Avaritia Auri (Kezrian Faction) [IC 1]

[Lleban]

Vander responded to Hollis. "While my talents are more...esoteric, then the average wizard, I'm fairly well versed in shaping the battlefield and summoning various allies, not unlike Ragbag."

[PepperP.]

Hel had plunked herself down into a corner of a lounge and was sitting with her feet tucked beneath the frilly edge of her black skirt. She looked up from her spellbook, in which she'd been writing, and listened to the other wizards carefully. Impatient for specific details on their spell plans so she could make it downstairs in time for coffee, she snapped her book closed with a loud tick and tossed it lightly at Hollis.

"Here, have a look for yourself since you're so keen on coordination..." She stretched her arms out onto the back of the couch and looked up at the ceiling impatiently.

Spoiler: Spell List

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Undead Master Spells:
1st Level Bonus: Repair Undead
3rd Level Bonus: Lesser Animate Dead
5th Level Bonus: Animate Dead

Level 1 Spells:

Alarm
Color Spray
Comprehend Languages
Detect Undead
Disguise Self
Feather Fall
Identify
Mage Armor
Mount
Ray of Enfeeblement
Ray of Sickening
Shield
Snowball
Windy Escape

Level 2 Spells:

Blindness/Deafness
Boneshaker
Bull's Strength
Command Undead
Eagle's Splendor
Endure Elements, Communal
False Life
Fox's Cunning
Glitterdust
Invisibility
Knock
Locate Object
Mirror Image
Ray of Exhaustion
See Invisibility
Spider Climb

Level 3 Spells:

Dispel Magic
Fly
Haste

[CockroachTeaParty]

Caught off-guard, Hollis only emits an "Oh!" of surprise as Hel's spellbook goes sailing his way. The book hits the side of his arm and tumbles to the floor with a clatter. Hollis rubs a smooth cheek with dismay as he stares aghast at the book lying crumpled on the floor; Chico scampers down his master's robes and picks up the book, holding it up for Hollis to retrieve with delicate fingers.

What sort of savage so callously tosses around their spellbook?

The rotund man is so flustered by the turn of events that his hands are shaking, and although he glances at the pages of Hel's book he fails to absorb anything useful.
"Ah... erhm... Alas that years of study have eroded any sense of athleticism on my part... My apologies... Well, I have a list of spells I thought might be useful prepared, let us start with that..."

Spoiler: OOC

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I think we've settled on spell preparation so I'm ready to move on whenever.

[TheDarkDM]

As the wizards attended to spell strategies and recovering their payment from the Don, Koval departed to explore the town. Stopping to exchange pleasantries with merchants and any friendly local, he attempted to prise some knowledge of nearby tombs from the populace.

Spoiler: OOC

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Koval will Gather Information on any promising tombs nearby

Diplomacy: (1d20+9)[22]

Time Taken: (1d4)[1] hours

[Lord Of Mantas]

Hel, Koval, Vander, and Hollis

Ximena, who had joined the others by this point, leaned against a wall as the others discussed their spell layout.

"I'm not really a user of written magic, myself. It's all in here." She tapped her head. "If you're wanting to know about stuff that's useful for combat situations, my music can help inspire competence and confidence in people, and I can merge it with magic to help people shake off the effects of spells in a pinch. I also know a grease spell, one to make glitterdust, a spell to inspire heroism, and one that can magically silence an area."

In the meantime, Koval's investigation bore fruit comparatively quickly. Just shy of an hour into his investigation, he stopped a passing merchant, who was able to relay some rather interesting news.

"Oh, yes, actually, I have heard something about where you can find a few of the catacombs! I overheard some adventurers yesterday bragging about this one fairly close by, two miles south and another two southeast of here. Apparently, they were able to clear out a couple of rooms, but then got driven off by this pack of ghouls. Apparently two of them were quite gravely wounded. There is also another, I have heard, allegedly untouched, but it is further inland. I am uncertain as to where it is exactly, but according to rumor it is around four miles south of Fortaleza San Jacobo. Allegedly, the Campeones tried to secure it, but were all driven off by some hideous monster."

Robin and Sakura

The shopowner took Sakura and Robin's gold pieces, then cracked his neck. "The preparation of your documents will take some time. Come back in around an hour, and they will be done then."

***

True to his word, the documents were done around an hour later - and thus, finally, as mid afternoon turned to late, Robin and Sakura made their way toward the gates of Puerta Medial.

Spoiler: You acquire the following loot..

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You each gain a Professional-Grade Fake ID.

Getting past the gate, with the new IDs in hand, proved easy enough, the guards at the entrance not spotting anything as the two of them moved past. The duo made their way to where the Circle of Feidha had been indicated, first making their way past a large swath of farmland before finally hitting the jungle. Then, around ten minutes after they took their first steps into the trees, covered in moss and vines and with all kinds of birds flitting through the air, something happened.

Spoiler: Sakura

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As you enter into a small clearing, you hear a large crashing and stomping sound coming from the east, as if something very large were rampaging toward you. You think for a second that you also hear some shouting, but are unable to discern what is said over the din.

Spoiler: Robin

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As you enter into a small clearing, you hear a large crashing and stomping sound coming from the east, as if something very large were rampaging toward you. Seconds later, you also hear someone shouting.

"We've got to stop him! He could hurt someone!"

"No! Don't hurt him! He's my friend!"

The first voice sounds older than the second.

[Othniel]

"Something comes!" Sakura shouted to Robin. "Quick, behind a tree or rock!"

[BladeofObliviom]

Robin didn't need to be told twice, darting for cover.

"Avoid a kill shot. Someone cares for this creature."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Robin and Sakura

Quickly darting to the side of the game trail, Robin and Sakura each took shelter behind two different very large trees.

It did not take much longer for the source of the noise to reveal itself. Charging down the trial, trampling small brush and crashing along as it went, emerged a creature such as neither of them had ever seen. It was a dinosaur, that much was clear, from its saurian makeup, but far from the more commonly known velociraptor or dreaded tyrannosaurus rex, this dinosaur had a large, prominent, dome-shaped forehead, with many tiny little horns forming a crown of sorts around it. It walked on two legs, not unlike a T-rex, and was rather large - with its tail, neither warrior doubted that it quite clearly had good reach in battle.

The dinosaur skidded to a halt around 20 feet from their hiding place, and briefly circled in place, letting out a bellow as it did so. As it did, both Sakura and Robin noticed that the bellow seemed rather pained - and, looking closer, both of them noticed that there appeared to be something jagged sticking out of the creature's right hind leg.

Then, the creature stopped, sniffed the air, and with an angry grunt, paced the ground and lowered itself as if to charge. Apparently, it had smelled them.

Begin Combat

Spoiler: Initiative was rolled, and you guys won.

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Your map is in the Doc, under the one labeled Robin and Sakura. What will you do?

[BladeofObliviom]

Robin didn't waste time, rushing into melee and - seeing her opportunity - aiming to tear the jagged object free from the agitated animal's leg using the chain of her weapon.

Steal?: (1d20+12)[18]

[Othniel]

Sakura took a more patient approach. Heeding Robin's warning not to slay the beast, Sakura nonetheless drew her katana, but dropped into a defensive stance to await the creature's next move.

Spoiler: OOC

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I'm not going to attack. I'll stay where I am and see what happens, but if it charges at me, I will Opportune Parry and Riposte and use the attack as a combat maneuver to try and yoink out the item stuck in the leg.

[Lleban]

Once Koval described the tombs available. Vander peered up from his inherited spellbook replying to the half-elf.

"It might be easiest to go after the tomb 2 miles from town. As much as I'd like to get my feet wet in Fortaleza San Jacobo, that tomb sounds like its deep in the interior of the island while the one to our south is far closer. In fact, we probably could make it by lunch, if we moved quickly enough. Does anyone have more business to attend to before we leave?"

[PepperP.]

"I'm fine with that, I had a big breakfast." Hel rested her elbow on Koval's shoulder and patted his armor appreciatively.

"We should get Kov here a lunch to-go though, he's the one who'll actually be expending physical energy in battle and I'd hate to see him hangry." She smiled mischievously and her dimple reappeared.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Hollis busied himself with checking his cart and making sure his belongings were in order.

"This all sounds agreeable to me. I have my spells prepared. Oh, how exciting! It's been too long since I've gone on a proper adventure."

[TheDarkDM]

In the middle of oiling his sword, Koval looked up at his name and smiled.

"A picnic in the jungle? I had no idea you were such a romantic."

A few more passes with his oilcloth, and the blade of ill omen gleamed like a black mirror in the light.

"I agree with Vander. Better an easy victory first. And if it proves unequal to our greatness, we can always proceed further inland as the day goes on."

[PepperP.]

Hel blushed slightly but maintained her post leaning against Koval.

"Oh yeah, nothing's too good for my primary cigarillo provider." She smirked up at him before standing upright and stretching her arms up to the sky and then down to touch the toes of her boots.

"Alright, sounds like we're all set then. Look out ghoulies, here we come!"

[Lord Of Mantas]

Sakura and Robin

Leaping into the fray, Robin ended up having to pass through the range of the dinosaur's tail, and as she approached, it attempted to slam her with it. However, Robin was able to duck out the way of the tail swipe at the last second, the large appendage just barely grazing her armor. Unfortunately, her dodging absorbed most of her energy, and she proved unable to hook her weapon adequately around the shard in the creature's hind leg.

Snorting, the dinosaur looked between Robin and Sakura, and, after a second, continued its charge forward, winding its way around Robin and attempting to slam Sakura...

Turn 2 Start

However, Robin was able to trip the dinosaur as it attempted to disengage from her, and sent it sprawling down to the ground.

Hel, Koval, Vander, and Hollis

"Put me down as well for the closer dungeon," said Ximena. "It may already be partly cleared, but better that we attempt to work out the kinks in our group fighting now, than against something tougher. Granted, the campeones aren't especially tough, but..." She shook her head. "Anyway, I am ready whenever all of you are."

***

As it turned out, the innkeeper was only more than happy to provide the group with a simple lunch (ham and cheese on barley bread), and soon after, the group set out through the jungle. The trip was a very hot and sweaty one, taking them down game trails and ducking under half-chopped foliage; however, through luck, they did not end up having any issues with the local wildlife. Following the chopped and trampled foliage, after a few hours of travel, they finally came across a set of broad obsidian doors set into a hillside, the earth around displaced it in a violent manner, as if it had suddenly been thrust aside.

Entering through the doors, they first emerged into a grand room that had two long staircases going up set into the side, with a waterfall falling into a seemingly bottomless chasm from the mouth of a stone dragon in the middle. The walls were decorated with elaborate carvings, most of which appeared to depict small, lizard-like creatures with spears subduing humans and animals of various kinds. At the top of the stairs, shattered skeletons lay; around four all told, picked clean of any sort of valuables. Passing through into the next room, they then came across an elaborate set of tiles placed into the floor, each with various objects depicted on them. Across the room, they spotted a lever that had been put into the down position, as well as a mural that took up the wall opposite them that appeared to depict a dragon speaking. One of his great talons was held up, five claws visible, while the other held a skull, and there were words in Undercommon inscribed next to his mouth.

"Follow the fivefold path of life and death, and you may pass safely. Fail, and it will not be the lever that goes down, but the ceiling."

Koval, Vander, and Ximena then all subsequently realized that the lever had already been thrown down (almost certainly by the party that had passed through before them), and the party passed without further incident. They then stood staring through the door, and saw a fork in the road. From the path to the left, droplets of blood were scattered, also likely the work of the previous adventuring party.

[BladeofObliviom]

Pressing her advantage, Robin once again closes in and makes a bid to get the shard free with the long chain of her weapon, extension of her body that it is.

Steal Maneuver: (1d20+12)[14]

[Othniel]

Sakura pirouetted away from the attack and stood opposite Robin upon the other side of the creature. Again forgoing a strike, she tried to reach the thing causing the dinosaur pain.

Spoiler: OOC

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I'll try Steal as well: (1d20+6)[26]

Again, if it attacks me next round, I'll go Opportune Parry and Riposte and perhaps try stealing again.

[Lleban]

Vander peered at the fork in the dungeon and turned to his companions, relaxing his shoulders and spoke quietly.

The ghouls appear to occupy the left fork.

Vander gesticulated wildly at Hollis's smaller construct. "Perhaps that little...Chico right? Chico can invisibly scout ahead. And once it returns we can cast whatever spells we need ahead of time to knock these ghouls to the next century."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Hollis made for a quiet and sweaty traveling companion, but at least he did not complain of the heat and humidity. As the group arrived at the entrance to the strange dungeon, he cast a few preparatory spells, including passing around a wineskin.

"Everyone, drink of this. The wine within shall give you clarity of thought and heightened senses."

At the grisly crossroads within the dungeon proper, Hollis gave Vander a nod.
"I was prepared for just such an eventuality. Come, Chico. You have work to do."

He knelt down and placed a soft hand on the poppet's diminutive shoulder, like a father speaking with his son.
"Remember, Chico. Be quiet, be careful. If you must open a door, do so with your magic. Touch only what is necessary. The invisibility spell will last ten minutes, so use your time wisely. Off you go, and good luck."

Spoiler: OOC

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Hollis casts Mage Armor and Tears to Wine before entering the dungeon.

Everyone that drinks the wine gets a +2 enhancement bonus to any INT or WIS based skill checks for 50 minutes.

Hollis then casts Callback and extended Invisibility on Chico, and Chico goes forward to do some scouting.

Chico has at-will Open/Close, so he can open doors if he needs to from range. If he takes any damage, the Callback spell will teleport him back to Hollis.

[PepperP.]

"Yeah, wine always has that effect on me." Hel smiled sweetly as she took the proferred wineskin from Hollis and tipped it up to take a deep swallow.

"Oh yeah, there it is." She wiped the lingering wine from her flush lips with the back of her hand and thrust the soft flask at Koval before she made her way over to the bones that lay discarded upon the ground.

"I hate to disturb your rest, but I may yet have use for you dears." Hel's face was euphoric as she pulled a large onyx from the depths of her decolletage and watched it turn to dust in her hands.

Spoiler: ooc

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(Undead Master Reanimator Ability discarding 1 preparation of Fly))
Cast Animate Dead on the 4 skelemans (200gp worth of Onyx spent) creating 4 Bloody Skeletons.

She will also cast Mage Armor (AC now 18) and I would like a knowledge check on the "Fivefold path of life and death" please. Kn religion is +13, +2 from Tears to Wine for +15 Total.

[Lord Of Mantas]

Robin and Sakura

Immediately as Robin felled the dinosaur, Sakura sprang into action, lunging forward with her weapon an attempt to dislodge the shard.

And through a burst of grace, she succeeded.

Immediately, the beast's snorting decreased in intensity. Rolling over, it attempted to get to its feet, then eyed the two warriors warily, no longer attempting to attack, but rather taking up a defensive posture.

Spoiler: Actions

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The dinosaur attempts to get up from prone, then uses Total Defense. Its attitude toward the two of you is no longer Hostile.

In the distance, two voices sounded out, with Robin recognizing them as the ones she had heard earlier.

"He went this way! He can't be far now!"

"Peter, don't hurt him!"

Turn 3 Begins

Hel, Koval, Vander, and Hollis

"I shall do so, Papa."

As tiny as Chico was, the group could not even detect him in the slightest as he (presumably) made his way down the corridor. In the meantime, as Hel set about reanimating the skeleton warriors, she pondered back on the concept of the words she had seen inscribed in the mural.

Spoiler: Hel - Knowledge (Religion)

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You remember that the Path of Life and Death is a concept often espoused among Necromancers. Essentially, the concept puts forth that everything living must die, and from that which is dead eventually comes things that live, or some benefit to the living. For instance, the loweliest animals eat plants, and then other animals eat those ones, and then, when those animals die, their corpses decay and allow plants to grow. Ergo, it is right and proper for the dead to be reanimated, as they are serving a purpose by allowing for the benefit of the living who control them.

In regards to the fivefold part of the inscription, you recall that among the tiles were five which each depicted death in a way - a locust eating a plant, a lizard eating a locust, a hawk eating a lizard, a dragon eating a hawk, and a plant growing out of a dead dragon. You realize that, had the tile trap not already been deactivated, this would have been the correct path to step on to avoid triggering anything bad.

As Hel went about the final touches of raising the skeletons, Ximena sidled up to her and cleared her throat.

"So, um. Dumb question, but just to be clear: What's your policy on using party members for spell and/or cannon fodder?" She tapped her fingers together. "I wouldn't ask, except I once had a run-in with this one necromancer on a job who... Well, I'd rather not talk about it more than necessary."

After around three minutes had passed, Hollis felt a little tap at his feet, and Chico's soft voice piped up at him.

"I found a door, Papa, and it was closed, so I opened it. There were stairs, and I went up them, and I saw a big room with a dais in the center, and there was a stand with a really pretty sapphire on it. Then I heard voices coming out of the wall to the right, and one said, "The door opened but I don't hear footsteps," and another one said, "Go and take a look," and then a ghoul stepped out of the wall like it wasn't there! I was really quiet and it didn't see or hear me, and it looked down the stairs and said, "I don't see or hear anyone," and then another voice said, "Then get back behind the illusion," and it disappeared back behind the wall. Then another voice from the left wall said, "Be quiet, all of you, and don't move until someone comes in here and they grab the sapphire. We don't want them getting away this time." Then all the voices laughed - there must have been about six different ones that I heard. Then I came back."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Hollis knelt down and spoke quietly to his invisible familiar, his gaze fixated on the floor since he could not see the poppet proper.
"Well done, Chico. Were there any other paths or passageways you saw? You might as well explore them while you still have minutes of invisibility to spare. My companions and I will head over to deal with these ghouls in short order."

Standing, Hollis turned to Hel, now flanked by her skeletal minions.
"Might your powers hold sway over these ghouls, if they are indeed the creatures we suspect? I will defer to your expertise."

[PepperP.]

"Yes, I do have the ability to command the undead. How astute of you to guess so." Hel favored Hollis with a gratified smile.

"Koval, would you mind following my new friends here?" She gestured to the four Bloody Skeletons that flanked her with a flourish of her hand, her self-satisfaction evident in the smug curve of her lips.

"They might as well earn their keep."

Spoiler: ooc

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Marching Order:
4 Bloody Skeletons
Koval
Hel
Vander
Ximena
Hollis
Ragbag

[Lord Of Mantas]

Sakura and Robin

The dinosaur looked between Sakura and Robin, snorting and pawing at the ground, but did not attack them, instead opting to back away slowly. It had just turned to begin leaving the clearing when two figures burst out from the bushes.

The first was a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties with jet-black hair and dark brown eyes, geared in ranger's garb. The second was a boy who couldn't have been older than sixteen, with grey eyes and bright blonde hair that clashed with the tanned skin characteristic of the Kezrian ethnicity. His garb was wholly haphazard, and reminded the duo more of a barbarian than anything else.

The boy was the first to speak, looking frantically to Sakura and Robin. "Don't hurt him! He's just..."

"Easy, Luca! Crown is alright!" The ranger spoke next, then surrounded his hand in a trembling veil of magic before holding his arms out to the dinosaur, letting out a strange lowing rumble. The dinosaur snorted and grunted a few times, then relaxed, now no longer unfriendly.

Spoiler: You each gain a total of 600 XP, plus an additional 800 XP bonus for a total of 1400 XP...

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...for managing to subdue the Pachycephalosaurus without any kind of damage.

The barbarian boy looked between Sakura and Robin with a moderate degree of wariness, but with no hostility.

"You're not Campeones. Who are you?"

Hel, Koval, Vander, and Hollis

Ximena looked somewhat put out as Hel ignored her question in favor of attending to her new skeletons and organizing a marching order. "...right. We'll pick that up later, then?"

A minute later, the skeletons, at Hel's bidding, lead the way into the chamber that Chico had scouted, the rest of the party following behind in the order indicated. As Chico had reported, the room had a large dais near the end, upon which sat a golden stand of sorts. Atop this stand lay one of the biggest sapphires any of them had ever seen. At the very end of the room, a mural depicting a man reaching into an urn swarming with leeches was depicted in yellow pain. The room was otherwise unadorned and silent, and none of the party could detect anything amiss - except for Ximena, who subtly, but deliberately, jerked her head to the left and the right three times each. The message was clear.

I hear six things behind the walls.

[Othniel]

"Be at peace; we intend no harm to you or this beast," Sakura said soothingly. "We seek the druid circle."

[Lord Of Mantas]

Sakura and Robin

The ranger (who was, if the previously overhead conversation was any indication, called Peter) looked up from where he had been soothing the dinosaur. In contrast to the boy, his look did carry some suspicion with it.

"And what business do outsiders have with the Circle? If you come bearing another offer from Don Cervantes, then rest assured, we have no interest in discussing that business further."

In contrast to Peter, the boy, Luca, seemed much more mollified by Sakura's tone, combined with how Crown had come out none the worse for wear. He appraoched the dinosaur and began stroking its neck. "I don't think they're from the Don, Peter. The Don's men would have just tried to kill Crown. Or run away, like the cowards they are." The boy tightened his fist, then turned back to Sakura and Robin. "Although, that does mean... why do you want to see the circle? Even before the Don started trying to steal the land we didn't get many visitors."

[PepperP.]

Hel pouted at Ximena and sighed heavily as they crept towards the ghoul's ambush.

"Look, FINE. I promise to not turn any of you into really cool walking skeletons without your express written permission, okay?" She crossed her arms over her chest in a huff.

"Some people are just no fun." She muttered to herself. As they entered the room with the large sapphire, her eyes widened as she was momentarily mesmerized by the large sparkling gem before she waved her hand dismissively at the illusion the ghouls were hiding behind in an attempt to Dispel it.

Spoiler: ooc

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Dispel Magic at the illusion
Dispel Check
(1d20+5)[6]

[Lleban]

Vander flourished his right hand in a fanning motion, waving the stale dungeon air around his furrowed brow responding. Well, I suppose you can make a skeleton out of me, as long you stuff this flesh suit like some sort of prized buck. I am an elf after all. I'd prefer if these bones don't go to waste, especially if they aren't too ancient for your taste.


As Hel attempted to dispel the illusory wall Vander decided to try a different approach.

"Anything behind that wall we mind getting stoned. That's a trick question I don't care now get back!" Vander said as he began to cast stone call on the area pelting anything on the otherwise of the wall with sharp stones.

Spoiler: OOC

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Vander casts stone call on the area hitting anything behind the illusory wall and creating difficult terrain between the party and ghouls.

(2d6)[8]

[Othniel]

My name is Sakura, and this is Robin, the samurai woman explained. "We came in search of a guide - one who knows the land well, for we are both strangers- newly arrived this morning, in fact. I had heard that your circle reveres Feidha, as I do, and that we might cooperate. I would be grateful if we could speak with the leader of your circle."