Apoc Golem's page

One of the thugs snaps, "Shut yer yap," but the lead thug waves him off.

"Ain't no reason ta be uncivil with summat as wants ta learn 'bout our great Emperor, yeah?" He then shoots the first thug a dangerous glare, and he collapses in on himself a little. The lead thug turns to Nyx and grins, showing a spectacular lack of dental hygiene. If any of the party was hungry, they probably aren't now.

"S'true!" he says with what may actually be genuine geniality. "The Emperor used ta be small like us. But the first round o' mobs in the quarantine burned 'is theatre down. But instead o' fallin' ta despair, 'e found a higher callin'! You'll see for yeself in a minute."

Feel free to ask any more questions of your escorts while I build the next map. Eventually. I'm so sorry. It's been a helluva last few days.

The thug blinks in surprise. Clearly he thought the party would raise a ruckus, and it takes a long moment for his smooth brain to shift gears.

"Uh. Right. Yeah. Uh." He coughs. "That's a good idea, little lady, we don't wanna upset the boss now, do we?" He puffs up his chest. "You jes' keep them pigstickers in their sheaths, and keep actin' civil, an' there won't be no problems. Follow me."

Truth be told, even if you keep your weapons out, you rolled high enough that they probably won't say anything. Even at level 8, 31 is pretty damn good.

The party follows the thugs through the winding streets of Old Korvosa, headed in a northwesterly direction--toward the mass of lights the party saw when first touching down on the island.

I absolutely forgot about the fact you took 20!

Even after an extensive and exhaustive search of the small home, nothing else of note turns up, aside from a single gold crown tucked into a shoe under Salvator's bed.

If Laori noticed the look from Nyx, she doesn't show it. She nods firmly. "Yeah! Let's do this."

The party heads out into the night once more, following Nyx's directions toward Exemplary Execrables. After only a few minutes, the flickering light of torches can be seen off to one side. Try as they might to avoid the light source, the party soon finds itself surrounded by four rough-looking individuals with torches and axes.

The largest of them points his torch at the party. "Oi, lookie this! Ain't seen your faces 'round 'ere before. Where you been hidin', eh? You think you can strut 'round the Emperor's domain an' not pay your respects to 'im, is that it?"

"I say we teach 'em a lesson in humility," another says, gripping his battleaxe white-knuckled with murder in his eyes.

"Now, now," the first one says with obvious amusement. "Could be it jes' slipped their minds. Eh, friends? You didn't insult our great Emperor on purpose, didja?"

Map updated!

"Allies?" Laori blinks. "I have no idea. I don't think the 'Emperor of Old Korvosa' has allies. From what I've heard, he's a batsh*t loony who thinks he runs this little island. He might think of Salvator as his 'subject,' but from what I hear that guy isn't particularly nice to his constituency." She shrugs. "If I knew more about him, maybe I could make a guess, but all's I got is his real name. Pilts something. Stattle? Swattle? Swat--Swastel!" she finally says with a snap of her fingers. "Pilts Swastel! Not sure who he is though."

Ducky's Kn (local) is hilarious; the DC is 1 less than his total modifier.

Andakos immediately recognizes the name, though he probably wishes he didn't. Pilts Swastel is the owner and proprietor of Exemplary Execrables, a theatre in Old Korvosa infamous for its graphic depictions in its many unsavory plays, as well as hosting exhibits from local artists of a not-safe-for-work variety (and often not-safe-for-life). He knows this precisely because his mother's tea guests often enjoyed gossiping about the man and how "unseemly" he is, and for the fact that he's displayed Salvator's work at his business on several occasions.

I do the same thing. I think it has something to do with computer screens actually? I remember reading something about print being easier to retain than screen reading.

Andakos finds that neither of the doors are trapped or locked.

To the east:
A single bed, the blankets and pillows atop it scattered and in disarray, sits to the south of this room. Muddy boot prints mar the wooden floor here and a small splash of dried blood decorates one pillow.

To the west:
The smell in this entryway is of must and mildew, much of it coming from the mud tracked all over the floorboards, as if a small army had marched through the room. To the south stands a single empty set of shelves.

Laori looks at the state of the floors and puts her hands on her hips. "Well jeez, this is what I get for coming in the back door. I never even saw this. To be fair, that front door is kinda easy to miss on the map."

Actually, she never said the interest continued after the quality drop, only that he was very popular.

Andakos knows that the nobles' affinity for Salvator dropped when the quality of his work dropped. There were many theories, but at least half a dozen of his mother's afternoon tea attendees swore they'd heard from Salvator's own mouth that his "muse" had left him. In fact, Lady Montague, a plump and cheerful middle-aged woman who you know enjoyed spiking her tea when she thought no one was looking, was certain the King would have tapped Scream for his royal portrait before the quality drop. She'd commented with a wink that Trinia's work was a distant second to Salvator's before then, and said in no uncertain terms that "the tart probably sabotaged him." Having met Trinia and gotten a pretty solid read on her by this point, Andakos knows that claim is dubious, at best.

Ducky finds no traps on the door, and it isn't locked. It opens into a narrow hallway, at the end of which are two doors. Based on the outer dimensions of the house, the west door clearly opens into the room he saw through the window outside, but the east door is unknown.

"Were," Laori interjects absently as she rifles through the sketches on the desk. "There was a serious dropoff in interest a couple months ago, apparently. I can see why. This stuff isn't bad, really, just... not what I'd expect nobles to pay top coin for, y'know?"

Andakos finds several jars of paint of a variety of colors; it appears Salvator was using fungi to get certain pigments and the paints have run riot in his absence. Sadly nothing else of value is to be found in here.

The source of the magic is in a rune-inscribed clay jar. Inside is a brush dipped into a small pool of myriad colors swirling and eddying like oil.

Laori blinks. "I didn't, actually. I got here not long before you did. And I did say I'm not much of a tracker. I knocked, nobody answered, so I uh. Let myself in. I kept calling but nobody answered so I assumed he wasn't home. Admittedly I kinda got fixated on the art in here." She jerks a thumb to the art desk behind her. "I haven't really had a chance to look at much else."

There's no lie in her statement, and now that you think about it, she never actually said she searched the house, only that she came looking for Sal and didn't find him. Andakos can see some genuine embarrassment as she speaks, too. She seems to be a bit sheepish at not taking a closer look around.

Vexelune detects magic in the northeast corner, small in size but of moderate strength.

Unfortunately, Andakos recognizes the mold growing near that corner: yellow mold. It packs a nasty punch when it makes contact, though holding one's breath can help. Once inside a person, the mold quickly makes its way into the bloodstream via orifices and open wounds, and attacks the vital organs.

Basically if disturbed, it deals 1d3 Con damage per round for 5 rounds, ending on a successful save (DC 15 Fort every round). Fire and direct sunlight destroy it. It's in a corner that, based on the windows, you would guess doesn't ever receive direct sunlight, so that's out, and fire might damage the magic item Lune detected, or it might not. Up to you!

Technically it doesn't say it's an inhaled effect, but I'd argue you could hold your breath for the 50% chance to avoid the save. If you want to go that route, you'll have to roll the percentile twice: once to move in and pick up the item, and once to exit the area of the mold. You also don't have to go in at all of course. Up to you!

Andakos steps into a disgusting room that appears to have once been a combination kitchen and storeroom, but is now a bewildering riot of brightly colored fungus and mold. The stuff grows everywhere and in every color, over tables, across cupboards, and in swaths along the floor and walls, but it seems thickest to the southwest, where puffy sheets of yellow fungus cover several objects so completely it's impossible to make out what lies beneath.

Do you still wish to search the room? I know molds and fungi tend to make us hesitate lol. If you still want to search, I'll roll over that Perception check. It's insane you got a 24 on a nat 5 XD

If the Kuthonite notices the apprehension and wary looks, she doesn't say anything. Instead, she beams brightly at the gathlain and follows Andakos into the house. "It's the symbol of my god, Zon-Kuthon! The Midnight Lord is admittedly an... acquired taste, but I've found him to be a worthy patron. I have some literature on me, if you'd like! Er, somewhere..." She begins patting her armor awkwardly, as if searching for something. "Where did I...?"

Andakos enters into the house via the back door.

Moved you on the map.

Both of this room's windows are tightly shuttered, yet the air inside seems strangely fresh and scented, no doubt because of the six large candles that burn within. Each candle has been affixed by a glob of melted wax to the crown of a gleaming, polished skull, and each of these impromptu and grisly candleholders has been placed atop an otherwise clear desk to the west, arrayed in a gentle arc. A chair sits before the desk, and a careful stack of papers and scrolls sits inside the arc of skulls. To the south stands a nearly empty cabinet, its shelves barren save for a few paintbrushes and a cracked pottery urn. There is a door to the east on the north wall, and one in the east wall.

Andakos finds nothing else of interest in the studio, aside from the papers on the art desk. They're somewhat crude and all of them are unpleasant; one is a sketch of what appears to be a dragon breathing lightning on a crowd below it, but he can't for the life of him guess how such simple art became so widely popular. He also notes that neither of the doors are locked or trapped (might as well roll over that Perception check since there was nothing else to find in the room).

No check necessary, actually. Ducky already knew this.

Andakos and Golloriel both recall that Lady Andaisin was a noble in Nidal, wanted by the authorities for crimes committed in that country. It's likely Laori wasn't sent here to stop the plague specifically, just to kill or apprehend Andaisin for crimes committed in that country.

GM Mike Andakos senses no malice in the woman, and that her exuberance is quite genuine.

"Aw, it's so nice to meet you! I'm Laori Vaus, priestess of the Midnight Lord. But please, don't let that put you off, I swear I'm not some dour mucky-muck like some of my compatriots." She chuckles. "I've heard of you, actually! Well--you two." She nods at Andakos and Golloriel, giving the other two an apologetic glance. "You two helped stop the plague, right? And took down Lady Andaisin? That's actually why I'm here! I was dispatched by the Nidalese government to bring her back or take her down, but I kinda got stuck over here." She shrugs sheepishly. "I figured while I'm here, I might as well make myself useful. I can tell something hinky is going on around here. The Emperor made a big fuss about this artist, Salvator Scream, and now Sal's gone. Plus a little birdy told me about some crazy announcement from the Queen that got bloody? I dunno, it just feels..." She makes a waggly gesture with her fingers. "Hinky. Besides, have you seen Sal's art? I know the church would love to get their hands on a few of his pieces, it's right up our alley! But this stuff here is--well. It doesn't quite live up to the hype. I was hoping to talk to him and see why his quality has dipped from what he's famous for, but..." She shrugs and waves a hand at the house. "Gone. I'm not much of a tracker. Maybe you guys can find something I missed?"

That was a pretty good Sense Motive so I'm just gonna roll it over.

While Laori is definitely telling the truth, she's not telling the whole truth. She's keeping something back.

Before anyone else can speak, a figure comes barrelling out of the back door of Salvator's house. The elf (if her pinkish skin, long pointed ears, and sclera-less black eyes are to be gone by) is wearing a dull gray metal chain shirt, bedecked with short spikes all over the shoulders, belt, and thigh guards, and she sports a wicked spiked chain in her hands. Perhaps most startling, though, is the silver holy symbol jangling around on her neck as she runs: a gleaming skull with a spiked chain looped through its empty eye sockets. The symbol of Zon-Kuthon, the Midnight Lord and god of pain and darkness.

"I'LL SAVE YOU!" she bellows as she charges forward, then whips the chain at the nearest otyugh. It zings just shy of the otyugh's flank.

The otyugh screams in terror, "BAD FOOD! AIIIEEEE!!" and it and its compatriot both turn tail and flee pell-mell into the sinkhole.

You may take attacks of opportunity if you wish, but otherwise...

COMBAT OVER!

The elf slings the chain into a coil and snaps it onto a belt strap in a quick, practiced gesture, then puts her hands on her hips. "No need to thank me! All in a day's work, yeah?" Her smile is absolutely beaming, contrasting oddly with her macabre apparel--and particularly the deity's symbol she wears.

The first otyugh, beaten bloody and panicking, wails and scrambles toward the sinkhole to hopefully disappear into its depths.

The other two, seeing their companion flee, waver even more, though they haven't yet lowered their tentacles.

"B-but... food..." one of them says in a mixture of confusion and frustration.

For the moment I will consider combat on pause. The otyughs aren't completely convinced. WDYD?

It is not, unfortunately, but you definitely aid.

The otyughs hesitate, their tentacles wavering uncertainly, but they still look like they could strike at any moment.

#2 and #3 ready actions, but do not otherwise move.

[color=green]ROUND 3
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, Sacred Shield)
Vexelune (67/67 hp, 6 images)
Otyugh 1 (38 dmg, fleeing)
Nyx (51/51 hp, M. Armor)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Heroism, Shielded)
Otyugh 2 (0 dmg, readied)
Otyugh 3 (14 dmg, Ill Omened, Stared At, readied)
[/color]

#1 is wavering on its feet, looking like it is deeply regretting its life choices and ready to scurry back to its hole.

You can tell it's about to flee.

[color=green]ROUND 2
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, Sacred Shield)
Vexelune (67/67 hp, 6 images)
Otyugh 1 (38 dmg, fleeing)
Nyx (51/51 hp, M. Armor)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Heroism, Shielded)
Otyugh 2 (0 dmg)
Otyugh 3 (14 dmg, Ill Omened, Stared At)
[/color]

#3's problems start when Lune stares at it, and it grips its... heeaaddd...?... with its tentacles and groans. Its problems are exacerbated when Lori uses the opening to step in and rain down a couple scimitar strikes. Only the first connects, but the otyugh yelps in pain and bellows at her. It's a really good thing she's immune to disease because there are definitely wet flecks of something super gross that sprays on her face and shield.

#1 is completely oblivious to (or perhaps uncaring of) its buddy's situation, its eyestalk waggling furiously between Nyx and Andakos. It can't reach Nyx without considerably more work, so it decides to chomp at the next best thing, stepping up uncomfortably close and flailing and biting at the investigator.

It's kind of sad, actually, how hard it slams itself against Ducky's impressive defenses to no avail.

Your AC is stupid and I rolled all single digits. OOF.

[color=green]ROUND 2
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, Sacred Shield)
Vexelune (67/67 hp, 6 images)
Otyugh 1 (19 dmg)
Nyx (51/51 hp, M. Armor)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Heroism, Shielded)
Otyugh 2 (0 dmg)
Otyugh 3 (14 dmg, Ill Omened, Stared At)
[/color]

The first otyugh grunts in pain as it gets stabbed in the... n... neck...?

The other two otyughs move up and start trying to snack on whoever is closest. That means Ducky and Lori, both of whom easily dodge the clumsy tentacles.

Andakos's Perception is ridiculous, btw.

Despite the clang of battle, Ducky could swear he just heard a door being thrown open somewhere nearby. Friendly reinforcements, or more problems?

[color=green]ROUND 2
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, Sacred Shield)
Vexelune (67/67 hp, 6 images)
Otyugh 1 (19 dmg)
Nyx (51/51 hp, M. Armor)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Heroism, Shielded)
Otyugh 2 (0 dmg)
Otyugh 3 (0 dmg)
[/color]

Perhaps because it was cast reflexively and in haste, the fireball spell detonates a half-second late, and the otyughs all manage to duck out of the worst of it (nat 16 and two nat 20's on the saves, WTAF).

In response, their tentacles all whip up and waver dangerously in the air, with al three eye-stalks zeroing in on Nyx.

[color=green]
ROUND 1
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, Sacred Shield)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Otyugh 1 (13 dmg)
Nyx (51/51 hp, M. Armor)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Heroism, Shielded)
Otyugh 2 (13 dmg)
Otyugh 3 (13 dmg)
[/color]

UGH I forgot to highlight Lune and Lori. I always forget something. My bad!

The furthest otyugh begins lumbering forward, licking its gross rubbery chops with excitement. Thankfully these things are slow, and it doesn't get terribly far.

[color=green]
ROUND 1
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, Sacred Shield)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Otyugh 1 (0 dmg)
Nyx (51/51 hp, M. Armor)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Heroism, Shielded)
Otyugh 2 (0 dmg)
Otyugh 3 (0 dmg)
[/color]

I made a mistake on the map. The version I have is not a great quality so there's actually a door next to you that I missed. My apologies! I assume you'd want to peek in the window first anyway.

Andakos is confident the boardwalk around Salvator's home is stable; as long as none of them get too close to the sinkhole, there should be nothing to worry about.

Peering into the house, Andakos sees a spare entryway with mud tracked to and fro on the floor, as if a small army had marched through the room. To the south stands a single empty set of shelves. He can also see a door on the northeast corner of the room leading further into the house.

While he's peering through the window, Golloriel and Lune hear a low, quiet gurgle come up from the nearby sinkhole. The gurgle then erupts into a wave of brackish, muddy Narrows water as three hulking figures lumber out of the hole. Nine tentacles waver in the air like rubbery snakes, and bodies that are almost entirely mouth bellow almost in unison:

"FFOOOODDDD!! OMNOMNOMNOMNOM"

[color=green]ROUND 1
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, Sacred Shield)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Otyugh 1 (0 dmg)
Nyx (51/51 hp, M. Armor)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Heroism, Shielded)
Otyugh 2 (0 dmg)
Otyugh 3 (0 dmg)
[/color]

I'll assume that means you want to move things along, so I'll take us to the next location!

The party uses side streets and alleys to scurry southward, avoiding other people when possible. It's not hard--there are almost no people out at this time of night anyway, at least not in this particular neighborhood. The light from the fires at the Town Hall are bright enough to reach the south bank of Old Korvosa, so clearly someone is up. A concern for another time, perhaps.

The party thankfully has an address, given by the old codger, Olmere: 140 Wave Street. He mentioned it was along the south bank, so the party hits that and takes a right, moving west along the coast. They occasionally pass by the scorched ruins of the many small bridges that used to connect Old Korvosa to the main city, each of them jutting from the craggy rocks of the isle like jagged, rotting teeth.

Andakos has actually heard of Salvator, now that he thinks about it (no need to roll, you beat the Kn [local] DC automatically). He's a notorious artist whose gruesome and often scandalous art is held in high esteem by several of Korvosa's nobles. His popularity is even greater among the lower classes, who are most familiar with his work at the Old Dock playhouse known as Exemplary Execrables, where his paintings serve as grisly backdrops to that venue's notoriously violent entertainments. However, Salvator himself isn't much of a public figure, and beyond his name, few can say they actually know the man.

After about twenty minutes of walking, the party arrives at Salvator's home.

His house is a leaning, decrepit building located along the Narrows, not a hundred feet from one of the now-ruined bridges. A rickety boardwalk stands above the jagged rocks of the southern shore, its rotten planks looking anything but safe to walk on--though significantly safer than the area next to it.

Near the house, what once might have been a small neighboring house has been obliterated, collapsed from within by a twenty-foot-diameter sinkhole. Water from the Narrows fills the hole, creating a muddy pit strewn with jagged bits of timber and flotsam. The edges of the hole are slick and patchy with fungus. Immediately south of the sinkhole, the boardwalk has also collapsed, creating a dangerous tangle of timber and crazily tilted pilings.

There do not appear to be any doors on the north side of Salvator's house.

WDYD?

Amin turns a little green at the thought of getting nabbed by professional killers. "Ah. Well. I have my little hidey-hole across the street from the academy. Nobody would bother looking for me in there; the building is in ruins. It burned down only a few days after the academy. Lots of burned buildings in Old Korvosa these days." He frowns dejectedly, but shakes Andakos's hand. "Don't worry about me, I'll manage. You just find Master Vencarlo, if you can. I couldn't bear it if something happened to him, especially when I owe him a debt of gratitude I've yet to repay."

He gives a small bow and heads off into the night.

Andakos senses no deception, but something feels familiar about the man.

"Oh, I'm--" He stops and his eyes widen when he spots Andakos in the hallway. "Master Viden! Oh, thank the gods!" He immediately scrambles in through the open window, flops onto the floor gracelessly, and scrambles to his feet. "Do you remember me? Amin! Amin Jalento! You saved me from that violent mob during the, er... troubles."

Ah, yes. Now he looks familiar. The upstart young noble who was about to be lynched by an angry mob during the anarchy that reigned right after King Eodred II's death.

"I was a student of Master Orisini, you know. Before the school closed. He had already cut back on classes because of--well, everything happening, but when Master Trell died, he canceled all lessons. Such a shame. I can't really blame him, though. The quarantine hit before I could make it back home; I'd been staying at an inn on the island rather than have to hoof it across town over and over during classes, and I stayed for a bit in hopes Vencarlo might change his mind, reopen the school. More the fool was I." He sighs, and runs a long-fingered hand through his greasy, unkempt hair.

"Vencarlo found out I was staying at an inn just as I was about to run out of pocket money for room and board, and graciously allowed me to stay at the closed school as a guest until the quarantine lifted." His face pales slightly. "Then one night, assassins broke in! All clad in red, with insect helmets! Terrifying stuff! I ran, and thankfully they didn't chase me long. I don't think I'm the one they were after. But they burned down the school!" he adds with a wail. "I think Master Vencarlo took one or two down, but he was forced to flee as well. I saw him stumble out amidst the flames from my--" Andakos, masterfully reading the young fop, gets the distinct impression he was going to say hiding place, but instead opts for the less cowardly-sounding "my vantage point.

"Vencarlo brought Salvator around... three times, I think? Yes, three. And always spoke with him behind closed doors. The last time, Vencarlo shouted at him about something, but I couldn't make out what. To be honest, I didn't get close enough to listen; I respect Master Vencarlo too much for that."

He sighs, and plops down on the wood floor, leaning against the wall under the window sill. "I'm worried about him. I've been squatting in the ruins of the building across from the academy, but I've been making regular trips into the neighborhood in the hopes that Master Vencarlo would return. When I saw the fires..." He sighs again, and his shoulders slump. "I got scared. I hid. When it was all over, I finally worked up the courage to come take a look. Some student I turned out to be."

I missed a couple items in the bag.

There's also a hooded black cloak, a pair of boots, an amulet, and a pair of black leather gloves. Two of the fingers in the right-hand glove are filled with bent wooden "fingers."

The man pokes his head out of the bushes tentatively. "A-are you friends of Master Orisini?" He stands and brushes himself off sheepishly.

He appears to be in his late twenties or early thirties, wearing what was once finery but is now ratty, mud-streaked, and torn. He bears enough stubble that he clearly hasn't groomed himself in at least a week.

"I saw the fires and thought the worst," he explains. "Especially after what happened to the academy."

The party goes all out and scours the house top to bottom, spending nearly two hours going over every inch.

There isn't much useful information in the study. The best Andakos can find are some ledgers and documents for Vencarlo's school that show his fencing academy was doing poorly even before Trell's death; as the troubles in the city worsened, fewer and fewer students showed up to his classes. By the time he closed the school just before the plague, it was likely to have gone into foreclosure anyway.

Checking the final room (it's neither locked nor trapped) reveals a modest pantry with ample food and water stores, though much of the food has long spoiled. All the foods are (or perhaps "were" is more apt at this point; some of the fruits are horribly withered or mushy) simple fare that needs little preparation; that makes sense, seeing as the party has looked in every room and found no kitchen. Vencarlo is apparently too busy or preoccupied for the culinary arts.

After poring over the house, Andakos notes that aside from the recent footsteps of the party and the assassins, prints matching Vencarlo's are almost nonexistent. He clearly hasn't been here in some time; if he had to date it, he would guess roughly around the time of Vencarlo and Rey's last missive.

As the party is investigating, Golloriel is in the hallway outside the workshop when she spots movement outside the window. When she looks in that direction, she sees a young man's disheveled face peering at her. When he sees he's been spotted, he yelps and ducks down into the bushes, as if that is in any way going to hide him when he's already been spotted.

She can't be sure, but it seems like the bush is now trembling.

Everyone braces for the bag to do... something. Eat off Nyx's hand, maybe, or zap them or disintegrate them, or--

None of that happens, but Nyx's hand does disappear into the bag, followed by their forearm, then most of their bicep. They finally pull their limb back out holding a scabbard with an ornate rapier that Golloriel and Andakos feel is somewhat familiar, though they can't immediately place from where.

But then Nyx pulls out a full suit of leather armor--okay this is definitely a bag of holding 100%--that has been dyed black and gray. Then a buckler, and finally a very familiar black mask.

The mask of the vigilante Blackjack.

In Vencarlo's secret compartment, in Vencarlo's closet, in Vencarlo's house.

Lune can tell the bag is definitely magical, but not its actual properties.

Yeah doesn't really matter, picking a lock is the only DD use with no failure condition, which is very weird. In 2e if you crit fail, you break your picks and have to repair them before you can try again.

The small lockbox pops open under Andakos's deft fingers after making sure there's no trap on it. Inside is... a bag. Just a bag.

Andakos peers into the bag, but it is unusually dark, and trying to discern its contents gives him a mild headache.

WDYD?

My bad! There's actually TWO of the masks of the mantis.

Thankfully there doesn't appear to be anything worth noting on the south side of the second floor so there's no need to go anywhere near the heavily damaged section. The door, like all the others so far, is unlocked and untrapped.

The bedroom appears well lived-in, but the bed is made and hasn't been slept in. A smaller wooden bedframe is disassembled and stacked in a corner with a series of bedsheets and a pillow, all covered with a thin layer of dust. The mattress for it is nowhere to be seen.

The room appears to be devoid of any clues--until Andakos notes the faintest traces of the outline to a hidden panel in the east wall of the closet. He almost didn't notice it.

Frickin DC 30 dude. You got it exactly!

Opening it up, he sees a small iron lockbox. Just looking at it, Andakos can tell it's locked, and the lock is a doozy (DC 40!). He can't tell if it's trapped just at a glance, however.

The party surveys the damage between the two floors. While the living room is scorched and the sofas--especially the north sofa--are mostly a loss, the floor itself appears to be repairable.

The second floor is so, so much worse. The entire floor near the fireplace is blackened and charred, and standing near it makes the floor creak dangerously loud, forcing the party to move gingerly along the damaged area. On the bright side, the only door on this floor that can be seen is just north of the fire damage, so it should be safe to open.

As a reminder, there's also a door downstairs you never got the chance to enter because of jerkface mantis people.

Dammit, I forgot about Painful Stare. You might want to start just calculating it into your damage because otherwise I'll probably forget a lot.

Time to retcon!

The assassin was totally going to vanish into the flames like a badass, but then suddenly they remembered they were dead, and they collapse to the floor with a melodramatic groan.

Since Nyx can put out two squares on their turn (which would also have to be retconned as well since the assassin would already be dead) and they can 5ft step and put out another one this turn, that only leaves one square of flame which Andakos can handle easily (since he's resistant to fire). So I'm just going to call it.

COMBAT OVER!

Once the second assassin drops, putting out the fires is relatively quick.

On their bodies you find:

- 54pp
- Potion of bull's strength x2
- Alchemist's Fire x2
- +1 leather armor x2
- +1 sawtooth sabre x4
- dagger x8
- +1 cloak of resistance x2
- Mask of the Mantis

This fire is tenacious. It snags the wall and erupts when it catches a curtain.

That is the THIRD time I've rolled 4 on a d4 for the fire dayum

[color=green]ROUND 5
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (124 dmg, He’s Dead Jim)
Assassin 2 (67 dmg, Shrouded)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor, shielded, on fire)
[/color]

Golloriel puts out more of the fire. Lune makes the assassin think they're a sh*tty useless paladin from another game.

I'M NOT SALTY YOU'RE SALTY SHUT UP

The assassin has a very bad day. They fail to resist the imaginary curse, and then take a spear to the gut twice. They step back from Andakos--into the fire--and vanish from sight again, but Lune feels them nearby as she concentrates.

I guess we're going with 'yes' on your previous question about the stare lol. It kinda makes sense seeing how detect magic can foil invisibility pretty easily too.

Also you can kinda-sorta still see their silhouette in the flames, almost like you would if they were invisible in water.

So you can target the assassin still just with a 50% miss chance.

[color=green]ROUND 5
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (124 dmg, He’s Dead Jim)
Assassin 2 (67 dmg, Shrouded, Invisible)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor, shielded, on fire)
[/color]

The fire continues to spread, but barely (only 1 square this turn). Nyx continues to be on fire. On the bright side, first blood has been drawn against the second Mantis! They have four cracked dents in their boiled leather plates that are oozing blood.

[color=green]ROUND 5
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (124 dmg, He’s Dead Jim)
Assassin 2 (12 dmg, Shrouded)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor, shielded, on fire)
[/color]

The ice splashes across the flames.

NE: 1d6 ⇒ 6
E: 1d6 ⇒ 1
SE: 1d6 ⇒ 5
S: 1d6 ⇒ 4
SW: 1d6 ⇒ 1

This vial has better luck, putting out a much larger area. The fire is still going, but the smoke from the quenched flames isn't nearly as potent as it would be if the fire was still raging.

Vexelune can't quite pinpoint the assassin, but she can sort of... feel them nearby. So she's able to deftly dodge out of the way when she hears the whistle of steel through air even if she can't see it. The assassin stumbles a step as they reappear right after spectacularly fumbling their murder attempt (lmao nat 1 these MF'ers were SO useless).

Then Nyx's readied spell goes off.

Ranged Touch vs Mantis: 1d20 + 6 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 6 - 4 = 15
Searing Light Dmg: 4d8 ⇒ (2, 6, 1, 1) = 10

The beam of pure light zings right past where the Mantis's head just was.

No Precise Shot, bummer.

But Nyx is ready to go again. They're still on fire.

[color=green]ROUND 4 (I skipped 3, sorry)
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (124 dmg, He’s Dead Jim)
Assassin 2 (0 dmg, Shrouded)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor, shielded, on fire)
[/color]

The fire is tenacious, and continues to spread.

I swear to god, I only roll high when it's bad for you lol. At least it wasn't another 4 on a d4. Only a 3! Lucky you!

[color=green]ROUND 4 (I skipped 3, sorry)
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded, fascinated)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (124 dmg, He’s Dead Jim)
Assassin 2 (0 dmg, Shrouded, Invisible)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor, shielded, on fire)
[/color]

Actually you can only reach Lune with 30 feet (it's 25 ft to her and you can't occupy the same space) but that's enough to reach her and hand over the vial.

Lune hucks the liquid ice at the center of the fire and lands a direct hit!

Since the splash is only 1 point, I'll give a 1 in 6 chance for each square to get put out by the splash.
NW: 1d6 ⇒ 3
E: 1d6 ⇒ 3
S: 1d6 ⇒ 3
SW: 1d6 ⇒ 1
W: 1d6 ⇒ 3

Unfortunately the splash from the vial isn't quite as effective as the vial itself, but combined the party managed to make a huge dent in the flames!

That was an absolutely wild number of 3's. But still, Harrow Point to Andakos for the quick thinking!

Then the Red Mantis assassin makes an arcane gesture and vanishes from view.

[color=green]ROUND 2
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded, fascinated)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (124 dmg, He’s Dead Jim)
Assassin 2 (0 dmg, Shrouded, Invisible)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor)
[/color]

The good news: one of the two assassins is dead, the fire is out downstairs, and Nyx stamped out one square of flames upstairs!

The bad news: not only did the square of flames catch right back on fire, but the bulk of the fire has pushed outward toward the opposite wall, creating a low wall of flames between the party and the other assassin. The second floor is beginning to fill with smoke, as well.

This round you're fine, but starting next round everyone will have concealment from the smoke, and you'll need to start making Fort saves to avoid choking on the smoke. If you can reduce the fire by at least 3 squares this turn, you'll stave it off for one round. Good luck!

Sh*t, meet fan.

[color=green]ROUND 2
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded, fascinated)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (124 dmg, He’s Dead Jim)
Assassin 2 (0 dmg, Shrouded)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor)
[/color]

Despite hitting them center-mass, the assassin shrugs off most of the ray's effects, barely slowing down.

They raise their blades as a shimmering mist of crimson begins floating around them, then begin waving their blades in a hypnotic pattern. Apparently they want to play mind games with the mind game queen! THE AUDACITY.

Lune Will DC 16: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

Lune doesn't so much as twitch an eye.

[color=green]ROUND 2
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded, fascinated)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (124 dmg, He’s Dead Jim)
Assassin 2 (0 dmg, Shrouded)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor)
[/color]

Ducky shakes off the hypnotism and takes advantage of the assassin's surprise to ram the tip of his spear into the soft meat under their jaw. It tears through their skull hard enough to pop their helmet off with the force of the spear exiting the pate. Matted auburn hair spills out around a woman's surprised face. She collapses to the ground in a surprisingly small pool of blood, considering the horrific damage inflicted.

Golloriel splashes more water down and douses the flames on the first floor. Time to see what she can do on the second floor! Lune makes it up first, however.

I'm going to pause here so you can decide what you want to do with your second action since Lune made it up to the second floor.

[color=green]ROUND 2
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded, fascinated)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (124 dmg, She’s Dead Jim)
Assassin 2 (0 dmg)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor)
[/color]

Golloriel stemmed the tide, but the fire spreads (only one square down here, lucky you!) to the 1d6 ⇒ 5 east of itself, catching the sofa on fire.

Upstairs, something sounds like it exploded. Smoke quickly starts roiling down the staircase.

[color=green]ROUND 2
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded, fascinated)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (65 dmg, Painful Stared At, Prayer Attack [rd 1])
Assassin 2 (0 dmg)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor)
[/color]

My Brother In Iomedae, you hit both times. Your first attack hit on a NATURAL THREE. You have a +16 to hit WITH POWER ATTACK ON. Veldanis is four levels higher than you and only gets a +18 to hit! WITH FURIOUS FOCUS! You are fine. XD

I'll say the spell lets you douse two squares in stead of one. And with no danger of catching fire youreself!

#1 finally manages to draw their other blade and decides Andakos is the biggest threat, weaving their sabres in a hypnotizing pattern.

Andakos Will DC 16: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15

Andakos nearly drops his spear. What... what was he doing again? Those movements... there's something to them... something he can't quite describe...

Andakos is fascinated.

A loud thump can be heard from upstairs, as well as additional crackling of fire. Something is clearly also burning on the second floor.

[color=green]ROUND 1
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded, fascinated)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (65 dmg, Painful Stared At, Prayer Attack [rd 1])
Assassin 2 (0 dmg)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor)
[/color]

The Mantis ducks before the spear can actually go through their throat, but it still tears a large gash in their neck that just barely misses an artery.

The Mantis responds by taking a step back. Ducky sees they're holding an alchemist's fire. He braces to dodge the vial, but the Mantis surprises him by throwing it to the side--at the smoldering fireplace. Andakos realizes too late what the goal is when the vial smashes across the fireplace and it explodes into flames.

Seconds later, a similar explosion erupts upstairs.

The house is now on fire.

This is a big issue. The house--and any clues it may contain--will burn down if you don't douse these fires. It will spread by 1d4 squares at the top of each round. You can spend a move action to stamp out the fire in an adjacent square, but you will also need to roll a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid catching fire. If you have spells/items you think can aid you, feel free to use those as well. I may even grant bonus squares depending on the spell or item used!

Also if you start your turn in a square that's currently on fire you'll take 1d6 fire damage and you will need to roll a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid catching fire.

[color=green]ROUND 1
Characters in BOLD may act.
Golloriel (105/105 hp, sacred shield)
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded)
Vexelune (67/67 hp)
Assassin 1 (0 dmg)
Assassin 2 (0 dmg)
Nyx (51/51 hp, mage armor)
[/color]

As soon as they step into the living room, Andakos's hackles rise up. The smell of old woodsmoke drifts from the smoldering fireplace, but it's tinged with something sharp and chemical: alchemist's fire. He calls out a warning, which spooks the crimson-clad assassin that was hiding behind the sofa.

Despite his warning, only Andakos will get to act in the surprise round.

[color=green]SURPRISE ROUND
Characters in BOLD may act.
Andakos (74/74 hp, 18 temp hp, Str mutagen, shielded)
Assassin 1 (0 dmg)
Assassin 2 (0 dmg)
[/color]

Lune senses no holy avengers--no magic at all, in fact--so the party moves down the hallway. After checking the door, Andakos opens it. Inside is a small bathroom, with only a slightly mildewed free-standing tub and a sink to its name.

So far as Golloriel can tell, the auras she sensed havenn't moved (I assume she hasn't stopped concentrating). The aura on the first floor appears to be just north of the northernmost sofa.

I'll go ahead and save some time, since the southern door is also unlocked/untrapped and you stated you didn't want to leave unopened doors behind you.

After thoroughly scanning the southern door, Andakos deems it safe to open. Inside, a single leather chair sits at a desk, while two tall cabinets filled with books about sword fighting and philosophy stand to the east. There are papers strewn carelessly about the desk, though it's hard to tell if someone has rifled through them or if Vencarlo is simply not very tidy.

WDYD?

The aura is coming from the other end of the house, near the NW corner of the first floor.

Once again the door is unlocked and untrapped, but Andakos notices a thin layer of disturbed dust; the house was unattended for a brief period (perhaps a couple weeks) but was recently revisited.

Golloriel pushes the door open and steps in. This is a well-stocked workshop for decorating and repairing bladed weapons. Several partially repaired daggers and rapiers lie on the table. None appear to be particularly valuable.

Three more doors can be seen down the hallway. A fireplace smolders in the room beyond, casting dim light onto a pair of sofas and a small coffee table.

There are no traps on the door that Andakos can find, so Lori pushes inside. An elegant Vudrani throw rug covers much of the floor in the entryway, but is otherwise empty. A door faces the party to the north, and a narrow hallway to the west leads further into the house.