Rise of the Runelords IC

[DrK]

Justin Kaijitsu Justin pauses, climbing atop the nearest hummock to gaze at the distant statue. "By the Gods. Its a huge thing, who have thought to construct such a thing. Must have been mage craft!" he says, an eye glancing surreptitiously at Lebwen, "No other way folks could build such a thing!". As the lay of the land becomes clear he points to the arc of sandy banks on the Northen arc, "I know you spoke of the tress, but why don't we use that bridge to reach the sand banks, then we can walk on the sands to the great Lady, avoid the mud and fith of these swamps." He pauses as he gazes down at the small inlet, looking for signs of movement of settletment Perception (1d20+7)[18]

Spoiler: Stats

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HPs 36 / 36
Saves + 6/ 5/ 3

AC 18 (touch 14, FF 14)
CMD 18

Effects:
(Justin) Indomitable Presence: (All allies within 30-ft. of his position gain the benefits of the Die Hard feat, and may add his warlord initiation modifier to Fortitude saves versus death effects, fatigue or exhaustion effects, or poison effects as a morale bonus.)


Stance: Reaching blade stance (+1d6 dam, 1 attack gets +5ft reach)
Stance: [ACTIVE] Primal Hunter (+10ft speed and scent)

Readied:
1. (TD) Swift Claws [Strike] Attack with both weapons
1. (MC) Flowing Creek [Counter] Perform dance to negate attack +5ft step
1. (TD) Offensive roll [strike] Move > 10ft Acrobatics check VS DC for FF and +1d6 damage
2. (GL) Call to Arms [Strike] +2d6 damage, adjacent ally granted move action
2. (PF) Bloody Riposte [Counter] Counter attack, do +2d6 damage

[u-b]

You stop just north of the beach most of which is revealed by low tide. You do not leave the treeline just yet, standing in the cover to have a look around. A shallow, maybe five feet deep, body of water separates you from two islands to the south. The smaller one features a clearly inhabited hut with rising surls of smoke, presumably, from the fireplace inside. The island with the hut is connected to the land mass to the south with a rickety-looking wooden bridge. The larger island appears uninhabited, but on its western end there is a shipwreck. A sandbar revealed by the low tide connects the larger island to the cape where the Lady's Light is standing. There is some shipping traffic far into the sea, going on their own business, apparently.

[Spore]

Adalbert Halfling Archivist Bard AC: 20 HP: 25/25 touch: 15, ff: 16, CMD: 15 Conditions: Wrath +1 We should ask the locals for directions. I do not think they are capable of tricking us if they ARE hideous sin spawn. Adalbert jokes. He approaches the hut and knocks, if not stopped.

[u-b]

Adalbert takes a long way to the hut. That allows him to get there without getting wet. The bridge does seem to be sound enough, but is quite disturbing in the way it's decorated, namely, with bleached humanoid skulls with sigils painted on them in crusty, reddish-brown dried blood.

Spoiler: Nature 12

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Boggard and troglodyte skulls.

Spoiler: Draconic

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You recognize roughly half ot the sigils painted on the skulls. They are warnings and rants against trespassers written in Draconic.

Spoiler: If you still want to knock after all that

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A half-orc woman opens the door. "Who be you fools? I've always room in my stew pot for more meat, you know. Unless you want to join the turnips in my soup, get off my island!" She says waving a ladle at Adalbert, the rest of the party and, filally, in general direction where they should go.

[Spore]

Adalbert Halfling Archivist Bard AC: 20 HP: 25/25 touch: 15, ff: 16, CMD: 15 Conditions: Wrath +1 Adalbert translates the signs and continues. Whoever needs to scare us with monster skulls might still know the way. The careless halfling shrugs and continues to knock, looking a disgruntled orc in the face. A bit confused but nonetheless charming, Adalbert announces his friends and himself. Dear madame. We are professional adventurers, hired by the Pathfinder Society to investigate the Lady's Light. We don't want to bother you, but instead want to ask you for directions, and what to do and not to do in these parts. While we would certainly enjoy a good meal not made of sentient flesh, we will be out of your hair in no time. That is if you have no need for our alchemical goods, which we could give you for a bit more information. My name is Adalbert, who would you be?. The halfling smiles, and bows quickly. Spoiler Show It's time to d-d-d-d-d-diplomacy. (1d20+7)[22]

[Ghostfoot]

Iris

Iris' eyes keep drifting to the statue, Lady's Light, towering above. Despite the dangers of the environment she can't help but be mesmerized by the beauty of such a feat of craftsmanship, whether ultimately by hand or by spell.

Looking around, she suddenly notices that Adalbert has wandered over to the hut. "Ah, Adalbert....be careful there." she urges as quitely as she can.

Spoiler: cast

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Cast Guidance on self.

[u-b]

"Another adventurers, hah! The Lady's Light is over there!" She points with the ladle. "And I am over here. Wrog door! That's one alchemist's fire for giving you the directions." She waits expectantly.

Spoiler

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Sense Motive if you want to guess whether she's mocking you or really means it. Or both.

[Spore]

Adalbert Halfling Archivist Bard AC: 20 HP: 25/25 touch: 15, ff: 16, CMD: 15 Conditions: Wrath +1 Adalbert seems persistent. If he was agitated or annoyed, you could not tell. Other ones? Tell me who came here before us and we have a deal, dear madame. He does not cross arms or get annoyed but will not part with the bottle of flammables just yet.

[DrK]

Justin Kaijitsu Following the others the young man eyes the skulls on the gate and door with some suspicion and the woman when she emerges even more. Making sure to keep a hand near the sword hilt he looks to Lizuga, whispering quietly, "She seems mad. Shall we pass on by and leave her in this bog? THe Lady's Light is close now, we can reach it shortly?" Listening to the ladies mad ramblings he does nothing more than offfer a curt smile and nod of his head in a cool if polite greeting

Spoiler: Stats

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HPs 36 / 36
Saves + 6/ 5/ 3

AC 18 (touch 14, FF 14)
CMD 18

Effects:
(Justin) Indomitable Presence: (All allies within 30-ft. of his position gain the benefits of the Die Hard feat, and may add his warlord initiation modifier to Fortitude saves versus death effects, fatigue or exhaustion effects, or poison effects as a morale bonus.)


Stance: Reaching blade stance (+1d6 dam, 1 attack gets +5ft reach)
Stance: [ACTIVE] Primal Hunter (+10ft speed and scent)

Readied:
1. (TD) Swift Claws [Strike] Attack with both weapons
1. (MC) Flowing Creek [Counter] Perform dance to negate attack +5ft step
1. (TD) Offensive roll [strike] Move > 10ft Acrobatics check VS DC for FF and +1d6 damage
2. (GL) Call to Arms [Strike] +2d6 damage, adjacent ally granted move action
2. (PF) Bloody Riposte [Counter] Counter attack, do +2d6 damage

[CasualViking]

Lizuga Manescu Lizuga leans in closely to Justin and whispers back: "Well, a bunch of armed strangers just knocked on her door. And I don't think she gets much conversation out here, the poor dear." "Also, you need a bath". She pushes him gently.

Spoiler: Stats

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AC 20 (+4 counter), Touch 11, FF 19, CMD 17|Fort +5 Ref +2 Will +7|HP: 31/31

Triage 4/4. Maneuvers readied: That +4 AC Counter, Encouraging Roar, Armor-piercing Thrust, Curate's Strike. Phalanx Lancer Stance.

[Spore]

Adalbert Halfling Archivist Bard AC: 20 HP: 25/25 touch: 15, ff: 16, CMD: 15 Conditions: Wrath +1 I am sure she will not feel threatened if you don't mention weapons and keep your distance, Master Justin. Adalbert says with a tinge of hostility in his voice. The halfling does not turn to look at the young guard, which is unusual for the polite archivist. Instead he continues to smile at the half-orc crone. We do not mean harm nor do we want to push ourselves onto you. All we ask for is to know what you have seen. It could save our lives, and make yours much easier. We have a mandate to look for something here, and if we fall, others will come to look for us. Which means more hassle for you, madame.

[Erloas]

Thinking quickly Lebwen adds "Maybe we could help you out, these areas might be dangerous and maybe we could help with that. Maybe take care of some wild beasts that cause you some problems, or fix up a dangerous pathway that you have to deal with?"
Hoping for an indirect warning of dangers to look out for, without asking directly.

[u-b]

The half-orc woman looks like she has had enough of this bunch when finally one of you says something that interests her. "Help me you can. There is a shipwreck on the far side of next island, haunted with the skeletons. My hexes do not work on them and they are preventing me from looting the ship. Deal with them and we'll talk. And, man," she almost sticks the ladle into Lebwen "I would be grateful if you don't bring back this lot." She slams the door shut.

[CasualViking]

Lizuga Manescu "Well, I guess it's time to put a few restless bones to...rest". She frowns as her quip turns out flat.

Spoiler: Stats

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AC 20 (+4 counter), Touch 11, FF 19, CMD 17|Fort +5 Ref +2 Will +7|HP: 31/31

Triage 4/4. Maneuvers readied: That +4 AC Counter, Encouraging Roar, Armor-piercing Thrust, Curate's Strike. Phalanx Lancer Stance.

[Ghostfoot]

Iris

"What a curious woman..." Iris muses as she ponders how even the most self-reliant of swamp-dwellers still needs the assistance of others to get what they want.

Spoiler: knowkedge check

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Also wondering if Iris knows anything of the shipwreck?
Knowledge (history or local) (1d20+6)[22] (incl +1 for Guidance)

[Spore]

Adalbert Halfling Archivist Bard AC: 20 HP: 25/25 touch: 15, ff: 16, CMD: 15 Conditions: Wrath +1 It would be wise to switch to blunt weapons, Lebwen, Justin. Adalbert advises before looking for the ship.

[Erloas]

As the group prepares to head over to the ship Lebwen takes his morning star off his packback and puts his longsword in it's place.
"Lets keep a look out for anything else unexpected, but I think we should at least give the lady some space sooner rather than debating on her doorstep.
I'm going to guess the shipwreck is probably a bit off the island, in rocks they didn't see. So keep a lookout for anything we might use to help us make it over to the ship. If the ship is broken wide open on the rocks we can probably sneak in through the hole, if not I suggest we get some ropes and scale it in an area where we can stay out of site, for the most part, until we all get up."

[u-b]

The shipwreck is clearly visible just 30 feet to the west of the western island. A ring of jagged coral surrounds the damaged hull. The decks are thick with blooms of seaweed, particularly near the wreck's bow. It seems that during the low tide, such as right now, most of you can just walk all the way to the ship. Will have all sorts of usual problems with fighting mostly in the water, but at least with the exception of one short dude you won't have to swim.

The fact being that Iris is not much into shipping and does not keep track of ships lost at sea does not prevent her from remembering two things:
1. That there was a big storm nearly two years ago that caused more than one ship to be wrecked or missing.
2. That this ship, Impdrake, as you can now see it's called, was not big news at the time even if some Magnimar-based ships were.

[DrK]

Justin Kaijitsu Justin looks at the halifling and shakes his head. "''Fraid I don't have clubs my friend. I'll just have to hit them harder I guess." He grins as he draws both blades and swings them a few times experimentally before falling in with Lebwen and Lizuga at the front of the party. Eyeing up the massive wrecks he searches for the one they want. "How hard can it be to find the one filled with skeletons eh..." he chuckles, false bravado masking his nerves. Perception (1d20+7)[25]

Spoiler: Stats

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HPs 36 / 36
Saves + 6/ 5/ 3

AC 18 (touch 14, FF 14)
CMD 18

Effects:
(Justin) Indomitable Presence: (All allies within 30-ft. of his position gain the benefits of the Die Hard feat, and may add his warlord initiation modifier to Fortitude saves versus death effects, fatigue or exhaustion effects, or poison effects as a morale bonus.)


Stance: [ACTIVE] Reaching blade stance (+1d6 dam, 1 attack gets +5ft reach)
Stance: Primal Hunter (+10ft speed and scent)

Readied:
1. (TD) Swift Claws [Strike] Attack with both weapons
1. (MC) Flowing Creek [Counter] Perform dance to negate attack +5ft step
1. (TD) Offensive roll [strike] Move > 10ft Acrobatics check VS DC for FF and +1d6 damage
2. (GL) Call to Arms [Strike] +2d6 damage, adjacent ally granted move action
2. (PF) Bloody Riposte [Counter] Counter attack, do +2d6 damage

[Ghostfoot]

Iris

Well it could have been a lot worse. thinks Iris as they come across the conveniently close wreck. Her arrows might not be the most effective weapon for skeletons but better than nothing at range. She covers the rest of the group as they board the vessel, before following herself.

Spoiler: some personal buffs

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Recast Luck NUmber (1d20)[4]
Cast Guidance

[Spore]

Adalbert Halfling Archivist Bard AC: 20 HP: 25/25 touch: 15, ff: 16, CMD: 15 Conditions: Wrath +1 I think we are past the point of shame over each other, but would someone help me with that deep water? I am not a good swimmer. Not with clothing and armor weighing me down. Carry me like a child if you must. Adalbert with genuine humility. If we are ambushed however, just drop me where you stand. I'll try to catch myself. Preferrably on solid ground though.

[u-b]

Justin can see two skeletons sitting on the upper deck. At least, upper parts of those skeletons (not all of the upper deck is visible). They do not move. The hull has a hole near the front, apparently large enough to climb through if you first remove some loose planks. The hole is partially underwater.

[Erloas]

"Lets get against the ship and out of sight, have someone check the hole in the front and see if it's clear before moving in." Lebwen says, moving closer to the ship, with Adalbert on his back. "If we're lucky we can get into at least shallow water in the bottom of the ship itself before anything inside knows we're there." Lebwen waits back a bit for one of the others to check the hole.

Spoiler: OOC

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Unless Adalbert and his gear are over 70 lbs I should easily be in the medium load range.

[u-b]

Checking the hole in the hull, you see that it's still partly covered by the planks that survived the impact, making it difficult to make a stealthy entry. No problems with forced entry if you take some time. The hold and the lower deck are visible behind the hole. There are numerous barrels, mostly in cargo hold, but also some on the lower deck. There are some skeletons sitting on the lower deck, they are not moving, but strangely have not collapsed under their own weight. Everything below about halfway to the upper deck is covered in thick layers of seaweed - this includes the lower deck, the barrels and even the skeletons.

Spoiler

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Adalbert can squeeze through, but he'll end up underwater inside the ship's hold. Everyone else can make Acrobatics 10 and some time to squeeze through. There is some air in cargo hold below the ceiling, but you don't want to be caught there when the tide starts to rise. The lower deck is also visible behind the hole, Acrobatics 10 for Adalbert, no chance for everybody else. The lower deck is currently just over a foot above the water.

[CasualViking]

Lizuga Manescu "Master Adalbert, NO!. This time you are not getting yourself into trouble where I can't help you. We go in together." With that, Lizuga starts knocking off planks to expand the hole. .

Spoiler: Stats

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AC 20 (+4 counter), Touch 11, FF 19, CMD 17|Fort +5 Ref +2 Will +7|HP: 31/31

Triage 4/4. Maneuvers readied: That +4 AC Counter, Encouraging Roar, Armor-piercing Thrust, Curate's Strike. Phalanx Lancer Stance.

[Erloas]

After looking over the hole and the obstacles in the way Lebwen says: "With all the cargo and seaweed in the way we are probably off to climb to the deck and go from there. The best free climber can make it up and tie on a rope to the rail for the rest of us to climb. And at least if we fall we'll be falling into water. If we disturb the skeletons with just one person climbing up they can drop back into the water and we can re-evaluate, if not we can all climb up and clear out the skeletons that way."

[DrK]

Justin Kaijitsu Peering through the holes in the deck Justin nods to Lizuga as she begins tp pry open more planks and then looks up at the deck not so far above, "With a run up I could try and jump up to the deck. If I short it then you an always lend me a step with that hammer of yours Lizuga?" he frames the question as he steps back, "Give me some rope eh?" and looks at the deck Perception [roll0]

Spoiler: Stats

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HPs 36 / 36
Saves + 6/ 5/ 3

AC 18 (touch 14, FF 14)
CMD 18

Effects:
(Justin) Indomitable Presence: (All allies within 30-ft. of his position gain the benefits of the Die Hard feat, and may add his warlord initiation modifier to Fortitude saves versus death effects, fatigue or exhaustion effects, or poison effects as a morale bonus.)


Stance: [ACTIVE] Reaching blade stance (+1d6 dam, 1 attack gets +5ft reach)
Stance: Primal Hunter (+10ft speed and scent)

Readied:
1. (TD) Swift Claws [Strike] Attack with both weapons
1. (MC) Flowing Creek [Counter] Perform dance to negate attack +5ft step
1. (TD) Leading Dragon [Boost] Swift, Jump +10 to the check
2. (GL) Call to Arms [Strike] +2d6 damage, adjacent ally granted move action
2. (PF) Bloody Riposte [Counter] Counter attack, do +2d6 damage

[CasualViking]

Lizuga Manescu Lizuga draws back from the hole in the hull. Her look at Justin clearly communicates "I'd like to see you try".

Spoiler: Stats

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AC 20 (+4 counter), Touch 11, FF 19, CMD 17|Fort +5 Ref +2 Will +7|HP: 31/31

Triage 4/4. Maneuvers readied: That +4 AC Counter, Encouraging Roar, Armor-piercing Thrust, Curate's Strike. Phalanx Lancer Stance.

[u-b]

Lizuga's swing is unterrupted before it hits the ship. Good enough, you think. That is, if the skeletons are not alarmed by her shout or anything. Those you can see through the breach don't seem to be. Justins gets some rope and... well, and quickly realizes there is no way in hell he can make a running jump standing neck-deep in the water. He wouldn't even make a half-decent standing jump. Still, you quickly find a solution. Lizuga places her hands on the ship, Lebwen holds his breath and kneels down behind her, then Justin climbs to Lizuga's shoulders and makes a very short high jump from there to swing over the gunwale onto the upper deck. He sees three skeletons, sitting leaning against the gunwales and the aft quarter bulkhead. They have not collapsed to the deck for some reason and are dressed in some tattered remains of what might have been seamen's outfits and they turn their skulls towards Justin. They are quick on get on their feet and surround the man before he could react.

Spoiler

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Justin init: (1d20+4)[16]
Skeletons init: (1d20+6)[20]

Assume all three skeletons adjacent to Justin. No flanking yet. They don't seem to be armed.

=> Party

[CasualViking]

Lizuga Manescu "CRUSH THEM!!". Lizuga blasts a golden ray at where one of the skeletons were. Swift: Encouraging Roar (+2/+2), standard: Curate's Strike range 35', touch - (1d20+5)[8], Force - (1d6+5)[10]

Spoiler: Stats

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AC 20 (+4 counter), Touch 11, FF 19, CMD 17|Fort +5 Ref +2 Will +7|HP: 31/31

Triage 4/4. Maneuvers readied: That +4 AC Counter, Encouraging Roar, Armor-piercing Thrust, Curate's Strike. Phalanx Lancer Stance.