[LPF] Kostry Kopec

Satin Knights · Apr 11, 2012

Now that the south has been cleared, Gragnor and Kalgor head northwest slowly, using the pillars and shadows as a bit of cover.
[sblock=ooc]moving to the northwest most pillar currently mapped to expose more. Both Gragnor and Kalgor have darkvision and will attempt to use shadows when available.[/sblock]

sunshadow21 · Apr 11, 2012

Ausk hangs back from those in front just a bit, his bill ready, and the words of a spell on his tongue waiting to be spoken.

jkason · Apr 11, 2012

[sblock=ooc]Did my best to place you all based on narrative description. Kalgor / Gragnor explicitly placed themselves, Tyrien in Gragnor's wake (behind him, then) and using columns as cover, Ausk 'to the back.' Kanli and Anaerion didn't initiate any movement that I recall, so they're nearest the stairs.

For the record, Tyrien's Ioun torch doesn't affect any of what follows; Kalgor and Gragnor's stealth checks would have failed in any event, so I didn't bother worrying about it.[/sblock]

Kalgor and Gragnor inch forward, Tyrien in their wake, the trio of casters holding back slightly.

An immense cavern sprawls ahead of them, its floor an uneven jumble of loose stone and fungus, its ceiling rising like a church cathedral to a height of nearly a hundred feet above. Glowing fungus grows thick on the walls, bathing the cavern in ugly hues of purple and pale blue. Toppled pillars and mounds of rubble dot the western half of the cave, while to the east a mound of fungus, bones, and rubble rises. At the mound’s apex squats a flat-topped altar stone, with towering barren trees rising on three sides, their leafless branches twisted and groping toward the ceiling above as if in search for a sun’s warmth they shall never feel.

At the base of the mound stands a decrepit creature. He drops an arm he's been chewing on to scowl in the direction of the party.

"You ain't hiding from me, thieves," comes the rattling voice of the creature. "I found the grove and the book and all this nice food, an' that makes it mine."

[sblock=Kalgor and Anaerion]Your experience tells you that these trees could not grow here by natural means; they show the taint of necromantic energies[/sblock]

[sblock=Ausk and Anaerion]The creature speaking is a ghoul. An undead that feeds on corpses, they can see in the dark, have the common immunities of most undead, and resist normal clerical channelling.

All of their natural attacks can paralyze (though those with elvish blood are immune to this effect), and their bite specifically can infect a victim with their own ghoulish taint; people killed by this 'ghoul fever' rise as ghouls themselves.

While they are known to wander alone, ghouls just as often travel in small or large groups.[/sblock]

[sblock=ooc]The fungus provides dim illumination, which I believe covers all the light needs for the party (non-human as you all are). The sblocks above cover Know rolls I made for you. I rolled initiatives just to cover the bases, too:

Creature init: 20

Party Init: 19

Tyrien and Anaerion rolled high enough to act before the creature if they choose to initiate combat, but I'm not going to assume that's happening.[/sblock]

jackslate45 · Apr 12, 2012

"Be careful! This ghoul will paralyze you with it's claws, and then infect you with the same disease that turned it into a ghoul!" Anaerion explains to the rest of the party. He takes a step to his right, and prepares a grease spell to trip up the creature, should it try to come closer.

[sblock=Actions]
Free: 5' Step to F15
Ready: Cast Grease if the ghoul approaches the party.
[/sblock]
[sblock=Stats]
Initiative: +9 Perception: +2 (low-light vision)
AC: 17 (14 flat-footed, 13 Touch )
HP: 37 Current: 37
CMB: +0 CMD:13(10ff) Fort: +3 Reflex: +3 Will: +4
+2 Will vs. Enchantments
Special: Immune to Magical Sleep
Current Conditions in Effect: Mage Armor
Current Weapon in Hand:

School Focus:
Shift: 10' Teleport as Dim Door. Does not Provoke AoO (8/8 remaining)
Summoner's Charm: Summoning Spells Last a total of 7 Rounds

Malkovian:
Timely Inspiration: 3/3 Immediate Action, +2 Bonus, Range 60', Immediate action
Mage Hand: At will. Controllable by either Anaerion/Malkovian
Bonus Power: Anaerion does not yet know this power.
Bonus Boon: Anaerion does has yet know this power.

Spells Prepared:
Level 0: Detect Magic, Read Magic, Acid Splash, Mending
Level 1: ~~Mage Armor~~ , Greasex2, Protection From Evil, Enlarge Person,[OPEN SLOT]
Level 2: Glittedust, Invisibility, Mirror Image, Web
Level 3: Haste,SM3x2
[/sblock]

perrinmiller · Apr 12, 2012

Tyrien, Half-elven Archeress

Tyrien's face screws up in disgust, A ghoul!? Foul undead, right? And it has the plague. Dammit! If it closes, let me first first."

"You ain't eating us! What book are you talking about!" She calls out to the creature as she nocks and around and prepares to rapidly shoot two arrows at it should it approach.

[sblock=Actions]Free Action: Talking
Swift Action: Activate Arcane Strike; +1 damage
Full Attack Action: Readied rapid shot; Longbow (1st Arrow) (1d20+8=26, 1d8+10=11); Longbow (2nd Arrow) (1d20+8=15, 1d8+10=15)
Move Action: n/a

* Readied shot conditions; Ghoul approaches within 30ft and breaks cover. Will shoot if Anaerion starts casting a spell.[/sblock][sblock=Mini Stats]Initiative: +7 Perception: +11 (low-light vision)
AC: 20 (15 flat-footed, 15 Touch)
HP: 40 Current: 40
CMB: +6 CMD: 21(16ff) Fort: +5 Reflex: +9 Will: +4
+2 Will vs. Enchantments
Special: Immune to Magical Sleep
Current Conditions in Effect: PBS, Precise Shot, Arcane Strike (+1 Dmg), Resistance, Ioun Stone illumination (in darkness), Deadly Aim (-2Att/+4dmg)
Current Weapon in Hand: Longbow
Chakrams: 8/8 Remaining

Bardic Performance: 5/5 Rounds Remaining
Spells Remaining: Cantrips: (Message, Resistance, Mending, Prestidigitation)
1st Level 2/2 (Cure Light Wounds, Timely Inspiration)[/sblock]___________________________________________

Tyrien e'Adrianne

jkason · Apr 12, 2012

"Foul?" the ghoul hisses. "You're the ones who reek of pumping hearts. Blech!

"And you're not tricking me. I'm not telling you where I hid my book so you can go and steal it! Now get out! 'sall mine!"

While clearly angry and agitated by the outcries so far, it appears the ghoul, too, is waiting to see what you do before acting.

Satin Knights · Apr 12, 2012

"Any chance you know who made a mess above in the city a few hours ago? They left something behind that we need to return. We assume they came this way and crossed your territory."

sunshadow21 · Apr 13, 2012

Ausk, seeing that combat may not be as eminent as he originally thought, decides to take a more tactful route than his alies. "Perhaps if you were to share what you know of this unusual shrine, and what precisely you are talking about when you mention 'the book," we can all go on our way faster. After all, trying to avoid questions usually takes more time than simply answering them."

perrinmiller · Apr 13, 2012

Tyrien, Half-elven Archeress

Tyrien's only has a flash of confusion at Kalgor's words, but she quickly catches on, "Yeah, we have it here and I am sure they are missing it."

She keeps that arrow nocked and prepares to rapidly shoot two arrows at the ghoul if it tires of conversing and approach.

[sblock=Actions]Free Action: Talking & Bluff aid another (1d20+1=17)
Swift Action: Activate Arcane Strike; +1 damage
Full Attack Action: Readied rapid shot; Longbow (1st Arrow) (1d20+8=26, 1d8+10=11); Longbow (2nd Arrow) (1d20+8=15, 1d8+10=15)
Move Action: n/a

* Readied shot conditions; Ghoul approaches within 30ft and breaks cover. Will shoot if any of her companions are initiating hostilities.[/sblock][sblock=Mini Stats]Initiative: +7 Perception: +11 (low-light vision)
AC: 20 (15 flat-footed, 15 Touch)
HP: 40 Current: 40
CMB: +6 CMD: 21(16ff) Fort: +5 Reflex: +9 Will: +4
+2 Will vs. Enchantments
Special: Immune to Magical Sleep
Current Conditions in Effect: PBS, Precise Shot, Arcane Strike (+1 Dmg), Resistance, Ioun Stone illumination (in darkness), Deadly Aim (-2Att/+4dmg)
Current Weapon in Hand: Longbow
Chakrams: 8/8 Remaining

Bardic Performance: 5/5 Rounds Remaining
Spells Remaining: Cantrips: (Message, Resistance, Mending, Prestidigitation)
1st Level 2/2 (Cure Light Wounds, Timely Inspiration)[/sblock]___________________________________________

Tyrien e'Adrianne

jkason · Apr 13, 2012

The ghoul frowns -- a disturbing expression that pulls his loose, necrotic flesh downward such that his forehead looks stretched close to coming undone. He waves his hand dismissively at Ausk's suggestion, and appears about ready to do the same to Kalgor's tale of items left above when Tyrien catches wise and chooses to support the tale-telling.

There's the briefest pause as the undead creature looks the party over, then he carefully says, "It left something, the one who did all this?" The ghoul gestures back toward the pool where a body lies face down in the swampy water (you notice it has both its arms, so presumably there is at least one more corpse somewhere about), then to the trail of sludge leading out the way you came.

"Give it to me!" He holds out a clawed hand, greedily taking a step closer. "And remember, the book gives me power, it does. All those ancient secrets. Don't cross me."

[sblock=ooc]The ghoul's decided to continue talking, so it won't effect you this time, but FYI, [MENTION=88649]perrinmiller[/MENTION], bluff to deceive is a full-round action:

d20pfsrd.com said:
Action
* Deceive Someone: Attempting to deceive someone takes at least 1 round, but can possibly take longer if the lie is elaborate (as determined by the GM on a case-by-case basis)

(source)

If the ghoul had decided to attack, Tyrien would have lost her full-round ready by choosing the Aid. Luckily, the aid provided the boost Kalgor needed to actually sell the lie (otherwise the ghoul would have made the Sense Motive DC).

[MENTION=6667193]sunshadow21[/MENTION], on the matter of actions, technically Diplomacy to change an attitude takes at least a minute. I ruled Ausk was trying to use the 'make requests' application, which is only a round, but since the ghoul is less than Indifferent, the roll auto-fails. Given that Ausk's roll would have resulted in downgrading the ghoul's attititude in the case of attempted attitude adjustment, I figured you wouldn't mind.

Realized I hadn't updated the map with Anaerion's 5' step. The ghoul took one now, as well. Both reflected on the attached.[/sblock]