Rise of the Runelords: The Skinsaw Murders, Part II [IC]

[lostsole31]

Torviruv follows him as they go into the little nook, and in this particular spot, it does seem like maybe there was an attempt to widen the passage before that attempt was aborted.

As they both kick around there, they find the body of a dwarf who couldn't have been killed but very recently by the wet look of him, and yet yellow mold has quickly grown over him. The second thing is that their passage and Evaro picking up the axe puffs up a lot of yellow, now-aerated spores.

Evaro, roll a Fort save! What do you do?

[Qazgir]

Covering his mouth with his hand, Evaro will try and move quickly out of the tunnel.

Spoiler: Action!

Show

Fort Save: (1d20+9)[10]

[lostsole31]

Covering his mouth with his hand, Evaro will moves quickly out of the tunnel, but the mold sticks to him and he breathes it in. He breathes raggedly as he takes 3 CON. Torviruv also moved out, but seems to be doing better than Evaro.

Begin Round One...

R1T26: Azel the Vibrant moves forward quickly to try to help Evaro, performing first aid on him.

R1T25: "Yellow mold!" Deadeye says, crossing the hall to the east. "Torviruv, give me your torch. Fire destroys it. Everyone else, stay back."

R1T18: Aubrine, what do you do?

[ClassyCrow]

Aubrine draws their sword and takes a moment to make sure they are nothing is hiding for them in the shadows.

Spoiler: Crunch

Show

Move Action: Aubrine takes a looks around the room using a Perception check (Ideally)
+21 bonus Perception Skill

• +2 from Heightened Awareness
• -1 from -2 Wisdom from Mutagen

Standard Action: Convert down to draw Sword if not already Drawn

[lostsole31]

R1T18: Aubrine draws their sword and takes a moment to make sure they are nothing is hiding for them in the shadows. They see nothing, though the strange, sussurant sound like something breathing is louder than it was when you first came into the lower caverns.

R1T17: Evaro, roll a Fort save. What do you do?

[Qazgir]

Gritting his teeth, Evaro cough, trying to breath normally. He digs around in his bag and pulls out a flask of oil and addresses Huseina, "any use for this?"

Spoiler: Action!

Show

Spend 1 Grit as an immediate action to get +4 to the following save:
Fort Save: [roll]1d20+7+4[/roll]

[lostsole31]

R1T17: Gritting his teeth, Evaro coughs, trying to breath normally. He digs around in his bag and pulls out a flask of oil and addresses Huseina, "Any use for this?"

R1T15: Balazar casts mage armor on himself, despite wearing leather armor.

R1T0: Dgia delays ...

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T26: Azel delays ...

R2T25: "Take the flask," Huseina says to Torviruv while taking the torch herself.

R2T22: Torviruv takes the flask of oil and heads to the opening of the eastern passage.

R2T21: Huseina had readied an action and tosses the torch into the passage.

R2T18: Aubrine, what do you do?

Evaro on deck (roll a Fort save), Balazar on deck ...

[ClassyCrow]

"I'm gonna going to send some eyes down that hall. Poke me if something bad happens." Aubrine says to the group, but mainly Evaro and Azel due to proximity. A shodowy copy of Aubrine will appear and start to drift the hallway.

Spoiler: Crunch

Show

Standard Action: Summon occultation.

Occultation Move: Moves past Torviruv and looks down the hall.

Aubrine will look through the occultation with occasional switching perspective back to Aubrine to make sure they don't get surprised.

[lostsole31]

R2T18:"I'm gonna going to send some eyes down that hall. Poke me if something bad happens." Aubrine says to the group, but mainly Evaro and Azel due to proximity. A shadowy copy of Aubrine will appear and start to drift into the hallway.

R2T17: Evaro, what do you do?

Balazar on deck, Torviruv in the hole ...

[Qazgir]

As Evaro continues trying to clear his airways, he addresses Aubrine, "see anything other than that damned mold?"

Spoiler: Action!

Show

Fort Save: (1d20+7)[21]

[lostsole31]

R2T17: As Evaro continues trying to clear his airways, he addresses Aubrine, "see anything other than that damned mold?"

R2T15: Balazar delays ...

End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T22: Aubrine tosses the flask right onto the wall over the flask, and there is a mighty flash and searing sound.

Azel will help with Edaro to fight off the remaining bit of the yellow mold, and Aubrine will be able to tell that the mold burned off.

Initiative Ended ...

Evaro, make three more Fort save rolls ...

Aubrine, your occultation sees a lot of seared and blackened fungus and a lot of carbon soot floating around the air. There is also a body of a dwarf, with seared mold all over it.

[Qazgir]

Evaro moves to lean against the wall, breathing in deeply and breathing out slowly.

Spoiler: Action!

Show

Fort Save 1: (1d20+7)[11]
Fort Save 2: (1d20+7)[18]
Fort Save 3: (1d20+7)[24]

[lostsole31]

He almost gets overwhelmed by the spores in his lungs and system, were it not for Azel's first aid.

Now what?

[Qazgir]

Evaro smiles weakly, "thank you Azel, I'm okay now. See anything back there Aubrine?"

[lostsole31]

Aubrine returns from around the corner. "Dwarf with some wounds, likely from whatever killed those two, but was killed when his lungs and body were overcome by yellow mold."

Once Torviruv is confident that the torch and splashed oil have burned off the aerosolized spores, he puts water on a rag over his mouth and holds his breath ... goes in and picks up the torch ... and returns.

The torch, which was forced to burn hotter when the oil flashed over, is nearly expended. Torv shrugs and drops it while the rest of the party studies a blue-skinned man with white eyes that died of the same "mauling" wounds as the androgynous bald Shoanti. The blue-skinned man must be the body of Draegra, a local Sandpoint scholar and one of the earlier survivor-heroes from original issues in this area. He was a samsaran, a curious race of reincarnated people.

The only way from here is north. There is a congested passage with many scorch marks on the ground. Aubrine figures that they must have fought undead ... and given the wounds ... they likely fought ghouls or their ghast-like cousins. The scorch marks are all that remain once an undead is killed.

[lostsole31]

Realizing now what possibly killed two of the three dead members of the party they were sent to find, Aubrine and Balazar confer before Balazar speaks up. "The dwarf - Steingott - fell afoul of yellow mold on a side passage while running from ghouls, as wounds on his body that Aubrine saw reveal. Ghouls also killed these two here. The warrior Alvor, and the hero Norton Dabney, their bodies are still not found.

"Assume that ghouls can get the drop on us. Be prepared, they have a bite and two claws, and a hit from each strike an paralyze, though the bite can also transmit ghoul fever. One hit and an inability fight off the seizing muscles is all it takes to stop the hardiest warrior. Add to that it appears like congested fighting areas, so those in the front have the hardest time. Do we have a volunteer to go first?"

Torviruv says, "I won't go first, but only because I will go second to make sure the one in front has good light."

Azel, the druid, speaks up. "If nobody else takes on this dire position, then I volunteer."

Evaro, do you let the unarmored druid take point, or do you volunteer to go in her place?

[Qazgir]

Evaro shakes his head, pushes himself away from the wall, and speaks, "I will take point, I have strength enough for that." Evaro draws his sword and moves to the front of the group. Once the group is ready, he will move forward into the cave.

[lostsole31]

Aubrine says, "Hold up, Evaro. I know you have the armor, but you are wounded in a way that we can't heal easily. Your system - while still strong - appears to be compromised. Are you sure you want to take the front?"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

You have CON damage, which affects your Fort saves.

[Qazgir]

Evaro smiles and addresses Aubrine, "is that an offer to take the front? Be my guest, but if you do, I'm taking the second position."

[lostsole31]

Aubrine shakes their head almost violently. "Nope, just thinking that the druid is a good call. Her senses are almost primal. I wouldn't judge her defense on a lack of armor."

[Qazgir]

Evaro considers for a moment before speaking, "perhaps, but I have strength enough for this." Having spoken, Evaro will nod to the rest of the group, move to the front, and begin advancing into the cave.

[lostsole31]

Evaro moves 10-15' to the northwest in the congested choke point to stand over a scorch mark, but then it opens out quite a bit. There are three things of interest here:

1. There is a tight passage heading to the west, though hard to see because Torviruv is at an angle behind him as the torchbearer.
2. The strange "breathing" sound that has been getting louder finally becomes evident as the passage to the north opens into a vast chamber with a hole, from which there are the distinct sounds of a sea chimney where the water rushes in and out, creating that breathing-sound effect when at a distance.
3. Another body this time of a male human.

[Qazgir]

Sisir will take in he new chamber before calling out to his companions, "the cave open up quite a bit over here, and there's another body." Having spoken, he will continue to advance forward into the cave, looking around for any signs of ghouls or other dangers.

[lostsole31]

As soon as Edaro calls back, but before he's had a chance to move forward, there is a horrific screeching noise echoing from the north!

Begin Round One ...

R1T24: Aubrine moves forward to straddle the dead body, calling out, "Passage to the west. Large chamber has two bogeys well up to the north - hunched, smaller creatures."

They then concentrate, and the shadows around them coalesce into Dark-Aubrine next to them, which then flies north into the darkness.

R1T23: Deadeye takes the torch from Torviruv and then moves into the larger cavern.

R1T18: Evaro, what do you do?

[Qazgir]

Evaro's body seems to shatter like glass before reforming into a number of copies of himself. He advances towards the ghouls, and readies himself to strike should they approach.

Spoiler: Action!

Show

Swift action: Adopt Infinity Mirror Stance, creating (1d4+2)[4] images.

Move: Move 35' NE, to end 15' S of the occultation.

Standard: Ready an action to initiate Flurry Strike on the first enemy to enter Evaro's reach.

[lostsole31]

R1T18: Evaro's body seems to shatter like glass before reforming into a number of copies of himself. He advances towards the ghouls, and readies himself to strike should they approach.

R1T14: The one farther back (Red) scrambles around the western edge - giving a good birth to the chimney - to then close on Huseina with an angry screech.

R1T12: Azel the Vibrant moves up just past Torviruv before suddenly vanishing from sight.

R1T10: Green slashes apart the occultation, with that shadow dissipating and reforming around Aubrine. It takes a few guarded steps towards Evaro.

R1T9: Some scrambling sounds behind Evaro, followed by Azel's voice calling out, "I've stopped a...."

R1T7: Balazar astride Padrig rides into the southern part of the cavern.

"... a fell looking..."

R1T5: A taller (size Medium) ghoul appears out of a thin aperture to the west before rushing forth into the heroes' jumble.

"...man from continuing..."

R1T0: Dgia finally moves in to take a protective stance for her master, coughing some from the foul air. She gets into a fighting stance while creating a trident of electricity very quickly. She stabs the man's (Pink's) hand with her trident for 8 electricity.

"I'm fighting a creature that was once a man," she reports, for whatever good that means.

"...into your path."

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T24: Their occultation gone, Aubrine has much concerns much closer to their own body, as they now appear to be partly overcome. "What ... the smell is ... *gack* ... unbelievable! I don't understand ... this is a ghoul, not a ghast, it's cousin. Bite deals paralysis and ghoul fever as claws also paralyze."

They study the target and then attack, pushing Fusion Sword through a defensive arm and into its chest. The man-turned-ghoul turns to black ash even as it seems like there is combustion from within its body before the body falls apart, leaving a scorch mark behind. They then step away, off of the corpse's body

R2T23: "It's the little ones that smell so badly," says Deadeye. "I don't know what they are, but I know what they were ... goblins. You did just kill a former man, though."

She steps down the slight lip to the northeast and shoots at the stinky former-goblin (Red) with her pepperbox, a bullet ripping through its shin for 18, nearly taking its leg off.

R2T20: Torviruv moves up to Red and casts a spell using strange and ancient, guttural noises instead of the more rarified chanting you sometimes hear from modern mages. His hand glowing with radiance he reaches forward to grasp Red's lower arm. The radiance leaves Torviruv's hand and burns into the goblin, the hand and arm blackening first before the internal combustion carries through the rest of the creature and it, too, falls to ashes.

Looking smug, he says, "That's because the humans are ghouls, but the goblins are the more powerful ghasts. Stay away from them if you have a weak stomach like our poor aiuvaran."

R2T18: Evaro, what do you do?

Azel on deck, Green in the hole ...

[Qazgir]

Hearing Torviruv's warning, Evaro will gird himself against the smell, dash towards the Ghoul above him, and makes a fast rising slash before a stronger descending slash.

Spoiler: Action!

Show

Move: Move 5' NE and 5' N to end directly under the Ghoul.

Standard: Flurry Strike against Green.

Attack 1: (1d20+16)[18]
Attack 2 (Power Attack): (1d20+14)[17]

Damage 1: [roll]3d6+13+3d4+6[/roll]
Damage 2: [roll]3d6+19+3d4+6[/roll]

[lostsole31]

R2T18: Hearing Torviruv's warning, Evaro girds himself well against the smell, dash towards the Ghoul above him, and makes a fast rising slash before a stronger descending slash, both attempts being deflected by surprisingly thick hide.

R2T12: The lone human-ghoul explodes into combustion, with Azel now appearing on the western side of it. Azel is also doing some dance-like moves in a stylized way with her quarterstaff.

R2T10: Only the goblin-ghast survives, attacking Evaro. The bite completely misses, while both claws only catch an image for its troubles.

R2T7: Balazar rides Padrig closer, and begins telling a stirring story of Durvin Ghest the Pathfinder against the ghouls of a place called Nemret-Noktoria.

R2T0: Dgia clomps at her normal speed to Balazar, and then with an incredible second burst of speed is next to Evaro, though she does poorly against the stench. As a result she stabs the wall with her trident of electricity against the wall. The interaction sparks with minerals to blind Dgia.

End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T24: Aubrine moves in and reforms the occultation north of the ghast.

R3T23: Deadeye changes tacks and heads around from the west, shooting off her pepperbox at the ghast. It hits the ghast in the right lower abdomen for 8.

R3T20: Torviruv, just leading Deadeye, holds the torch in his buckler hand and casts a spell. A bright flash of light lances across the wide pit to obliterate the ghast!

Combat Ends!

Azel ends her dance, Aubrine their occultation, and Balazar his oration.

[Qazgir]

Evaro surveys the cavern, and walks over to Huseina, "well, I suppose that," he waves to the opening behind her, "is where we're heading next. Hopefully any further resistance goes down as quickly. When everyone has caught their breath, let's continue forward."

[lostsole31]

Balazar calls out over the sound of the surf below, "Not just 'catch breath,' but let's wait for your friend Aubrine and my bodyguard Dgia the time they need to feel better after the stench of the ghasts. While we're doing that, it won't hurt us to take a quick look in here ... 'quick' being relative as this cavern is huge. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a gnome."

The cramped tunnel you were previously in opens into a vertiginous gulf here, a cathedral-like cavern with a roof arching thirty feet overhead and dropping into a sloshing pool of foamy seawater fifty feet below. A steep stone ledge winds down to these surging depths, its slope glistening with moisture and mold. A stone door stands in the northwestern wall about halfway down the slope. There is also the slender passage which Torviruv and Huseina guard.

Dgia and Aubrine together take some eight minutes to finally clear themselves of the dead ghast's stench ... which also gives enough time to search this area and the connecting point that led here. There is nothing of interest in this cavern, though the dead body in the bottleneck shows the same wounds consistent with a pitched battle against the creatures you fought, and was likely a man named Alvor. The two ghasts and two ghouls you fought must surely have belonged to a much larger number to have felled these heroes, so it is safe to say that while you found four of the five bodies you expected to find .... with all of the scorch marks at the bottleneck, they must have given one hell of a fight.

The only body missing at this time was a human warrior-mage named Norton Dabney. He and the dead samsaran here - Draegra - were one of the "original" heroes of Sandpoint.