GM TOP #1-39: The Citadel of Flame (Standard, Gameday XIII)

Game Master Pete H.

Looking over the items, Theolich tried to find a spiked gauntlet that would fit his left hand.

Yulau shakes her head looking at the weapon pile. ”None for me, thank you very much. If a fight comes down to me using a sword, I’m probably as good as dead anyway!”

GM TOP wrote:

E3: Although formerly full of finery, this large hall has been completely ransacked. Scarlet drapes lie in tatters on the floor, obsidian pedestals are smashed, and shards of red and black clay cover the floor. The southeast corner is the only exception—a large table sits there undisturbed. On it, the cultists have reconstructed an idol of Moloch: a large, armored flame creature with the head of a bull.

E4: The walls of this room are lined with weapons: crossed halberds, spears, and longswords, all decorated with flame motifs. Two shields with portraits of Moloch towering over the Citadel of Flame sit near the ceiling. The weapons seem newly crafted. A plain obsidian bench sits on the floor, with a skeleton splayed across it. The skeleton’s armor is bedecked in stylized flames, and its scimitar’s hilt is shaped like an idol of Moloch.

There are a good variety of weapons, but none are masterwork.

What weapon would anyone like to look for (other than the ones listed?

What kind of armor is on the skeleton?

The skeleton has some nice studded leather armor. It isn’t ’super nice’ (MW) but still, someone loved it.

"Do those flames on the weapons mean they are unholy or cursed or something?"

If we're done here, on to the next room? As a reminder Jehan hit a 20 to aid Midnight's next Perception check.

E3: Although formerly full of finery, this large hall has been completely ransacked. Scarlet drapes lie in tatters on the floor, obsidian pedestals are smashed, and shards of red and black clay cover the floor. The southeast corner is the only exception—a large table sits there undisturbed. On it, the cultists have reconstructed an idol of Moloch: a large, armored flame creature with the head of a bull.

E4: The walls of this room are lined with weapons: crossed halberds, spears, and longswords, all decorated with flame motifs. Two shields with portraits of Moloch towering over the Citadel of Flame sit near the ceiling. The weapons seem newly crafted. A plain obsidian bench sits on the floor, with a skeleton splayed across it. The skeleton’s armor is bedecked in stylized flames, and its scimitar’s hilt is shaped like an idol of Moloch.

The group checks out the south room.

Anything done here? No magical auras present. Where too after?

——————

"Do those flames on the weapons mean they are unholy or cursed or something?"

Nope. The flames just make the stuff look totally badass!

I assume Perception checks. I'll roll another aid:

Perception Aid: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Jehan and anyone else who searches any of the visible rooms finds nothing other than what is listed in the descriptions.

I am trying to speed things up here, y’all aren’t missing out on some super secret loot. These rooms were mainly set up to be places where Miss Secret Hiding Evil Mage was going to mess with you. But you obliterated her before she even got to do any of the fun things the scenario set up. Where next does the group wish to go? Up the stairs or through the next door?

Yulau votes for heading up the stairs!

Theloish pointed towards the stairs. "Next stop?" he asked,

"We're already down here so let's check that door."

Midnight nods to her companions, happy to head to the stairs.

Jehan is outvoted. But with his great poker face, you can't tell if he is crying on the inside or cool as a cucumber. The group heads up the winding stairs.

A set of graceful spiral stairs, constructed of black marble veined with scarlet, wind upward. The bonfire in the entry hall sends waves of intense heat flowing upwards, along with thick black smoke. Directly above the flame, at the level of the chamber’s ceiling, is a wide capstone concealing the interior of the hall’s large minaret. The stairs wrap around the capstone and end in a small landing adjacent to an egg-shaped enclosure suspended inside the minaret. The chamber’s exterior walls are wreathed in smoke flowing in wide ribbons toward the minaret’s peak. A squat stone door leads inside.

Jehan has already aided the next perception check.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
Theolish joined the others as they checked out the door. He looked closer to the area above the doorway as he has seen other adventurers too worried about the floor.

[dice=Perception]d20+1

Theolish joined the others as they checked out the door. He looked closer to the area above the doorway as he has seen other adventurers too worried about the floor.

Jehan nods and approves as he also checks areas above the door. He whispers to Teloish, "Spiders."

"I can send a wave of fire at them but given where we are, they might not be bothered." Theolish said as he got ready for the door to be opened.

"I can send a wave of fire at them but given where we are, they might not be bothered." Theolish said as he got ready for the door to be opened.

Assuming the door is safe:

Jehan opens the door!

I've given everyone enough time to act so here we go.

Jehan and Theolish determine the door is safe to open. Jehan goes to open it and is imediately engulfed in flame from the tricky bottom of the door! The flame stretches out towards Yulau, but manages to somehow miss the other two tightly packed pathfinders.

Trap Triggered! DC was significantly above 22 to notice.

Jehan and Yulau, please make a Refl Save vs. an Evocation (Fire) Spell. I will provide the results as quickly as possible. You are welcome to use a re-roll at any point before those results are given, unless said re-roll specifically grants you the ability to do so after the result is given.

If anyone needs a reroll and believes it is important, please use my campaign service coin reroll. It is giftable, and takes with it a bonus of +4 from my GM stars

Reflex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Jehan is cooked again and wonders what he did to enrage the fire deities so much...

Reflex 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Folio reroll for reflex save 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Yulau was oblivious to the fire as it washed over her!

Jehan and Yulau manage to take the full brunt of the fire, but it only scorches them enough to be painful, not kill.

6 points of fire damage to each.

With the door open now though, you see the inside is a small round room. You deduce that this chamber is a ceremonial heat trap, or dry sauna. The bonfire below heats the floor, which is cleverly designed to radiate its heat throughout the chamber.

The sauna itself is dark and bare of any furnishings, although the walls are decorated with a large mural of the Qadiran desert and a second large mural that’s a perfect copy of the battle tapestry from below (area E5).

Arcane sigils decorate the ceiling and blood stains the floor.

There is some information here hidden behind a trained K: Geography check and a trained Linguistics check. Comprehend Languages does not help, it is a hidden code in the symbols.

Jehan admires the tapestry, and the heat, but is a bit tired of being set on fire. He looks at Teloish, "I should've purchased a healing wand."

Jehan doesn't have either of those skills so he's of no help. :(

"Yep" Theolish said giving two taps to Jehan. "Midnight? Can you help Yulau?" he asked before checking out the room.

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Figures
K:Geography: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

"My aim with a bow isn't great so I thought a ranged attack would be more useful. Who knew?"

Sorry, not trained in geography and archetype trades away bardic knowledge.

linguistics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Midnight happily uses any healing wands that anyone wants, so please roll your own healing if needed.

Yulau couldn’t help with working out he puzzle, but she does hand midnight a healing wand to cure her burns.

CLW 2d8 + 2 ⇒ (2, 1) + 2 = 5

Teloish doesn’t recognize any geographical significance in the room. But Midnight susses out that the battle mural is a complicated series of coded glyphs that detail complicated instructions for using the Sacred Sauna (and a blood sacrifice) to summon the sandstorms! Crazy!!!

DO IT DO IT DO IT

Screams everyone’s inner voices, maybe.

Yulau is almost fully healed and the tank Jehan is fully healed, ready for more fire to his pretty face.

Where next?

I've lost track did we go through E2 through 4?

Everywhere visible has been checked.

Everywhere visible has been checked.

On to the secret door where Jehan can get burned yet again! 8)

Jehan readies to open the door, expecting another 'hot welcome', when everyone is ready.

Any buffs, wands out, etc. for the PCs before he opens the door?

Yulau follows Jehan, but leaves about 30’ between them this time, just to be safe.