The Quest of the Empyreal Knight

[jedipotter]

Cormyr is a strong nation that lies at the western end of the diminished Sea of Fallen Stars.

The kingdom is ancient but remains vigorous. Old forests dominate the landscape and national character. Humans predominate in Cormyr, and they are justly proud of their country’s long and noble traditions.

The dragon, the stag, and the unicorn are prominent in Cormyrian folk tales, ballads, and heraldry.

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin arises from his bed at around seven in the morning, just as the sunrise creeps over the horizon. He yawns sleepily and stretches, pulling himself out of bed and wiping some of the sleep from his eyes. Shaking himself awake, Justin dresses quietly and then bows his head in front of the morning sun and says a short prayer to Helm.

"May the strength given to me by You, and by Law itself never leave me.
May I always follow the path of justice, and may I never forget what is most important to me.
Although...sometimes I worry that I may stray from being honest and true, I beg Your patience with me."

Standing up, Justin will pick up his sword and armor, finishing his dressing and touching his holy symbol gently. He walks down the hall to his sister's room and opens the door. "I'm leaving again, Adori. Don't worry. I won't be gone long." He smiles and leans down, kissing his little sister's sleeping face. Seeing her always made him feel sad, and pained, but he hid it from her each time. He didn't care what the clerics said, Justin knew that she was still awake in there watching him, and he wanted her to feel like her big brother was doing everything he could to rescue her.

"Alright. First thing's first. I should go and check with the Hierophant. See if I'm needed for any sort of temple duties today. If not, then I guess I'll do some research in the library. ...Hmm...I wonder if there's anything going on in the Town Square today as well? So many options..." Justin speaks aloud to himself as he walks. He tries to keep himself talking, because as long as his mind is focused on what its going to say next, he doesn't hear all the things he's thinking but not saying. All the terrible things about what might happen to Adori if he fell in battle or what would happen to him if he was kicked out of the church. Self-doubt and fear were not traits that warriors of the church were known for, and every paladin had his own way of dealing with them.

Justin arrives at the temple and enters. "Good morning, Lord Hierophant! How may I help you and Helm today?"

[jedipotter]

The Watcher's Eye is the Temple to Helm in the city of Arabel. High Watcher Volaan Mahrindi is found in his office. "Well again Justin! may Helm always watch over you and your loved ones. How fairs your sister? No change I take it? Nothing scroll worthy? He says with a wave and a handshake.

He stands up and walks over to the window and looks outside.
High Watcher Volaan Mahrindi "I do fear there is trouble being forged out there. About a ride ago a group of adventures, The Company of the Blue Bird, set off into the Stormhorns in search of adventure. And they found it. They broke into an old crypt and battled undead. A typical tavern tale. At least until they woke up a lich. The lich, apparently named Zaathmaauriig, killed the whole group. Except for one. the lone survivor made it back here to tell his tale. But now we, have a problem. The last thing the kingdom needs is a lich making trouble and doing Helm knows what unspeakable acts. But the temple is stretched thin these days, we just barley have enough to cover our obligations. There is not a soul we can send to investigate this.....except you." He turns to look at you as he says the last part.

[NeoSeraphi]

"I fear not as of yet, no. But she is still peaceful. She looks so happy, like she's just resting. That is comforting to me, at least." Justin replies, bowing his head and shaking the High Watcher's hand amicably.

Justin listens to the High Watcher's tale with a look of horror on his face. "A lich? Are you certain? That kind of monster...I thought it was but a legend! To think that there are actually necromancers in this world desperate enough to go that far for immortality...it's disgusting. Surely this defiler of souls cannot be suffered to live another day! Or...what passes for life with him anyway. Do not worry, High Watcher. I will dispatch this fiend with the blade my father gave me!" He tightens his grip on the only heirloom he has to remember his father, a mighty paladin warrior of Helm, by.

"Before I leave, my Lord, is there anything you can tell me about Stormhorns?"


Knowledge (Religion) check on liches in general and perhaps anything that Justin might know about this Zaathmaaurig character: [roll0]

[jedipotter]

High Watcher Volaan Mahrindi "The Storm Horns is the name given to the mountains that mark the western and northern frontier of Cormyr. They are wild and untamed, the cliffs and crags teeming with monsters. The mountains form an unbroken line of jagged peaks except for High Horn Pass and Gnoll Pass, the only easy routes, both of which are defended by Cormyr. These mountains were once home to several strongholds of an ancient goblin empire. The empire fell to dwarven attacks, long before humans appeared in Cormyr.

There was nothing in the temple archives about the name Zaathmaaurig. Though we are not even sure if that is the name of the lich."






The name Zaathmaaurig is unknown.

A lich is an undead spellcaster, usually a wizard or sorcerer but sometimes a cleric or other spellcaster, who has used its magical powers to unnaturally extend its life.

A lich is a gaunt and skeletal humanoid with withered flesh stretched tight across horribly visible bones. Its eyes have long ago been lost to decay, but bright pinpoints of crimson light burn on in the empty sockets.


Liches are usually solitary creatures. They have cast aside their places as living beings by choice and now want as little to do with the world of men as possible. From time to time, however, a lich's interest in the world at large may be reawakened by some great event of personal importance.

A lich will make its home in some ominous fortified area, often a strong keep or vast subterranean crypt.
When a lich does decide to become involved with the world beyond its lair, its keen intelligence makes it a dangerous adversary. In some cases, a lich will depend on its magical powers to accomplish its goals. If this is not sufficient, however, the lich is quite capable of animating a force of undead troops to act on its behalf. If such is the case, the lich's endless patience and cunning more than make up for the inherent disadvantages of the lesser forms of undead which it commands.

Although the lich has no interest in good or evil as we understand it, the creature will do whatever it must to further its own causes. Since it feels that the living are of little importance, the lich is often viewed as evil by those who encounter it. In rare cases, liches of a most unusual nature can be found which are of any alignment.
The lich can exist for centuries without change. Its will drives it onward to master new magics and harness mystical powers not available to it in its previous life. So obsessed does the monster become with its quest for power that it often forgets its former existence utterly. Few liches call themselves by their old names when the years have drained the last vestiges of their humanity from them. Instead, they often adopt pseudonyms like “the Black Hand” or “the Forgotten King.” Learning the true name of a lich is rumored to confer power over the creature.

[NeoSeraphi]

"I see. Well, thank you very much for entrusting such an important mission to me, my Lord. I will leave right away!" Justin bows his head and leaves the church. He returns home briefly to pack, putting a week's worth of clothes and rations into a sack, along with a bedroll and some basic adventuring gear. He reaches for the doorknob and then stops himself, cursing silently at what he had forgotten.

Justin opens his sister's door and steps inside. "Guess I won't be back for a while. Something really bad happened at work and they need me to go take care of it. ...Yeah, I know. You're worried that I'm not going to come back, like Dad. But you shouldn't worry. I'd never do something like leave you alone in this world for any reason. Dad only took the risks he did because he knew Mom and I were here to look out for you. But now that she's gone too, I have to take much better care of myself. So I'll only fight if it's absolutely necessary, okay? And come on, when was the last time anyone was strong enough to take me on, right?"

It was funny, Justin thinks, as he sits there talking to his sister, saying all the things he thinks she wants to hear. Really, he was just trying to reassure himself, because to be honest a lich was way above his pay grade. Justin had been told by the church officials who survived the ambush that his father had died in battle rescuing his men, but that there would have been no need for his sacrifice at all if his father hadn't been so confident that they wouldn't face any real threats. Confidence, pride...when a person is immune to fear, those are the emotions that can turn against them the most. Justin couldn't make that mistake. He had to keep his ego in check, for her sake.

Strengthening his resolve, he kisses his sister and locks the door behind him. He leaves town, heading for the Stormhorn mountains.

[jedipotter]

High Watcher Volaan Mahrindi "If you want to talk to him, Orelion Lanitar, the lone survivor is, here at the temple. Over in guest room number five.


May Helm watch over your quest."

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin bows his head gratefully and walks to the designated guest room. He knocks politely, and then opens the door.

"Pardon my intrusion, Mr. Lanitar. My name is Justin Navidelle, and I am an Empyreal Knight in service to Helm. Could you please give me a description of what took place in the crypt? What did you see that led you to believe the creature you encountered was a lich, specifically?"

[jedipotter]

Orelion Lanitar "Ah well met. Well, we raided a drow outpost. One of the drow there traded his life for the location of a dungeon full of treasure. So we went. The dungeon was crypt, quite an old one, full of all sorts of undead. Nothing we could not handle. Or so we thought. We got to a big circular chamber, with a big stone sarcophagus. We opened it, and out pops the lich. It took command of the other undead and had all sorts of necromatic powers. So it had to be a lich, right? It did not speak common, or any language I knew. It said Zaathmaaurig a couple times, I think it kinda sounded like a good lich name. And then....then. And what can I say? We lost the fight. All my company members, friends, were killed. And I just barley got away."

[NeoSeraphi]

"A...a drow outpost?! What on earth were the deep elves doing outside the Underdark, I wonder? " Justin replies, frowning and stroking his chin. This was indeed a startling development, and something Justin would definitely need to investigate on his own after he took a look at the crypt. "You say you escaped. How? If there really was a horde of undead after you, did they just let you go? And did you see the lich leave the crypt after you woke it up?

Also, was there anything in the room other than the sarcophagus that you can remember? Think hard. Anything could be helpful."

[jedipotter]

Orelion Lanitar "I had a scroll. A short dimensional jump. Everyone was was gone..dead. There was nothing I could do. So I used the scroll. It got me out Just far enough for me to escape. And...I got away. Though, honestly, I don't think they were after me. At least I did not see any more undead after I ran.

Well, yea the room was full of statues, wall frescoes, floor carvings, wall carvings....the usual crypt stuff. Nothing that really stranded out. We kind skip that stuff and just look for the treasure."

[NeoSeraphi]

A scroll? Perception: Does this guy look like a mage or a rogue to me?
[roll0]


"I see. Peace, friend. I will avenge your comrades and make sure that lich never comes anywhere near you or anyone else ever again. I must be going, while the daylight is strong. Rest here and regain your strength. Helm will watch over you." Justin bows and then gathers his gear and leaves the city, heading for the Stormhorn mountains.

[jedipotter]

He does not look like a mage or rogue to you. He is just in simple homespun clothing.

Orelion Lanitar bows and waves as you leave.





Cormyr (http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachments/finished-maps/6867d1223252429-cormyr-map-cormyrmap.jpg)

[NeoSeraphi]

As Justin reaches the edge of Arabel, he pulls out his trusty map and consults it. "Wow, the Stormhorn Mountains really aren't all that far away from here. I wonder if the lich underwent his transformation recently? Perhaps he's even someone from this town...someone I know!...Nah. Couldn't be. I don't know any arcane casters. It's probably just some evil necromantic jerk. Well, time to go bring some justice!"

Justin looks up from the map and tries to get his bearings. "Alright, assuming that the road isn't blocked, The High Road is the easiest and most direct path to the mountains. Then, once I get to Eveningstar, I'll take a shortcut on the Starwater Road through the King's Forest. Take that road all the way past Waymoot and I'll be there. Seems simple enough."

A strategy in mind, Justin starts to walk down the road, keeping an eye out for any sort of movement or peculiar noises.


You used green for your NPCs so I'm going to use blue for my character's thoughts to prevent confusion when I'm rereading

Perception while walking: [roll0]

[jedipotter]

The country side is quite pleasant. Full of farms for the first couple miles, then more spaced out pockets of homes. The road is well traveled and patrolled, you encounter some folks on the road and even a guard patrol. Though they all just walk past.




I switch NPC colors up. Like green for druids, brown for dwarves. But not all colors show up well, so I just switch every NPC.

Did you like the map? Biggest one I could find.

[NeoSeraphi]

Yeah, the map was a big help, thanks! :smallbiggrin:


Justin is polite and friendly to everyone he meets, and will try to stop the guard patrol as they pass him.

"Pardon me, good sirs! Do you mind if you could spare a moment to give me a report?" He shows them his holy symbol to give indication that he is a member of the church.

"Apologies to interrupt. I'm Empyreal Knight Justin Navidelle, well met. The temple of Helm in Arabel has received reports of suspicious activity in the Stormhorn Mountain region and are concerned that there may have been some disturbances in the King's Forest due to its proximity. Have you seen anything strange today?"


Diplomacy [roll0]

[jedipotter]

Guard Captain Faren Markelhay "I'm Guard Captain Faren Markelhay. And i have nothing to really report. All is quiet on the western front. As far as I know. It has been a nice, quiet day."


Orelion Lanitar drew you a map, of course. The crypt is right around the ''E'' in the 'the' Stormhorns on the map.

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin bows his head apologetically. "Oh, I'm so sorry to have interrupted your work, Captain. I don't mean to delay you. But, if you could spare a few men to aid in my investigation I'm sure that it would be greatly appreciated. The Temple of Helm has always supported the local Cormyr guards."

[jedipotter]

Guard Captain Faren Markelhay "It is no bother, knight. I'm a follower of Helm as well. I can't spare you any men from my patrol. Patrols have set quotas, and I'm not authorized to change them unless I have actionable threats or an emergency. But if you do need some guards for back up, you can try a barracks. In fact, just down the road behind you is the city of Arabel. If you went into the city and asked there you might be able to find a couple guardswords."

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin blushes and rubs the back of his head. "I just might do that, thank you. To be honest, my report was a little jarring, so I just kind of jumped into action headfirst instead of taking the necessary time to prepare myself. I will ask, however, that if you or your men discover any undead that appear to be skeletal in nature along your patrol, do not engage them. According to an eyewitness, the undead in the area possess powerful magic beyond normal skeletons and are extremely dangerous even to seasoned warriors like yourselves. Only someone with the blessing of a god can match them."

He smiles and shakes the captain's hand. "Thank you for your assistance, serah." And with that, Justin will turn around and head back to Arabel. When he gets there, he will go to the local barracks and see if any guards are available to help him. If he is turned down, he will also check the pub and see if he can find any mercenaries looking for work.


For the sellswords, I guess searching would be a Gather Information check? So I'll roll Diplomacy and it'll take [roll0] hours for me to find someone (DC 25 to discover something personal or secret)

[roll1]

[jedipotter]

There are a couple of 'warrior taverns', like the Coin and Hammer, where it is always easy to find mercenaries. They of course hang out in places that are easy to find when they don't have steady work.

The Purple Dragon barracks have tons of troops available, depending on what you want.


Mercnaries are not ''secret''....they would never be hired then. ''haha, no on knows I'm a secret mercenary! Wonder why I have not gotten a job in years?''

[NeoSeraphi]

Aw come on don't make fun of me lol :smalltongue:


Justin will attempt to find a warrior about on his level to recruit from the guard station, and then he'll seek out an arcane mercenary, as well as someone who can find and disable traps and open locked doors. He will explain the situation to the guard straight up, saying that he's going after a powerful undead who killed a group of civilians in the mountains. For the mercenaries, he leaves that part out and just says he needs their help investigating some crypt that supposedly has a lot of treasure in it.

[jedipotter]

Highknight Cruson Dylerold puts you in touch with Thon Fielderson. Thon is not a guard, knight or i anyway officially part of the government. But he is loyal to the crown.


Vekkel Bensen is a rogue

Xanesha Evermask is a arcane knowable person.

Both are willing to join for a split of the loot.

[NeoSeraphi]

After Justin has assembled his group, he'll show them where the crypt is on the map. "Alright. This is where we're heading. There's gold, danger, and most likely traps waiting for us. I'll make sure that Vekkel and Xanesha are well-compensated for their efforts. Thon, if you can keep any nasty surprises off the rest of the group, I'll make sure any harm that comes to you is not permanent with my magic. Is everyone clear on the plan? Then let's get going."

Justin will give the group some time to prepare and then they leave as soon as possible. As Justin is walking on the road, he'll ask Xanesha, "So, what kind of experience do you have dealing with arcane foes? Have you ever faced a spellcaster in a duel to the death before?"

[jedipotter]

"I'm clear" says Vekkel Bensen the human male rogue.


Xanesha Evermask a human female wizard walks along side Justin "Mage duels are illegal. Only knights and nobles can duel. I've fought several evil spellcasters. Evil clerics, necromancers, and the like. I have won so far, as I'm still alive. " she says plainly.

[NeoSeraphi]

"I see. That's a relief to hear, going into a crypt," Justin comments, very happy to hear that she has dealt with necromancy.

As the group continues to walk, Justin will glance over at Thon. "So, what exactly is your affiliation with the guards, serah? I was informed that you do not count yourself among their number, and yet they know of you enough to recommend work."

He directs a question at Vekkel as well. "Do you explore ruins often? I imagine a professional locksmith must find plenty of clients eager to take him into vast caverns and dark tombs. I'd love to hear a tale or two."

To Xanesha, he asks, "Pardon me, sorceress, but I wonder if I might inquire as to your particular specialization of magic? I don't know much about the arcane arts myself but I do know enough to understand that there are eight broad categories of magic and most choose one to call their own, and it would aid in my strategizing if I wer to know which was your strongest."

He keeps an eye out for any trouble as his group walks, and makes sure to stop and set up camp when it gets dark.

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson "I was a guard. Almost. You need to pass a written test on the laws of the realm. Several of my classmates got a copy of the test and attempted to cheat. My roommate was one of them. I did not intend to cheat and knew nothing about it. In the end, i was tosses out with the rest of them. One teacher told me that I'd make a bad guard, if I could not spot such a plot right under my nose. I guess he was right. A couple days later, a highknight, asked if I still wanted to serve the realm. I said yes, and was made a sort of unofficial guard agent. I have found this much more to my liking. I never did like all the rules. But as an agent, I can make my own rules."


Vekkel Bensen "I've gone through a dozen or so ruins. I got my start going through lots of old goblin ones. Even got my way into a dragon horde once....though the dragon was long gone."

Xanesha Evermask"You are right, there are eight schools of magic. My chosen school is transmutation."

[NeoSeraphi]

"A terrible predicament you found yourself in, Thon. I'm sorry to hear that. Though, you seem to have learned from the experience and found a way to make it positive after all, so I guess that's what's important. Helm does work in mysterious ways sometimes," Justin says, thinking about everything he's just learned. "So what kinds of work do you usually get as an unofficial guard agent?"

"A dragon horde!? Wow, that's amazing! What kind of treasure did you discover?" Justin asks, stunned. What...what kind of riches had the young man discovered there? Why would he still be working as a mercenary when even with only a 20% cut he'd probably have been set for life on any size dragon horde?

"Transmutation magic? Interesting. So, you can turn yourself into animals, for instance?" Justin asks, trying not to let his ignorance show through too much.

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson "The kind of work I can't talk about much. The kind of stuff that needs to be done, but is not exactly right. Other then that, I often get called to go to places the guards can't go or interact with people they can't interact with. And I do things like this quest."


Vekkel Bensen "It was amazing. Piles and piles of treasure. The most I ever seen. Enough to fill two wagons. I never got a coin. The next day a couple of my companions were gone with the wagons and treasure. The three of use that were left tried to track them, but none of us had the skill. So they got away. I hope to find them all again some day, and get my cut of the treasure."

Xanesha Evermask "You do have the right school of magic. Transmuation magic does allow one to change their shape into an animal. I don't have that spell though. I like to change the shape of the world around me. I can animate a rope, for example.
''

[NeoSeraphi]

"'Things like this quest'? So, what, does that make me a shady customer or this job too sketchy for a normal guard?" Justin thinks to himself, hanging his head.

"Well, I appreciate your help. I have a feeling if I went into this crypt by myself I might not come out again."

"Your comrades stole all that gold from you? Shouldn't they be easy to track though? I mean, if I came into that much money the first thing I'd do with it would be to buy a big fancy house and import lots of delicious foods and other irresponsible things that would cause rumors to spread like wildfire. If they weren't going to be lavish with the money, it kind of defeats the purpose of stealing it from you."

"Changing the world around you...huh. That's an interesting idea, but honestly, I like the world the way it is, you know? Not knocking your preferences or anything. It's just that there's so much that's wonderful about the world already, things like waterfalls and chimeras and pegasi and just...sentience and morality in all things. I'd be hesitant to change anything about it."

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen "They covered their tracks well enough. But then I'm not a great detective. I tried my best to look for them, but Tymora did not shine on me. I still hope to find them someday."


Xanesha Evermask "Well, you know chimeras are creatures created by transmutation magic." she says with a smile.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Well, I am a believer in fair compensation for one's effort. After we finish this quest, give me a description of the men you were journeying with, I will pass their descriptions along to my paladin friends in other large cities and perhaps someone will recognize them."

"Chimeras are created?" Justin asks, blinking in shock. "No way. You're messing with me right now. I thought wizards could only create golems and undead...you know, things that weren't actually alive."


Can I get an idea of how much time has passed, how long they've been walking, where they are and stuff? I figure it's getting dark around this point.

[jedipotter]

Time passes at the speed of plot.....lol.



Your group walks along the road for hours. This would put you about 1/2 of the way down the high road towards Eveningstar. Until the sun starts to set.

Vekkel Bensen "I'd welcome the help."

Xanesha Evermask "You did not really think monsters like owlbears where natural, did you? they were created by wizards too. "

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin will stop his group of adventurers and set up a good ways from the edge of the road (at least 500 feet or so, so they aren't in anyone's way). As he lights a fire and sets up his bedroll, he looks over at the wizard curiously. "Say, Xanesha...I don't suppose you've ever met any powerful enchanters in your line of work? Someone stronger than you, with enough power to put someone to sleep forever?"

Thankfully, 3.5/PF have a spell for eternal sleep curses, the binding spell. So we don't have to make anything up here.

[jedipotter]

Everyone stops to make a small camp.


Xanesha Evermask "Sure, a couple. Though I don't think anyone I know would do that to someone. It is way beyond my power, but there is even a transmutation spell that will do that, sort of. It can freeze a persons body in time and in effect put them to sleep. It's ancient elven magic. They are said to put powerful warrior elves away, in stasis, to be used in the future. "



Or the Apple of Eternal Slumber that is just so Once Upon a Time...lol. A witch grand hex can also do Eternal Slumber. And Temporal Stasis.

[NeoSeraphi]

So many options! Maybe we'll see Zilena soon then.

"I see....I figured as much. Well, forget I asked then. You guys get some sleep. I'll wake Thon up in a few hours so he can keep watch."

As an afterthought, Justin will activate his detect evil ability and scan his companions to see if he can see any evil in their hearts, though he will attempt to look away and whisper the words under his breath to hide his spellcasting from Xanesha.

[jedipotter]

Detect Evil is a spell-like ability, not a spell. A spell-like ability has no verbal, somatic, or material component, nor does it require a focus. The user activates it mentally.


So you have nothing to hide.



No one glows


Everyone beds down for the night.

[NeoSeraphi]

Wow, you can't use Spellcraft to identify an SLA being cast? What a gyp.


Assuming that nothing attacks or disturbs him during his watch, Justin will keep an eye out until four hours have passed, at which point he will rouse Thon and lay down to rest his own eyes. Justin will sleep until the daylight pries him from his needed slumber, or until some external force does.

[jedipotter]

The night is quiet, other then the bugs. Nothing happens. Morning comes and sunlight fills the sky.

Vekkel Bensen makes some rabbit stew for breakfast.

Xanesha Evermask studies her large book.

Thon Fielderson keeps watch

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin wakes up and yawns, stretching a bit as he rises and realizes that Xanesha is awake. Clearing his throat, he quickly grabs his armor and dashes into a brush to dress himself privately. Whether she was a disinterested third party money-grubbing mercenary or not, she was still a woman and Justin still had lots of morality issues figuratively beaten into him by the church since birth. After he had finished making himself presentable, Justin emerges from the brush and sits down, reaching into his bag for some oranges he had been carrying. He peels one, offering another to Thon.

After finishing his breakfast, he prays to Helm and waits for Xanesha to finish preparing her spells. Then the group gets back on the road.

Justin keeps his eyes peeled for any sign of danger, but he also checks his map regularly to make sure he knows when to enter the King's Forest.


Perception: [roll0]

[jedipotter]

Everyone is ready just after sunrise, and you set off again.

Thon Fielderson "You don't need to watch so intently. We are in the heart of the realm. There is not much here to cause us and trouble. "



Your on the High Road going towards Eveningstar. The King's Forest is several miles due south. If you stay on the road, the group will get to Eveningstar and turn south onto the Starwater Road that goes into the King's Forest.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Yeah...that's what I used to think too..." Justin replies, his hand moving to his waist and tightening his grip on his sword's handle. He closes his eyes and grits his teeth. "There's a horrible undead monstrosity just around the corner...who knows if it's left the crypt yet or not? And I'm responsible for the two people that I've lied to about it, and who are risking their lives without even knowing. But that's fine. That's my job. Let these guys take it easy. They're only here to back me up in case something goes wrong. As long as the gods are kind, I won't even need their help."

Justin draws his blade silently and holds it at his waist. "There is nothing wrong with being cautious, Thon. Onward. We will reach the pathway into the King's Forest shortly."

Justin presses forward, never sheathing his weapon, feeling the tension of his guilt starting to build up, almost hoping the monster attacks him out here in the open so he can finally get it over with.

[jedipotter]

It's a nice walk down the High Road. Everyone is mostly silent.

There is occasionally traffic. Other people walking on foot. Some on house back. Even two guard patrols.

Just an hour or so before sunset, your group comes to the bridge over the Starwater, and the town of Eveningstar.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Let's stop here for the night," Justin says, finally sheathing his blade after hours of walking in a coiled fighting stance. "We'll find an inn, relax and get some good rest."

Justin searches for an inn, and when he finds one, reserves three rooms. (One for himself and Thon, one for Vekkel, and one for Xanesha). He also buys the group dinner and a round of drinks.

Justin sits with his group and drinks for a bit, listening to any music or live entertainment that might be playing, as well as looking around the inn to see if anything odd or unique catches his eye.

[jedipotter]

Everyone just nods, after the long walk on the road. Everyone eats dinner together.

Xanesha Evermask takes a quick bath, and heads right to sleep.

Thon Fielderson see a couple of people he obviously knows, and goes over and has a drink with them.

Vekkel Bensen just enjoys his drink by the wall.


The Lonesome Tankard is the biggest and most popular tavern and inn to be found in Eveningstar.

The inn, as well as much of the town is full of winged cats. It's quite a sight to watch a cat swoop through the air, chasing a bird.

[NeoSeraphi]

How much gold is it for 3 rooms, dinner and a round for four individuals?

Justin will sit with Vekkel and drink. "So, do you have any family?" he'll ask the rogue, attempting to make a little small talk before they part for the night.

[jedipotter]

A single private room is five gold, a double room is only three gold.



Vekkel Bensen "Yea, parents and an aunt. I do have a woman I fancy back home...maybe someday.

How about you, you seem like a family man to me. "

[NeoSeraphi]

So 13 gold for the rooms, and then how much for dinner and drinks?


"Someday...like maybe someday when you can afford a beautiful ring for her?" Justin guesses. He could understand being upset about people ripping him off, but if Vekkel was actively seeking his former comrades, he probably needed the money for something important.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Justin says with a laugh and a sincere smile. "My parents have both left this world. My father fell in battle while I was still in training, and my mother passed from a sudden illness. It's just me and my sister left. And, while Arabel has no shortage of beautiful women available, my parents hadn't arranged any sort of engagement while they were alive so I'm not promised to anyone on that front."

[jedipotter]

Meals and a bath come with the room. Drinks are 2 copper to 3 silver, or more for the fancy stuff.


Vekkel Bensen "Yea, you know....ring, house, farm....enough to get a little shop running," he says sadly looking into his mug of ale and looking at his reflection.

A male gnome in bright green clothing and carrying a scroll and quill walks over to the table ""Pardon me gentile sirs? Are you travelers new in town? Did you come down the High Road? Any chance you ran into the mummy? I'm Dorfus Pottybiscuits local bard and storyteller. I'm working on a song High Road Mummy, based on the mummy attacks. But having never seen a mummy, I would be every thankful for any details you could add to my song..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin coughs and has to fight to swallow his drink properly. "Did you say 'mummy'? What? The guards we spoke to yesterday said everything was right as rain! The Temple of Helm has received no such report of a dangerous undead on the main road!"


Knowledge (Religion) on Mummies: [roll0]
Sense Motive on this guy, is he lying to me? [roll1]

[jedipotter]

Dorfus Pottybiscuits "It's hot news. I only heard about it like an hour ago, and I have my ears wide open. And it is not every day you hear a mummy story. Not around here. That is why I'm here, like i said, trying to get fresh details. For my song. So...um....you see the mummy?" he asks holding his quill.



Mummies are corpses native to dry desert areas, where the dead are entombed by a process known as mummification. When their tombs are disturbed, the corpses become animated into a weird unlife state, whose unholy hatred of life causes them to attack living things without mercy.
Mummies are usually (but not always) clothed in rotting strips of linen. They stand between 5 and 7 feet tall and are supernaturally strong.

Mummies are the product of an embalming process used on wealthy and important personages. Most mummies are corpses without magical properties. On occasion, perhaps due to powerful evil magic or perhaps because the individual was so greedy in life that he refuses to give up his treasure, the spirit of the mummified person will not die, but taps into energy from the Positive Material plane and is transformed into an undead horror. Most mummies remain dormant until their treasure is taken, but then they become aroused and kill without mercy.
A mummy lives in its ancient burial chamber, usually in the heart of a crypt or pyramid. The tomb is a complex series of chambers filled with relics (mostly nonmagical). These relics include models of the mummy's possessions, favorite items and treasures, the bodies of dead pets, and foodstuffs to feed the spirit after death. Particularly evil people will have slaves or family members slain when they die so the slaves can be buried with them.






He is speaking the truth.

[NeoSeraphi]

"No, I didn't," Justin replies, raising an eyebrow. This strange gnome character didn't seem to be lying to him, but Justin had kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead the whole way they had been walking. How could something as out of place as a mummy have gotten past him? Mummies are intelligent, but unlike liches they possess none of the magic they had in life, so an illusionist mummy was out of the question. "Very strange. Vekkel, we're going to have to be more careful from here out. I'll see you in the morning."

He stands up and goes upstairs, crashing in his room. When he wakes up the next morning, he prays for spells and heads down stairs to regroup with his party members.

[jedipotter]

The night is quiet and passes...

Everyone meets for a quick breakfast.

Afterwards Thon Fielderson pulls you over to the side "Hey, did you hear about the mummy down the High Road? We almost never see mummies around here, but they sure sound like something that might have come out of an old crypt. What do you think?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Almost never? It's completely unheard of! If this is true, then it's definitely that lich's doing. I don't want to say this, but...maybe we should try and deal with this mummy. Before we go into the crypt. Argh...it's not what I signed the other two up for, though. Still, it's not going to do anyone any good if we just let this creature run wild."

Heading back to the table, Justin sits down. "Xanesha, Vekkel. We're going after that mummy. We need to take it out before it hurts anyone else. Now, that's not what I originally signed you up for, so if you want to sit out, you're more than welcome to. But if the mummy takes Thon and I out, then there will be no one to guide you into the crypt and you will end up not being paid for the original mission, which would be a shame."


Diplomacy to convince them to help me: [roll0]

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen "I'm in"

Xanesha Evermask "Undead on the road or undead in a crypt...I say we make them all dead and gone."


Thon Fielderson "My sources tell he the attack happened on the High Road, west of here. So we might want to just head that way."

[NeoSeraphi]

"I appreciate your fervor. Alright then! Xanesha, if you have any spells that can counteract mummy rot, please prepare them. Vekkel, mummies don't like fire, so if you have any flasks of alchemist's fire, have them at the ready. Thon, please lead us to where your witnesses stated the last attack was. We'll crush this monster like it's nothing!"

As they walk, Justin keeps his detect evil spell up, just in case the enemy really can vanish from sight.


Initiative, for whenever it's relevant: [roll0]

Justin will walk in front along with Thon, then have Vekkel marching behind them and Xanesha bringing up the rear.

Perception to find this guy: [roll1]

[jedipotter]

It's a couple hours of walking to the spot, so it is afternoon by the time you get there. It is easy enough to spot the white flag on a stick with a 'M' on it.

Thon Fielderson "That is the marker they left. This is where it happened." He looks around for a couple minutes in the grass and then says "Looks like the mummy came out of the King's Forest, to the south and crossed the road here. It would just seem that someone had the bad luck to be crossing at the time. It took a few swings, but did not stop and fight. Then continued on it's way, northward.

There is not much north of us, except the Stonelands. But the Stonelands have lots of ruins. If I had to guess, I'd say that is what the mummy is going for..unless it is just going to keep going north.



You want to leave the road and follow it north. I can follow the trail no problem."

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin shakes his head and steels himself. "Not much of a hunt if there's no chase after all. Lead the way, Thon. When we find it, rescue of any victims it has takes immediate priority, and after that everyone focus their attention on the mummy's absolute destruction. Don't let it near you, the last thing we need is for one of our party to be cursed. Let's move!"

Justin follows Thon north towards the Stonelands.

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson leads the group northward. The land starts to get quite rocky and the vegetation more sparse.

An hour later Thon Fielderson holds up his hand and points. In the distance, about 200 feet away, walks a mummy heading north. It's not much to look at, a humanoid figure wrapped in dirty white strips of cloth. It's moving quite slowly, in a straight line, northward. The mummy is alert and looking around, but it either has not noticed your group yet, or is ignoring your group for now.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Alright! Target acquired! Xenasha, can you use any sort of magic to give swiftness to our feet? The rest of you, charge!" Justin exclaims, drawing his blade and lunging forward.


Initiative: 13
Will hold my action until Xanesha's turn if she has something appropriate, like haste. Otherwise, move forward 40 feet towards the mummy and I will shout angrily to get its attention.

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask casts haste on everyone.


Mummy starts 200 feet away. As of now, the mummy does not seem to notice the group or the spellcasting.

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin runs forward (assuming he has a straight line), covering 120 feet in one round of movement. He brandishes his sword and yells loudly. "Come here, undead monster! I've got plenty of flesh for you to taint! Stand and fight for your unlife!"

[jedipotter]

Round 1


[roll0]



Mummy turns at the sound of your challenge, and does a double move of 40 feet towards you.

Thon Fielderson moves with you, on your right.

Vekkel Bensen moves along with you, but keeps back 10 feet and only moves 110 feet closer

Xanesha Evermask moves only 60 feet forward and casts a spell on herself.

At the end of the round Justin and Thon are just 20 feet from the mummy. Vekkel is 30 feet away. Xanesha is back 100 feet away from the mummy.

The despair from the mummy is in range of Thon and Vekkel (Justin is immune).

Thon [roll1] (+4 from Justin)
Vekkel [roll2] '' '' ''


Vekkel throws off the fear.....but Thon is effected.

[NeoSeraphi]

Isn't Thon a fighter? The Bravery class feature should help him out with that saving throw. :smallconfused:


"Give no quarter!" Justin yells, glaring at the monster. "Now, Helm, give me the power to send this creature back to the Nine Hells where it belongs!"

Filling himself with divine power, Justin moves forward and swings his blade in both hands, determined to slice the monster in two.


Justin uses his Smite Evil ability, giving him a +4 bonus to his AC against the mummy's attacks. He moves up 20' and attacks the mummy.

[roll0] (Power Attack)
Damage: [roll1]

[jedipotter]

Thon has the Cad Archtype, so no bravery....he is the shady non-guard that gets things done normal guards don't do...


Justin's swing misses the mummy by a couple inches.

[NeoSeraphi]

Okay, so then it's Vekkel and Xanesha's turns right? And can you roll 1d4 to see how many rounds Thon is panicked for?

Unless you want me to control Vekkel and Xanesha, which would be hard without character sheets :(

[jedipotter]

[roll0]

Vekkel Bensen moves 30 feet towards the mummy, and moves over to the other side. [roll1] [roll2] + [roll3]

Xanesha Evermask moves 60 feet closer, and cast a spell........[roll1d20+7



Mummy Attacks! swings a huge, wrapped fist at Justin! [roll]1d20+8

[jedipotter]

Save: [roll0]

Attack: [roll1]





The mummy's flesh twists and warps opening nice easy to reach weak spots, just ready to be hit...

The mummy's fist misses Justin.


Vekkel Bensen misses with his short sword....


Round 2

[NeoSeraphi]

"Foul beast! I'll cut you down right now!" Justin declares, shifting his position before slamming his blade deep into the creature's side.


Justin will attempt to reposition so that he is flanking with Vekkel. Preferrably with a 5' step, since both he and Vekkel are adjacent to the creature, but if not he will take a move action and provoke an AoO. With 40' move speed, he should be able to step around and create a flanking position.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Second attack (If he can flank with a 5' step)
Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[NeoSeraphi]

That is...a natural 19 and a natural 20.

The bastard sword threatens a critical on 19-20. So, here are my confirmation rolls:
First attack: [roll0]
Second attack: [roll1]

[jedipotter]

Both attacks hit and are critical...

Lots of stuff(Pathfinder has soooo much stuff):

1.You get the levelx2 damage on your first successful smite attack
2.Your forgetting your hasted +30 speed, +1 to hit, +1 one extra attack
3.You forgot to state you were Smiting again, you should always state a game action
4.You don't need to move or take any action so Vekkel can flank. He is already on the other side of the mummy. Only one character can flank, and he has the sneak attack...

5.How is your move 40?

[NeoSeraphi]

1. I took that into account, that's why my damage roll has +23 for the first attack and +17 for the second attack. Additionally, all three of my attacks ignore any Damage Reduction my targets may possess (including DR/- and DR/Epic)

2. The haste spell in Pathfinder only grants movement speed up to the base speed of the creature. So I only get +20' from it. I did forget my third attack though, let me go ahead and roll that one:

[roll0]
[roll1]

3. In Pathfinder, a single Smite lasts until a creature dies or until the paladin rests for 8 hours. If you want me to restate that every round, fine, but it seems unnecessary.

4. Okay, sounds good. I wasn't aware we were already flanking.

My move speed is 20' base, and I get +20' from the haste spell, not +30'

Edit: 3rd attack is a hit, but not a crit, so that's double damage on the first two for 56+38+19 for a total of 113 beast mode damage. Can I make a Diplomacy check to see if Xanesha swoons at how freakin manly I am right now?

[jedipotter]

1.How does all your damage avoid DR?

2.Haste gives an increase by 30 feet, to a maximum of twice the subject's normal speed using that form of movement. So normal 30. +30 = 60. 60 equals ''up to twice 30''.

3.It's just helpful to keep track of things.


Sure....lol


Your sword, blazing with the power of Helm, goes right through the head of the mummy...and continues right through the body. Cutting the mummy in half and having two half chunks of mummy fall to the ground.

[NeoSeraphi]

Core Rulebook p61, and the d20pfsrd:
Once per day, a paladin can call out to the powers of good to aid her in her struggle against evil. As a swift action, the paladin chooses one target within sight to smite. If this target is evil, the paladin adds her Cha bonus (if any) to her attack rolls and adds her paladin level to all damage rolls made against the target of her smite. If the target of smite evil is an outsider with the evil subtype, an evil-aligned dragon, or an undead creature, the bonus to damage on the first successful attack increases to 2 points of damage per level the paladin possesses. Regardless of the target, smite evil attacks automatically bypass any DR the creature might possess.

Emphasis mine.

Yes, but since my movement speed is reduced to 20' with heavy armor I assumed that meant my maximum move speed was 40'. If you want to say it's +30 for 50', then I'll of course follow that interpretation.

Aw yeah. This is why I love paladins:
Diplomacy for manliness: [roll0]


Justin steps back and sheathes his blade. "May your spirit find eternal rest in the afterlife. I promise, I will find the monster that defiled your corpse so and end him the same way."

Justin walks over to Thon and places a hand on his shoulder. "It's quite alright my friend. You have nothing to fear now."

After calming Thon down, Justin will search the rotting creature's body for any signs of who the creature was in life, or anything else that might be of interest.

[jedipotter]

1.Ah...well it's not like the DR helped with +100 damage...lol
2.Oh heavy armor...I missed that



Thon Fielderson "I'm ok, it was just when I saw the mummy i felt such great fear I could not move. I feel fine now."


Xanesha Evermask "Well, my fleshtwist sure worked on the mummy. I was not sure it would work, but guess it had enough flesh. And...you Justin...you..you..were amazing!"

The mummy body is humanoid, but it's quite old and mummified. There is a lot of reddish hair all over the body. The head looks a bit short and has a bit of a longer jaw. The eye sockets are more oval shaped. It would seem that the mummy is not human, though it's race is not clear.

[NeoSeraphi]

Maybe not here, but liches have DR 15, so if we encounter one earlier than level 11, it'll be important for me to get every last piece of damage I can on it!


Justin nods. "There is a great darkness and evil in these ruins, no doubt about that. We'll need to be careful as we advance. For now, let's take a moment to rest and gather our thoughts before we head on. Vekkel, are you alright?"

Justin raises an eyebrow at Xanesha's praise, his face turning bright red as he quickly coughs and tries to keep his composure. "Oh, really? I mean, I was just doing my job as an empyreal knight, my lady. Any undead we encounter in this crypt will be put to rest by my blade, you can be sure of that."

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen "I'm fine."


Xanesha Evermask "I really like a man with power, and I never thought you had that kind of power."


Thon Fielderson "Too bad we can't question it or anything.''

[NeoSeraphi]

Vekkel and Thon's words fall on deaf ears. "Oh crap. She 'likes' a man like me? Oh man, what do I do here? I'm a paladin, not a knight, I never received any training on how to court a lady properly! I don't know how to write poetry or sing ballads or anything like that! Damn...what would Thon or Vekkel do in this situation?"

Justin pulls out his most winning smile. "Well, my lady, if you're still impressed after we finish in the crypt, perhaps you'd allow me a few extra hours to buy you a drink and get to know you better?"

Justin will apologize to the group before slowly digging some dirt out of a nearby clearing so he can properly bury the mummy. He says a short prayer to Helm asking for lenience with the deceased's soul, and then organizes his group together. "Let's go. Treasure and one doomed necromancer await us."

Justin will lead the way towards the marked spot on his map, looking for any other signs of undead as he marches.


Diplomacy to ask Xanesha out: [roll0]
Perception while walking: [roll1]

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask "Well...maybe. Lets see." she says slyly.


Wow...what a perception roll...lol. So you ask her out and then like immediately walk into a tree. But I think that would fit with ''awkward with women''.



Thon Fielderson "Think it would be worth trying to figure out where it was going, or you set on getting to the crypt?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Lol, my character is charming, he's not very intuitive. :smalltongue:


"Where it was going...oh, you mean the ruins? Hm. I wonder..." Justin says, glancing over in the direction the mummy was heading. "A mummy has meager intelligence, but only enough to understand the significance of its burial ground. It's not a vampire or a lich. If the mummy was heading somewhere, it's likely because that's what its creator told it to do. We may be walking into a trap, but...yes, let's go."

Justin carefully continues in the direction the mummy was heading, making sure to keep his eyes peeled for any trees that may be three inches in front of him.

[jedipotter]

The group moves on for a couple of hours across the rocky land. There is the occasional block of stone or rusted piece of metal, but not much along the way of ruins.

Until a bit past mid afternoon, when a flock of blue birds fly over head and circle the group several times. Then three of the birds fly off to the north, while the other ten fly over head in a circle.

A couple minutes after that, a hairy humanoid with think legs comes into view about 100 feet away from around a large rock. "Hail there travelers! Be you of the freindly sort? Good Crow-Mere-Eins?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin bows. "Hail! I am Justin Navidelle, a paladin of Helm. My party and I have come to investigate these ruins, as we intercepted a foul beast of undeath on its way here. We suspect there may be a necromancer hiding in this area. Have you seen anything strange?"


Diplomacy: [roll0]

Perception on birds: [roll1]

Perception on humanoid: [roll2]

[jedipotter]

The humanoid walks over to within ten feet. You can see he has hoofs and not feet, is covered in brown hair, and has two small horns on his head. "Why, yes, I have. I am Bruni. I have not seen a necromancer, but I have seen skeletons. They just showed up two days ago. Me and my brothers attempted to smash them...but...but...it did not go well. The skeletons killed them all. I got away, and have been looking for help. I was thinking about going and getting some Purple Knights...but I don't like going into human areas."


What are the perception rolls for?

[NeoSeraphi]

Any information on the birds that that roll would give me, and any information on this guy, which you just gave me


"Skeletons? Never fear, Bruni! I can take care of that for you no problem!" Justin declares eagerly, rushing to the creature's side. "Are you wounded anywhere, my friend? I know some healing magic. I can tend to your injuries before I go and rid this area of its decay."

After offering to heal Bruni (and doing so if Bruni is still injured), Justin asks, "Did you notice anything pecuilar about these skeletons? Were they wearing a particular city's colors, or did they have strange weapons? Where did you last see them?"

[jedipotter]

Bruni "A fey lady healed my wounds, but well thanks. I know not the ways of men or other creatures that are not part of nature. And of skeletons I know next to nothing. The four I speak of have not moved from the spot I first saw them. They just stand there...and kill what comes close. They have armor like yours, only not so heavy. And swords and shields, though I know not how strange they are...all metal of war is strange to me.''

The birds, that look like birds, fly over head, all 13 now in wide circles.

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin nods. "Those sound like true skeletons to me, not liches or skull knights or other dangerous creatures. They should be easily dispatched by our group, even with their matching number. Let's make haste. Thon, take point with me."

Justin gets Bruni to show him where the skeletons have not moved from and approaches them slowly.


Knowledge Religion, are these normal skeletons? [roll0]
Initiative: [roll1]

[jedipotter]

Bruni leads you through the rocky lands, and eventually up on top of a large rock. He stops and points to the distance, where some 500 feet away in a grassy field stand four skeletons. Each skeleton has on plate mail armor, a shield and a large sword. They are standing at attention, one each looking each of the four directions.

The field around the skeletons is lots of wild plants and grasses, all about knee high or so. And lots of broken stones all about dog size or so.



Corja Slimsword, High Watcher of Helm information scroll on skeletons
Skeletons are one of the most basic types of undead. Even low power necromancers, dark clerics, cultists and spellcasters of all sorts can animate skeletons. And as any adventurer can tell you, you can find them in all sorts of places like crypts and ruins.

Now a very important think to keep in mind is when is a skeleton a skeleton? Lots of undead look like skeletons. After all a great number of undead are just animated bodies that were once alive. Now if i were to ask you what a lich looked like I'm sure many of you would answer something like 'they look very much like a wizard, long robes, a pouch, a staff and that they were all skeletal. And you would all say a skeletal knight would be in fine knightly armor and with a glowing sword. But what if the lich was to take off it's robe or the knight to set down their sword? What would they look like then? A skeleton.

The point is you must always keep your helm open. Never just assume that a skeleton is a skeleton. Never just leap into battle with a foe that looks like a skeleton. And if your forced into a battle, be careful until you know what your dealing with

Never judge a skeleton by it's bones.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Well, they seem harmless enough. I doubt there are four liches here after all. And even if there's a skeletal champion among them, it can't be that much stronger than a mummy," Justin reasons to himself.

He gestures to the others to follow him and steps out heading boldly towards the skeletons. "Hey, mate! Can you help a thirsty traveler out with a bit of ale?" he calls loudly.

[jedipotter]

The skeletons hear your challenge and move to be ready to fight


[roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Second in initiative, but I'll go ahead and post my actions after the skeletons go


Justin moves up, drawing his blade quickly and swinging it in an arc, attempting to immediately sever one skeleton's head from its neck.

Attack (Power Attack): [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Second Attack (Assuming a skeleton moves and attacks him first since they won initiative)
Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[NeoSeraphi]

Another natural 20. It's times like this that make me wish vorpal enchantments were easier to get.

Confirmation: [roll0]

[jedipotter]

The four skeletons move forward to attack, two at Thon, two at Justin


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]




[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]




One skeleton hits [B]Justin[/B, one skeleton hits Thon.

Justin's swing cuts the skeleton to peices..the bones quickly fading to powder and then nothing at all.

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson Attacks!


[roll0]
[roll1]




Vekkel Bensen moves to stab the one by Thon



[roll2]
[roll3] + [roll4]





Xanesha Evermask moves up about 30 feet behind Justin and casts a spell on the skeleton..causing the skeletons great sword to heat up. The skeleton does not respond, so it just take damage.


[roll5]


Thon and Vekkel both miss, but Xanesha's fire burns the hand and arm bones of the other skeleton next to Justin.

[NeoSeraphi]

A natural 19 on a greatsword, it looks like that skeleton's attack threatened a critical hit on Justin. Will wait for confirmation roll before recording the damage he receives.

Edit: Oh, for the love of Asmodeus...that's a natural 20 on Thon as well. If that's confirmed, that's 34 damage he's going to take...yikes.


Justin winces in pain as the skeleton leaves a blow in his side, but he grits his teeth and closes his eyes, drawing his blade back in both hands before slashing outward and rending the skeleton's bones into dust, scattering them into the wind on his sword.


Attack roll (Power Attack): [roll0]
Damage roll: [roll1]
Second Attack: [roll2]
Second Damage: [roll3]

[jedipotter]

[roll]1d20+7[roll]




[roll0]


Justin's next two attacks knock the second skeleton his is fighting to pieces, and the bones again turn to powder and fade away.

[jedipotter]

Rolling again...try two:



[roll0]




And....that was close....

[NeoSeraphi]

Talk about close calls!

Justin feels the skeleton's blade nearly nick his heart, but thankfully he had seized the opportunity to slay it instantly. Turning to the remaining two, he narrows his eyes. "These creatures are stronger than they appear! Thon, Vekkel, back away. I will handle them myself."

He steps forward and readies his blade to cut the two skeletons to pieces.


Waiting on my initiative

[jedipotter]

The skeleton's blade nearly goes through Thon Fielderson as it makes a wicked strike across his chest, slipping under his armor.

Round 2

Skeletons move over to engage Justin


[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]





He lets out a great cry as he Withdraws

Vekkel Bensen withdraws.

Xanesha Evermask moves forward ten feet creates a Fog Cloud that covers herself and the other two group members.

[NeoSeraphi]

Seeing that the others are safe, Justin grins and raises his blade. "Come on then! A man in my position doesn't often get to go all out, but you are the exception that makes the rule! I'll smash you both into nothing, just like I did to your allies! Two or twenty, no damn undead is going to stand up to me!"

Justin leaps into the air and brings his blade crashing down, putting his full weight into the slash as it cuts through the skeleton's rib cage. If he manages to fell the first skeleton in a single blow, he will reposition and use his second attack to hit the second skeleton, otherwise his second swing will attempt to finish the first skeleton off.


Rolls: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Second: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[jedipotter]

Justin's first attack hits...cutting deep into the skeleton. The skeleton falls back a half step, starts to fall apart, and then snaps back together, baddy cracked and broken bones all over, but still active.

Round 3

Skeleton Attacks

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin takes another vicious hit and grows in frustration, slicing the offending skeleton in two before turning to its companion.


Attack Roll: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Second Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[jedipotter]

Your sword strikes true and the skeleton shakes and falls apart and then falls into dust and is gone, leaving nothing but the empty armor and the sword.

Round 4

Skeleton attacks!

1d20=7
[roll0]

[jedipotter]

And re-rolling(sigh)



[roll0]
[roll1]



The skeleton's blade comes close to hitting...close, but not enough as your armor defects the blade...

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin grits his teeth and delivers two final slashes of his blade, before solemnly drawing back and closing his eyes. "I am Strength itself. You cannot hope to defeat me."


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[jedipotter]

Your sword strike wounds the skeleton and a couple pieces of bone fall of it, but it does not fall.

Round 5

Skeleton Attacks!


[roll0]
[roll1]


The sword strikes!

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin will shift his weight and really throw his full arm behind his next attack, swinging wildly but with furious power.


Attack (Power Attack) [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Second: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[jedipotter]

Your first sword strike misses, but your second one hits the skeleton dead center. It stumbles and falls apart and all the bones turn to dust and fade away. Leaving just the empty armor and the sword.

Now there are just four piles of plate mail armor and four great swords...

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin collects the remains of the skeletons' warrior gear and stores it in his bag. He sits down on the ground, clutching his side in pain, and heals himself. "Let's make camp here. Thon and I need to rest." he says, none too eager to fight another enemy today.


Cure Light Wounds: [roll0]

[jedipotter]

Four sets of plate mail and four great swords in your bag is way too much...

Vekkel Bensen makes a camp.

[NeoSeraphi]

Aw. Okay. Just one set?


Justin will change out of his armor and sit down, eating some of his rations. "I don't suppose you have any healing potions on you?" he asks Thon.

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson "I don't have any potions of healing. I'm a bit down on my coins. One of the reasons I'm here is to make some coins. And first on my list of things to buy."


Vekkel Bensen "The skeletons were ancient undead, more then a 1,000 years old. See the way they fell part, crumbled to dust and faded away? That was a dead give away. Their bones were so old that only the necromantic magic held them together.

Four sets of plate mail, four swords. We can each carry a set."


Xanesha Evermask walks back over "There is a thick stone coverstone over in that tall grass. It might be what they were guarding. I doubt we can lift it with man power, but I could levitate it up...after a rest and restudy my spells."

[NeoSeraphi]

Something we forgot to do: my character has to have a Divine Mount, but unlike in 3.5, it's a permanent creature that always travels with him. So, what kind of large-sized quadruped would be appropriate for this area of the Realms?

Justin frowns, crossing his arms in thought. "But if the necromancy was the only thing holding them together...how did the necromancer even get their remains at all? Unless you're saying they were reanimated all that time ago, in which case, surely whatever animated them is long dead by now and they wouldn't have any reason to follow its orders anymore...unless..." Justin touches his forehead, groaning in realization. "Unless...whatever reanimated them is also over a thousand years old and is immortal as well...like a vampire, or a lich. Great. From mummies and skeletons to terrors of death. I should have learned how to channel positive energy like the other paladins..."

"A coverstone, you say?" Justin replies, glancing over at what she's talking about. "Haha, a rock too big for Thon and I to move together, but you can lift it with a wave of your hand? Sounds like you may have spoken too soon about a man with power, it seems like you could replace me with a good night's rest and an hour of contemplation." He smiles good-naturedly at her.

[jedipotter]

Your in Temperate woods/grasslands...like say Pennsylvania. But there is not much choices listed.....other then horse.





Vekkel Bensen "Well, yes. It would seem we are facing undead older then Cromyr."


Xanesha Evermask "It's too bad we don't have a cleric."

[NeoSeraphi]

Sure, but that's so...boring. As a servant of heaven, is there any chance I could get a Good aligned magical beast or maybe a good outsider? Something cool like that?

Also, I tried to PM this to you but apparently your inbox is full. I'm starting a game and I thought you might want to join. You're DMing plenty but you might have time to relax and play a character too, right? Here's the link (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?379386-Game-On!-(Pathfinder-Seeking-Players)) if you're interested.


"I don't understand...if the necromancer is really that old than why now...what changed to make him suddenly lash out? Was it really just those explorers stumbling on his crypt? Was he...asleep? For a thousand years? Ugh...I don't understand this at all!" Justin mutters, punching his palm in frustration.

"Well, I may not be a skilled arcanist or healer, but I can take a punch or two. I'm just a little tired, I'll be fine by morning, healing or no," Justin says. "And the rest of you won't have to worry. Long as I'm alive, I'll make sure anything in that crypt comes after me before it even looks at any of you."

[jedipotter]

Well....there are not many(any) normal animal outsider type creatures. You can have a camel :) It does improve as you level.




Xanesha Evermask "Not asleep, like I said yesterday, temporal stasis. It's powerful transmutation magic, that can freeze one in time. "

Vekkel Bensen "Um, what explorers?"

Thon Fielderson just stays quiet.

[NeoSeraphi]

Sigh...I'll take the horse. Couldn't be something awesome, like a tiger or a dire wolf.


"I see...a sleeping curse that could keep someone alive for...a thousand years? Weird place to take a nap though. Why that crypt? What's in there that is so important?" Justin wonders aloud. When Vekkel asks him the question, Justin nods. "Yes. The crypt in question was discovered by some explorers who encountered someone inside it. I didn't lie when I said the crypt is full of treasure, we've got an eyewitness account there. You are welcome to your share of it, as is Xanesha. I didn't ask you to come with me in order to fight some undead. I'll handle that, I just need you two to help me get into the crypt and through any traps or magic in one piece."

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask "I'd need to see the crypt to be sure, but it could be lots of reasons. "

Vekkel Bensen "I know a bit about fighting undead, but your more then welcome to take the lead."

Thon Fielderson starts making a stew on the fire.

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin goes to sleep, and when he wakes up, he'll prepare two cure light wounds spells and cast them on himself.


1 HP/HD from rest: 6 health restored.

[roll0] - Cure Light Wounds x2


Fully reinvigorated, Justin will rouse the rest of his party and request Xanesha to lift the boulder out of the way so that they can explore more.

[jedipotter]

The coverstone is a massive flat stone slab, seven feet long, four feet wide and about a half of foot thick.

Xanesha Evermask casts levitate on the cover stone, lifts it up

Thon Fielderson pushes the coverstone over to the side and sets it on the grass.

Under the coverstone is a narrow stone staircase that goes downward...into the darkness.

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin will light a torch and hand it to Vekkel, then head in first, with Thon directly behind him, both of their weapons drawn. Vekkel will come after them, and Xanesha will watch the rear.

Justin climbs down the stairs, keeping his detect evil up as he does so.

[jedipotter]

The stone stairways go downward at least 50 feet or so......the stone stairs do not glow evil. At the bottom, you see this chamber is clearly a prison. Small barred cells line the walls, leaving a 15-foot-wide pathway for a guard to walk. Channels run down either side of the path next to the cages, probably to allow the prisoners' waste to flow through the grates on the other side of the room. The cells appear empty but your vantage point doesn't allow you to see the full extent of them all.

In the middle of the room stands an ten foot tall metal construct. It has the shape of a minotaur, except it has large wings. It's head moves slightly to look at the group as you all come down the stairs.

[NeoSeraphi]

The group slowly makes its way down the stairs. Justin tightens his grip on the handle of his blade, ready to strike down any undead that may appear before him. They come into a room with a large number of prison cells, that appear to be mostly empty. "Whoa...this is kind of weird though. I mean, why have guards outside if there's no one here for you to keep locked in? And nothing inside for you to keep safe from trespassers?" he wonders aloud.

Then his eyes meet the hulking construct's. Justin raises his eyebrows in surprise. "Xanesha...what in the Faerun is that?" he asks, lowering his blade hesitantly. "Greetings to you, my bovine friend. I am Justin Navidelle, and these are my companions. We mean no harm, we are merely investigating this cave because we have reason to believe there may be a necromancer in the area. You...don't even speak my language do you? Yeah, okay, let's take this guy down."


Is the construct evil?

Ask Xanesha to roll her Know (Arcana) check to see what she can tell me.

Justin will attempt to negotiate with the creature (Diplomacy [roll0]) but assuming the creature is either hostile or doesn't share a language he'll ready his blade and go on [roll1] initiative

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask "No body move. Try not to take any aggressive actions. It's a construct, it will just do what it was made to do. And as this looks like some sort of holding cells, I'll bet it is a guard. "


[roll0]

[roll1]




The construct does not glow evil. The construct moves it's head, as Justin speak, but does not seem to react

Xanesha Evermask "It is extremely old. Sure not of human make. If it is close to the undead's age, that would make it somewhere around or over 1,000 years old. It goes without saying it won't know common."

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin nods. "Okay, don't move, got it," he whispers, slowly sheathing his blade and raising his hands pacifyingly. "Vekkel, can you take a quick look around the room? See if you spot anything important? I'll keep an eye on this guy for you."


Justin will attempt to stay perfectly still but also draw the minotaur's eye with the occasional non-threatening gesture, sound or action. He asks Vekkel to take the torch and walk around the cells looking inside them for anything of interest, as well as traps, secret doors and an exit to the room.

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask "If this is some type a jail, to should be enchanted to not attack guards. Mystra Willing. "


Vekkel Bensen enters the room with the torch and walks along the cell block. The minotaur construct turns one eye to watch Vekkel and keeps the other eye on the rest of the group.

"The cells all look empty. Though I'd guess anyone in them would have turned to dust ages ago. I don't see any other exit. But there is a secret door right there, directly across the room from the stairway. There has to be magic here, the stone would last forever, but look at the place, it not very crumbled. And the cell bars and cell doors are intact, if they were just normal metal they would have rusted ages ago."


[roll0]
[roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

"This kind of magic...preserving a whole area for a thousand years...what kind of person are we dealing with?" Justin asks himself, frowning. He draws his blade again and walks past the construct. "We can't stay here any longer. If we're going to deal with whatever is down there, we need to do it as quickly as possible. Surprise is the only advantage we have here, that and number, I hope. Vekkel, open the door. Xanesha, prepare some sort of disabling spell in case there's something nasty lurking behind it. Thon, watch the construct. If it moves, let me know." He steps up next to Vekkel and raises his blade. "I don't know what's behind that door, but whatever it is, I'm going to kill it."

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen "The door is trapped. Looks like a type of fire trap. I might be able to disarm it. But I'll bet my best boots it has an alarm spell too. And I can't do anything to that. So if I do anything, it will set off the alarm."


[roll0]


Xanesha Evermask "I can try a dispel, but I only have one. Think I should use it just for the alarm, or save it?

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin shakes his head. "Just disarm the trap. I'd rather save the dispel for the actual magic than for the alarm. At least this way we can guess there's no guard directly behind the door."

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen gets out his tools and gets to work



[roll0]


"I think it might be disabled.....but one can never be sure. Everyone ready for me to open the door?"

[NeoSeraphi]

The natural 5...what is the point of hiring a rogue if the dice decide to hate me?


"Yeah," Justin says, glancing back at the minotaur expectantly. "Let's see what kind of secrets this door is hiding. "

[jedipotter]

Some adventurers hundreds of miles away from where you are now woke up a long, long trapped and or sleeping lich. The lich seems to be very old, at least a 1000 years or more old...older then the human kingdom of Cromyr. That Crypt with the Lich is hundreds of miles away in the Stormhorn Mountains from where your group is now: The old jail cells under some long gone ruins in the Stonelands.

The lich, apparently, sent at least one mummy on a mission. And the jail ruins where on the direct path of that mummy and were guarded by the four skeletons(that it would also seem were placed/created there by the lich as the satyr did say they just ''came out of nowhere'' the other day.

So...as far as you know.....there is no lich here

[NeoSeraphi]

Some adventurers hundreds of miles away from where you are now woke up a long, long trapped and or sleeping lich. The lich seems to be very old, at least a 1000 years or more old...older then the human kingdom of Cromyr. That Crypt with the Lich is hundreds of miles away in the Stormhorn Mountains from where your group is now: The old jail cells under some long gone ruins in the Stonelands.

The lich, apparently, sent at least one mummy on a mission. And the jail ruins where on the direct path of that mummy and were guarded by the four skeletons(that it would also seem were placed/created there by the lich as the satyr did say they just ''came out of nowhere'' the other day.

So...as far as you know.....there is no lich here



This is complicated stuff! I was having a hard time following this whole sidetrack thing. It's a lot easier if there's like a map in front of me. Okay, I'll edit my original post.

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen touches the door....and the magic trap goes off! Dark red magic fire shoots out from the door and covers Vekkel!


[roll0]



[roll1]



Map from back on Page One


Cormyr (http://www.cartographersguild.com/attachments/finished-maps/6867d1223252429-cormyr-map-cormyrmap.jpg)

[NeoSeraphi]

Oh man, that looks bad! Tell me he has Evasion! :smalleek:


Justin throws up one hand to shield himself from any potential flames before quickly rushing to Vekkel's side. "Vekkel! My friend, are you alright? That blast took me completely by surprise, when you said it was trapped with fire...I don't know what I expected but it wasn't that! I should have opened the door myself."

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen leaps back from the door and dives to the floor and trips on his own two feet and falls and rolls away from the flames.......still some of the flames lick and burn his body, but not too badly.

A second later all the flames go out.

Vekkel Bensen stands up, a bit burnt and his hair still smoking, but alive. "Thanks, but traps are my thing. I have special training just for this on how to avoid the worst of traps." He shakes his boot a bit to put out the tiny flame on his boot. "Well, I was caught on the edge of the balst...could have been worse. But any trap you can walk away from...."

No alarm sounds that you can here...

Thon Fielderson "Alert! The minotaur metal thing is moving!"

The minotaur construct turns to face Vekkel and holds out it's massive metal hands...and a massive halberd appears in it's hands.

Xanesha Evermask "Oh spellsplatter, it is going to attack..."

[NeoSeraphi]

Is the door large enough that the minotaur can fit through it?


Justin grins. "Dunno why you two are complaining. A trap fights unfairly, there's pretty much nothing you can do to avoid it. But this construct, all it can do is swing an axe. Nice and simple. Xanesha, Vekkel. You two head downstairs. Xanesha, use your magic to light my sword so that Thon and I can still see while you two take the torch."

After the other two leave, Justin raises his blade. "Your injuries from yesterday still bothering you? Don't worry, I'll draw its attention."

Justin runs forward and slashes the creature.


If the door is too small for the minotaur to fit through, Justin and Thon will simply run into as well. Though, I'm guessing that's not the case. So, here's my attack roll.

[roll0] (PA)
[roll1]

[jedipotter]

The closed door that Vekkel Bensen only touched when it set off the fire trap is big enough for the construct to fit though....if it was open. The door is closed.(and still locked too)

Xanesha Evermask casts light on Justin's sword


Round 1

Construct goes to attack!


[roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Initiative: [roll0]


Justin frowns. "Vekkel, can you hurry up with that door please? I can't keep him stopped forever, and I doubt my blade will have much impact against him. Just get the door unlocked and open, we'll be right behind you!"

[jedipotter]

The Construct Minotaur breathes out a gas from it's snout over the area. Effecting Justin and Thon (Fort Save)


[roll0]


Thon is not effected


Construct Attacks Justin


[roll1]
[roll2] plus [roll3]

[roll4]
[roll5] plus [roll6]



The construct Minotaur's halberd blazes with fire as it swings through the air....

[NeoSeraphi]

[roll0]


Justin staggers back and grits his teeth, covering his mouth as he breathes in the gas. "Damn, we need help! Thon, cover me!"

After Justin 5' steps back, he'll begin concentrating and use his Celestial Ally ability to call an ally to aid him as a full-round action. If he is successful, his ally will appear at the beginning of his next turn. "By all that is holy, I call upon you to fulfill your oath! Cross over the bridge to the other side, and appear to aid me in this time of need! Open, Gate of the Spirit Wolf! Arcarius, come serve me!"


Concentration check, assuming that the minotaur has 10' reach: [roll1]
Summon Monster II: Celestial Wolf named Arcarius, who Justin has called before and is on good terms with.

[jedipotter]

The gas does not have an effect on Justin

Construct Minotaur makes it's Attack of Opportunity
[roll0]
[roll1] plus [roll2]



Thon Fielderson attacks

[roll3]
[roll4]


Thon's blade slides off the side of the construct doing no damage

[NeoSeraphi]

The minotaur's attack bounces harmlessly off Justin's armor and does not interrupt his concentration. Justin continues to focus.


It's the minotaur's turn now, I believe.

[jedipotter]

Construct Minotaur attacks [roll0] Justin!


[roll1]
[roll2]

[roll3]
[roll4]

Edit forgot fire damage, so just say 1 fire damage

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin takes the brunt of the minotaur's attack and growls, focusing hard to keep his last bit of concentration on his summoning spell.


Concentration check (DC 21): [roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin groans in frustration as his spell dissipates and he is unable to call his friend. Glaring angrily at the minotaur, he raises his blade. "Very well! You'll find that I'm more than enough for you on my own!" He moves into position to flank the creature along with Thon, and then attacks.


Attack (PA): [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[jedipotter]

Justin Navidelle sword strike misses...

Thon Fielderson attacks!


[roll0]
[roll1]


Thon misses

Construct Minotaur attacks [roll2] Thon


[roll3]
[roll4]

[roll5]
[roll6]



Two misses

[NeoSeraphi]

Thon's flanking with Justin, so he should get a +2 bonus.
Also us dying to poor dice rollers is starting to look like a very real possibility. :smalleek:


Justin grits his teeth and tries his best to concentrate, though he fears that doing so will barely allow him to scratch this monster.

He swings his sword!


[roll0]
[roll1]
Second:
[roll2]
[roll3]

[jedipotter]

Only one person can get the flank bonus, you might want to designate if your flanking for someone or for yourself.


Vekkel Bensen unlocks and opens the door.

Xanesha Evermask "It's open! But that thing looks tough. I cloud drop a fog cloud and we can run."

Thon Fielderson "Might be a good idea"

[NeoSeraphi]

Since when has flanking only applied to one person? Flanking rules (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering/combat#TOC-Flanking):
If you attack someone who is threatened by an enemy character on the opposite border, you get +2 to your attack rolls. And if you attack someone threatened by a character on the opposite end, that means you're threatening them on the opposite end for the person who's granting you the bonus.

Otherwise the Teamwork feat Outflank (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/combat-feats/outflank-combat-teamwork) doesn't make any sense and is useless. You guys each provide each other a +4 bonus.


Justin frowns and lowers his blade. "I don't understand why our attacks aren't working! Is this thing's armor made of adamantine? We keep swinging and we can't leave a scratch! Argh...alright, fine. Retreat!...for now..."

Justin will wait until everyone else is through the door and then he'll run after them, shutting the door behind him.

[jedipotter]

Construct Minotaur watches you carefully, but does not attack when it is clear everyone is withdrawing from the area.

Everyone makes it to the stairs no problem.


Hummmm......ok

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin pants in relief. "That was close. Good save Vekkel." He winces in pain as he starts to limp down the stairs cautiously, looking for any sign of danger.

[jedipotter]

You meant as you limp UP the stairs and back to the surface, right? Your not going deeper into the dungeon and leaving your only way out blocked, right?

[NeoSeraphi]

I said what I meant and I meant what I said! We can deal with the minotaur on our way out, I'm not retreating from this after that stupid trap almost killed Vekkel! We're going to find out what's down here! Deeper into the dungeon!

[jedipotter]

The door leads into another room, much the same size as the last one. The floor of the room is bare, but the walls are lined with stone vaults. They are each two feet by two feet, stacked two high and a total of thirty line the walls of the room. Each has a quite fancy stone lock on it.


The construct minotaur moves into the room following you and goes to attack!

(RE) Initiative

[roll0]

[NeoSeraphi]

[roll0]


Justin sighs and turns around to face the monster. "Xanesha, I don't suppose that's one of those golems who isn't immune to magic, is it?"

Panting, he raises his blade defensively. "Vekkel, I'll draw its attention. You go from behind and hit it where it hurts!"


Justin will fight defensively, taking a -2 penalty to his attack roll but giving him a +2 Dodge bonus to his AC.

Since constructs are vulnerable to Sneak Attack in Pathfinder, Vekkel can backstab it pretty easily as long as we flank.

Attack: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2]

AC for the round: 24

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask "It's not a golem, I'm pretty sure of that. It is just a guardian construct. Some magic will effect it."

Round 1
Construct attacks Justin


[roll0]
[roll1] plus [roll2]

[roll3]
[roll4] plus [roll5]



Justin Navidelles sword strike misses...

Thon Fielderson attacks
[roll6]
[roll7]


Thon misses

Vekkel Bensen moves around behind "I studied undead, not constructs, but I'll try"

[roll8]
[roll9] plus [roll10]

Vekkel hits!

Xanesha Evermask casts a spell making the constructs halberd hot, but it does not damage and has no effect.

[NeoSeraphi]

Why did you roll 3d4 instead of 3d6? Oh man, is Vekkel a Knife Master with no daggers? :smalleek:
Vekkel rolled a natural 20, so if he confirms his critical, that's double damage.
Justin is down to 3 hit points.


Justin grimaces and stands his ground. He slams the bastard sword into the minotaur's side and then tries to slice its arm off.


Fighting Defensively apparently imposes a -4 penalty to attack rolls, not -2.
Attack (Fighting Defensively + Flanking)
[roll0]
[roll1]

[jedipotter]

Vekkel is a Dungeon Runner...and, oh wait it's bonus damage vs undead and constructs....wow, what luck



Crit roll [roll0]
It's a crit!
Precision Damage [roll1]

EDIT: 15 damage!


Vekkel stabs his short sword into the constructs shoulder and rips apart it's metal skin.

[NeoSeraphi]

Okay, great so Vekkel hit him for 15 and Justin hit him for 15..how's he looking?

[jedipotter]

Well Justin missed on round 1 and that is the round we just finished. So, so far it has just taken the 15 from Vekkel


Round 2

Justin Navidelle's sword strike hits the damaged shoulder!

Construct Minotaur

[roll1]
[roll2]




[roll3]
[roll4]


Thon Fielderson attacks [roll5] [roll1d8+6


Vekkel Bensen attacks [roll6]
[roll7] [roll8]

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson's......

[roll0]


Justin Navidelle, Thon Fielderson, and Vekkel Bensen all hit!


15 + 12 + 13 = 40 Damage!


The Construct Minotaur whole chest is ripped open and it wobbles a bit.....but it is still intact.

[NeoSeraphi]

So, you rolled a 3, so that means the minotaur attacked Vekkel, right?
Because he rolled a 20. :smalleek:
Also, Vekkel rolled a natural 19, I think that's still a threatened crit on a shortsword

[jedipotter]

Construct Minotaur swings and hits Vekkel Bensen!


[roll0]


Vekkel takes a huge, nasty hit! He is cut up bad, but alive....

Vekkel's attack


[roll1]


More damage!


Damage 47!

[NeoSeraphi]

What about Xanesha? You didn't give her an action this round.


"Vekkel! Aw, Nine Hells..." Justin mutters, gritting his teeth. "You damn monster...fall to pieces!"

Justin pulls his blade back and attempts to rip the minotaur in half with one mighty swing.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]


Edit: For ****'s sake...can I Hero Point this or something? Seriously, my party is not doing anything wrong here, we are just being screwed hard by the forum roller.

[jedipotter]

I did not forget her, she just does not have helpful spells. And she'd get the -4 to hit for anything directed....and she has a low attack anyway. She could cast haste again...





Does Pathfinder have hero points?

[NeoSeraphi]

I did not forget her, she just does not have helpful spells. And she'd get the -4 to hit for anything directed....and she has a low attack anyway. She could cast haste again...





Does Pathfinder have hero points?



Haste would be massively helpful. More AC more to hit more sneak attacks. And yeah, if you spend a hero point in pf you get +8 on a d20 roll or +4 after the fact. A 20 would hit right?

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask casts haste on everyone! for her round 2 action So justin gets another action, if you want to make the extra attack


Round 3

Construct Minotaur [roll0] swings towards Justin Navidelle!


[roll1]
[roll2]



Justin Navidelle sees the flaming axe blade very up close...

And the Construct Minotaur will move a full 30 feet, back out of the vault room (20 feet) and (10 feet) back into the jail cell room.


That does provoke an attack of opportunity, if you want to take it...

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin drops his sword and falls to his knees, clutching at his bleeding side. "Thon, can you look around and see if there's anything you can block the door with?"

He pulls his hand back and looks at it. No way he could fight again in this condition. "Xanesha, the rest of us need to take a nap. Can you watch for danger?"

[jedipotter]

You know Justin was not hit, right? AC 22 plus 1 haste plus 2 defense equals 25


Thon Fielderson "This room is bare, there is nothing to block the door with."

Xanesha Evermask "Take a nap? Here? Have you lost your mind? We should try and run past it and escape. We can't keep fighting it like this."

Thon Fielderson "There is no shame in retreat."


Vekkel Bensen watching the construct from the doorway "Guys, it walked back to the center of the room and in now engulfed in a pillar of fire that goes floor to ceiling."

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin is at 3/70 Hit Points. He's bleeding from all the other hits


"Running past it is more insane than taking a nap. I'm not sure I even have enough blood left to move my legs at this point." Justin replies, forcing himself to a sitting position. He looks up at Vekkel. "What on earth are you talking about? It's on fire?" Justin stands slowly and makes his way over to the door. He glances out into the room.


Perception: [roll0]


"Xanesha, do you have any idea what that means?" he asks.

[jedipotter]

The Construct Minotaur is standing in the middle of the jail cell room, in the exact same spot it was standing when you first came down the stairs. A pillar of dim red fire flows over the construct from head to hoof, ceiling to floor.

As you look, you can see all the damage to the constructs torso, chest, shoulder and arm is slowly being repaired and is staring to look as good as new.

Xanesha Evermask "It's a repair artifice. It makes sense. If you have a construct guardian, you set up a way for it to repair itself if damaged. It might come back even if destroyed."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Alright, well, that's the opening we needed. Come on, let's make a run for it while it's repairing itself." Justin heads out into the room slowly, making sure the minotaur doesn't move, and then rushes up the stairs to the outside. Once he's there, he'll start looking for a place nearby that's sheltered and start to make camp, because he needs to rest.

[jedipotter]

The Construct Minotaur turns it's head and watches everyone leave and run up the stairs. Outside it's a bit cloudy, but otherwise the empty wilderness.

Xanesha Evermask leads everyone over to a nice camp site in a small grove of trees.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Okay, so...does anyone have any ideas for how to deal with that thing? Because we just got destroyed in there," Justin comments, pulling some bandages out of his pouch and wrapping them around his stomach. "I can only purge the evil from this world, a creature that is neither good nor evil, my god will not assist me with." He offers the bandages to Vekkel as well. "Not to mention, it will probably take Thon, Vekkel and I at least three days of rest to recover from these injuries, and we don't have that kind of time to wait around..."

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson "Aye, Tymora was not with us down there. We had quite bad luck"

Vekkel Bensen "I've made lots of study of constructs. I know how to hit the weak parts just right. If I can get a couple of good hits in, I could disable and destroy it."

Xanesha Evermask "Well, I think it is safe to say fire heals it, so that takes out my fire magic. But then I'm not much into direct attacks anyway. But with haste and cats grace you can all stand a good chance. Even more so a cats grace on Vekkel. "

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin nods to himself. "Well, now that we know what's down there, we can plan for it. Everyone get some rest and we'll try again once we're healed up." He lays down and rubs his side as he struggles to fall asleep.


Heal 6 HP for 8 hours of rest. Reprepare two cure light wounds, cast both:
[roll0]


The next day, Justin is still not doing great. He glances at the others as they wake up. "Roll call, who's feeling like crap today?"

[jedipotter]

Both Thon Fielderson and Vekkel Bensen raise their hands.

Xanesha Evermask "I feel fine. Though if I had taken just one of them wicked hits by that flaming halberd....I'd be dead, not just feeling bad."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Right well, unless anyone else has any bright ideas, I'm guessing our only option is to sit out here and wait until we all feel better, then try again." Justin looks at Vekkel expectantly.

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen "Um, well, hey, where did that friendly satyr go? He said he had a druid that healed him after he fought the skeletons, right? Maybe the druid can heal us too." he says with a little shrug and smile.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Brilliant! Let's do that then. Better than sitting around all day." Justin stands up and walks with the group, looking for the forest creature they'd met previously.

If he finds him Justin will hail him down. "Peace, friend. Those skeletons will bother you no more."

[jedipotter]

It takes a couple hours in the mid morning, but before lunch you all spot Bruni frolicking in a field of flowers. "Why, I do say, that is good news. We sure did not like them unnaturally things around here. I thank you for dispatching them. Maybe, if you'd like, once the moon rises, we could dance to it. I have some hard cider left."

[NeoSeraphi]

"I certainly appreciate the invitation and...honestly a dance sounds pretty good right now," Justin replies, doing his best to avoid Xaneshas gaze. "But we have lots of work left to do. My companions and I need magical healing to make sure that necromancer doesn't bother you again. Is your druid friend around?"

[jedipotter]

Bruni Nods "She is not around here, she lives across the grasses in a wooded grove. She does not travel, we would need to go to her. Follow"

About an hour later Bruni leads you to an isolated grove of large, old trees that have grown in a wide circle. He walks over to one tree and lightly taps on the trunk with his horns.

The tree shimmers in the light a bit, and a young woman steps out of the tree trunk. She is quite short, only about five feet tall, and very small and petite. Her eyes are a dark amber color, and her hair is light green. Her ears are pointed and she has a well defined athletic body. She wears no clothing and is completely naked.

Bruni speaks to her, in a language that is not common...and she speaks a bit back to him in the same.

[NeoSeraphi]

Oh man, a dryad! Damn, the one time I don't have Knowledge (Nature) on one of my characters!


Justin blinks in surprise and spins around, blushing hotly when the woman appears. "B-begging your pardon, my lady. We didn't mean to disturb you from your sleep or bath." He quickly reaches into his bag and pulls out his spare traveling clothes, offering them in one hand behind him without looking. "I am Justin Navidelle. It is a pleasure to meet y- er, I mean! You know, not like 'pleasure' pleasure, but I...er..Vekkel, you talk to her!"

[jedipotter]

Yeferia "I am Yeferia. I do not need or want your things." she slowly stretches and raises her arms over her head, thrusts her chest forward and tilts her behind backwards.

Xanesha Evermask crosses her arms and LOOKS at Justin Navidelle .

Vekkel Bensen "A well......Bruni here said you were a druid. And as you can see you got a bit hurt...well, see there were taking out some skeletons. The same ones that killed the other satyrs, and hurt Bruni. Well we destroyed all of them, and now we are clearing out a dungeon. And, and, we need some healing to continue...."

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin gulps and stashes his clothes back in his bag. "Er, right sorry." he apologizes, still not looking at her. "The locksmith is correct, my lady. We are here by the church's wish, investigating possible necromancy activity in the area. If you could provide us with some aid, we'd be happy to clear that dungeon of anyone who'd be able to raise more creatures from the dead and disturb your peace further. However, if you are unwilling or unable to help us, we understand. We just thought we'd ask." If one were looking at him, they'd deduce he was carrying this conversation with the ground.

[jedipotter]

Yeferia "Bruni says you are good people, and I sense no evil in you all. And I do wish the land clear of undead. I do not like the cold ones. I will help. "

She moves forward and kisses Vekkel Bensen full on the mouth. He kisses back. And for several minutes the two of them make out.


[roll0]
[roll1]



Then she moves over and gives Thon Fielderson a long deep kiss, and he kisses back.

[roll2]
[roll3]


Then Yeferia moves over to Justin Navidelle "You must look at me and kiss me. My magic is in my lips."

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin's eyes widen. "I...I've never...er. Say, Xanesha. I know it's technically necromancy magic, but I don't suppose you have the spell that blinds someone prepared do you? Even temporarily." He gulps and sighs. This was important. This was his job. Even if this was his first kiss, he would give up such a special moment if it meant ridding the world of evil. Justin turns around slowly and keeps his eyes locked on Yeferia's. His steel will and determination prevent his eyes from traveling any further south and he shuts out any and all peripheral vision. He accepts her kiss and tries to mimic her actions, kissing her back as best he can.

[jedipotter]

Yeferia gives Justin Navidelle a big long wet kiss right on his lips, as her left hand runs down his back and her right hand runs along the bottom of his belt.

Her kiss heals:

Rolls
[roll0]
[roll1]

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin quickly steps back and wipes his lips. "Ah. Um, thank you very much, I feel much be-whoa..." In his hurry to get away from her, he forgot to keep his eyes on hers. Gulping and quickly spinning around, Justin continues, red-faced, "Ahem! Don't worry, Miss Yeferia! My companions and I will make sure there are no more undead around these parts! Men! Let's move out!"

If no one objects, he leads the way back to the cave and will ask Xanesha to cast haste again before the crew goes back in to deal with this minotaur.

[jedipotter]

The jail dungeon looks just as you left it..


Vekkel Bensen "looks unchanged"


Xanesha Evermask sits on a small rock and crosses her arms again "Good thing I was not hurt. I would not want to kiss some fey tramp. Oh, but now it is cast a spell on me? Why don't you get your new girl to cast a spell on you? Hum?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Xanesha, I don't even know that woman! Nature magic seems so impractical with its silly rules. Unlike your arcane spells, which are much more useful. And you don't need to behave so...indecently, like she did. Of course all that is irrelevant because I'd gladly kiss you if you asked me to."

He looks at the others. "Right. Same plan as before. I fight, Vekkel backstabs, Thon protects Xanesha. Ready?"

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask "Fine. I have two cat graces, one for Vekkel, but who needs the other one?"


Thon Fielderson "I guess we don't have anything to protect us from the gas?"

Vekkel Bensen"Take a deep breath?"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Fine. Give me the other cat's grace, I'll go in by myself and bait out the gas attack. You guys follow after."

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask cast haste on everyone and cat's grace on Justin Navidelle.

Thon Fielderson "I'd say we are ready...."

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin heads down the stairs into the prison cavern and looks directly at the minotaur. "Hey. So, you screwed up finishing me off last time. You're about to see how bad a mistake that was. But this time, I won't be alone!"

Justin raises his blade and cuts it into his palm, extending his hand and letting blood drip onto the floor. "Oh silver moon, I sit on the lakeside and watch your reflection and I find only one word comes to my lips. Awooooooooo! Now, I call upon you once more, come to me to fulfill your pledge! Cross over to this world, let my voice be your guide! And now, appear forth in the name of Navidelle! Open, Gate of the Spirit Wolf! Arcarius, come serve me!"

Justin's blood glows on the ground and slides in all directions, forming a crimson pentagram. The pentagram glows purple and there is a loud howl, then a celestial wolf leaps from the celestial plane and growls angrily.

"Alright! Now let's crush him!" Justin exclaims in Celestial, grabbing his bastard sword and charging forward.


Using Justin's surprise round to summon Arcarius. I know I shouldn't be able to take a full-round action here, but since the construct didn't even move until I opened the door last time, I'm assuming it won't interrupt Justin this time.

Initiative: [roll0]

Justin and Arcarius will spend their first round getting into flanking positions.

Arcarius's attack: [roll1]
Damage Roll: [roll2]
Justin's attack (Power Attack): [roll3]
Damage Roll: [roll4]

[jedipotter]

You can summon just fine before you enter the room.

The Construct Minotaur turns an watches Justin Navidelle summon the wolf.


[roll0]


Round 1

The Construct Minotaur breaths a grayish cloud of gas at Justin Navidelle Fortitude save!

Arcarius bites the metal construct but does not damage.

Justin Navidelle hits, cutting a bit of metal off it's chest.

[NeoSeraphi]

Fort save (Arcarius): [roll0]
Fort save (Justin): [roll1]


Justin coughs as he inhales the gas. "Ah ha ha ha! Guys, it's okay! Come down now!" he calls up the stairs.

[jedipotter]

The gas effects both Justin Navidelle and Arcarius!


(Justin) [roll0]

(Arcarius) [roll1]

So two(2) points of dexterity damage to Justin, and 3 to Arcarius....

[NeoSeraphi]

Dex damage? Psh! I don't need Dex!

Justin feels his legs get a little heavier but he ignores it and cuts through the minotaur, along with his wolf friend.


Power Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Haste Attack: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
BAB: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]

Arcarius: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]

[jedipotter]

Justin Navidelle hits twice.....Arcarius misses!

The group moves down the stairs and into the room.

Vekkel Bensen moves around to get a good flank on the construct with Justin.


[roll0]
[roll1] plus [roll2]


Vekkel misses.....

Thon Fielderson attacks!

[roll3]
[roll4]


Thon hits!

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin coughs and shakes his head. "This gas is starting to hurt...let's end this right now. Together everyone!"


Justin Attacks!
[roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Haste: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
BAB: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]

Arcarius: [roll6]
Damage: [roll7]

[jedipotter]

Construct attacks Justin! Swing it's flaming halberd...




[roll0]
[roll1] plus [roll2]

[roll3]
[roll4] plus [roll5]

[jedipotter]

Justin Navidelle hits only ones, and Arcarius misses.


Vekkel Bensen attacks!


[roll0]
[roll1] plus [roll2]


Vekkel hits, doing a bit of damage

Thon Fielderson attacks!

[roll3]
[roll4]


Thon misses

And finally, Construct Minotaur attacks Justin Navidelle at the end of the round


[roll5]
[roll6] plus [roll7]

[roll8]
[roll9] plus [roll10]



One hit!

[NeoSeraphi]

That's a nat 20 again, so I'll wait for your critical confirmation roll


Justin groans as the hit causes him to loosen his grip on his blade. It falls out of one hand and its weight drags it to rest on the ground. Justin grins and grabs the blade in both hands, sweeping upwards with force, before deliver two more strikes attempting to finish the minotaur off as quickly as possible.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Haste: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]
BAB: [roll4]
Damage: [roll5]

Arcarius attack:
[roll6]
Damage: [roll7]

[jedipotter]

[roll0]




Justin Navidelle cuts into the metal skin of the construct ripping a wicked line across it's chest.

Vekkel Bensen attacks!

[roll1]
[roll2] plus [roll3]


Vekkel misses

Thon Fielderson attacks!


[roll4]
[roll5]



Misses.......
And finally, Construct Minotaur attacks [roll6] Justin Navidelle



[roll7]
[roll8]

[roll9]
[roll10]

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin takes the withdraw action, gritting his teeth and watching the others as they try and finish the minotaur off.


Arcarius attack (Reposition to flank with Vekkel)
[roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen attacks!


plus 3d8


Thon Fielderson attacks!

[roll2]
[roll3]




And finally, Construct Minotaur attacks [roll4]


[roll5]
[roll6]

[roll7]
[roll8]

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen roll....



[roll0]




Both Vekkel and Thon hit, now baddy damaging the construct....

The construct spins and swings at Thon, hitting once.

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin takes cover near one of the cells, making sure there's plenty of space between him and the construct.

Arcarius bites the minotaur!

[roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen attacks!




[roll0]
[roll1] plus [roll2]





Vekkel hits! ripping open the construts chest plate

Thon Fielderson attacks!



[roll3]
[roll4]


Thon hits! Driving his blade right into the open spot.

The Construct Minotaur suddenly drops to the ground, stops moving, and starts to glow with red heat and give off white smoke.

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin pants and looks over at Arcarius. "Thank you, friend. I appreciate your assistance."

The celestial canine frowns disapprovingly at him. "Justin, I know I have sworn an oath to assist you, but that oath was taken in order to vanquish evil. Neither your powers nor mine are supposed to be used to destroy creations that are just following orders."

Justin nods, wincing in pain. "I know. Why do you think it took us so long? But I'm pretty sure this construct is a servant of an evil force. If it were allowed to exist, it would have simply been forced to do more evil things against its will, right?"

The wolf shakes his head. "Just make sure that next time you call me, you're fighting a necromancer, not his pet guard dog." And with that, Arcarius disappears.

"Well, we did it, right? Vekkel, can you disassemble this thing or mess with the machine that lets it recharge so that we can make sure it won't come back? And Thon, I think we're going to have to go back and visit Yeferia again before we move on. Do you think you could remember the way back to where she was without going to bother Bruni again?"

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask "Don't go near it! Everyone go back up the stairs. I'm pretty sure it is going to explode!"

Xanesha walks backwards up the stairs.

Vekkel Bensen backs up

Thon Fielderson is about to answer your question and then stops to look at Justin Navidelle

[NeoSeraphi]

"Explode? What kind of nons-you know what? I know better than to talk back at this point. Come on, Thon!" Justin grabs Thon by the arm and the two of them sprint up the stairs and quickly make it into the clearing.

[jedipotter]

Seconds later a blast of fire and smoke shoots up the stairway and into the open air. For a couple of seconds. Then it fades away, and everything is quiet. Other then a couple burning blades of grass everything looks clam.

Thon Fielderson quickly stomps out the little grass fires with his boots.

Xanesha Evermask "It make sense. This place was once some kind of jail. And that construct was the guard. And the only way it would be destroyed is by the prisoners. And the captors obviously did not want the prisoners to get away. It's a good fail safe."


Vekkel Bensen carefully looks over the stairs "The stonework is not hot, it's not even damaged. I guess that death trap was only made to hurt people."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Well, it wasn't exactly effective, was it? I mean, any prisoner who escaped and killed that thing would run up the stairs asap even if he didn't recognize the explosion, just like us. Kind of a poorly designed delay on that trap there. Anyway, let's head over to Yeferia. Thon?" Justin asks, glancing at him.

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson "She was this way, follow me."

Xanesha Evermask "Oh, sure lets all run back to the naked kissy dryad. We so should have brought a cleric with us. "

It's a short walk of just two hours back to the dryads grove.

Thon Fielderson walks up ahead and speaks to Yeferia, then the two of them come over.

Yeferia walks over, standing nude just in front of Justin Navidelle"By the Big Branch! Your hurt !"

[NeoSeraphi]

"Yes, I am. As are my comrades. However, we managed to defeat the foe who so severely incapacitated us last time. And, I know you don't want any of our human possessions, and I assume that includes our coin. So, I will ask you, Lady Yeferia. If you agree to heal us again, how would we be able to compensate you? Is there anything we can do to help you, or to improve your quality of life? Some favor that would be within my power to grant you?"

He will step back and allow Vekkel and Thon to receive any healing they need first, before kissing the girl himself. Again, Justin does his best to keep his eyes firmly on hers, and does not look at her naked form.

Diplomacy: [roll0]
Do we level yet? Because that's a mummy, four skeletons and two tussles with a construct.

[NeoSeraphi]

Incidentally, I know nothing about how Forgotten Realms handles Nature magic as opposed to Arcane (Does Nature use The Weave?) Justin will make a Knowledge (Religion) check to see if he knows what Yeferia means by "The Big Branch", as well as what fey (and dryads in particular) typically worship: [roll0]

Edit: Of course. Oh well, nat 1s don't mean automatic failures for skill checks, hopefully an 11 will at least tell me something.

[jedipotter]

Vekkel Bensen is not hurt, so she just admires Yeferia, from behind.

Yeferia kisses Thon Fielderson next, and it is a quick kiss.

Then Yeferia comes over and kisses Justin Navidelle a big, wet, full, kiss on the lips.


[roll0]
[roll1]

Healed to Justin



In the most common Fey view of the cosmos the whole planet Toril is nestled in the leaves of a giant tree: Yggdrasil. The Big Branch is the branch that holds the planet.

Nature magic, divine magic and arcane magic all use the Weave.

Dryads obviously worship deities of nature. Verenestra is the fey deity of Female Faeries, Charm, and Beauty, she is the most common default choice for female fey. And the beauty part does fit with the being nude...

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin blushes a bit and bows his head. "Pardon me for asking, but is there any chance we could...er...kiss again? Not because I want to kiss you or anything...though of course you're a very beautiful woman and I would only be so lucky - that is, assuming that the two of us got to know each other first and we were both consenting - no, that's not right either. I mean, consent is important! But - no...I just, as you said, I am very badly injured and even with your magic I fear my wounds still run deep."

He groans and shakes his head. "I apologize, my lady. I am doing my best, but your magic just makes me feel a bit...awkward. That is my problem, obviously, not yours, so please forgive me while I try to deal with it as best I can. And now, as for the request, is there anything I can do to repay you for your generosity? Please, if you have any problem that you need help with, just tell me!" he smiles at her, an honest smile that holds no shame or embarrassment.

Wait, aren't dryads pretty much always naked? :smallconfused: And I figure, since she can't leave her tree, there must be something she needs help with that Justin could do for her, since she won't accept money. Anyway, her kisses bring Justin up to 37/70, so if she's out of lipstick for the day, he'll probably need to request her services again in the morning before he heads back into the cave. (Not that I'm worried about adventuring without full HP, but I literally almost died the last two fights at full HP, so Justin wants to make sure he's completely healed before he goes even deeper.

[jedipotter]

Yeferia "Your still hurt. I have just a bit more healing left today."

Yeferia kisses Justin Navidelle some more


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]




Yeferia "There is something you could do. Bruni lost his whole family. And a land without satyrs is a sad and lonely place. I can heal, but not bring back the dead. But I know a way to do it. To the north of here, lives a vile and evil hag. She has a cauldron that can bring back the dead. If you could get me that....then all of Bruni's family can live again"

Dryads are always nude.

[NeoSeraphi]

"A cauldron to resurrect the dead you say? That sounds like it'd be nice to have, especially if this necromancer is as strong as I fear. What can you tell me about this hag, Lady Yeferia?"

Justin looks at the others. "What do you think? Bruni and Yeferia have helped us quite a bit after all. And more importantly, it's the right thing to do. I can't just abandon someone who needs my help. These satyrs shouldn't have died so needlessly because of some evil necromancer trying to strong arm his way into their forest after 1000 years."

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson "Sounds good to me." says with a shrug.

Vekkel Bensen "I agree we owe them, and it's the right thing to do."

Xanesha Evermask "It is the right thing to do."


Yeferia "Her name is Halashrashiyd. We have met a time or two. But mostly she keeps away from here. She has a tribe of goblins that serve her, I'm not sure how many..at least a couple handfulls. She lives in a couple caves set in a rut a bit north from here. Melo can guide you."

A tiny humanoid-like mushroom creature pop up out of the ground and waves.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Well then, I will go and speak to this hag and request that she turn over her cauldron. If she resists, I will request again...with force." Justin says, hoping he can at least try to resolve this particular problem diplomatically so he doesn't have to kill a creature just to steal from its dead body. Helm authorized the use of force to stop evil, but not necessarily to promote good. And the two were very different.

Looking down at the mushroom creature Justin smiles. "Lead the way, please."

[NeoSeraphi]

As they walk, Justin turns to Thon. "So I noticed your fighting style uses some...less than honorable tactics," he comments, raising an eyebrow. "Obviously, while I would never employ such sneaky behavior in battle myself, I would also never think of telling you how to live your life or fight in a particular way. However, I am curious."

Justin stops and turns to Thon. "Where did you learn to fight the way you do? And why do you do things like that? I understand my values easily enough, I would never want to harm someone who was unprepared. But just understanding the temple's way of thinking isn't enough for me. Please, explain this to me. Why do you voluntarily trick and harm people? Is winning at all costs really so important to you?"

Justin searches his friend's face for any answers, unable but wishing he could comprehend why Thon fights that way.

I know Thon hasn't used any actual dirty tricks in combat yet, but I imagine cads naturally attack in ways that are deceptive.

[jedipotter]

Melo "This way"

The tiny, maybe two foot tall, mushroom like creature starts walking northward.

Thon Fielderson "I don't really like the word honor. It sounds like a good idea, even a great idea. But in practice it's just a way for a group of elitist in power to make rules for us common folk to follow. Ask anyone what is honorable and you get a vague answer. It's whatever the people in power think it is. Or maybe even more as long as they like you or you follow them or something else.

And that is just the first leaf on the tree. Then you get the endless corruption. All the time you see senior knights, clerics, or whatever how do something wrong, without honor, maybe even evil or against the rules of law. But no matter how public it is, it can just be swept under the trees. The senior person is just too important, too well connected, so they can't pay the price for what they did.

It's a bad system.

And sure, I've developed a fighting style that does not seem honorable to some people. I did not learn it from any one place. I guess you could say I learned it on the blade. I learned a lot from shady people, and made it my own. Like when fools attack me out of some twisted sense of honor, I might just disarm them and not 'kill them in honorable combat'. Or when an honorable person, with a group of ten others, takes away my weapon...and then honorably attempts to kill me and I have to fight them off with a wooden chair.

And trick and harm people, I guess that would be accurate. Like when I can convince some bandits that I'm one of them and then attack them at a point when they are vulnerable. Or tricking some orcs that are about to hurt a farmer, or other such things without honor.

That about answer it.

[NeoSeraphi]

"I see. I think I understand where you're coming from. Do what you think is right, and the ends justify the means. Nothing wrong with that."

He thanks Thon for his insight and walks in silence a bit, pondering the necessity of chaos and its impact on the world. After a few minutes, he glances sideways at Xanesha. "You were right. I should have requested the services of a cleric before I left. I'm sorry that we're forced to rely on Lady Yeferia's assistance."

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson "I'll admit that I have done a trick or two, but only in the cause of the greater good. I'm not such a bad guy." He gives a nod and walks along.

Xanesha Evermask "I seems like it would have been a good idea. And Yeferia is sure no lady. It's like I know her race and culture and faith are worlds apart from ours, and I should view everyhing about her in that light. But when she just stands there naked....and kisses everyone....it's, it's just makes my blood boil."

[NeoSeraphi]

"Why though? Is it just that you feel that's not something a woman should do? Are you personally offended?" Justin asks Xanesha curiously.

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask "I don't know. I just don't like it. It makes me feel bad inside. I don't know how to explain it"


A couple feet up ahead, Thon Fielderson leans next to a large tree and waves his left hand trying to get Justin Navidelle's attention. "Two goblins up ahead, looks like they are looking for bugs in a small stream. Melo things they might be the hags goblins as they have new looking boots."

[NeoSeraphi]

Sense Motive: [roll0]

Justin frowns as he watches Xanesha's face while she answers. "If you say so," he replies. "Hmmm...not sure what to make of this. Perhaps she's just jealous, but...no, she doesn't know me that well. And she's upset over the dryad kissing 'all of us', she'd have no reason to be jealous about the attention she gets from Vekkel or Thon. Perhaps it's a racist vendetta? Does she have a problem with fey in general?" Justin carefully observes Xanesha's body language as they walk to try and read her better.

"Goblins? Goblins are easily dealt with. Vekkel?" Justin asks expectantly, grinning. "They're small and they're stupid. Care to see if you can fast-talk them?" He encourages the rogue to try and get some information out of the pair, or at least sneak up on them and incapacitate them without a fight.

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask is clearly hiding something and not telling the truth.



Vekkel Bensen his hands open and his weapon sheathed at his side walks into the open "Hello, goblins! We be friends!


[roll0]

Wow..so, so close


The goblins listen to Vekkel talk for a minute, but then just shrug"Go away hew-mon we are hunting bugs".

[NeoSeraphi]

THE ROGUE has a Charisma bonus of zero? The rogue?!

Justin walks up and smiles at the goblins. "Sorry to interrupt your hunting, but we need to speak to a hag who lives in these parts. Her name is Halashrashiyd. Will you please take us to her?"

[roll0]

[jedipotter]

The goblins sure are charmed by Justin Navidelle.......

Vinny Bugfinder "I'm Vinny Bugfinder. Nice to meet a nice human. We no meet many nice humans. And mes can helps. Halashrashiyd is our lady master lord. She sleeps with the chief. Take too, you come."

The two goblins move off northward through the rocks and brush.



Vekkel is a dungeon runner rouge that can pick locks, find and disarm traps and hurt undead and constructs. He does not use charisma for anything. What would he to sweet talk a lock into opening?

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin smiles. "Nice to meet you. I'm Justin. If you could show us where your lady is, we'd really appreciate it. Is your chief really strong?"

[jedipotter]

Vinny Bugfinder "Chief not strong, chief smart. Smartest of all goblins. But not smarter then lady master lord. Women folk always smarter."

The goblins lead your group northward, and every so often they both make loud ''croak'' like noises. The woods get very, very rocky and there are less and less trees as the group moves north.

After about an hour they take a rocky path down into a box canyon. At the far end of the canyon you can see several caves cut into the rock there. A dozen or so goblins move about outside the caves.

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin takes a deep breath. "Alright, group huddle." He pulls his three companions into a circle, where they can speak quietly without the goblins hearing them. "These goblins outnumber us by far. Even if they are weak and pathetic, our ability to deal with multiple targets at once is decidedly lacking. Not to mention, whether these creatures are inherently evil or good, they seem completely innocent of any major crime. Therefore, my plan is to simply see if we can barter with the hag. Perhaps she would be willing to trade the cauldron, or at least allow us to borrow it for as long as it would take to revive Bruni's family. Does anyone have a problem with this plan, or a better suggestion?" he looks at each one of them in turn.

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson "We are more then far enough out in the wild that I don't think they can much bother anyone, other then the fey and the occasional traveler. And it looks like they have a nice stand off between the goblins and the fey. And I'm not the type that thinks all evil must be stomped out all the time."

Vekkel Bensen "I agree. But what do we really have to offer the hag? What could we give her in exchange? We don't have all that much. And I'll bet a pot that brings back the dead will have a high price."

Xanesha Evermask "Bringing back the dead is powerful magic. I can't see a hag sharing ir at all. I mean, would you do so if you had the cauldron? And say an orc or a drow asked to use it?"

Thon Fielderson "We sure want to avoid a fight. Goblins are weak, but we are out numbered. And I'm sure they will miss like school girls, but we will just be hay targets. And they only need a couple lucky shots to hurt us...or worse."

Vekkel Bensen"It's a little swallow the fly....but we could offer to do a job for the hag. Maybe she needs something done?"

Xanesha Evermask "Talking is our best idea. I still have my fog cloud and that can cover our escape a bit.

Thon Fielderson "That leaves it up to you Justin as your sure the face of this group."

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin nods thoughtfully. "Okay, okay, all of that sounds good. The real question is, what would she want? It'd be better if we could go in offering her something to set her expectations of us, rather than simply opening the door and inviting her creativity. Xanesha, do you know anything about hags?"

[jedipotter]

Xanesha Evermask "Hags are one of the races that goes back as far as anyone can remember. They have always been a force of evil in the world. They are well known for eating people. They are not exactly a natural race, as all hags are female. They mate with humans to have only hag kids. They know all sorts of unknown and secret magic.

I'm not sure that is much help."

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin nods and walks towards the caves, passing the goblins on his way. "Thank you Vinny," he calls to the guide before turning to the assortment of caves and taking a deep breath. "Excuse me, Lady Halashrashiyd, are you here? I need to talk to you!" he calls out loud, hoping that the hag can hear him from which ever cave she's in, and also hoping she speaks Common.

[jedipotter]

Six more goblins come out of the caves, along with an ugly humanoid. All the goblins are armed, though none have their weapons out and ready, except the two guards with short bows and the single large goblin that has a big axe. Next to the big goblin stands a wrinkled, horrible looking female like creature in a brown dress. She is only about five feet tall, but she sure stands out among the goblins as she towers over them.

"Oh, Yum, I see and smell man flesh. I am Halashrashiyd the Horrid. Why do you wish to speak to me?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Justin steps forward and bows. "Truly, madame, your visage strikes my companions and I far more than we expected. We had heard tale of how horrible and terrible you were, but that is nothing compared to the real thing. Were I not in the company of a beautiful woman I am trying to impress, I would flee in terror right now. As it stands, however, I'd like to make a request of you. You see, recently there has been a spree of unwarranted attacks on innocent satyrs in the area, and the results have been fatal. We would request to borrow the cauldron you possess that can bring the dead back to life, just to return these satyrs to their music and frolicking. You have my word, on my honor as a knight, that I will have your cauldron back to you by the end of the day, and if you don't believe me, then I will submit myself to you voluntarily. You can give the cauldron to my associates, and I will stay here as your prisoner, and should they not return by nightfall, I will be your supper."

He steps forward and removes his armor so that the hag can see just how much muscle he's got on his bones. "Of course, someone as dark and powerful as you would not lend out such a fine gift with nothing in return so we would be happy to assist you in any way we could. Is there some item or favor we could use to barter for a brief use of your cauldron?"

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[jedipotter]

Halashrashiyd taps the big mole on the side of her nose, "You are very well spoken for a human. More so a young human. I was temped to just eat you as soon as i smelled you......but that would have been such a waste.

Gen'roo taton'e verr laka, musha ponti. Dorti tater, veet!


The cauldrons magic can only bring back one person per day. Would you be willing to be our guest for the time needed?

And there is a task that needs to be done, one my goblins have failed at....but one that should be easy for the likes of you.

[NeoSeraphi]

"Unfortunately we do not have days...perhaps we could bring the corpses to you and go ahead on that errand you need for us, with your assurance that you will revive the satyrs one at a time until they are all alive and well?" Justin offers hopefully. "What is this task you need assistance with that your servants have failed you in? I assure you, your newest servant will not repeat their mistakes." He bows his head low.

Appealing to her ego here. Justin will prostrate himself as subservient, Diplomacy: [roll0]

[jedipotter]

Halashrashiyd "Your in a hurry? Leave the water on at home?

That will work then.

It's a Dragonne. It lives a bit more north of here in a cave. Likes to gobble goblins up. We sent our best warrior, the cheifson to kill it....but he failed. And we lost the clan spear, Akkauto, he had too, it's a item passed down from chief to chief. Kill the Dragonne and get us back the spear. "

[NeoSeraphi]

"Great, well a dragon does not sound like a good place for either of you two to be." Justin comments, glancing at Thon and Vekkel. "You two mind going and bringing the satyr bodies back here while Xanesha and I take care of this dragon?"

[jedipotter]

Thon Fielderson "You sure you don't want me and my sword in the fight?"

Vekkel Bensen"Sounds good to me."

Xanesha Evermask "I might be of better use moving the bodies. My magic can help with that no problem. "

[NeoSeraphi]

"I figured Vekkel would need the help with the lifting, but if Xanesha has a spell then yeah, okay. Let's go, Thon." He waves to the other two and takes Thon to the north. "Hmm...I wonder. If the dragon has only eaten the chief's son recently, then it's possible that the son might not have been digested fully. Or perhaps there's still a bone or leg lying around. As long as you have a piece of the body, it can be resurrected, right? I'm sure the chief would be thrilled if we managed to find a piece of his son to dip in that cauldron." Justin comments as they walk.

When they reach the cave, Justin lights a torch and they head inside. "Show yourself, dragonne!" Justin calls loudly. "Your hunting days are over! I'm going to plant my footprints of justice all over your scaly face!"