[PF2] March of the Dead (GM Watery Soup) (Inactive)

Game Master Watery Soup

Thurgan - Fort 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17 = Fail -7 points/+7 from Garden
Grump - Fort 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25 = Pass -3 points/+7 from garden

Thurgan and Grump just push the front line forward - to stop the onslaught of spell barrages!

* Stride
* Stride
* Command animal

The bear falls in line with his orcish battle-buddy.

* Stride
* Stride

Lawric sends out a barrage of needle darts, which miss.

Thurgan, I'm resolving your turn in the action order you presented.

Thurgan Strides forward to attack the zombie lord, but as he reaches his destination, the ground suddenly falls away. Thurgan falls 20 feet into a pit. 10 bludgeoning damage, prone, and I'm moving Grump back to his previous spot in case you want to do something other than Command an Animal.

--Round 2
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, Garden of Healing) / Pica (15/15)
--Round 3
Thurgan (38/51, prone, -20', shield 20/20, AC 21, vitality 1d4) ◆ / Grump (28/32, AC 19, vitality 1d4)
Lawric (26/33, AC 17)
Galimus (37/37, AC 19, bless 45')
Red Zombie (-0)
Yellow Zombie (-0)
Blue Zombie (-0)
Harlo Krant (-19, 2 bleed)

Niaqun yells "It's a trap!"

Always just in time, that orc

"Good Job Thurgan, I am sure they did not expect that"

The sound of orcish laughter emanates from the pit at Niaquins comment.

Thurgan draws his grapple, throws his grapple up to the side of the pit
I assume that is actions 2 & 3?

Thurgan you used two Strides to get to your current position, so you can draw your grapple this round and throw it up next round.

The zombie lord retreats to his throne, while his minions shuffle forward. He once again drops an emanation of sudden blight. It'll catch everyone except Pica and Thurgan.

Void: 2d10 ⇒ (4, 9) = 13
DC 21 basic Fortitude

Recovery: 1d20 ⇒ 20 vs DC 15

--Round 3
Niaqun (39/39, Fort vs -13 void, AC 20, Garden of Healing) / Pica (15/15)
--Round 4
Thurgan (38/51, prone, -20', shield 20/20, AC 21, vitality 1d4, wielding grapple) / Grump (28/32, Fort vs -13 void, AC 19, vitality 1d4)
Lawric (26/33, Fort vs -13 void, AC 17)
Galimus (37/37, Fort vs -13 void, AC 19, bless 45')
Red Zombie (-0)
Yellow Zombie (-0)
Blue Zombie (-0)
Harlo Krant (-21)

Sweet - wasn't sure how much math was used getting me down a hole :p

Fort save: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

Garden of Healing to Galimus, Grump + Niaqun, Lawric: 2d4 ⇒ (3, 4) = 7 +1 to saves vs emotional saves

Then he gathers his divine powers and sends storm of bolts in front of him capturing two undead and the zombie lord

"Thurgan stand there for a moment"

Inner radiance torrent, force, reflex DC18@red, yellow, white: 4d4 ⇒ (3, 3, 1, 1) = 8 60 ft line, should capture the 3 enemies, since Thurgan is in the hole

storm of bolt flies above the hole

garden of healing, inner radiance torrent

"Don't worry, Thurgan! We'll get you out in a moment," Galimus calls.

"Though you may be in the safest spot at the moment," he mutters.

He then unshackles the psyches warring underneath his personality, letting them fight it out to see who will come to the fore.

Meddling Futures as a Free Action as I Stride.

Who will it be?: 1d4 ⇒ 3

"Hmmm...yes...undead...quite interesting. Yes, yes, quite a few specialized ways of dealing with the undead," Musgal says, stroking his beard thoughtfully. Given the way he caresses it, it seems he expects it to be longer.

"Yet, for the corporeal type, brute force is often just as effective as anything specialized," he raises his spear like a staff and voices some arcane words, he creates a thunderclap of sound in the chamber.

Centering Noise Blast on the far corner of the yellow zombie. It should get him and red and the zombie lord. Because Thurgan is 20' down, it should miss him.

DC19 Fort save vs. sonic: 2d10 + 2 ⇒ (9, 7) + 2 = 18

Success The creature takes half damage.
Failure The creature takes full damage and is deafened for 1 round.
Critical Failure The creature takes double damage and is deafened for 1 minute, and stunned 1.

Niaqun and Galimus bring lightning and thunder into the small room.

Red Reflex: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19 vs DC 18
Yellow Reflex: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23 vs DC 18
White Reflex: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19 vs DC 18
Red Fortitude: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23 vs DC 19
Yellow Fortitude: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 vs DC 19
White Fortitude: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28 vs DC 19

Both spells cause considerable damage.

Galimus, still missing a Fort save for Sudden Blight.

--Round 3
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, Garden of Healing) / Pica (15/15)
--Round 4
Thurgan (38/51, prone, -20', shield 20/20, AC 21, vitality 1d4, wielding grapple) / Grump (28/32, Fort vs -13 void then +7 healing, AC 19, vitality 1d4)
Lawric (26/33, Fort vs -13 void then +7 healing, AC 17)
Galimus (37/37, Fort vs -13 void, then +7 healing, AC 19, bless 45')
Red Zombie (-22, deaf 0/1)
Yellow Zombie (-36, deaf 0/10, stunned 1) <50%
Blue Zombie (-0)
Harlo Krant (-43, deaf 0/1) <50%

Grump - Fort 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Thurgan lobs the grapple then starts climbing... Secret DC20 attack apparently!

Athletics 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Or not, as he fails to get a solid grip on the rope.

Thurgan yells in orcish at Grump who lurches forward to defend Galimus, bashing at the undead with his paw!

* Throw
* Climb
* Command Animal

Grump vs blue
Attack 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19
Damage 1d6 + 3 + 1d4 ⇒ (4) + 3 + (3) = 10 Slash/vitality.

* Stride
* Attack

Lawric moves forward through the narrow cave, stopping short when Thurgan drops out of sight. He moves a few steps closer to the edge, eyes narrowing at the undead crossing the chamber.

He raises a hand toward the nearest one (red).

“STOP.”

A pulse of vitality energy snaps from his palm toward the creature threatening Thurgan.

Fortitude Save, DC 19, vitality: 3d6 ⇒ (3, 5, 2) = 10

Fort: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

I think I attempted that save then lost the post and forgot to try it on my second try, so here it is again.

Fort: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Ooh, Secret grappling hook check? I learned something new today.

The grappling hook visibly does not catch. You're prone when you fell, so you'd need an action to stand up or take a -2 penalty for attacking while prone. I'll assume you stand up.

Grump's Fort save is a CF, that would leave him at 2/32 (and 9/32 after healing). Is he still rushing the zombie? (He has good reason to, with slashing and vitality, I'm just making sure.)

With one slash, Grump nearly takes the zombie's head off. Mentally added +1 for Bless, but it doesn't change the outcome.

Lawric casts a spell.

Red Fortitude: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Red shudders.

The zombies move forward. From the way Red and Yellow have kept to the same path as Krant's retreat, you can infer there's a second pit trap they're avoiding. I'm putting it on the map and zooming in; sorry, Pica.

Red makes a swing at Galimus. Yellow is stunned.

Fist: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
Bludgeoning: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11 plus Grab plus DC 18 Fortitude save

Edit: Galimus doesn't need to make the Fort save. He failed this Fort save during the night, meaning he's already infected. So did Thurgan and Grump. I'm editing this into the tracker just so I remember.

Blue lashes out at Grump.

Fist: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21
Bludgeoning: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7 plus Grab plus DC 18 Fortitude save

Athletics, no MAP: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14 vs Reflex DC 17

Grump avoids being grabbed.

The zombie lord raises their arms and casts a spell. A wave of void energy emanates 30'. Thurgan, you're 20' horizontal and 20' down, so Pythagoras says you need to make a DC 21 Fort save.

Void: 1d8 ⇒ 5

This brings Blue and the zombie lord back up above 50%, for those tracking.

--Round 4
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, Garden of Healing) / Pica (15/15)
--Round 5
Thurgan (38/51, -20', DC 21 Fort vs -5 void, shield 20/20, AC 21, vitality 1d4, diseased, wielding grapple) / Grump (2/32, AC 19, diseased, vitality 1d4)
Lawric (20/33, AC 17)
Galimus (20/37, diseased, AC 19, bless 45')
Red Zombie (-37, deaf 1/1) <50%
Yellow Zombie (-31, deaf 1/10, stunned 1) <50%
Blue Zombie (-25) <50%
Harlo Krant (-38, deaf 1/1) <50%

Zombies: weakness slashing 10, weakness vitality 10

Vitality Lash@red, DC 18, vitality: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 1, 5) = 8

Niaqun sends vitality lash towards zombie and maintains the garden of healing

Garden@lawric: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 1) = 3

Red Fortitude: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24 vs DC 18

Niaqun disintegrates the Red zombie, and heals Lawric a bit.

--Round 4
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, Garden of Healing) / Pica (15/15)
--Round 5
Thurgan (38/51, -20', DC 21 Fort vs -5 void, shield 20/20, AC 21, vitality 1d4, diseased, wielding grapple) / Grump (2/32, AC 19, diseased, vitality 1d4)
Lawric (23/33, AC 17)
Galimus (20/37, diseased, AC 19, bless 45')
Red Zombie (-51)
Yellow Zombie (-31, deaf 1/10) <50%
Blue Zombie (-25)
Harlo Krant (-38)

Zombies: weakness slashing 10, weakness vitality 10

"I hate it when people undo the work I've done!" Galimus declares as he sees the zombie lord healing himself and the zombies.

He cocks his head, as though listening to voices others can't hear and studies the yellow zombie. Then, he gives a definitive nod before stabbing at it with his spear.

Using Whispers of Weakness as an action. It would show me the creature's weakness, but I already know them. More importantly, it gives me a +2 to this:

Longspear: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 6 + 1 + 2 = 24
Piercing: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

He then shrouds himself in Occult energy as a shield.

Cursebound 2 = Clumsy 2 for Galimus.

Just checking that Grump maths - was
Grump (28/32, Fort vs -13 void then +7 healing, AC 19, vitality 1d4) 28-13+7 = 22? Regardless, would still YOLO... Grumpy bear is grumpy

Thurgan tries warding off the energy.
Fort 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12 - but the negativity gets through.

He tries grappling again...

* Throw
* Climb?
* Command Animal

***

Meanwhile, Grump stays on mauling zombies!

Bless
Agile
Grump vs blue
Attack 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 8 + 1 = 23
Damage 1d6 + 3 + 1d4 ⇒ (4) + 3 + (2) = 9 Slash/vitality.

Grump vs blue
Attack 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 4 + 1 = 17
Damage 1d6 + 3 + 1d4 ⇒ (2) + 3 + (4) = 9 Slash/vitality.

* Attack
* Attack

Galimus moves up and stabs the zombie, critically.

Thurgan, Grump's save was a critical failure.

Success! Thurgan's grapple holds and he begins Climbing.

Athletics: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28 vs DC 15

He makes great progress, 10' off the floor of the pit, when the grappling hook gives out, and he falls back down to the bottom of the pit. 5 damage and prone.

Grump makes great progress, slicing Blue in half with his claws on the first attack. Crit on 23!

I forget whether Red was in range for Lawric's reaction, but Blue definitely was.

Grump has one action remaining.

--Round 4
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, Garden of Healing) / Pica (15/15)
--Round 5
Thurgan (28/51, prone, -20', shield 20/20, AC 21, vitality 1d4, diseased, wielding grapple) / Grump (2/32, AC 19, diseased, vitality 1d4, 1 action remaining)
Lawric (23/33, 10 temp HP, AC 17)
Galimus (20/37, diseased, AC 19, bless 45', clumsy 2, shield)
Red Zombie (-51)
Yellow Zombie (-39, deaf 1/10) <50%
Blue Zombie (-63)
Harlo Krant (-38)

Zombies: weakness slashing 10, weakness vitality 10

Grump realises that critical failures to shrug off spells has consequences!

The bear moves back to get more of that healing garden...

Cloaked in darkness, Lawric slowly and steadily crosses the worn stone floor. He momentum carries him up to the very edge of what he presumes to be another pit.

The glowing poppet bobbs in the air infront of him, casting deep shadows across the edge of his hood. A pale finger lifts toward the figure at the back of the cavern.

"REPENT"

* Stride
** Vitality Lash
DC 19 Fort, Vitality: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 5, 4) = 15

"Repent for what? I offer eternal life."

Krant Fortitude: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23 vs DC 19

The vitality lash hits the zombie lord hard. Weakness vitality 5.

Yellow attacks Galimus.

Fist: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25 vs clumsy 2, shield
Bludgeoning: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12 plus Grab plus DC 18 Fortitude save

Grab (Athletics), no MAP: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13 vs Fort DC 16

"I smell the undeath on you," he says pointing to Galimus, Thurgan, and Grump. "You and I will reign in eternity together." If it's not obvious by now, the disease that is being spread is zombie rot. There's a 1-day incubation period, but they will take progressively increasing amounts of damage over a period of several days, and rise as zombies if they die.

The zombie lord casts harm again.

Void: 1d8 ⇒ 6
Lawric and Thurgan, DC 21 Fort save.

--Round 5
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, Garden of Healing) / Pica (15/15)
--Round 6
Thurgan (28/51, Fort vs -6 void, prone, -20', shield 20/20, AC 21, vitality 1d4, diseased, wielding grapple) / Grump (2/32, AC 19, diseased, vitality 1d4)
Lawric (23/33, 10 temp HP, Fort vs -6 void, AC 17)
Galimus (8/37, diseased, AC 19, bless 45', clumsy 2, shield)
Red Zombie (-51)
Yellow Zombie (-33, deaf 2/10) <50%
Blue Zombie (-63)
Harlo Krant (-50, weakness vitality 5) <50%

Zombies: weakness slashing 10, weakness vitality 10

Fort, DC 17: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

"FOR REFUSING THE RIVER OF SOULS."

Lawric braces himself as the waves of void energy roll over him, the distortion pulling at his cloak and hair. He holds his ground, pale face unchanged.

When the last ripple fades, he lifts his fist. A slow pulse of light gathers in his palm and compresses inward, then breaks outward in a sharp burst of white energy.

*** Heal (Level 2)
Should hit everyone, except Thurgan

Vitality: 2d8 ⇒ (7, 4) = 11 DC 19 Basic Fortitude

15^2 + 20^2 = 25^2

Thurgan makes it into the aura.

Yellow Fortitude: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16 vs DC 19
White Fortitude: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14 vs DC 19

Yellow bursts into dust like the vampires do on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The zombie lord looks alone and ... afraid?

--Round 5
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, Garden of Healing) / Pica (15/15)
--Round 6
Thurgan (39/51, Fort vs -6 void, prone, -20', shield 20/20, AC 21, vitality 1d4, diseased, wielding grapple) / Grump (13/32, AC 19, diseased, vitality 1d4)
Lawric (33/33, 7 temp HP, AC 17)
Galimus (19/37, diseased, AC 19, bless 45', clumsy 2)
Red Zombie (-51)
Yellow Zombie (-54)
Blue Zombie (-63)
Harlo Krant (-66, weakness vitality 5) <50%

Zombies: weakness slashing 10, weakness vitality 10

Thurgan stands and begins climbing again, telling Grump to get back to killing!

Climb 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19 - 5' moved

Grump does the thing Grump does and rushes the zombie lord.
Might keep him busy!

Niaqun moves closer clowser and heals Galimus and Thurgan

Garden@Galimus, Thurgan: 2d4 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2

Then he casts shield

Thurgan - I'm sorry I wasn't clear, your grappling hook crit-failed the anchoring, so it fell while you were climbing. I'll switch your action to throwing the hook again - 10+9+1 = 20 will Succeed, and you can Climb next turn.

Niaqun offers Galimus and Thurgan a modicum of healing.

--Round 5
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, Garden of Healing) / Pica (15/15)
--Round 6
Thurgan (40/51, Fort vs -6 void, -20', shield 20/20, AC 21, vitality 1d4, diseased, wielding grapple) / Grump (13/32, AC 19, diseased, vitality 1d4)
Lawric (33/33, 7 temp HP, AC 17)
Galimus (20/37, diseased, AC 19, bless 45', clumsy 2)
Red Zombie (-51)
Yellow Zombie (-54)
Blue Zombie (-63)
Harlo Krant (-66, weakness vitality 5) <50%

LOL that bad :p All good!

"Come say that to my face!" Galimus Commands.

Casting the "approach me" version of Command DC 19 Will Save.

Botting Thurgan's Fort save.
Thurgan Fortitude: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25 vs DC 21

Krant Will: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23 vs DC 19

The zombie lord ignores Galimus.

He withdraws a small, clear bottle from his robes, and drinks it, and shimmers away. The zombie lord is hidden (DC 11 flat check to target). He runs for the side of the cave.

--Round 6
Niaqun (39/39, AC 20, Garden of Healing) / Pica (15/15)
--Round 7
Thurgan (37/51, -20', shield 20/20, AC 21, vitality 1d4, diseased, wielding grapple) / Grump (13/32, AC 19, diseased, vitality 1d4)
Lawric (33/33, 7 temp HP, AC 17)
Galimus (20/37, diseased, AC 19, bless 45', clumsy 2)
Red Zombie (-51)
Yellow Zombie (-54)
Blue Zombie (-63)
Harlo Krant (-66, weakness vitality 5, hidden) <50%

Sorry was waiting for my turn :p

Thurgan begins the climb.
Athletics 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14 vs DC15
Athletics 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17 vs DC15
Manages to climb 5'

* Climb
* Climb
* Command

Grump chases Krant, the bears nose following the undead scent...!
Target 1d20 ⇒ 7 vs DC11
But can't quite find the right spot to hit.

* Stride
* Strike

Niaqun keeps on healing Thurgan and Galimus,

Garden@Galimus, Thurgan: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 1) = 3

Than he tries to blast the undead lord with Vitality Lash

Hidden, DC11: 1d20 ⇒ 3
Damage, vitality lash@lord, fort DC18: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 6) = 15

But he blasts the wall with his spell

"You're not getting away!" Galimus exclaims. He winces a bit, feeling guilty about using Grump's skills but subjecting him to the spell he's using.

Casting Revealing Light on the intersection between Grump and the Zombie Lord. DC 19 Reflex save for both of them. If he was invisible he becomes concealed, if he was concealed he's not anymore.

He also drops his spear and pulls out his crossbow.

Grump wouldn't mind :)

Grump
Ref 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Reflex: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19 vs DC 19

Going to point out that Flat Checks are Hero Pointable and then wait a day. :)

Flat, DC 11: 1d20 ⇒ 16

Lawric snaps his head toward the empty space where Krant vanished. He steps forward once, jaw tightening.

“APPEAR.”

He raises a hand, fingers stiff, and releases a short, focused surge of counterforce into the air.

Counteract Check, vs DC ?: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

As the shimmering fades, Lawric's hand shifts to Grum and twists the Lady's fate toward the creature. Guidance

** Dispel Magic, level 2
* Guidance (Grump)

Well hopefully the chap is now quite visible?

Lawric casts a spell, dropping Krant's cloak of invsibility as soon as it's raised.

Fortitude: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16 vs DC 18

Grump runs up and slashes at him, as Niaqun shoots a beam of vitality energy, and Galimus casts a spell, and although it's not entirely clear which of them is responsible for dropping the zombie lord, the end result is the same - the remains of Harlo Krant fall to the ground, sapped of the void energy that had been sustaining it.

End of Combat!

After the battle, the heroes search the chamber and body of Krant. A nearby chest contains a number of valuable items taken from the town that Krant had no use for but thought important to keep, including a wand of heal (1st level), a +1 longsword, a staff of fire, a persona mask, and pair of sleep arrows.

Most importantly, the heroes also find an unfinished letter from Krant near an envelope, seal, and sealing wax, indicating he meant to send it soon. The letter thanks cultists of the Whispering Way who created him by name—Velfram, Hornath, and Ilorina Grenns. It also affirms his commitment to the Whispering Way and his achievement in destroying Fiorna’s Faith. Unfortunately, Krant had yet to address the letter, so its destination will be forever a mystery.

Back to the prisoners ...

The cages around this chamber are set into the wall and raised off the floor. They confined 23 prisoners, about four to a cell. Though the bars are sturdy, their locks are of poor quality. Without time pressure, each can be opened with Thievery or forced open with Athletics.

Prisoners promptly flee down the corridor toward area B5, past the pool to the easternmost tunnel that leads to a hidden opening on the hillside behind the Spring Manor. Unfortunately, because the cell doors do not block area or splash damage, several prisoners suffered collateral damage and several died when Krant dropped Sudden Blight on the party. Describe what should be done with their bodies.

Jacra is here, located in the cage closest to the west exit. Unlike the other prisoners, that flee as soon as they're released, she’s very grateful to be rescued and keeps her cool, gladly helping the heroes open the cages, and eventually, escorting other survivors out from the room.

The Pool ...

The massive pool that covers half this chamber shimmers dully in the darkness. Over a dozen bodies gently bob up and down among the foating detritus. The drip of trickling water echoes faintly. Dozens of shoes, shirts, cloaks, packs and other personal belongings float in this pond, in addition to the bloated bodies of several villagers. This heap is the tragedy of Fiorna’s Faith, the refuse of a once-vibrant community.

This pool is where Krant and his minions dumped the useless personal belongings of those they’ve taken, along with any bodies Krant hasn’t yet had the chance to animate.

Atop a pile off to the side is an unremarkable leather satchel. Though identical to others in the room, Jacra easily spots it as hers, and grabs it as everyone exits the cave. The satchel contains the spellbook that Agrit asked the PCs to find, had you reached this room before rescuing Jacra, you would have had to search for several hours to find it.

Exiting the Warrens ...

Jacra and the rest are immensely grateful, offering to let them keep anything they found, with the exception of small personal heirlooms. With the town destroyed, the whole area has a foul air about it now, and none can ever truly be sure that all the undead have been destroyed. The villagers decide it’d be best to put it to the torch, and return with the heroes to Trunau. They will gladly agree to any countersuggestion the heroes - especially Lawric - makes.

Lacera (the halfling survivor) and Ogden (the cat) will join the villagers.

The Trip to Trunau ...

The trip to Trunau will take 3 days.

Galimus, Thurgan, and Grump are infected with zombie rot (Stage 1, asymptomatic). They will need to make a DC 18 Fortitude save every day to see if they clear the disease or progress, but the villagers collectively know enough that zombie rot won't kill until Day 5.

Thurgan feels entirely vexed at spending the entire combat down a hole and mostly defeated by a piece of rope. On the other hand Grump seems entirely satisfied, and only the cracking of bone is heard as the bear playfully bashes away at the remains, once they have been stripped of interesting information.

Thurgan reads the letter "Lawric, I see we have more work to do, spreading the Lady's good gospel"

***

Prisoners

Thurgan pulls his crowbar out of his pack and gets to work popping locks with brute athletic force. "Some of the villagers perished, Lawric. Are we looking to re-sanctify this town, or shall it be a bonfire? I'm thinking short term we burn the bodies, as who knows how deep the rot here has gone - but I pledge to stand by your side should you wish to cut out what plagues this place"

***

The Pool

Thurgan pulls the bodies form the pool "More for the pyre"

"We DO need to gather what identification we can so that should we restore the village any next of kin can be reuninted with their inheritance, or for those who no longer concern themselves with the living world, their chattels used to restore and rebuild"

***

Exiting the warrens

"If the accusation is that the undead stil plague this place, then I am the wrong person to suggest packs their bags and leaves - should my sworn enemies still be plaguing town then it is my holy duty to weed them out. My pride does not dictate such things, just my sense of duty, and should Lawric counsel otherwise I would reconsider and accept the simple burning of the town - though it fills me with ire to concede defeat in such a way"

Saves.
Day 1

Fort
Medicine 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11 vs DC18 = Fail no bonus.
Thurgan 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22 vs DC18 = PASS

Fort
Grump 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26 vs DC18 = PASS

Next day Thurgan can try Medicine to give a save bonus to Galimus if needed

"I told you you couldn't hide from us," Galimus says as Harlo falls.

He is quite interested in the staff and the mask but even more interested in the letter. He contemplates it quietly for some time, though whether memorizing the names to be hunted down and punished later or to court as allies he keeps to himself.

As Thurgan muscles open the doors, he finesses them, improvising tools to pick the locks. He looks at the bodies of those killed in the combat sadly. "I'm sorry we weren't faster," he says to one of them as he pulls the corpse out to lay on the floor, crossing the hands over each other on its stomach in repose.

He does the same at the pool, helping Thurgan fish the bodies out and laying them out respectfully around the edge.

"Do you think we should take the spellbook from her to give to Agrit? Do yo uthink he still wants it?" he asks his companions.

"If the residents want to put an end to this place, I don't believe it is our right to say them nay. Perhaps Lawric can perform the last rights for those slain and we can lay them in their homes before burning them? It may give them some peace to be in a familiar, comfortable place when their physical forms are returned to Golarion," Galimus suggests.

Medicine: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
Fort: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 6 + 2 = 21

Galimus smears eucalyptus paste heavily across his chest to fend off the disease he can feel percolating inside him.

Despite everyone's assertion that won't help, he feels better so he's certain it worked.

Lawric moves through the chamber in silence as the last of the prisoners flee. He watches the bodies laid out near the pool, his expression unchanged. After a moment, he steps to Thurgan’s side, eyes drifting from the corpses to the orc.

"THEY MUST BE NAMED. THEY WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN BY THE LADY"

Lawric kneels beside the first of the bodies, the cavern’s still air barely shifting around him. He pulls his small, worn book from inside his cloak and opens it across his knee.

He writes slowly. Very slowly.
Each name. Each description.
A mark for those he cannot yet identify.

He moves to the next body. Then the next.
Each time, the same routine—deliberate, exact, silent.
When he finishes a name, he sets one hand on the corpse’s sternum and performs a simple rite: a quiet pause, a slight bow of the head, a small spiral traced in the air.
No words.
Only the work.

"TO REMOVE THE ROT, YOU MUST ALSO DESTROY ALL OF ITS SPORES", he states calmly, in response to the Orc. "WE SHOULD RETURN TO TRUNAU TO REGROUP AND LEARN MORE OF THESE ADVERSARIES. WE WILL RETURN AND WE WILL FIND THEM AND THEY WILL KNOW THE MOTHER'S WRATH. spoken in a simple, cold certainty.

The suggestion would be that Lawric and Thurgan would travel to Trunau with the survivors, but then return to Fiorna's Faith once more is known about these necromancers and to ensure there are no more undead and to pick up the trail to eliminate the others

“WE BURN THE DEAD,” he says, turning toward the ruined chambers. “BUT WE LAY THEM WITH DIGNITY FIRST, IN THE LIGHT OF DAY. THEIR BELONGINGS GO TO THEIR NEXT OF KIN, IF THEY CAN BE FOUND" He pauses, deep in reflection and thought. The silence drags on as he stands without blinking.

"I WISH TO RETURN AND MORE THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATE WHAT OCURRED HERE. IF NONE ARE STAYING, THEN LET THEM HAVE THEIR CLOSURE- BUT SPARE THE CHAPEL AND THE REMAINS IN THE GRAVEYARD. THOSE BELONG TO THE LADY"

Then to Galimus:

“THE SPELLBOOK GOES TO AGRIT. THAT IS A PROMISE WE MADE.”

With that settled, he moves to the first of the bodies and begins to prepare each corpse for its last fire.

Medicine, For whomever needs it: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15

Smoke rises from the town of Fiorna’s Faith - holy smoke - as bodies are returned to the soil from which they were raised. The survivors begin the hopeful trek to Trunau, but the tragedy of this place won’t be easily forgotten. Jacra clutches her spellbook, intent upon giving it to Agrit herself.

“Do you think this is the end of it? Or just the beginning?” she says, looking toward the blighted Gravelands to the east, home to countless undead hordes. “Maybe this is how it grows. One by one, towns fall to the dead until there is nowhere left. Unless someone stands in the way.”

She grows silent, staring at the long line of gray to the west. A line that seems a little closer today. She turns and starts walking to Trunau.

***

Back in Trunau, Councilwoman Agrit Staginsdar is certainly willing to fund an expedition to investigate - and destroy - the Whispering Way cultists who were responsible for the massacre at Fiorna's Faith.

From the oral histories of the surviving villagers, and some clues you found, you're able to piece together the history of what happened.

Just one month ago, the cultists arrived, claiming to be refugees fleeing from the violence in the east. The townsfolk of Fiorna’s Faith are welcoming in
their own way, but they rarely trust outsiders. Not two days later, the cultists visited the local cemetery, dug up the body of Harlo Krant—a merchant who
died of natural causes only a few weeks prior—and set about animating the corpse. You found Krant's grave, but I think you missed the checks that would have clued you in that he was the BBE.

By morning, they had created a zombie lord. While these malevolent undead are rightly feared for their ability to raise hordes of lesser undead, the cultists’ foul necromancy empowered Krant even further, empowering him to create a variety of undead horrors. They left the town that day, content to let their creation do their dirty work for them. If Krant had survived, there would be a bigger threat in the town, but without a zombie lord, you wouldn't face the waves of undead at night.

Over the next few weeks, Krant slowly animated most of the cemetery’s inhabitants and used his newly risen allies to dig tunnels underneath the town. You ended up exploring very little of the warrens, but there was a zombie owlbear down there, as well as a bunch of ghouls.

Soon after, the dead began to emerge from below, claiming buildings and taking the townsfolk. Those who resisted were slain and animated. Those who surrendered were taken to the caves below to await an even worse fate. In just 1 month, the town was consumed by the dead, and by the time the heroes arrived, few of the living remain, hiding and hoping for salvation. Lacera was one, although she was mostly there as a narrative device, to point you towards the path forward if you got bogged down.

***

The adventures of Lawric and Thurgan (and Grump) in their return to Fiorna's Faith is beyond the scope of the adventure. Backgrounds are given for Velfram and Hornath, the two necromancers that were mentioned in the letter, which I'll attach here just because they're kind of cool, plus the third cultist who wasn't mentioned.

Velfram (NE male human necromancer 7)

Velfram grew up in the gutters of Caliphas, where his only connection to the world was his mentor, a famed necromancer. When his mentor was murdered, young Velfram embraced necromancy wholly, and while he couldn’t restore the wizard to true life, he discovered his talent for raising undead abominations. Soon, his skills attracted the attention of the Whispering Way, who found him only too eager to join the cult.

Velfram led the ritual to create Krant, and he hopes to learn from that experience to create even more terrifying undead. After leaving Fiorna’s Faith, Velfram heads south into Nirmathas to replicate the experiment in another town. If unchecked, he leaves a trail of dead towns in his wake.

Hornath (CE male dwarf fleshcrafter 6)

Captured by a drow at a young age, Hornath didn’t see the surface again for 40 years, but in this time he learned many things from his captors, namely a love for warping and shaping flesh. Hornath is a meticulous dwarf, without a single hair on his body, and clothing perfectly tailored to suit his slim build.

Returning to the surface, Hornath sought out the Whispering Way, hoping to use his skills to create the perfect form. It was Hornath that rebuilt Krant’s body for the ritual. Leaving the town, he heads north into Belkzen, using his skills to subjugate a small orc village to continue his experiments, creating new nightmarish creatures.

Ilorina Grenns (NE female gnome (bleachling) cultist 8)

Ilorina was born into the cult of the Whispering Way, indoctrinated by her parents at a very young age. Growing up just outside Vigil, she was taught to hate the Knights of Lastwall before she could even walk. Bleaching at a young age, Ilorina is ghostly pale, with milky white eyes that are matched by her pale, bone-white leather armor.

Ilorina conceived the plan to destroy Fiorna’s Faith, and after its destruction, she returned to the Gravelands to consult with other members of the cult on their next steps. She sets her sights on Canorate, hoping to make the undead bloom there as well, greatly destabilizing the entire region.

Huzzah! Great game GM! I really enjoyed th party dynamics there - and I quite liked where Thurgan ended up as a character, and the feeling that Grump had his own personality rather than just be a 'pet'. The combats were challenging, and things got super ugly at times.

Great party overall, and I thank you all for the great contributions. I can just see Lawric, Thurgan, and Grump heading back to the town to purge it and trying to talk the others into coming :)

And yes - big thanks GMWS!

Fully agree. Lawric is one of my favorite characters (he has existed for a long time and in several different forms), but he doesn't always land well in party composition. I was especially nervous about having another character like Thurgan tied to him and not knowing how it would play out. That said, Thurgan will now be a permanent part of Lawric's backstory, even though he isn't at future tables. That, to me, is a huge win. Also, thanks to Gallimus sticking it out in a party with Lawric's particular brand of Pharasma following!

Stellar game and stellar crew. You guys are easily some of my favorite folks to play with and Watery Soup is one of my favorite GMs.

It's funny because RXGus was worrying about Galimus sticking it out with Lawric and I was playing Galimus tiptoeing around Lawric because this version of him was a grave digger. It's always nice when those little conflicts come up and seeing how the characters deal with them.

I'm kind of sad we missed the zombie owlbear, but what a great reminder of how old this scenario is - it's from before the remaster.

And yes, Galimus would make the return trip with the Pharasmans, (Phara's Men?) to track down the culprits, but he would be secretly stealing research for his own use.

Indeed, Thurgan was less worried about the occasional 'repurposing' of dead peoples things as it meant Galimus was around doing the greater good of destroying the undead - what are a few abandoned earthly possessions versus the greater good of Her Ladys will being done and the undead put to rest?

It was an interesting moral dilemma, but I was happy to see us navigate it so well!

First and foremost, thanks for running this game Watery! I really enjoyed the story and how it was presented. I enjoyed this game tremendously.

Thank you fellow players, I knew Galimus from before and I really enjoy this PC ;) I also enjoyed Thurgan and Grump, great synergy cool PC and very well role-played.
I also enjoyed Lawric, very colorful and tasteful PC, I enjoyed reading your posts. Overall great party
I constantly felt that my PC is the most bleak of all, I couldn't find his voice, so at least I tried to be useful ;) I like the concept of animist especially in combats ... anywho, great game all! I had a blast!

Thank you all for playing, it was fun. To be honest, I didn't think much about the semi-conflicting goals for the PCs. One of the privileges of playing with experienced players is that I can trust you guys won't get antagonistic about the inter-PC interactions.

I'm taking a small break over the holidays - I'm taking a big, international trip with my family, so I'd rather not have any games to GM. But in 2026, I'll probably be launching a Dark Archives run, and if any of you are interested, I'd be happy to extend first rights of refusal.