JJJ's Haunting of Harrowstone

[Archpaladin Zousha]

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Initiative: (1d20+3)[23]

Morcaine draws her sword and advances into the water.

"Why am I not surprised?"

[Sarone]

Looking in the direction of the rising skeletons, Kaythek considers his options. No way I can get out of here, my armor will slow me down and I m not as good at manuevering in such a debris field.

Drawing a piece of paper from the spell component pouch, Kaythek calls upon the will of the gods and goddesses. "Gods of Battle, Goddesses of War, judge me before those who desecrate the fallen. I call upon you to fortify my armor. Judge me, Divine Warriors, as I battle in YOUR NAME!"

Turning to Tamara, Kaythek motioned for the shore. "Go Tamara, I will only slow you down."

Taking his flachion in both hands, Kaythek readies for the God's judgement.

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Initiative (1d20+4)[22]

Standard Action: Cast Shield of Faith, boosting my Armor from 17 to 19 for 12 rounds

Kaythek remains where he is. I have to make a roll of 9 to make it, and I doubt my luck would hold.

[SanguinePenguin]

"Grrr!" Tamara scowls, "I KNEW this water was gross!" Her scowl turns to a grin at the fun of scrambling up the rocks to get some high ground. She grips her sword menacingly and braces her footing. Eying the enemy, the halfling is prepared to strike the first skeleton to encroach her.

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Climb up and ready attack
Attack (1d20+4)[17] Damage: (1d10+3)[11]
Balance: (1d20+10)[15]

[Gwynfrid]

The three skeletons approach, their unwieldy swimming makes their advance towards Kaythek and Tamara slow.

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Ulric's initiative (1d20+2)[19]
Skeletons' initiative (1d20+6)[24]
In the interest of time, rolling Briar's initiative (1d20+3)[5]

Yes, Balance is really Acrobatics (leftover 3e term). Augustin's Knowledge roll will be useful when he sees the skeletons but at the moment they are out of his 30' vision range.

[Gwynfrid]

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EDITED below to correct inaccurate sequence of actions: Tamara's readied action is first.

Tamara manages to precariously perch on one of the larger immersed stones. The skeletons end their approach in a surprisingly fast dash, but the halfling warrior is ready, and her mighty sword crushes a skeleton's skull. The undead horror collapses in the water. The remaining two go after Kaythek. The Gods of Battle's glowing aura of protection deflects one of the claws aiming at Kaythek's throat, but the other skeleton manages to penetrate it, inflicting a shallow gash.

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Round 1



Skeleton 1 attacks Tamara (1d20+2)[18] damage (1d4+2)[3]
Skeleton 2 attacks Kaythek (1d20+2)[18] damage (1d4+2)[5]
Skeleton 3 attacks Kaythek (1d20+2)[21] damage (1d4+2)[3]

Confirm, in case of a critical threat (1d20+2)[7] extra damage (1d4+2)[5]

Heroes' turn.

[stack]

Augustin slogs to the sound of the fighting, the mud sucking at his boots, threatening to claim them as he presses forward.

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move to K9, action pending result of knowledge check

[Gwynfrid]

Coming closer, Augustin notices that the skeletons' bones begin to blacken and smolder.

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These are humans skeletons, but not ordinary ones: They are burning skeletons. Their powers are temporarily suppressed by the fact they are wet, but the water is evaporating very fast. They have a fiery aura that burns everything that comes close to them. Also, in contrast to regular skeletons, they are fire resistant, but vulnerable to cold.

[Sarone]

Feeling the claws hit, only one does any damage. Looking at the Skeleton, Kaythek let's a grin form on his face. "Big mistake, undead."

Twisting around, Kaythek brings the falchion up and into the skeleton's ribcage with as much power as he can muster.

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Attack Skeleton #3

(1d20+4)[16] for (2d4+3)[8]

[stack]

Augustin warns his friends, "The are burning skeletons, try to stay back from them, or keep them in the water. The fire will be dangerous to any close. COld will hurt them, if we had any means to use it, though fire will do little." He glance to Briar, then raises his shield, bearing the spiral of Pharasma.

"Return to your graves and rest in piece, trouble the living no more!" Even in the daylight his shield glows, rays striking the skeletons.

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channel energy (should hit all three from current position), (1d6)[5] damage, save DC 15 for 1/2

[Gwynfrid]

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Skeleton's Will save (1d20+2)[4]

And it's "rest in peace". Although, in this case, they do rest in pieces as well.

The half-orc's falchion buries itself in a ribcage. He successfully extracts it, ripping away a few bone shards on the way out.

Then, Pharasma's blessed light illuminates the area, and the skeletons freeze in place. Their bones crumble in a heap, leaving a few bones floating away in the dirty water.

"Smart move, Augustin. I met these... before", Ulric says, taking a closer look at the remains. He has a bit of reluctance in his voice as he says this, obviously a painful memory. "Not very resilient, but pretty dangerous when they get the time to ignite."

[stack]

Augustin slogs closer to inspect the ruin of his foes. "I am loathe to expend my gift lightly, especially here, surrounded by so many powerful spirits, but it seemed both prudent and expedient. I think we have all suffered enough burns to last for some time, I was not keen on any collecting more."

He inspects Kaythek and Tamara. "Do either of you wish healing?"

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Finally, Augustin did something on offense!

[Sarone]

Poking the remnants with the falchion, Kaythek nods. "Good work, Gus. I took a bit of damage, but it's not serious enough for it to be healed just yet. I;d rather wait a minute see what happens as we go further in."

Spitting at the remnants, Kaythek looks around the room, letting it sink. "That is one reason why Gorrum and the other Gods and Goddesses don't like undead, at least the unintelligent. They can't think for themselves, are only useful in brute force tactics, and is a desecration of those who have died. At least, those who haven't dishonored themselves."

Noticing the dummies and training equipment, Kaythek nods, then tilts his head to the side and frowns as the other room escapes him. Looks like a training room. Not too sure what this other one is.

Perception Roll (1d20+4)[16]

Knowledge History (1d20+6)[9] for what this room might have been.

[SanguinePenguin]

"No thanks, Augustin! They didn't even touch me!" Tamara rummages throughout her pack for a torch. Using her flint and steel, she proceeds to light the torch. With the torch in her hand, she asks, "anyone want to hold it?" Through her smile, it is evident that she wants to keep her hands free. Whether it is to be ready to fight or to pick up random objects remains to be seen.

[Gwynfrid]

Leaving the remains behind, Kaythek slogs along further away from the pond's shore, closer to the gaping hole in the building wall where the water is less deep.

The room indeed appears to be a training room for fighters and guards. A couple of moldy dummies, mock weapons, and similar equipment lies around the room. The most striking feature of this large chamber is a jagged, dark, wide hole in the floor - the whole area around it and up to the water edge has gone black, owing to what seems to have been a very intense fire. The traces are old, very old, but they are unmistakable even though mold has grown over the room as it is wide open to the elements.

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Kaythek still has his feet in the water, standing at the edge of the room. Do the others wish to follow Kaythek and actually enter the prison building there ?

[stack]

Augustin stands next to Kaythek, peering into the room as far as his limited vision will allow. If anyone is in need of light, he will provide it, while continuing to look for sign of enchantment. "As good a door as any, I judge. Let us proceed inward."

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light if anyone wants it, renewed as needed, detect magic until something else comes up

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Morcaine slogs after Kaythek, sword still unsheathed. She has no need of Augustin's light, for her eyes were just as sharp in the darkness as they were in the light.

[Sarone]

Falcion ready, Kaythek takes the lead, his eyes piercing the darkness.

(1d20+4)[23] for Perception checks.

[Gwynfrid]

Following Kaythek, the group enters the Harrowstone prison through the collapsed wall into the burned training room, lit by Pharasma's light at Augustin's behest. It is a wide, irregular shaped space, fifty feet or so at its widest, the northeastern corner fully open to the pond outside. There is one door to the north, which would lead into the other room Kaythek saw already. There is also a double door in the southwestern end of the room.

But the most interesting feature is the 10-feet wide hole in the floor. The edges may appear dangerous at first, but the unstable portions have long fallen away, leaving the remaining rim solid enough to support the weight of several people. Obviously, this pitch black pit was the source of the fire that gutted the building many years ago. About 20 feet deep, only an unrecognizable jumble of broken and burned equipment is visible at the bottom.

[stack]

"Most of the lower level is beyond my limited vision. Perhaps this will help others, though." Augustin picks up a small stone. It begins to glow brightly as he tosses it down the hole to illuminate the lower level more fully.

"Perhaps we ought clear this level before we go down."

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light on a stone

[Sarone]

"I agree. Better to make sure there's nothing left up that can go after us. Also, it'll help if we can get some more information on this place and the other prisoners."

[Gwynfrid]

"All right, we have seen all there is to find in this room then. Shall we look at the other open room first, or shall we try these double doors here ?" asks Ulric.

[stack]

"Open rooms first. Doors may do little against spirits, but may hold back the more solid undead until we have investigated the unsecure spaces. No reason to leave our backs open."

[SanguinePenguin]

"Yeah!" Tamara agrees with Augustin rather enthusiastically, "without a rope, it would be reckless for us to go down the hole at all. To the other open room!" Tamara points with her sword while assuming an aggressive stance.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

"Pragmatism from Tamara? What is Golarion coming too?" Morcaine says.

"Still you're very right. Entering that pit would be a bad idea if we don't have a plan to get out of it. And there may very well be things up here that are just as infested with spirits."

[SanguinePenguin]

Ignoring Morcaine's comment, Tamara adds, "yes, we need to get a rope. The most fun places are probably all off limits because we don't have one."

[Leviathan]

"Rope would be useful," Briar concurs. "However, a plan would be more so. Intention is to explore and lure, yes, but not sufficient: non-zero chance of failure in second objective, potential for inaccessible areas, unknown strength of opposition and potential for our retreat."

"Doorway a good place to start, but, suggest primary goals: firstly, acquiring rope or acceptable substitute, and secondly, acquiring map of prison or other information on location of actual prison cells (due to tenuous connection between spirit and corporeal world, emotional captivity of spirit, and so forth, seems probable that immediate place of captivity during life retains habitation)."

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Knowledge (engineering) for any common layouts for prisons like this that might help with knowing where the prisoners would be kept (especially dangerous ones like those we have info on: (1d20+10)[18]
Knowledge (history) for anything on the same topic pertaining to Harrowstone specifically: (1d20+10)[25]

[Gwynfrid]

Ulric tries out the single wooden door to the north. "I guess it isn't so much locked as it is stuck." Fifty years of rot, mold and rust have taken their toll. "We can break it down, I suppose. Or we can go round, through the water. Our feet are already wet anyway."

[stack]

Augustin leans to the side, squishing more water from his boots. "Let's just take down the door. May as well have some fun, right? As for finding more information, we have made great efforts in that regard already. I doubt there is any more to be known in the village, less so here after the fire. Let us undo what haunts we can. If we must leave to do more research, then we shall after they are weakened. One or two spirits assaulting the village are less dire then all of them."

[Gwynfrid]

Ulric nods in agreement, takes a few steps back, and without further ado rushes forward in a powerful kick to the door.

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(1d20+3)[13]
(1d20+3)[23]
(1d20+3)[23]

The door cracks open at the first attempt, letting the gang enter the next room, where they can see the same panoramic, if eerie, view of the pond as the east wall is entirely gone. A huge stone furnace dominates this room, large enough for a child to climb inside. A soot-caked copper plaque over the furnace entrance reads “Ember Maw.”

Ulric's and Augustin's human noses aren't as keen as those of halflings, changelings, half-orcs or gnomes... But all others notice the sudden rising stink of burning flesh. Morcaine points a finger at the face of the furnace: The metals bars seem to animate into a leering skull-like visage !

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Everybody, roll for initiative please. This is a surprise round, everyone except Ulric and Augustin has a chance to react. Whoever rolls 10 or better can act now.

[Leviathan]

Briar sniffs the air. Burning? Then again. Yes, burning. Causes? Odour of dead flesh in process of combustion. Other visitors to Harrowstone, either dead or fighting undead? Unlikely to be more foolishly bold humanoids in radius of prison; also, would have encountered likeminded individuals in Ravengro. Alchemy gone wrong? No, no, no; no undergraduates at Harrowstone!"

Her wide eyes fix on the huge furnace. Idly, blithely even, she steps forwards, bending down towards it to peer at it as she pulls out a pair of spectacles, which magnify her eyes to absurd proportions.

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Possibly not the smartest call Briar has ever made. But she'll approach the furnace and attempt to identify whether its making the smell.

Knowledge (arcana): (1d20+16)[31]
Knowledge (engineering): (1d20+10)[12]