Iron Sky
Procedurally Generated
Session 17
Tonight, Siltstorm, Jinn, and Pakran. I changed Siltstorm's Utility again to Boundless Endurance for Regen 6 bloodied for an encounter. Pakran picked Supreme Avalanche Combination for his level 5 daily.
We started out planning our infiltration of the Praetorium. Arin said he'd just go in the front, "his way" and meet up with us once we'd deposed Praetor Hiraxis.
The slave whose family we rescued distracted the elite guards that normally watch the Cisterns to keep people from doing exactly what we were doing and found a massive stone doorway blocking us. We got a combined 34 Athletics(2 aids + Siltstorm's natural 20) then 23 to open it. We slipped inside and began to push it close, getting a 24, then only a 17.
The door got stuck as we heard the half-giant guards begin coming back - one more chance to get it and... 17. Fortunately, Jinn's Adept's Surge bumped us up to 22 - exactly what we needed. It slid closed with no cry of alarm outside.
We found a small, elevated stone tunnel inside that headed the direction we were supposed to be going, managed some moderate 17/15/15 Athletics checks to climb up into it and keep going for the hour-or-so it took for us to get to the passage we were told to look for.
Pakran's high passive Perception let him catch voices speaking Giant ahead of us. He motioned for us to stay still, put out our torch, and sneaked ahead in the complete darkness(Perception 15 to navigate in the complete darkness, Stealth 16) to find a stairwell leading up, the voices coming from up above.
We headed up and found ourselves peering out of a massive bone grill, looking out on two half-giant guards keeping watch over the Praetorium. Pakran dropped a Stealth 26to creep forward and see if we were where we wanted to be and saw that we were in the dead center of the Praetorium.
Pakran came back so we could discuss what to do. After a brief discussion, he sneaked back to the grating and began using his Thieves Tools, making Stealth and Thievery checks to silently saw away bars: 23 and 26 to make it wide enough to get through with an Acrobatics check. 27 and 15 to open it enough that we could get through without one.
Then the real challenge: Jinn and Siltstorm trying to make Stealth checks. Pakran: 23, Jinn: 18, Siltstorm: 15. Fortunately, the half-giants were bored, complacent, and talkative after months or years guarding essentially a non-object. Once Jinn and Siltstorm had hidden inside, Pakran made another Thievery 17 to attempt to disguise the opening we'd made as much as possible.
Jinn did his best to disguise himself and Siltstorm as guards (Bluff 29) while Pakran slipped off into the darkness (Stealth 22), heading off towards Hiraxis' ritual chamber where we'd found out he went every night to do his Templar/warlockish business.
A pair of Praetors noticed Jinn and Siltstorm, questioning what we were doing. Jinn gave them another Bluff 29 answer that seemed to appease them(following orders) and we continued on our way.
Outside Hiraxis's chamber, the guard outside was sent off "Hiraxis ordered us to guard it, you want to question a Praetor's orders" + Bluff 27.
Pakran got a Stealth 32 to open the chamber door quietly and we headed in, hearing faint chanting from inside.
Pakran was able to sneak forward, ducking behind columns as he went, while Jinn and Siltstorm pretty much just walked straight toward the chanting.
We found Hiraxis in prayer at an altar, with a humanoid male in the midst of ritual dissection - still alive - with Hiraxis alternating between cutting, drinking blood, and chanting over the unfortunate man.
After a brief monologue ("expecting you", "you'll be like this dude", etc).
Jinn charged, Hiraxis' attempting to blast him away as an interrupt and failing. The first cut caused his skin to become rubbery and fleshy, tentacles coming out of everywhere as he partially transformed into an abomination(mechanical effect, -1 to melee/ranged attacks against him).
Hiraxis countered by restraining Jinn and summoning a bunch of shadowy serpents around Jinn. Siltstorm charged into the mix, missing but summoning his protective sands around him(Spirit of Athas). Jinn used his Burning Spray to destroy another shadow.
Hiraxis summoned snakes that bound up our feet(restrained). Next round, same thing. Siltstorm was throwing handaxes and Pakran - with no ranged attacks at all - ended up just taking it.
Brings up one of my basic rules of character creation: ALWAYS have a ranged attack, even if it's a terrible one, just so you have something you can do if your melee attack gets nerfed.
After 4 rounds, we'd managed to hit him twice while he'd hit us 8 times, not counting the hit his summoned shadow landed on Jinn, bloodying Jinn twice and Pakran once.
Fortunately, Pakran managed to land Stunning Palm and stunned him (save ends) and, having seen Hiraxis avoiding crossing the runes around the altar, then used Centered Flurry of Blows to knock him into them, causing him to immediately go bloodied and reverting him back to human form. He followed up with an AP Supreme Avalanche Combination, for 23 damage and another slide. Siltstorm moved up and landed a single MBA + Power Strike and finished him off.
When he died, however, the man on the table suddenly transformed into a fleshy abomination with his bones jutting out in sharp spines, tearing into Jinn and dropping him. Siltstorm brought him back up with a Heal check and hit the beasty to slow it.
Pakran crit it with Drunken Monkey for 17 damage and then forced it to attack itself, triggering Siltstorm's Battle Guardian MBA for another 10 damage and knocking it prone, then it did another 13 damage to itself with its own attack(+3 to hit thanks to Drunken Monkey), bloodying it. Jinn stood up and 2PP Energizing Striked it to death and healed himself.
A minute later, the guard that we had dismissed before came in, said "wow, good job," passed his hand in front of his face and became Arin. We gave all the Praetor's belongings to Arin and the changeling became Hiraxis.
We hung out until the next morning when we had Arin/Hiraxis escort us out of the Praetorium, Hiraxis keeping us "in his shadow" and leading back into Balic proper.
We met Ermak, who handed over 1000gp as a sign of thanks and... we were free finally to do what we wanted. As we figured out what to do, Jinn finally sold the ratty old Tembo hide he was still carrying around (we no longer have any regular characters that wear hide) for 200 more gp and Pakran bought a bandoleer of daggers to help with his ranged-attack deficiency.
Some Basrag Plate armor for Siltstorm(DR1), Bonemail armor for Jinn(extra +1 AC) also became ours for a mere 1800gp a each.
After a brief discussion, we re-joined Captain Rais and headed off to being our (in-game) career as silt-pirates!
... or will we. We're debating what to do next: more Dark Sun, put the game on pause for Rogue Trader, something else? We aren't sure yet.
Tonight, Siltstorm, Jinn, and Pakran. I changed Siltstorm's Utility again to Boundless Endurance for Regen 6 bloodied for an encounter. Pakran picked Supreme Avalanche Combination for his level 5 daily.
We started out planning our infiltration of the Praetorium. Arin said he'd just go in the front, "his way" and meet up with us once we'd deposed Praetor Hiraxis.
The slave whose family we rescued distracted the elite guards that normally watch the Cisterns to keep people from doing exactly what we were doing and found a massive stone doorway blocking us. We got a combined 34 Athletics(2 aids + Siltstorm's natural 20) then 23 to open it. We slipped inside and began to push it close, getting a 24, then only a 17.
The door got stuck as we heard the half-giant guards begin coming back - one more chance to get it and... 17. Fortunately, Jinn's Adept's Surge bumped us up to 22 - exactly what we needed. It slid closed with no cry of alarm outside.
We found a small, elevated stone tunnel inside that headed the direction we were supposed to be going, managed some moderate 17/15/15 Athletics checks to climb up into it and keep going for the hour-or-so it took for us to get to the passage we were told to look for.
Pakran's high passive Perception let him catch voices speaking Giant ahead of us. He motioned for us to stay still, put out our torch, and sneaked ahead in the complete darkness(Perception 15 to navigate in the complete darkness, Stealth 16) to find a stairwell leading up, the voices coming from up above.
We headed up and found ourselves peering out of a massive bone grill, looking out on two half-giant guards keeping watch over the Praetorium. Pakran dropped a Stealth 26to creep forward and see if we were where we wanted to be and saw that we were in the dead center of the Praetorium.
Pakran came back so we could discuss what to do. After a brief discussion, he sneaked back to the grating and began using his Thieves Tools, making Stealth and Thievery checks to silently saw away bars: 23 and 26 to make it wide enough to get through with an Acrobatics check. 27 and 15 to open it enough that we could get through without one.
Then the real challenge: Jinn and Siltstorm trying to make Stealth checks. Pakran: 23, Jinn: 18, Siltstorm: 15. Fortunately, the half-giants were bored, complacent, and talkative after months or years guarding essentially a non-object. Once Jinn and Siltstorm had hidden inside, Pakran made another Thievery 17 to attempt to disguise the opening we'd made as much as possible.
Jinn did his best to disguise himself and Siltstorm as guards (Bluff 29) while Pakran slipped off into the darkness (Stealth 22), heading off towards Hiraxis' ritual chamber where we'd found out he went every night to do his Templar/warlockish business.
A pair of Praetors noticed Jinn and Siltstorm, questioning what we were doing. Jinn gave them another Bluff 29 answer that seemed to appease them(following orders) and we continued on our way.
Outside Hiraxis's chamber, the guard outside was sent off "Hiraxis ordered us to guard it, you want to question a Praetor's orders" + Bluff 27.
Pakran got a Stealth 32 to open the chamber door quietly and we headed in, hearing faint chanting from inside.
Pakran was able to sneak forward, ducking behind columns as he went, while Jinn and Siltstorm pretty much just walked straight toward the chanting.
We found Hiraxis in prayer at an altar, with a humanoid male in the midst of ritual dissection - still alive - with Hiraxis alternating between cutting, drinking blood, and chanting over the unfortunate man.
After a brief monologue ("expecting you", "you'll be like this dude", etc).
Jinn charged, Hiraxis' attempting to blast him away as an interrupt and failing. The first cut caused his skin to become rubbery and fleshy, tentacles coming out of everywhere as he partially transformed into an abomination(mechanical effect, -1 to melee/ranged attacks against him).
Hiraxis countered by restraining Jinn and summoning a bunch of shadowy serpents around Jinn. Siltstorm charged into the mix, missing but summoning his protective sands around him(Spirit of Athas). Jinn used his Burning Spray to destroy another shadow.
Hiraxis summoned snakes that bound up our feet(restrained). Next round, same thing. Siltstorm was throwing handaxes and Pakran - with no ranged attacks at all - ended up just taking it.
Brings up one of my basic rules of character creation: ALWAYS have a ranged attack, even if it's a terrible one, just so you have something you can do if your melee attack gets nerfed.
After 4 rounds, we'd managed to hit him twice while he'd hit us 8 times, not counting the hit his summoned shadow landed on Jinn, bloodying Jinn twice and Pakran once.
Fortunately, Pakran managed to land Stunning Palm and stunned him (save ends) and, having seen Hiraxis avoiding crossing the runes around the altar, then used Centered Flurry of Blows to knock him into them, causing him to immediately go bloodied and reverting him back to human form. He followed up with an AP Supreme Avalanche Combination, for 23 damage and another slide. Siltstorm moved up and landed a single MBA + Power Strike and finished him off.
When he died, however, the man on the table suddenly transformed into a fleshy abomination with his bones jutting out in sharp spines, tearing into Jinn and dropping him. Siltstorm brought him back up with a Heal check and hit the beasty to slow it.
Pakran crit it with Drunken Monkey for 17 damage and then forced it to attack itself, triggering Siltstorm's Battle Guardian MBA for another 10 damage and knocking it prone, then it did another 13 damage to itself with its own attack(+3 to hit thanks to Drunken Monkey), bloodying it. Jinn stood up and 2PP Energizing Striked it to death and healed himself.
A minute later, the guard that we had dismissed before came in, said "wow, good job," passed his hand in front of his face and became Arin. We gave all the Praetor's belongings to Arin and the changeling became Hiraxis.
We hung out until the next morning when we had Arin/Hiraxis escort us out of the Praetorium, Hiraxis keeping us "in his shadow" and leading back into Balic proper.
We met Ermak, who handed over 1000gp as a sign of thanks and... we were free finally to do what we wanted. As we figured out what to do, Jinn finally sold the ratty old Tembo hide he was still carrying around (we no longer have any regular characters that wear hide) for 200 more gp and Pakran bought a bandoleer of daggers to help with his ranged-attack deficiency.
Some Basrag Plate armor for Siltstorm(DR1), Bonemail armor for Jinn(extra +1 AC) also became ours for a mere 1800gp a each.
After a brief discussion, we re-joined Captain Rais and headed off to being our (in-game) career as silt-pirates!
... or will we. We're debating what to do next: more Dark Sun, put the game on pause for Rogue Trader, something else? We aren't sure yet.
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