You have succeeded excellently in your primary and secondary objectives for this scenario. Your chronicles can be downloaded here (link will expire in 1 week) and the session will be reported for Outpost III PbP Gameday.
Thank you for playing with me! Feel free to PM me here on the forums or on Discord (logsig#4155) if you have any feedback or to just say hi.
Many thanks to GM Numbat for setting up this great project. I hope you'll all have fun continuing to PbP!
Janira Gavix races down the hall, her blond hair flying in her excitement. “I just heard you made it back—congratulations! It sounds like everything went, well, about as well as anyone could expect. Come with me, I have something for each of you.”
The halfling woman leads the way into a small office and distributes finely crafted wooden boxes. Within each, a gleaming compass lid emblazoned with the Glyph of the Open Road and an engraved name lies upon a cushion of silk. “I’m not sure if you’ve picked up your own wayfinders yet, but when you do, you should have ones that prove that you belong. Now it’s official,” she beams. “Welcome to the Pathfinder Society!”
The gifts from Janira are lids for the wayfinders that you may purchase in future, either by spending gold or by spending Reputation to get one as a Faction boon (in which case it takes up an Item boon slot).
With their first missions behind you, life returns to normal for a little while. But it will never be the same again; your experiences now cast the crowded streets of Absalom in a new light. As Ornaculus pores over dusty scrolls in the library, Dorian bandages wounds, Redd dances for tips, and Filtune copies documents for temple priests, each of you reflect on the new friendships you have forged and looks forward to a bright future of doing good for the world, uncovering buried secrets, and going on dangerous, story-filled adventures.
Wait! Can I use my Halfling Luck feat to reroll for that dance?
Sadly, activated fortune effects to re-roll checks don't work on downtime activities so I'll take your first roll.
CRB p. 500 wrote:
Some downtime activities require rolls, typically skill checks. Because these rolls represent the culmination of a series of tasks over a long period, players can’t use most abilities or spells that manipulate die rolls, such as activating a magic item to gain a bonus or casting a fortune spell to roll twice. Constant benefits still apply, though, so someone might invest a magic item that gives them a bonus without requiring activation.
Just to clarify, a natural 20 is usually a critical but not guaranteed. A natural 20 increases the success level by one, a natural 1 decreases the success level by 1.
Yep. I've seen this happen where the modifier was low enough that (20 + modifier) was a failure numerically, and the nat-20 made it just a normal success.
All, please make your downtime rolls (Craft, any Lore or Perform) in your next post.
Filtune's sword thrust kills the creature, which falls the floor, unmoving. It had 1 HP left.
Combat over.
Having disposed of the creature, you are able to search the rest of the ship in peace. One of the smashed crates looks to have been fairly large. This must be the crate that held the creature before it went on its rage-fueled rampage.
The very few crates that aren't smashed hold various pieces of furniture.
Examining this furniture, Filtune and Ornaculus both find several hidden compartments, about the size of a book: drawers with false bottoms, hidden pockets within seat cushions, and the like. This must be how the smugglers are conducting their illicit business.
In the crew cabin, in stark contrast to the rest of the ship, the floor has been somewhat cleared of algae and cleaned. Six simple beds, complete with fresh linens, are crammed into the space. A few small footlockers are shoved under some of the beds. A quick search reveals a pair of magical talismans rolled up in a smelly, salt-crusted rag. These are crying angel pendants. (Representing treasure bundles)
In the aft room, you see this cabin’s floor too has been cleared of the algae present everywhere else on the ship, and a simple table has been set up in the center of the room, with a few chairs pulled up around it. Papers are strewn over the table.
It is immediately obvious to everyone that two of the items on the table are of great interest. The first is a bundle of writs of inspection approving the cargo crates for export from the Nexian capital of Quantium. The other is a series of financial records, including notes of sizeable sums paid to the same individual whose name appears on the writs: a clear indication of bribery.
You have found the information Gorm Greathammer wished to know, and are now free to return to the Grand Lodge in triumph.
In case anyone has a question about how 10-ft reach works:
CRB p. 455, Range and Reach wrote:
Unlike with measuring most distances, 10-foot reach can reach 2 squares diagonally. Reach greater than 10 feet is measured normally; 20-foot reach can reach
3 squares diagonally, 25-foot reach can reach 4, and so on.
Ornaculus moves to a defensive position and fires off a spell, creating acid that sizzles through the creature's leathery skin.
Redd sneaks carefully back down the stairs and fires another arrow straight through the creature's shoulder, taking a large chunk of flesh with it. The thing looks quite severely injured.
Dorian raises his shield and swings twice, but his timing is wrong and neither connects.
Flanking reduces the creature's AC, i.e. that's handled on my end.
The creature lets out a guttural cry and flails its fist at Dorian...
First attack (fist) vs. Dorian's AC 19 with shield:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16
Failing to connect, it follows up with a tentacle swipe against the magey one who hurt it...
Second attack (tentacle) vs. Ornaculus's AC 14, agile, reach 10 ft:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23 for 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9 bludgeoning damage
Ornaculus reels from the impact and feels several rubbery, yet surprisingly strong digits wrap themselves firmly around his arm like rope.
Ornaculus is Grabbed: flat-footed (-2 AC) and unable to take Move actions. Actions with the Manipulate trait require a flat DC 5 check. He can still attack without penalty, or attempt to Escape the Grab.
Initiative Order
Redd, Dorian (-8 HP) and Ornaculus (-9 HP)
Creature (-37 HP)
Filtune <<<
Filtune moves into an advantageous position and her notched shortsword strikes twice, opening up some cuts on the creature's scarred body, which disconcertingly, don't bleed.
Initiative Order
Redd (Stealth), Dorian (-8 HP) and Ornaculus <<<
Creature (-18 HP)
Filtune
Dorian steps forward and swings twice at the creature. His first strike misses, but a sickening crunching noise accompanies the impact of his second and the creature makes a low growling noise.
As you were not doing the Defend exploration activity immediately prior to the encounter, you must explicitly use the Raise a Shield action now in order to gain the bonus to AC from the shield.
The growling noise rises in pitch and the creature's mouth gapes blackly as it makes swings its meaty fist at the dwarf...
Attack vs. Dorian's AC 17:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18 for 1d10 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 bludgeoning damage.
Its disgusting tentacled hand extends, stretching like rubber to snap at Filtune!
Attack vs. Filtune's AC 16, agile, 10 ft reach:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12
She deftly sidesteps, dodging the elastic appendage.
It tries again...
Attack vs. Filtune's AC 16, agile, 10 ft reach:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
but again it misses.
Initiative Order
Redd (Stealth), Dorian and Ornaculus
Creature (-15 HP)
Filtune <<<
Oh, I didn't get that you were delaying until both of them went, I thought you just meant after Ornaculus (for magic weapon). That's fine though! If Dorian does something that makes the narrative work out different I'll retcon it.
Ornaculus realizes that this is a Fleshforged Dreg, a construct from the Fleshforges of Nex. The Fleshforges were created by the archmage Nex (who founded the nation that is named after him) to provide war beasts to support his battle mages during the centuries-long war with Geb. Fleshforged creatures have the typical immunities of all constructs, such as immunity to bleed or poison. This particular specimen seems to be filled with seething hostility.
Redd's first arrow flies a little wide. The second, given strength by Ornaculus' spell, embeds itself deep into the creature's chest, eliciting an incoherent howl of anger.
Initiative Order
Redd (Stealth), Dorian and Ornaculus <<<
Creature (-7 HP)
Filtune
The party descends the slippery stairs, with the stalwart dwarf in the lead. Sharp beams of sunlight light filter down through cracks in the main deck to cast this cargo hold in a dim light. Though the ship’s original armaments are now little more than rotted ballista mounts, this area shows signs of recent activity, including a number of smashed crates, and faint trails worn through the slippery vegetation growing over the deck. Wooden doors in somewhat finer condition than the rest of the boat stand to the north and south, but the stairs leading further down now lead only into dark, scummy water.
Of more pressing concern, however, is the creature that you see lurking here. It looks like a horrible parody of a human, with gruesome rows of stitches criss-crossing its entire body. Its left arm ends in a normal-looking hand, if you can ignore the fact that it was obviously sewn on, but four long tentacles writhe at the end of its right arm. It bares its teeth at you, and lunges forward!
The two cabins on this deck look largely empty; a few heaps of soggy wood that might have been crates remain in the forward cabin, and the aft cabin contains a few fragments of metal and wood that suggest it might have once been decorated more comfortably.
Some of the dents in the wood look vaguely fist-sized, while others have a strange elongated, tapered shape that somehow makes Redd think of chewy breaded seafood. She can't recall any creature that fits that description, though.
Ornaculus does detect magic in the vicinity of the forward cabin [30 ft radius emanation], but since there's nothing here, it's probably coming from the deck below. He believes the dents point to the presence of a sea serpent or kraken, though probably a very small one, given that full-sized beasts of that type could easily weigh over 100 tons...
Not finding anything of interest on this level, Dorian prepares to go down to the lower deck.
If you're ready to go down, please place yourselves in the marching order you wish to be in. The stairs start at the square outlined in white and descend under the deck to the right of that square.
Redd and Ornaculus about the wreck at the bars, but whether it's because of Ornaculus' outfit, his intellectual manner, Redd's lack of seagoing cred, or because nobody really knows much, neither of them are able to find out anything they don't already know about it.
Captain Balagog welcomes you all aboard her little boat. Noticing Dorian's discomfort, she smilingly directs him to take the seat furthest from the rails, where there's no chance of falling overboard. Though she's not a Pathfinder herself, she's been providing ferry services to the Society for so long that she knows many of those who are based out of the Absalom lodge. She eagerly listens to any stories you tell, and in exchange, teaches anyone who cares to watch how to tie a few real knots that are useful around ships.
She also has some helpful advice about dealing with krakens. "Poke 'em right in the eye," she says, with mock deadly seriousness. "Naw, I'm just pullin' yer legs! Hasn't been a one of them seen round these parts for decades!"
Despite Dorian's trepidation, the short sail out to the wreck is safe and fairly pleasant, the light breeze speeding you along at a comfortable pace. When you arrive at the wreck, Balagog assists you to disembark. "Good huntin'! Whistle when you're ready to head back!"
You clamber on to the weathered boards of the ship’s main deck. They are cracked, warped, and thoroughly covered in a thick, stinking carpet of algae, seaweed, and barnacles, the result of having been submerged for so long. The sodden mess squashes and scrapes underfoot, while squawking gulls circle overhead. The ship once boasted three masts, but they are now broken off only a few feet above the jagged railings. Whatever other distinguishing features might have once existed on this vessel are either long lost or utterly obscured. Empty doorways lead into cabins to the fore and aft, and a dark opening descends into the lower level. Please refer to Slide #11. Note: The entire ship is difficult terrain due to the slimy algae and barnacles.
Filtune immediately notices some strange markings on the deck: large dents that looks almost like someone or something has been smashing into the boards.
Calisro slaps Dorian heartily on the back. "Well done! That's the kind of bravery that will help you make a name for yourselves!" She takes the papers the party found and leafs through them, shaking her head. "Bad business. Explains a lot, though. I'll send this lot over to Ambrus for publication. Get it all out into the light. Maybe that will help those poor souls rest. And your names will be in the article, of course!" She grins, tips her piratical hat to you, and strides off.
Feel free to describe what you do in between now and your next mission, but I'll start it off.
-----
After getting some food and a little haunt-free rest, the party travels to the Docks district for their final mission. After the damp, rotting darkness of the Mavedarus Manor, the fresh sea air and sunshine is a welcome change of pace. The sound of sea shanties drifts out from the doorways of dockside bars, and the piercing whistles of bosuns can be heard from ships pulling in and out of the harbor, mixing with the screeches of the sea gulls wheeling overhead.
Anyone who wishes to may take a couple of hours and hit the bars, using Diplomacy to Gather Information about the wreck. Please either roll in a spoiler or let me know you wish to roll.
As you walk along the quay, taking in all the sights and sounds of a busy port, a rough but cheerful voice hails you from a small boat tied up in a quiet spot next to a pile of empty crab pots. "Ho, landlubbers! I be your transportation out to th' wreck. Gorm sed you'd be needin' a ride. Semiri Balagog, independent ferry operator, with o'er a decade of quality service to the Pathfinder 'ciety!"
The speaker, speaking from the bow of her boat, where she is coiling a length of rope with a deft hand, is a rainkin half-orc with sun-dark skin and thick braids of black hair adorned with gold rings. "What ya waitin' fer? Hop in! Tide's goin' out and there's no time like the presen'! You tell me all about yer adventures as we go."
The group moves into the western set of rooms. Somewhat anticlimactically, this first room is completely empty. The room adjoining it contains the remains of a dining room [Area C6], the fine furniture crushed by the debris falling from the floors above. What remains is sodden and mostly unidentifiable.
The last room looks to have been an expansive parlor [Area C7]. A large, long-cold fireplace stands in the far wall, but the furnishings are all rotted. A dank stench of mold lingers in the air. The ceiling overhead has collapsed, leaving the room open to the sky. The floor in the room’s northern end has followed suit, leaving a gaping hole into darkness. There seems to be nothing of interest here.
The hole can be shored up using Crafting, but it's simpler to avoid going near it.
The house has now been thoroughly explored, and though the rumors of being haunted have proven to be true, it seems safe enough for the moment. You make camp in the least unpleasant spot you can find, and set watches. There is a tense moment, around midnight, when you think you hear moaning noises coming from outside, but though you all wake and put hands to weapons, nothing more hostile than a scurrying rat appears. (Skipping the optional encounter.) The remainder of the night passes uncomfortably but uneventfully, and in the morning, somewhat less rested than you might like, you return to Calisro Benarry with your report.
"So, me hearties!" the half-orc greets you."Not get much sleep, looks like?" She grins. "Find anything interesting? And—" she looks at you all significantly "—did you last the whole night without fleeing with your tails between your legs?"
Ornaculus' many years of rigorously training his memory comes in useful as he summons to mind a passage from a book he had to read for a required class. He intones the words of the prayer beseeching light and succor for those who have died forgotten in the darkness.
A faint smell of fresh linen wafts through the great hall and the air briefly shimmers like a chime ringing. The hands that burst through the tiles fade away, and under the floorboards, all is silent.
Relieved that the haunt has been put to rest (at least temporarily), Redd gingerly steps out and moves to the west as she had intended. She doesn't hear anything at the door [E].
Dorian repeats the prayer that worked before, but it doesn't seem to have the same effect.
With an alarmingly loud crack, a pair of shriveled hands bursts out from the floor, scattering fragments of tile. In the moonlight, Dorian can see that iron shackles rest around the emaciated wrists, flanked by rings of a crusted sticky substance that looks like blackened blood. The hands reach out, grasping at empty air with unnaturally long fingernails, like sharpened talons. Elsewhere under the floorboards, the scratching continues.
Religion will work here, if someone can roll high enough.
Just received a notification that I can't access the slides and it sent an email to the creator, probably you, Logsig.
Weird, I haven't changed the access rights, and it still says anyone with the link can edit, but I shared it out to your gmail address explicitly as well.
Is anyone else having trouble accessing the slides through the link under my avatar name?
"Redd, wait!" Ornaculus whispers urgently, catching her by the sleeve. "I hear something... there's something in the hall!"
And indeed, now that he's pointed it out, everyone can hear a low, insistent scratching sound coming from under the floorboards of the once-majestic hall, as if something is trying to get out.
"It's another one of those haunts," Ornaculus says, his voice cracking a little. "Er... we could try putting it to rest like the other?"
Redd rushes over to the others, looking around for any hostile creatures, but sees and hears nothing.
Filtune wracks her brain for an idea of what to do here, but she's still dealing with the assault on her mind and can't think of anything.
Dorian remembers hearing a full litany of dwarven prayers for the dead intoned while he was on guard at the temple of Torag. One in particular seems particularly fitting here. He leans into the doorway and repeats the verse out loud, beseeching peace for the souls of the wrongly-imprisoned. As he does, he feels the power in the words rolling off his tongue, hanging in the air like invisible sigils.
Though the room was cold and dank but moments ago, a pleasant warmth seems to suffuse the study. Filtune hears a ghostly breath, sounding almost like a sigh — Reveal our sorrow to the world... and then the whispers fall silent. At least, for now.
Ornaculus staggers out of the study, wiping sweat off his pale face. "That was a singularly unpleasant experience, my friends. I feel foolish, but I'm glad none of us came to any harm."
This haunt has been suppressed. You have explored the eastern side of the house. Where to now?
Redd searches the kitchen and pantry thoroughly, but disappointingly, finds nothing of value.
As there is no other magic to be detected, Ornaculus joins Filtune in searching the study while Dorian stands guard just outside the room.
Perception Ornaculus:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Neither he nor Filtune see anything useful among the debris. But after a few moments, Ornaculus looks up. "Er... does anyone else hear that?"
Will Save Filtune:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23 Will Save Ornaculus:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Filtune:
You hear whispers, many different voices, talking over each other, calling out in a myriad of different languages. You recognize Common, Halfling and Osiriani among them. "Let me go!" Some are weeping, the words emerging from between sobs, invoking their gods, begging for mercy. Others plead fearfully, bargaining, making desperate promises. "I'll pay! I can find the money, if you'll let me go..." The disorienting susurrus of whispers assails you from every direction, growing louder and more insistent...
Religion to Identify:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
These are lost spirits, reliving their last terrifying moments, their emotions distilled into a haunt that can overwhelm the minds of living creatures. The concentrated pain and fear is almost palpable, but your will is strong enough to fight off the haunt's hold on your mind. Perhaps there is something you can do to calm the spirits, at least for a while. The haunt can be temporarily suppressed with a successful Religion or Performance check. Or, you can simply leave the immediate area.
Ornaculus:
You hear whispers, many different voices, talking over each other, calling out in a myriad of different languages. You recognize Common, Dwarven, Elven, Gnomish, Goblin, Halfling, and Varisian among them. "Let me go!" Some are weeping, the words emerging from between sobs, invoking their gods, begging for mercy. Others plead fearfully, bargaining, making desperate promises. "I'll pay! I can find the money, if you'll let me go..." The disorienting susurrus of whispers assails you from every direction, growing louder and more insistent...
They have captured you, beaten you, dragged you here. They will maim you, kill you, or worse... There is nothing left to lose. These slavers have no mercy, but at the very least, you must try to make them pay.
You summon your arcane powers to assail your captors, and then grip your staff, and prepare to go down fighting.
Filtune and Dorian see Ornaculus spin around wildly, desperation in his eyes, one hand holding his staff in a white-knuckled grip, while the other makes eldritch gestures and incomprehensible syllables fall from his lips.
Ornaculus casts Acid Splash vs. Dorian's AC 19 with shield:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19 for 1d6 ⇒ 4 acid + 1 splash
A glob of something green comes flying from his fingertips at Dorian, who hurriedly intercepts it with his shield. Assuming Dorian shield blocks, he takes no damage.
Ornaculus strikes with his staff vs. Filtune's AC 16:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8
A wild swing with the staff at Filtune follows, but despite being taken by surprise, she easily dodges it.
As you watch, wide-eyed, Ornaculus pants, lowers his staff, and shock replaces the fear in his eyes as he realizes what he just did.
"No! I... I didn't mean to attack you. I thought you were someone else..." He clutches his head. "The voices..."
From here in the drawing room, Dorian doesn't see any movement or notice anything unusual in the room to the north [Area C4]. It looks like it was once a study. Ivy has overgrown the empty window frame, casting this room into deep shadow. A low shelf, its wood warped and cracked, stands against the wall, and a desk has been overturned and smashed.
Redd, quietly peering through the western door, sees a ruined kitchen [Area C5]. A single, aged worktable still stands in one corner of this room, and there are clay fragments of an oven. The ceiling has completely fallen in, leaving this room open to the sky above. A door in the far west of the kitchen likely leads back out into the large hall, while the doorway to the north of the kitchen leads to a small empty room that was probably once used for storage.
Filtune enters the drawing room and searches the piles of debris, while the rest of the party keeps watch.
She immediately finds a lesser potion of healing (heals 2d8+5 HP), cradled in the ruins of an armchair. Ornaculus nods when Filtune holds it up and confirms that, after excluding the potion, he isn't detecting any other magic in the area. "Oh well. A healing potion isn't as interesting of an item as I'd hoped for, but I suppose it might come in useful."
Filtune's exploration also reveals a hidden compartment in the wall behind a collapsed bookcase, which contains a sheaf of weathered papers. Filtune quickly pages through them, and passes them to Redd with a grim expression. There are lists of names, dates of capture, and receipts with amounts of gold listed against each name... slave transactions.
Detect Magic is a 30-foot emanation around the caster and is non-directional. Cast at first level, Ornaculus doesn't get any other info other than presence of magic (excluding any magic sources he is already aware of).
Dorian marches to the double doors [D], making no effort at stealth. He listens for sounds, hears nothing, and forthrightly opens the doors, while Redd, her roguish instincts screaming, draws her weapon and tries to stay unnoticed.
The doors swing open with a painfully loud creak. There is a moment of collectively held breath—but nothing happens.
The party gazes upon a dreary room, covered with dirt, whose central feature is a large moldy carpet. Apart from several tiny insects that scuttle away into the shadows at your approach, even a cursory search tells you there is nothing of interest here. A smaller door hangs slightly askew to the north. The gap between the door and the frame is large enough to allow a peek into the room beyond, and anyone who does so sees what would once have been a comfortable drawing room [Area C3]. There is no sign of movement there, and no sound apart from your own breathing.
Everything the drawing room once held now lies jumbled over the floor in a soggy mess: torn pages, scraps of fabric, and splintered remnants of furniture. To the west is a second, similarly sagging door [H]. To the north, the door that would have been there has been smashed from its hinges and lies in jagged pieces [K]. There looks to be another small room beyond that empty doorway.
Ornaculus, bringing up the rear, detects the presence of magic in the area (30 foot radius), and whispers urgently to the party. "There must be something interesting around here!"
Ill need to fill out a chronicle sheet I guess. I was holding off til the end of the this 'campaign' but I reckon its a on the spot thing. Wheres a link to the chronicle sheet?
The GM fills out the chronicle sheet for you then will email it to you when the game is finished. You just fill in the gold, xp, and fame total from past sheets.
Unless you are quitting now and want only partial rewards.
Fola shakes her head sadly at Dorian's question. "I don't know who it might have been, or what reasons they might have professed. But I will say this: there are those who seem to revel in the trappings of terror and oppression, and who are opposed to the freedom and hope we bring, not merely as a matter of political expediency, but at a deep, visceral level that you and I can hardly fathom. One who could summon such creatures—into a crowded street filled with innocents, no less—is beyond your power now, but in the course of your adventures, you will encounter others like him. And I know then that you will defend those who need protection, as you have done so well already, when words have no more power, and evil must simply be met by blood and steel."
Redd's inquiries among the local bakeries bear fruit. Not only does she discover a few new tasty treats, but she hears rumors that the house was last used by slavers storing their "merchandise". The very thought of slavers makes Redd see red. What atrocities could have been perpetrated within those walls? And is that why the house is haunted?
----
At the manor, Dorian harumphs at Filtune's shenanigans and trudges stoically up the steps, then waits for Redd's signal to go ahead.
Ornaculus follows silently behind the dwarf, mentally cataloguing his spell list, and muttering about 'ectoplasm'.
With Filtune trailing her, Redd peeks into the Solarium. Contrary to her fears, there is only rotting furniture and mildew here, and her pounding heart calms a little.
The door to the right, leading further into the house, creaks opens at the merest touch. The moonlight filtering through the gaping holes in the roof is more than bright enough for Redd's twilight-accustomed eyes to see by, as she peers cautiously in.
A tiled floor, ornate columns, and elegant sweeping staircases evoke a distinctly Taldan aesthetic. One might be able to imagine the sound of refined laughter and the clink of glasses as long-ago guests to a house-party approach the staircases, their footsteps echoing on the marble floor tiles. But those tiles are now cracked and filthy, and the fine statuary that lined the walls has been smashed. None of the three staircases climbs beyond head level before ending abruptly in twisted metal and broken stone. Silence hangs over the cavernous empty space. [Area C2]
To the right of the hall, Redd can see three doors [A, B, D]. On the left side, there are two other doors [E, G] and an empty doorway [F].
Moving things along a bit... Ornaculus is sorely tempted to use the salve on the interesting-looking large monster in the northeast, but relents at Redd's glare, and allows the salve to be used for its intended purpose.
A moment passes, the stone seems to sag, and a yelp issues from the unfortunate former-statue. She staggers, catches herself, then blinks and looks around.
"Er... what happened to the gorgon?" She sniffs the air. "What, pray tell, is that exceedingly strange-smelling substance you have applied to my skin? And, more to the point, who are you people?"
You explain that you are Pathfinders sent to un-petrify her, and hurry the bemused woman away from Statue Street and the crowd that is beginning to gather. Decades have passed since she was last out and about in Absalom, and she gawks at all the sights, full of questions that you can only pay half a mind to while simultaneously trying to keep a look out all around you for danger and move as fast as possible without attracting attention.
The luck of halflings is with you, however, and nothing untoward happens along the way. At the Grand Lodge, Fola Barun welcomes the new arrival with a smile, has her taken away to get a good meal and a hot bath, and thanks you for carrying out this mission of mercy. As you are about to take your leave, the Pathfinder you saved comes running back out to you, and hands you a small gold idol of Acavna, the Azlanti goddess of magic, as a token of her gratitude. No in-game purpose; just represents treasure bundles.
You've completed your second mission. Feel free to post about what you're doing before your next mission. After all, there's no point in going to the haunted house in daylight...
Anyone who wishes to take a couple of hours and use Diplomacy to Gather Information about the haunted house may do so. You can either roll inside a spoiler or let me know that you'd like me to roll.
As night falls, you set off on your third mission.
The moon is low and full as you head to the Precipice Quarter in the southwest of the city. The entire neighborhood, if it can be called that, is perched high on a steep, crumbling hillside. Here and there, clumps of ruined houses stick out like scabs on the slope, the only remnants of the once-prosperous district that was sheared into the sea by the earthquake that devastated the city 22 years ago.
Before you, a silent and ominous presence, stands the infamous Mavedarus Manor. Before the disaster, it would have been a grand, three-story building with manicured lawns. It might have commanded the respect and envy of its neighbors. Now, the upper floors have collapsed; piles of broken masonry and rusted iron ornaments lie strewn about, and the grounds are a tangle of weeds and dead shrubs, their skeletal branches clawing at the night.
Two curving staircases lead up to a broad veranda bereft of its railings. [Area C1] Two openings that might once have been doors lead into the faint remnants of a solarium, while two more doors lead further in to the creaking house itself. A whiff of rot and decay seeps from the structure.
Please refer to Slide #10. You are entering from the south. I will assume your default exploration activities unless otherwise stated. Please move your tokens to wherever you'd like to go.
You are totally okay since it's GM credit - Filtune wasn't playing in those quests.
You can always assign GM credit to a char that is playing in an ongoing adventure - but you do not actually apply the credit (XP, etc) to that char until it finishes the ongoing adventure.
Redd taunts the fiend, which clearly does understand Common and seems to be a little shaken by her cutting words. She then shoots 2 arrows, the first of which hits.
Botting Dorian... Dorian swings at the remaining creature using his magically-enhanced hammer.
His last swing connects powerfully, splattering the creature over the flagstones.
Combat over.
Now that the daemons have been dealt with, the petrified Pathfinder you seek can be easily spotted at the northwest corner of the square (statue with black background). There is no sign of the person who unleashed them, and the frightened citizens who fled earlier are sidling back to see what you are doing.
I was not sure If I suppose to move and increase my "bless radius" in the google slide. (Or if this is something usually only the GM does). What works best for in the future? :)
I'm perfectly happy with you moving your own tokens and setting your bless radius!
If a GM doesn't want you changing things, they could set the slides to read-only, I guess. I imagine if a GM had strong views in that direction, they would lay down the law at the start of the game. I've never met one who did, though. It's much more common that the GM wants the players to move their own stuff but the player isn't able to (because of the phone or whatever device they are using).
Note that Google slides (or any similar docs) have a Version History function that you can use to see what changes happened in the past, in the unlikely event that an issue arises.
Redd's two arrows fly straight and true, burying themselves deep into the flesh of the evil creature and eliciting a screech of displeasure. In her head, Filtune hears a stream of what can only be unhinged cursing in an unknown language.
Redd peers to the west, scanning for signs of the other creature.
Redd:
You believe you see air movement two squares directly west of you (i.e. there is one unoccupied square between you and it).
The second creature is hidden to Redd; targeting a hidden creature requires a DC 11 flat (d20) check in addition to the normal attack roll. However, unless Redd uses a Point Out action to indicate its position to the rest of the party, that creature is still undetected to everyone else at this time.
Ornaculus recalls that these are cacodaemons, tiny fiends with an insatiable hunger for mortal souls. Their bite can spread a disease known as cacodaemonia, which clouds the victim's mind and enables the daemon to speak to them telepathically at any distance on the same plane. Like many other fiends, they have a particular interest in followers of good religions, and are weak to good damage.
Cacodaemons have the horrifying ability to swallow the soul of someone who dies near them, trapping the soul in a fist-sized soul gem that it grows in its gut. They can later regurgitate this gem. A cacodaemon who consumes a fully-formed soul gem condemns the soul within to Abaddon, and the daemon gains fast healing for a short time.
----
Filtune hears a spine-chilling cackle of laughter. "Yessss, come to me, ssssweet little cleric..." a voice says, toothily, by her right ear.
Slavering jaws snap at her as a daemon appears out of thin air, hovering so close that she can feel its scales scrape on her...
Attack vs. Filtune's AC 16:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11 but it misses!
With a growl, it tries again...
2nd attack vs. Filtune's AC 16:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18 and bites for 1d8 ⇒ 3 piercing plus 1d4 ⇒ 2 evil damage.
Filtune feels the creature's vile fluids entering the wound...
Filtune's Fort save:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11 and she realizes that she can hear a low, guttural voice, singing, "Taaaasty little cleric... " The creature's mouth isn't moving: its teeth are simply bared in a rictus grin. The voice is in her head.
Initiative order:
Monster (yellow border) - visible to all, in Filtune's square
Redd & Filtune [-5 HP] <<<
Monster (red border) [-6 HP] - invisible
Dorian & Ornaculus
Dorian thinks he can see a vague impression of the air moving where flapping wings would be.
Dorian:
You successfully Seek. You believe the creature is directly on the other side of Filtune from where you are standing.
One creature is hidden to Dorian; targeting a hidden creature requires a DC 11 flat (d20) check in addition to the normal attack roll. However, unless Dorian uses a Point Out action to indicate its position to the rest of the party, that creature is still undetected to everyone else at this time.
Are we allowed to look at our old secret rolls after getting the info from the GM? Like, can I now look to see what my roll for "gather info" from last Wednesday was? The suspense is killing me!
Lol, sure. Knowing whether you rolled well or not (e.g. crit fail = wrong info) doesn't have consequences at this point.
Filtune moves to a central location and calls upon her goddess to aid the party.
Redd moves closer, draws her bow, and shoots at the visible creature. Redd doesn't have enough actions to Hide, and couldn't roll Deception or Stealth for init, so no sneak attack damage. The monster roars angrily as the arrow hits it, then disappears from view.
Broken-line boxes indicate the last seen position of each monster (which may have moved). For targeting purposes, they are both currently undetected to everyone. Anyone can attempt a Seek action (Perception) on your turn to try to locate an invisible creature, which would change the condition to only hidden (to you).
Dorian's threats don't have the desired effect, and though he does suggest an interesting new line of business for the smith, it falls on deaf ears.
Redd's smile and sweet words work their magic on the barrister, who turns pink, and losing all traces of his former eloquence, stammers, "Oh. Er. W--well, y-yes, I--I s-suppose s-so..." He fidgets uncomfortably with the hat held in his hands, then claps it onto his head, and departs.
Redd then turns her efforts towards tongue-lashing the stubborn smith and his followers, threatening to bring down the full fury of the authorities. Though more than willing to jeer at Dorian a few seconds ago, the man now sees the seriousness of the situation. White-faced, the smith nods dumbly, and hurriedly takes his leave.
Meanwhile, Ornaculus whispers conspiratorially to the socialite, describing how to parlay a frozen Pathfinder's release into invitations to many more dinner parties. She considers his words doubtfully for a moment, then smiles, taps her folded fan against his cheek, picks up her skirts and flounces away down the stairs.
Bereft of its leaders, the crowd falls silent. People look at each other and shrug. The mob begins to disperse.
"Useless fools! Must I do everything myself?!" A shout rings out from a cloaked figure at the edge of the crowd. A torrent of vile-sounding words in some terrible language none of you recognize spills from his lips. A pair of crimson-colored, scaly, toothy, many-eyed, flying creatures appears (illustration at top left of map). "Kill the interlopers!" the man commands. An instant later, he disappears from sight.
Screams echo off neighboring buildings as people flee in every direction. In a matter of moments, the square is empty, save for you, the two monsters, and the silent ranks of statues.
Filtune may act. As you didn't move up earlier, I moved you up to the party, but you may freely reposition anywhere in that general area before taking your first action.
At Ornaculus' behest, the party discusses the previous night's difficulties and how they could do better in future. Perhaps it's just the pleasant weather, or the satisfaction at having completed Eando Kline's mission, but everyone seems to be in a good mood. There's something to be said for being alive in the City at the Center of the World.
In the Westgate district, while Dorian enjoys some tasty comestibles and keeps his ears open, Ornaculus, Redd and Filtune chat with the locals.
Redd learns that the Charge of the Gorgon is an 700-year-old practice, recently discontinued, that was originally instituted to prevent overcrowding in the city’s prisons. Nonviolent offenders were allowed to compete for a pardon in a race to outrun an angry gorgon along these streets. Those who failed to run fast enough fell victim to its petrifying breath weapon, and line the streets as macabre statues.
Ornaculus is able to find out that a crowd has gathered along Statue Street, the main thoroughfare along which the Charge is run, just round the corner from where you are. Having somehow found out about Fola Barun's intentions, these people are there to stop her agents (you!) from carrying out her mission.
Filtune hears that the ringleaders of the crowd are a socialite, a smith, and a barrister. These three seem to be particularly vocal, and have been instrumental in keeping the crowd riled up.
When you have finished your second breakfast and learned all you can from the locals in the café, you head over to Statue Street. The fragrant scent of tended flower gardens in the warm sunlight blends with the low hum of distant conversation over what would normally be a pleasant boulevard. But the stone statues—at first appearing only here and there, like odd decorations—now number several per block, and the otherwise plain square ahead is outright cluttered with stone figures. They take countless forms, from humans and halflings to orcs, lizardfolk, and even stranger, all forever frozen in acts of desperation, defiance, or despair. The quaint, statue-filled square is also filled with people; several dozen townsfolk shout and argue, their voices somehow out of place among the silent statues.
Each of the 3 ringleaders speaks, in turn. It seems they each have their own reasons to preserve whatever relics they can of the Charge of the Gorgon. The socialite mourns the gala event that the Charge had become. The smith, along with many other tradesmen, lost a considerable source of income after the tourist trade surrounding the Charge died away. The barrister bemoans the discontinuation of a quaint but storied legal procedure. One thing all three of them share is a resentment at the Society's interference in what they have left of this tradition.
It is only a matter of time before someone in the crowd sees that you are there, listening. "There! It's those Pathfinders!" Voices are raised, fingers are pointed, and all eyes turn to you, accusingly.
Please refer to Slide #9. You are entering from the southeast. The 3 ringleaders are on the elevated central fountain area, and the mob is gathered just north of them.
This is a social encounter. Everyone who wishes to may address the ringleaders, using a role-play argument and a skill check appropriate to that ringleader's profession. Some suggestions for applicable skills are below, but I'll allow any other skills that are plausible. You may each make 2 skill checks. Please move your token to anywhere within reasonable speaking range (or let me know where you want to move to), then specify which ringleader you are addressing for each check and what you say to them. The party as a whole only needs one success per ringleader.
You were given a salve to de-petrify the Pathfinder, so you won't have to carry a statue back to the Lodge.
Wizards can learn spells from other PC wizards you meet, or from written materials (spellbooks or scrolls). This is a Downtime activity that requires time and money, as well as a skill check (Arcana for wizards). Rules for learning spells are HERE. Most GMs will allow you to Learn a Spell if you have the required materials, whenever the party has some free time, before a night's rest, or at the end of an adventure. Note that if you fail the skill check, you can't attempt to learn that spell until you level up again.
In PFS specifically, you have a unique source of "free" scrolls to learn spells from - the spell scrolls that are available as Pathfinder Training items at the beginning of each adventure.
Ornaculus can certainly study Tavvar's books/scrolls flavor-wise, but her ritual doesn't have a stat block that you can use in-game, so mechanically you don't get to actually learn that ritual.
Redd:
Scoundrel rogue is certainly less straightforward to play but please don't feel like you have to retrain simply because of this one scenario. I've seen very successful "pure" Scoundrel rogues whose feint has been a real force-multiplier (admittedly, this is more obvious in parties with multiple martials, and at levels where you have a reasonable percentage of critting the feint).
After receiving healing, the party seeks the comfort of bed. The night passes uneventfully, save perhaps for a dream or two of shadowy creatures with a deathly cold touch, but the memory of the dream evaporates as the sun rises.
Much refreshed, you meet up at the Grand Lodge and deliver your report to Eando Kline, who accepts your assessment of Tavvar's research with a nod. "Well done," he says, laconically. It's not exactly effusive praise, but no one would expect that from the man that he has become. Rather, it is a somber acknowledgement, an understanding between colleagues, that you have done something that needed to be done.
Feel free to describe what else you do in the morning.
Your next mission takes you to the Westgate district, a short distance to the west of the Foreign Quarter. It is a pleasant walk in the crisp morning air. You pass a squad of the Sally Guard out on patrol, the sunlight reflecting off their steel armor. Their boots beat out a rhythm on the worn cobblestones as they march away through the streets. A few shops can be seen here and there, offering produce and household goods. And, though a simple breakfast of gruel was available, as it always is, at the Grand Lodge, the tantalizing smells wafting from a corner café are hard to resist.
A few locals are enjoying a hot beverage and a pastry here. Anyone who wishes to take some time to chat with the district's residents may use Diplomacy to Gather Information pertinent to your mission (secret check, so either roll inside a spoiler, or let me know and I will roll for you).
The assistants are sadly beyond Filtune's power to aid, but Tavvar says nothing as she watches the halfling's ministrations, more tears trailing down her cheeks.
Then she stands, and gathers up her books and scrolls. "Here. These are all my notes and references concerning the ritual. Hide them, or better yet, destroy them." She thrusts them at Dorian.
She bends down again to retrieve a shadowy elixir sitting in the middle of the circle, and tosses it to Ornaculus, who has to interrupt his droning lecture in order to catch it. "It's a lesser mistform elixir. I used it as a focus for the ritual, but it's still good as an elixir, and you could probably do something more useful with it."
Tavvar bites her lip, and turns to Redd, "First, I'll see to the.. arrangements... and the families of my assistants. And then... well, I doubt the College will permit me to stay on after this debacle. Maybe... I'll see you around."
With a sad smile, she walks out of the room.
Your mission is complete, and you can return to the Lodge, report to Eando, and get some sleep before proceeding on to your next one. While you're at the Grand Lodge, I don't see any reason why you couldn't get your wounds treated by the Pathfinders there, so you may assume you have your full resources back before your next mission.
Dorian receives an additional Hero Point.
Filtune, you do need to have healer's tools to use Medicine to treat a patient. I don't see a set on anyone's char sheet but you (or someone else in the party) can purchase one if you'd like to use them in your future missions.
