M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
When the gargoyle crumbles to dust, Gralamin lets out his breath in a deep sigh, then smiles. "I seem to have picked the right companions. Well done, everybody."
When he sees the neck-ring's riddle, he frowns. "More words twisted upon themselves to confuse the reader. I presume we should keep our eyes out for hidden caches of gold, in order to discover some crucial bit of information - likely in the form of another riddle. This is yet another reference to an arch or archway, though the first riddle implied we'd find the archway early, while this one implies it is at the end."
After thinking for a few more minutes, Gralamin indicates that he is ready to proceed forward.
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
Gralamin chants the words to a spell, wiping a drop of sweat from his brow as he does so. The drop of sweat glows a deep blue and covers his entire hand, and the wizard moves forward, attempting to touch the mutated gargoyle.
Cast touch of fatigue and move up to the gargoyle to touch it.
Touch attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
The hectic nature of the combat, with swords slashing, hoofs flying everywhere, and a monk's crazy tumbling distracts Gralamin, however, and he misses.
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
Sorry for my disappearance. I thought I had posted about it, but I guess not. My wife had knee surgery last week, and she's pretty well confined to her chair and dependent on me for most things, so I have little time right now. I'll try to post as I can.
I have to admit, I'm having a hard time picturing the few places we've seen so far.
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
Gralamin reports back what his arcane eye revealed to him. "I must admit to being stumped at this moment. It's very possible the mist is not the least bit harmful, but who wants to take the chance? Unless somebody wants to summon a living creature and see how it reacts."
Upon hearing Garret's idea, he concurs with Shadassa. "We may indeed have gone too far. Good thinking, Garret."
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
"It is time, I think, to scout through the fog with magical means."
Gralamin spends half a minute casting a few spells, then seems to once again be studying some random point in space.
Casting: comprehend languages, see invisibility, darkvision (using bonded ring), arcane sight, and arcane eye. The arcane eye will move through the mist, attempting to map the room. If I find an exit after getting the dimensions of the area, the eye will continue down the exit. It is blocked by solid barriers, but can pass through a space as small as 1 inch in diameter. While in the mist, assuming I cannot see beyond 5 feet, the eye will move at its full speed - 30 feet per round. Once out of the mist, it will move at 10 feet per round, examining all directions.
With arcane eye, I can see as if I were there, so all those preliminary spells should help.
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
"Just a corridor beyond the door for the short distance I could see. A latch presumably to open the secret door from the other side," Gralamin says as he comes out of his trance. "Shall we attempt to explore it, or should I use several more spells in an attempt to see what lays beyond the mist?"
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
"Very well," Gralamin says briskly. He casts a couple spells then seems to withdraw into himself, looking for all the world as if he were studying something.
Cast anticipate peril* and then clairaudience/clairvoyance to see just beyond the hidden door at the bottom of the pit. If the area is magically dark, he'll see nothing. If it's merely naturally pitch black, he sees in a 10 foot radius around the sensor.
Take 20 on Perception check to study whatever he can see from the spell. Perception total is 35.
*Gralamin gets a +5 bonus to his next Initiative check within the next 9 minutes.
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
"Do we want to trust the message? Not particularly. But I think those who provide taunting, cryptic clues to draw you into their traps tend to include kernels of truth if they can be winnowed from the chaff of deception." Gralamin moves over to the indicated pit and casts detect magic, inspecting the pit and the hidden door.
"I could cast a spell - two would be needed, to be exact - that would allow me to see what awaits on the other side of the door, but I'm not sure I wish to use such powerful spells so early in our exploration."
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
Spellcraft: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (8) + 20 = 28
Gralamin studies the mist for a few moments, then shakes his head. "It's conjuration, obviously, but of a sort far more powerful than anything I can cast or am familiar with."
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
Gralamin follows the party down the hall, floating a few inches off the ground. At the end, he looks around for a short while, studying any magical auras.
Use detect magic to study any auras at the end of the hall for 3 rounds to determine the school(s).
Go back to the tormentor or through the arch,
and the second great hall you’ll discover.
"It would seem likely that this is the arch mentioned, and this friendly fellow," he points at the devil face, "is the tormentor. Through the arch would be another great hall, then. Back to the tormentor...I have no idea."
Two pits along the way will be found to lead
to a fortuitous fall, so check the wall.
"Judging by the number of pit traps in this hall alone, there could be a very great many down here to check. I tend to think that as this line is halfway through the riddle, the pits that lead to a fortuitous fall might be halfway through this tomb. But it might be wise to actually trigger the traps and check the walls inside of them."
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
I'm still here. There just hasn't really been much of anything for Gralamin to do - he's letting the sneaky, trap-finding people do their job. It's also been a busy weekend.
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
"Perhaps we can assume we now know the meaning of being congratulated on our powers of observation - the two side passages are false." Gralamin peers into the central entrance. "A red brick pathway. The obvious decision would be to walk on it alone. But should we trust to the obvious?"
Gralamin sits down and studies the paper on which he copied Acererak's riddle, attempting to decipher it. He mumbles and mutters to himself, ignoring most everything else.
Go back to the tormentor or through the arch,
and the second great hall you’ll discover.
"The tormentor...perhaps a demon of some kind. Possibly a statue. Go back to it, though? A twisting passage, perhaps? Teleportation? Hmm..."
Shun green if you can, but night’s good color
is for those of great valor.
"Avoid the color green when there's a choice, obviously, but the color of night? Scientifically speaking, there is no color of night, for night is darkness, darkness is black, and black is the absence of color. But perhaps Acererak was not as learned as I am in modern science."
If shades of red stand for blood the wise
will not need sacrifice aught but a loop of
magical metal—you’re well along your march.
"Some kind of magical ring acts as a key to avoid sacrifice. We'd best find this ring."
Two pits along the way will be found to lead
to a fortuitous fall, so check the wall.
"The pits lead to a good fall? A treasure trove? The way deeper? Or something else? Regardless, we should be checking the walls often for clues."
These keys and those are most important of all,
and beware of trembling hands and what will maul.
"What will maul. A tiger, naturally, or some other great beast. But what keys? And what does he mean by twisting grammar and using the word 'those' there? Bah, riddles."
If you find the false you find the true
and into the columned hall you’ll come,
and there the throne that’s key and keyed.
"What first appears to be false will actually be true. A door that seems to lead to nowhere? Perhaps one of the very doors my companions have already found. Could it be that Acererak hides the solution at the very entrance? Hmm. A throne that requires at least one key, and that is itself key to the puzzle."
The iron men of visage grim do more than
meets the viewer’s eye.
"An iron golem, I'd wager."
You’ve left and left and found my Tomb
and now your soul will die.
"Two turns to the left? Left the tomb twice only to return? Turning left twice results in facing the opposite. Again, a clue to the front entrance, perhaps?"
Gralamin continues pondering the meaning of the riddle, then eventually shares his thoughts with the rest of the group.
Gralamin inspects all three entrances. "The western hall's ceiling is latticework holding back loose unworked stone. You'd have to have the luck of Desna herself to not trigger whatever trap lies in wait there."
After reading the inscription allegedly etched by Acererak him(it?)self, Gralamin sighs. "Riddles. So very cliche. I would hazard a guess that if we can correctly decipher it, the clues are true. However, I can all but guarantee they're misleading. Still, we should absolutely keep them in mind." The wizard takes out a piece of paper and copies the words down.
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
Gralamin speaks to the elemental summoned by Shadassa first, telling it (and translating for the other party members afterwards) to go through the earth on the westernmost entrance until it reaches a door or other way of egress for non-earth elementals, then report back to me quickly, as it doesn't have long before returning to its home plane.
He instructs the other two elementals to carefully move through the buried center and easternmost entrances, looking carefully for anything that might be of interest or danger. When they find a door or other entrance, report back for further instructions.
Once the elementals have started their work, Gralamin turns to the others, translates, and then says, "Let's see where this goes."
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
"I am familiar with the language of earth elementals, as it happens, though I have never been much interested in the binding of them to my will. If you are to summon one, perhaps a better use of its time would be to move into the various entrances and report back what it sees?"
"I also have a spell that allows me to communicate with any creature that has thoughts."
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
Shocking!
Gralamin flies closer to the "eyesockets" in the skull (about 35 feet above them), looking down to see if there might be an entrance. He calls down to the rest of the party and tells them anything he sees.
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
"It is indeed Varisian magic. I was fortunate enough to learn it from a true harrower, despite my Taldan heritage." He glances at the cards again before shuffling them together and standing. "I must say, your reading is far more positive than any I've ever done for myself. I'm not sure what to make of that."
Turning to the digging efforts, Gralamin says, "It might be wise to excavate all three. For all we know, two of them might be traps designed to look like entrances. For that matter, perhaps all of them are." Gralamin frowns at the thought and waves his hands in a few graceful motions while intoning a couple spells. He rises off the ground and flies upward.
Cast mage armor and overland flight and fly over the hill to see if a higher perspective helps him see anything that has been missed.
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
Gralamin gives Shadassa a once over and smiles slightly. "Can't say that I've ever done a harrowing for a merfolk before. Should be...different."
Gralamin takes 10 minutes to sit with Shadassa and casts a harrowing for her. "Interesting, interesting. No cards in opposition to you - that is a very good sign. Though the path ahead of you is dark and full of danger, your skill and strength will see you through these trials and tribulations, but only if you are wise and do not act with impatience. Overconfidence could be the downfall of everything for which you have worked."
Hammers = Attack rolls
Keys = Reflex saves
Shields = Fortitude saves
Books = Skill checks
Stars = Will saves
Crowns = any d20 roll
2 of books = +2 luck bonus to one skill check.
3 of keys = +1 luck bonus to one reflex save.
1 of stars = +1 luck bonus to one will save.
9 of crowns = +1 luck bonus to any one d20 roll.
2 of hammers = +2 luck bonus to one attack roll.
5 of crowns = +1 luck bonus to any one d20 roll.
4 of keys = +1 luck bonus to one reflex save.
1 of keys = +1 luck bonus to one reflex save.
9 of stars = +1 luck bonus to one will save.
End result:
Sometime over the next 9 days, Shadassa Nal'p can "spend" one of the following bonuses to modify that type of roll. This can be done after the die is rolled, but not after the result is revealed.
Skill check: +2 luck bonus
Reflex save: +1 luck bonus
Will save: +1 luck bonus
Any one d20 roll: +1 luck bonus
Attack roll: +2 luck bonus
"Looks as likely as any other place for an ancient tomb, barring a graveyard, of course. It seems there are 3 entrances on the north face, but they're buried in. If, as so many people in Westcrown tried to warn us, many adventurers have come here and died, then the question is obvious: who reburied the entrances and why?"
Gralamin strokes his goatee for a moment, thinking, but shrugs. "The residents inside, no doubt, but who they are, or why they did so, is a mystery." He looks around at the others. "Gralamin Urdathar, by the way, in case I forgot to formerly introduce myself. Wizard, fortune-teller, and on-again off-again drunkard." He tries for a dismissive chuckle, but it comes out more an awkward cough.
Pulling out a deck of harrow cards, he says, "Would anybody like a reading before we truly begin? Alas, I only have the ability to do it once this day."
M Human Wizad (Diviner) 9 hp 65/65 Init +11 AC 12 (16 w/ mage armor), T 12, FF 11 (15 with mage armor) Fort +9 Ref +6 Will +11 Perception +15
I've learned a few tricks from the group I GM'd Slumbering Tsar for. The wizard in that game was quite paranoid - much more so than Gralamin will be, I'm sure.
I will probably be focusing my prepared spells on divination our first day, as I think getting as much scouting and pre-knowledge as possible is a wise bet. One idea I'm very much interested in is using arcane eye combined with arcane sight to scout ahead as much as possible. Hmm...just realized without darkvision, that's not going to be very useful. GM - I used a goodly portion of my starting wealth to buy scrolls and scribe them into my spellbook. Is it okay if I swap detect thoughts for darkvision? I don't have enough money to just buy another scroll and scribe it in.
Also, I would like to cast a harrowing for each party member before we dive into the tomb. Never know what you might find out...
Gralamin is nothing like your typical fortune-teller. No mysterious auras, no bones rolled on a mat. Just a fairly normal looking man, approximately 5 ft. 8 in. tall with dark, receding hair and a crow's peak. His haunted blue eyes, however, do seem to see things that others do not. Dressed in stylish robes of deep green, he cuts a not-quite-impressive figure.
Background:
Fascinated by the fickle hand of fate since he was a child, Gralamin was deeply impressed by a Varisian harrower's prediction that his parent's prize cow would die mysteriously within a week. The concept that man could see into the future and warn others deeply impressed Gralamin, and as soon as he felt himself old enough (age 13), he ran away from his farm to join a Varisian band. Though he himself is of Taldan descent, his eagerness to learn the secrets of harrowing earned him a spot as the fortune-teller's apprentice.
Luckily for Gralamin, his master, Kolothra, was not a con man, but a harrower with real talent, though poorly developed. He could cast a few rudimentary spells, but had an incredible knack with harrow cards. The old man taught Gralamin what he knew, and quickly determined the apprentice would far outstrip the master in terms of magical talent. He encouraged Gralamin to study more than just harrowing.
A few years passed, and true to Kolothra's prediction, Gralamin was soon more talented in the arcane arts than he. Knowing he had little time left to live, he cast the harrowing for his apprentice. Gralamin, it seemed, was destined to travel to Magnimar, and take up an apprenticeship with Jenya the Dark, a notorious wizardress infamous for her dark magics.
Troubled by the harrowing, Kolothra nevertheless travelled with Gralamin to Magnimar. His health rapidly deserting him, the fortune-teller struck a deal with Jenya – Gralamin would serve her unswaveringly for a period of ten years, and she would teach him. Gralamin wanted no part of the deal, but could not refuse the dying request of his beloved master, and reluctantly agreed. Kolothra died a mere two days later.
The next ten years were horrific. Jenya worshipped the Pallid Princess, Urgathoa, and was enchanted by necromancy. She forced Gralamin to aid in her in all manner of the worst magic imaginable. Raising the dead, forcing souls from their bodies, spreading disease…she was enamored of it all. Repulsed by the foul magic, Gralamin nearly gave up his studies, but always Kolothra’s final harrowing bolstered his determination. If Gralamin could withstand the horror of his training, he would become a great force for good. And so he endured.
As his decade of slavery drew to a close, Gralamin plotted. While Jenya had little use for divination magic, he knew of its power firsthand. He was sure Jenya planned to kill him and raise him as an undead abomination the day before his release. When she came for him that day, he was nowhere to be found.
Gralamin travelled to Korvosa, determined to be his own master. When he arrived in Korvosa, he immediately found a tavern and began attempting to drink away the memories of his apprenticeship. It was there he met up with the Order of the Lion, an adventuring group in need of a wizard. It seemed they had been hired to stop a necromancer from defiling the city’s graveyard district.
Gralamin volunteered, and found his calling. His blend of divination, foresight, and powerful necromantic training was a boon to the Order of the Lion, though the wizard swore to never delve into the darkest parts of necromancy such as those practiced by Jenya the Dark.
Several years passed, the happiest of Gralamin’s life. The Order of the Lion was his new family, and they were a strong force for good in Korvosa and its outlying regions. Then tragedy struck. The leader of the Order, Regulus Strongarm, died in a fierce battle with a clan of aggressive stone giants. Distraught over the loss of their leader, the rest of the party determined they would kill the famed red dragon Xiuhcoathal and use his treasure hoard to return Regulus to life.
Gralamin was uneasy, and his divination magic and harrowing only made him more so. The cards and omens all pointed to one thing – sure death. He tried to warn his friends and family, but they wouldn’t listen, too overwhelmed with grief. Mourning his friend’s loss himself, Gralamin refused to accompany the party. Harsh words were spoken, and Gralamin found himself unanimously kicked out of the adventuring group.
The wizard returned to the tavern in which he met the Order, again drinking to forget, and hoping his readings were wrong. Alas, as the days and then weeks passed, and the Order never returned, he knew he had been right. The Order of the Lion was dead.
Unable to stomach the sight of Korvosa any longer, Gralamin has returned to the ways of Kolothra, travelling around doing harrow readings for peasants. But he is a deeply unhappy man. What happened to Kolothra’s prediction that he would be a force for good in the world? Surely there must be something more out there for him, some way he could redeem himself in his own eyes?
Gralamin Urthadar – CR 8
Male Human Wizard 9
NG Medium humanoid
Init +11; Senses Perception +15
EXP: 75,000
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Defense
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AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+1 Dex, +1 deflection)
hp 65 (9d6+27) Current: 65/65
Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +11
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft.
Melee masterwork dagger +4 (1d4-1/19-20)
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Statistics
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Str 9, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 26, Wis 12, Cha 10
Base Atk +4; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats Great Fortitude, Greater Spell Focus (Necromancy), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Persistent Spell, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Spell Focus (Necromancy)
Traits Focused Mind, Reactionary
Skills Appraise +20, Fly +6, Knowledge (arcana) +19, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +19, Knowledge (engineering) +12, Knowledge (geography) +12, Knowledge (history) +12, Knowledge (local) +19, Knowledge (nature) +19, Knowledge (nobility) +12, Knowledge (planes) +19, Knowledge (religion) +19, Perception +15, Profession (fortune-teller) +13, Sense Motive +10, Spellcraft +20
Languages Abyssal, Aquan, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Orc, Terran, Undercommon
SQ arcane bond (object [ring of sustenance] [1/day]), forewarned, opposition schools (enchantment, evocation), prescience (11/day), specialized schools (foresight)
Combat Gear Pearl of power (1st level) (1/day), Wand of Magic Missile (CL 9); Other Gear Masterwork Dagger, Cloak of resistance +2, Handy haversack (77 @ 19.5 lbs), Headband of vast intelligence +4 (Appraise, Sense , Lenses of detection, Ring of protection +1, Ring of sustenance, Blanket, Canteen, Everburning torch, Halfling trail rations (7), Harrow deck, Hip flask, Ink, black (3), Ink, colored (3), Inkpen (2), Mapmaker's kit, Paper (20), Parchment (30), Scroll case (empty), Signet ring, Spell component pouch, Spell component pouch, Spell component pouch, Spellbook (2), Spider's silk rope, Scrying mirror
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Spellcasting
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