[IC] Rise of the Runelords (Spheres)

[richmond]

Verezza barely has any time to consider how brutally the man had been dead and what effect it would have on his family. As soon as the goblin jumps out with his makeshift dagger, Verezza steels her position, absorbing all the impact of the attack with her shield.

In a swift movement, she's on her feet and pressing back, a powerful shove with her large shield. The position gives her more mobility if that was necessary, but she chooses to leave the spear by her foot. The room was a bit small for her to use if effectively, and her defensive stance was better for Zadavyr. He could use his magic from the back or simply join her in melee without worrying about the spear arcs. This was going to be almost too easy...

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Verezza stands up as a move action. I'm not sure kneeling is considered prone, so I'm just making sure. Even if it's not necessary, she won't move anyway.

She then attacks the goblin with a Shield Bash:
To Hit: (1d20+4)[9]
Crit?: (1d20+4)[18]
Damage: (1d8+3)[5] bludgeoning (+(1d8+3)[8] if critical hit)

She loses her Shield bonus for the round, so her AC is now 18.

She then uses a Swift action to spend a Resolve point and get 5 Temporary HP.

[Illogictree]

Halcyon cries out as the skeletons rake her with their bony fingers. She stumbles back, somehow ducking their follow-up swipes. She shouts out a warning. "W-watch out! Undead!"

As soon as she's out of their reach her steps turn into dance movements. Her panic at being attacked momentarily overcoming her other fears, she attempts to teleport herself on top of the roof of the vault.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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5-foot step away from the skeletons, then warp onto the roof of the vault.
Perform check: (1d20+10)[23] vs DC 16

[BtanH]

Seeing the skeletons burst from the Vault, Madison lets out a short shriek, quickly getting some more composure over herself as Halcyon teleports up onto the roof. Alone on the ground with two skeletons in front of her, she opts to get help, running to Sheriff Hemlock and telling him what she's seen. "Two skeletons popped out of the vault and attacked Halcyon! She's ok, but she's up on the roof now. Can you go help her while I go find the priest?" Assuming he agrees, Madison goes and looks for Father Zantus.

[kjelfalconer]

A few stray sparks crackled in his mouth, but he bit them back. He didn't want to have to explain another burned down house. So he settled for trying to grab its head and slam it into the floor.

Spoiler: OOC

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Shove (1d20+5)[25] - 4 damage
Attack (1d20+5)[11] - (1d4+4)[8] damage

[Bansheexero]

Monster in the Closet

As the goblin lashes out, Verezza tries to swing at it with her shield, but her shock at the fate of Alergast has her taken aback for a moment and that hesitation is all that is needed to telegraph her attack, allowing the goblin to evade. However, Zadavyr takes the opportunity to catch the goblin off-balance, slamming into it so hard it splatters partially against the interior of the closet as it rebounds, falling to the ground, motionless.

Spoiler: OoC

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So, the threat is gone. That ends the side quest officially, but you are free to follow up however you wish.

The Desecrated Vault

As Madison runs to find the Sheriff, the Skeletons shamble out of the vault. Hearing Maddie's cry for help, the Sheriff rushes back towards the vault, climbing the gate and landing on the inside of its enclosure.

[Illogictree]

Seeing Madison flee to safety, Halcyon sighs with relief. She takes a moment to assess the situation - the skeletons are stumbling about still, but they're still close enough.

There's a twinge of sadness in her heart as she looks at these undead. Having their remains desecrated and used like this? She doesn't know the people they used to be, but she imagines they would be upset by it too.

She raises her arms to the sky and closes her eyes, whispering a brief prayer. "Shelyn... grant me your light. Let your beauty shine into these darkened vessels and dispel the evil controlling them!"

As she prays, white light radiates from her and onto her surroundings, including onto the animate corpses.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Channel positive energy to damage undead, 30' radius burst centered on Halcyon.

Damage = (1d6)[2] Save DC 15 for half.

[BtanH]

Madison continues running to the cathedral to alert Father Zantus

[Bansheexero]

A white light seems to emanate from Halcyon, but it fizzles a bit and seems somewhat weak.

Spoiler: Skeleton Will Saves

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Will (1d20+2)[6]

Sheriff Hemlock rounds the corner of the vault to engage the skeletons. As he does, they rush to engage him.

Spoiler: Skeleton attacks

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S1 takes 5 ft step and attacks (2 claws) (1d20+2)[9] and (1d20+2)[18]
Crit? (1d20+2)[18] and (1d20+2)[11]
Damage (1d4+2)[5] and (1d4+2)[4]

S2 charge attack (1d20+4)[7]
Crit? (1d20+4)[5]
Damage (1d4+2)[5]

[Illogictree]

Halcyon gasps as the skeletons rush to attack the sheriff. She can't quite see if they've hit him, but she can't take the chance they'll get a second round. She moves to the edge just above them and raises her hands again. "...one more time, please?" she says sheepishly as the light radiates from her once again.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Move to J25 and Channel Energy to damage undead. (1d6)[2] damage, will save DC 15 for half.

[Bansheexero]

Madison finally makes it to the cathedral, Father Zantus standing out front. Meanwhile, another burst of divine light weakly begins to emanate from Halcyon.

Spoiler: Skeleton saves

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Will save (1d20+2)[12]

Despite it's weak radiance, it is enough to destabilize the necromantic energies animating the bones, and the skeletons collapse.

Examining the tomb further, there is a discarded cloak, which seems to have had patches on it removed. Additionally, in the dirt, there appears to be what looks like a strange key made of iron. What is most striking about it is its non-toothed end seems to be a glome, its impossible geometry almost hypnotizing if you stare at it too long. Looking more closely at Tobyn's sarcophagus, it seems that the remains of the former priest have been stolen, and were not among the skeletons that attacked.

Sheriff Hemlock thanks you for your effort, and having heard rumors of Maddie's desire to perform for Cyrdak Drokkus, promises to put in a good word for her.

Spoiler: OoC

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So, officially, this side quest is over, the key is part of something else. You are free to continue now as you wish.

Spoiler

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Unused rolls (1d20+6)[20] (1d20+6)[24] (1d4+2)[3] (1d20+2)[17] (1d20+2)[9] (1d20+2)[5] (1d20+2)[8] (1d4+2)[3] (1d4+2)[6] (1d20+2)[5] (1d20+2)[12] (1d20+2)[19] (1d20+2)[6] (1d4+2)[3] (1d4+2)[4]

[BtanH]

After making sure her friend is alright Madison thanks the Sheriff, both for helping Halcyon and for putting in a good word for her. She examines the cloak and the key, not touching either. "Do you think we should leave these for Father Zantus to look at?" she asks Halcyon. She also remembers she needs to send a message to her father, and pens a quick note when she gets the chance, explaining what's been going on over the last few days, and including that venison recipe, if she ever got it, and sends the note with someone.

Spoiler: OOC

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Should we pick up the robe and key? Or leave it
Is that a robe of many things?
Iirc sending a message was ruled to cost 1gp?

[richmond]

Verezza isn't even fazed by Zadavyr's brutal attack, simply appreciating the death of the goblin. Seeing the enemy motionless for a few seconds is enough for her, so she grabs her spear again and poke into the opening the creature came from checking to see if it was alone. Once she was sure there were no other monsters, Verezza takes her time to carry the father's body closer to the bed, taking what seems to be the oldest sheet available to wrap him, particularly the gnawed face.

Once the man's body has been attended to, she quickly checks the goblin's corpse to see if there's anything that he might have stolen before throwing it over her shoulder. She walks out the house, looking for Amele and dropping the goblin by her feet. It was clear they had dealt with the problem, but her husband's absence needed a formal explanation. Verezza stood quiet, though, hoping Zadavyr would handle that since he was familiar with the family.

Spoiler: OOC

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I'm ready to move on whenever you guys need. We still have the whole hunting thing to do with the noble.

[Illogictree]

Halcyon spares a little of her own power to heal herself before getting help down from the roof. "I'm... out of magical power," she says by way of explanation.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Healing: Spend 1 SP to recover (1d8+1)[7] HP
Bluff check to cover why she isn't teleporting down: (1d20+4)[23]

Looking at the key and the robe, Halcyon frowns a little. The impossible geometry of the key intrigues her, and she wonders why anyone would leave such a thing behind.

"I think we should hang onto these for a bit," she says to Madison. "Let's at least let the sheriff and Father Zantus take a look, see if they've seen such things before."

[Kvard51]

After getting over the shock of his encounter with Shayliss, Issachar goes to look for Verezza. Her making fun of him is exactly what he needs to right his equilibrium. Well, that and maybe another one of Halcyon's performances.

[Bansheexero]

As Hal and Maddie speak with Father Zantus, he examines the cloak and key they give him. "This is a robe of bones. It was most likely used to summon those skeletons you fought, however, it looks like the last of its patches was removed. The key, on the other hand, is a complete mystery to me. I've never seen anything like it. Not sure what it unlocks. However, the town did have a scholar who looked into such things, named Weyland Var, but he hasn't been seen since the goblin raid at the festival. Most of the dead were accounted for, but he was not found. If he is still alive, he is probably your best bet."

After hearing more about what happened, Zantus looks angry and disturbed. "Who would do this? Digging up a priest's corpse and for what end? I suspect it will be used for some foul ritual. That is a very specific target. Please, I implore you, find those responsible and if possible, please recover poor Father Tobyn's body."

————————————————————————

As Issachar searches for Verezza, he locates her coming out of one of the houses of the townsfolk. Her expression grim and somber, with a hint of anger and disgust. Behind her is the strange blue haired man. They both look a little pale as they seem rather glad to be out of that building.

[Bansheexero]

After they have finished the last of their tasks, the group had agreed to meet up at the Rusty Dragon to speak with Aldern Foxglove. The inn itself is run by Ameiko Kaijitsu, a local adventurer of Tian descent. The group recognizes her from the Swallowtail Festival as the one who made that very popular curry. As the group enters, Mr. Foxglove sees them, welcomes them, and asks them to wait a moment while he fetches some things from his room.

Ameiko offers the group a complementary meal on the house for the help they have provided the town. As they sit down to eat, however, an older Tian man enters. He is one of the more well known nobles Lonjiku Kaijitsu, and Ameiko's father. He shouts angrily at her in Minkaian and she responds in kind. As he is shouting, he notices the group and turns his attention on them. In his heavy accent, he shouts "Who do we have here? The 'heroes' of Sandpoint. Just what we need, a filthy band of vagrants to attract even more trouble to town. Their antics during the festival endangered the townsfolk, they should have left it to the town guard. And Ameiko supports you, such a shameful daughter, first becoming an adventurer and then jumping on this town hero bandwagon that you bunch have been riding on. Troublemakers all of you.

"First we have this savage giant, who claims to be a woman, but no good woman would be caught with those weapons and fighting like that. That's a man's job. And then we have this promiscuous vagrant, whoring himself out to the local women. I saw you head off with Shayliss. Her father may not know what you two were doing, but I do. Then there is the blue haired boy. What a weirdo, but I noticed the mayor had no issue clinging to your claims of being family once you all became so popular. That opportunistic bitch, anything to stay in office. And finally we have the quaint little song and dance duo. What's the matter? The local brothel kicked you two out?"

[richmond]

Verezza was glad to see Issachar after her last ordeal, and once she asks him how his own affair was handled, her mood is definitely improved. She laughs and mocks him, actually pleased to see he's uncomfortable with the brash approach of the girl. When the group gets together and is offered the meal, she sits and prepares for a fest, only to be interrupted by the rude man.

She watches as he fights his daughter, a stern look on her face but fully aware she shouldn't meddle with family business. Even when he starts insulting her, she just sits there, her eyes focused on the man. But then he offends Issachar, then the others. She waits until he finishes to calmly stand up, purposedly dragging the wooden chair on the floor to create some noise. She draws a deep breath before she speaks in a loud voice.

"Aimiko has been kind to us, so I won't dirty her home with your blood. So this is an opportunity," she says eerily calm. "Turn back now and leave. Don't speak another word about these people," she gestures towards her companions. "Or I'll drag you to the street, tear your tongue out with my bare hands and feed it to the wolves." She stares deep into his eyes, still serene. "And know that a goliath's word, even a woman's," she pokes at his offense towards her, "is never a threat. It's a promise." She finishes before calmly sitting back.

Spoiler: OoC

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Verezza isn't actually trying to intimidate him, since she means every single word of what she just said. She really will try to drag him out and cut his tongue if he insults her group again. But I'm not sure if this counts as an intimidation attempt, so I'll roll it anyway, just in case it's necessary.
Intimidate Check:(1d20-1)[19]

[BtanH]

Madison is pleased to be reunited with the group, and glad nobody was hurt and that they were able to assist the others. She blushes when she hears about what happened with Shayliss, covering her mouth with secondhand embarrassment.

Sitting down to eat and focused on the food in front of her, Madison doesn't realize the man is yelling at them until half way through his tirade. Opening her mouth to reply, she is interrupted by Verezza. Listening to Verezza speak, Madison's eyes widen as she is both terrified and in awe of the giant woman. Breaking the silence that rings in the wake of Verezza's speech Madison speaks a few words. "As we've only been here a few days I expect you haven't had a chance to get to know us, so I will forgive your rude words. I'll have you know that leaving things to the town guard could have left Mr. Foxglove dead. And just the other day Sheriff Hemlock came to us to ask for our assistance. I advise you to listen to my friend Verezza here and take your leave, and perhaps we can meet again another day under more pleasant circumstances."

Spoiler: Roll

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Diplomacy
(1d20+11)[31]

[Bansheexero]

Lonjiku shrinks at the sight of Verezza's imposing form, "You haven't heard the last of me, filthy savage, the town guard will hear of this!" He leaves the inn in a hurry, with the faint scent of urine trailing behind him.

Ameiko comes over to the group, "Sorry about that, my father is an old fool, stuck in the old ways. He wants me to go with him or be cut out of the will. I became an adventurer to get away from him and his stifling traditions. Everything I do seems to bring shame to him. Anyway, hopefully he did not upset you all too much. I'll give you another round of curry on the house as way of apology."

As this is going on, Aldern returns and hands each member of the party a pouch filled with fifty gold pieces. "As promised, here is my official thanks for saving my life. Now, onto the business at hand, there are wild boar in the Tickwood Forest nearby. They have been giving the locals some trouble, and I think it would be fun to go on a hunt. If you will join me, I will provide you each with a mount. I do hope you will join me." He eyes Madison fancifully as he says, "I am always happy to have such friendly company on such endeavors."

[Illogictree]

The others may notice Halcyon has been half-cowering in her seat ever since Lonjiku started his tirade. She looks like she's even trembling a bit. Even though he's gone, she still looks a bit shaken.

She looks up at the goliath. "...Th-thank you for getting rid of him, Verezza," she says. "And you too, Madison. This... isn't the first time something like this has happened to me. Usually it's Tempest who sticks up for me though." She gives a weak attempt at a laugh. "Though... this is the first time someone's called me a prostitute. Usually it's... um..." She goes quiet all of a sudden. "_{...never mind.}"

She's grateful for the distraction when Amejiko and Aldern come to speak with them, and she even giggles a bit as the nobleman makes eyes at Madison. "A hunt? That sounds like something Tempest would enjoy. Is she invited as well?"

[kjelfalconer]

The ass was lucky he didn't want to cause his niece trouble. He'd have dragged him out by his teeth and eaten him otherwise. Well, whatever.

"It's a while since I've been hunting, but could be fun. Not sure my style'll mesh with yours though." He paused, looking around the assembled. "Uh... Who actually are you guys?"

[Kvard51]

Standing, Iss reaches across the table, sticking his hand out for a shake. "Issachar Black. Pleased to meet you. And who are you?"

[BtanH]

Madison stands and gives Aldern a deep cursty, "It would be an honor to accompany you."
Hearing Zadavyr's question Madison turns to address the group. "I am Madison Sanders, aspiring singer. Some have described my singing as enchanting," she says with a wink. "though that may have more to do with the small skill at magic I have... It's a pleasure to meet you all officially. And it's always a pleasure to see Halcyon."

[Bansheexero]

Aldern leads the party to the stables where the horses are kept and allows them to each pick one. The ride to the Tickwood is about a mile and a half, just north of an upthrust limestone encampment known as the Devil's Platter. The ride takes about half an hour, during which time Aldern shows to be a rather charming conversationalist, well read, and he seems to possess a seemingly endless supply of stories of the high life in Magnimar. However, he seems far more interested in learning about the group, asking who you all are, where you are from, how long have you been fighting goblins, and what other adventures have you all been on. As before, he is somewhat focused n Madison, but does ask about the rest of you as well.

Spoiler: OoC

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You can take this time to describe yourself more to him, as he wanted to set out from the inn before it got too late. You may also use any Survival or Knowledge (Nature) checks if you want to try to track down a boar.

Spoiler: Relations

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Also, while Aldern's interest in Madison may seem rather sudden and possibly uncomfortable after the goblin raid, as I assured BtanH, it is actually plot relevant (actually, picking between Hal and Maddie came down to a 1 pt difference given their respective Charisma scores). The seven deadly sins are a recurring theme in this adventure path, given that those are the Thassilonian schools of magic

[Illogictree]

"My name is Halcyon Tanijar and it's a pleasure to be introduced to all of you. I'm a dancer, and I know a little magic too, mostly healing and teleportation. I'm traveling a bit to learn more about our lands and the cultures within them, both present and past. I've never really fought goblins or other monsters before, that's more of my sister Tempest's thing. She's not here right now, she's off fighting monsters to protect our lands, but I can call her in when I need to."

Halcyon seems uncertain about riding a horse, but she picks a gentle-looking dappled grey mare and does her best to follow along with the group. She enjoys the stories Aldern tells, asking the occasional question about parts of Magnimar daily life she's unfamiliar with. She talks a little about her life as a Varisian nomad and her time with some of the other cultures she's met. She's relaxing and starting to enjoy herself, it seems.

[Bansheexero]

As Halcyon converses with Aldern, the group finds themselves at the Tickwood and there are heavy, fresh boar tracks. Aldern asks the group to remain silent for the hunt, so as to not scare away their prey. As they follow the tracks, the group finds itself in a clearing, where they can spot two boars grazing on some mushrooms.

In his excitement, Aldern accidentally steps on a dried twig, snapping it and alerting the boars to the party's presence. Rather than flee, they seem more territorial than anything else. They turn on the party, readying to charge.

Spoiler: Initiative Rolls

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Boars (1d20)[16]
Aldern (1d20+7)[12]
Issachar (1d20+4)[15]
Verezza (1d20+4)[7]
Zadavyr (1d20-2)[16]
Halcyon (1d20+2)[7]
Madison (1d20+2)[7]

The game is afoot! Combat is in action.

[kjelfalconer]

For a moment, he was tempted to just ram the boar into the ground for having the nerve to challenge him. But then he remembered he was outside the city, and the boar didn't know what it was messing with.

He showed it.

Spoiler: ooc

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Shapeshift as a full round action

[Bansheexero]

As Zadavyr begins to shift form into that of a small blue dragonling, the boars take the opportunity to charge at the party.

Spoiler: Attacks

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B1 charge attack on Zadavyr (1d20+6)[22]
Crit? (1d20+6)[9]
Damage (1d8+4)[9]

B2 charge attack on Issachar (1d20+6)[18]
Crit? (1d20+6)[9]
Damage (1d8+4)[12]

[BtanH]

Seeing Issichar go down, Madison yelps. She opens her mouth, soft notes spilling out, and once again attempts to paralyze her foe.

Spoiler: Actions

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Standard - Paralyze Minor Charm on the boar near Issichar
DC 18 or dazed 1rd
Perform Check - DC 16 (1d20+10)[20]
If off by 2, minor inspire myself
if off by more than 2, greater inspire
(2d4)[5]

[richmond]

Verezza had been quiet since Foxglove joined the party. She had a dislike for nobility from before, and Aldern was definitely not helping change that, with his early display of cowardice and now the unsettling fixation on Madison. Verezza simply followed along, chatting to Issachar most of the trip when he directed her a question. The only reason she had agreed to this was she hadn't been hunting in a while, and with her blood still hot from the confrontation with Lonjiku, she was really looking forward some killing. They even managed to find a light brown stallion that was big and strong enough to carry her, quite similar to the ones she rid with her people, and she was happy for that.

They dismount once they enocounter the boars' tracks, stealthly walking in single line to find the animals. Verezza keeps her shield tighlty tied to her bag so it doesn't rattle, but her spear is drawn and ready for action. When they see the boars, everyone move slowly to have an advantage, but once again Aldern reinforces Verezza's bad view on nobles as he makes enough noise to draw the boars attention.

Verezza steels her grasp on her weapon, ready to endure the oncoming charges, but Zadavyr chooses that moment to transform. The electric blue color from his hair seems to spread through his skin in a surge of scales as he shifts, immediately distracting Verezza. She curses her lack of focus when Zadavyr is hit mid-change and Issachar is immediately downed by the boar's onslaught. Verezza breathes in and releases a loud battlecry as she rushes forward. The shout is drown out by Madison's soft enchanting, but Verezza has no more time to be distracted by magic. She throws herself at the boar shoulder first, trying to push it away from Issachar's unconscious body and create some room for her own attacks.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Verezza activates her Sentinel's Resolve as a swift action, granting herself 5 THP.
She then moves and performs a Bull Rush against B2. She will try to push it as far north as she can, but she will stay in K21.
She grants the boar an AoO for the maneuveur, though. And without her shield, her AC is 18.

Bull Rush Attack: (1d20+4)[6] vs. boar's CMD