’s notes:

Alseta’s ring is ancient. It is possible - likely, even - that they are amongst the first aiudara, from before Earthfall. The six portals that form the ring should be linked with six different site. The place would have been a central hub for the ancient web of portals. One of these portals led directly to Kyonin, but if the reports from the wars are correct, this gate has collapsed. The other five should still be standing, but I will need the keys to activate them. I should be able to determine more about the standing portals, and their keys, once I reach the location.

Summary of the third document

Voz’s Journal:

Day sixth:

Spiders, centipedes, rats, how much more vermin does this place have? I lost another three shambles in today’s incursion, five more are left. Soon, I will have to reanimate more.

Day Seventh:

I encountered a strange woman who seemed to be able to manipulate spiders as easily as I command my undead minions. I managed to slay half a dozen spiders, but I lost another three of my minions. With my army diminished, I was forced to retreat. Who is this woman?

Diverse Lore: Runes

The magic of the runes is powerful. Even though it could be dispelled, it would require a powerful spell to counteract it. On the other hand, runes are like words, they can be changed, modified. If you change the meaning of it, you change the power it has. However, power flows through the very runes, and disrupting them could cause them to discharge negative energy against the person trying to manipulate them.

The AP asks for Thievery to disable the device, but I would also take Arcana in this case.

Resa steps forward to help in the best way she can, but does have to ask the others. She admits "I am unsure of my skills here, just due to my abilities being used for more modern locks. Nothing this old. But it seems a bit simpler on some parts."

Thievery: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

Ardoinel remains stoic at the wights' criticism. A better response than he'd expected. Being chided as softhearted recruits was better than being attacked as unacceptable failures.

He follows the rest of the group to the wards and tries to peek over Cerrus' shoulder at his tome.

I assume Cerrus is taller than Ardoinel's approximate 5'1". :P

Netkin nods through the wight's chiding like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar - knowing full well reproaches are to be borne, but nature cannot be changed.

"A spider-woman, then?" he mishears, his attention mostly drawn to the runes. "How bizarre! I wonder if she walked out of the aiudaras too?"

Thievery (Aid): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15 With the GM's permission, since ge sas already inspecting the runes, Netkin will use the knowledge he has gathered to help Resa figure out how to disable them...

Ellaeaanda tries to help the uncertain rogue through the process of modifying the runes. “Not alone are your deft hands. Arcane truths shall guide you. Extend one serif with chalk; scratch out another stroke; connect a third.”

Arcana to Aid Resa: 1d20 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 9 + 1 = 20

Flashes of light spark as the three of you guide Resa on how to modify the runes, changing their shape, their accents, their meanings. The negative energy of the runes crackles underneath Resa’s tools, and a final flash spreads out from there, before all the runes go dark.

The wights standing besides you fall to the ground. Corpses again.

You all get 60xp for translating Voz’s research, 120xp for disabling the ward, and 240xp for defeating the twelve undead in the basement, for a total of 420xp! This should get you to 846xp.

“Hands of fate,” Ellaeaanda gives Resa an approving nod after the runes go dark. Without hesitation, she moves next to the fallen wights and, with delicate care, respectfully places their halberds back inside the coffins. “To bed for eternal slumber,” she gazes at the others—Ardoinel and Cerrus in particular, with their more pronounced muscles—for their help in putting the wights back in their coffins.

I’m assuming no one wants the halberds because they take 2 hands to use? Also bad karma for graverobbing.

While the slender elf works at restoring the armored dead to their proper place, she suggests their future course of action. “A slime-free home for Bumblebrashers next? Then prepare for statues, spiders, and other vermin.” She muses on the prospect of ridding the citadel of the slime.

Woohoo! There's all that lovely missing xp.
Also, drop her investigation into putting the skeletons to rest. Pursue a Lead to figure out how to get rid of the slime.

If only you had bleach to deal with it.

"I think dumping acid on it might work," Netkin suggests. "Or fire, maybe..."

Would Inventing a redpitch bomb help?

"Slime? Why would you put acid or fire on slime? Why not just wash it off? It can't be that harmful can it?" Resa ask, proud of the work they managed to do, but still not knowing all the cool adventure stuff here friends did. She just simply wasn't trained in it.

“Create water can you?” Ellaeaanda responds to Resa. “For some, fire and acid are easier to conjure,” she explains. “And goblins fear the slime; above they stay while it remains.” The elf opens her mind and muses on how to rid the citadel of the slime.

“Beyond the citadel, repellent for spiders may prove as useful as for bears,” she suggests to Netkin.

Since this is my last post before departing tomorrow, I went ahead and rolled Recall Knowledge for the slime. Please assume that Ellaeaanda shares all she knows with the others.

Netkin, unfortunately redpitch bomb is rare, and inventor only allows you to create formulas for common items.

As for best way to deal with the slime, you could burn it, you could crush it, you could even freeze it, or electrocute it. They are kind of slow, and don't really have the brains to move out of the way of, say, an explosion.

"If the slime is like a massive blob of jelly, then normal weapons aren't that efficient," Netkin explains to Resa. "And since it's kind of alive, we can't really let it be. It's dangerous for the goblins."

He looks at Ellaeaanda with some confusion. "I don't recall any spiders?! But yes, I can make a repellent for them... I think!"

Flashes of light spark as the three of you guide Resa on how to modify the runes, changing their shape, their accents, their meanings. The negative energy of the runes crackles underneath Resa’s tools, and a final flash spreads out from there, before all the runes go dark.

The wights standing besides you fall to the ground. Corpses again.

"Good work!" Ardoinel says as the runes are disabled and the Hellknights return to death. Then he breaks into another coughing fit, spitting smoke and ash for a few moments. He retrieves his waterskin and takes a few sips. He follows Ellaeaanda's lead in returning the Hellknight dead to their tombs.

"Alseta, Welcomer, open the way for these lost souls to return through the gates of death. Grant them ease of passage, and gently close the door behind them that their rest never be disturbed again," he prays, holding up the symbol of Alseta they recovered. "Magrim, Taskmaster, welcome these poor, wracked souls onto your anvil, that they may be restored beneath your hammer and be born into the world anew. So let it be."

Once the task is completed, he makes his way back towards the front of the group, deferring to Resa on taking point. As the discussion of just what the slime is and how best to remove it, he thinks on the various slimes both natural and unnatural that he's familiar with, most often the creeping results of alchemical pollution that blight the land.

Recall Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Recall Knowledge (Nature): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Recall Knowledge (Occultism): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
Recall Knowledge (Religion): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Cerrus helps Ardoinel with returning the Hellknights to their tombs. "You performed your charge well" he whispers to them as the lid is returned.

Despite not being a devout follower of any god, Cerrus pausing to listen to the dwarf's prayer to the gods. "Well said. May they be judged fairly by the Lady of Graves."

As the group turns their attention to the matter of the slime, Cerrus tries to determine what that thing might be.

RK w/ Esoteric Lore: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

Netkin

Using your previous knowledge, you manage to plan out how a spider repellent might work, but you would still need to mix it together.

You get the formula for the spider repellent. But I think we'll need to start handling the inventor feat as it is written, cause otherwise it has the potential to break the ap as you keep leveling up.

Ardoinel

What is your question for the recall knowledge check?

Cerrus

Given the white strings it creates, it is fair to assume that this is a string slime. String slimes are a type of ooze.

As the party discusses their combined knowledge of slimes and oozes, Cerrus brings the conversation back to Ellaeaanda's comment about ridding the citadel of the slime and other creatures. "I agree with Ellaeaanda that the Bumblebrashers deserve a better home than the one they had. And, I promised that we would complete the job. With the undead now at rest, this slime might be the last creature to deal with."

As he talks, Cerrus remembers seeing a room beyond the skeletal guards. "We should also explore the room with the skeletons. We didn't dare walk deeper into the room with them present."

Now that I'm looking at the map, I'm trying to remember which rooms we haven't explored. B13 past the skeletons, B15, B16, B17. I'm pretty sure we handled all of B2-B5 except for whichever room is the slime.

@Delta Arena: is that correct?

I don't mind ruling that Netkin can't create the spider repellent right now! We wouldn't want this to be too easy ;)

"I have some alchemist's fire left... And some acid. Also a couple of empty vials... I believe it should do the trick!"

My question was basically the kind of ooze we're dealing with, but it looks like you already answered that. So...Resistances, I guess?