Adventure #2 - The Shadow Man

Seeing that Talmut is injured, Elodie once again pulls out the wand and taps Talmut.

Use wand on Talmut, cure 8 + 3 = 11 HP.
Use wand on Talmut, cure 4 + 3 = 7 HP.


Unless someone else has already done it, Elodie will begin knotting the ropes together to assemble one very long rope. Once the ropes are all tied together, Elodie says, "So, if we all hold onto this rope, we should be able to open the door and let Gumphrey tie himself to the end, and then hoist him up. Maius, since you are so nimble, will you stand in the doorway and open the door?"

If Maius agrees to stand at the door, Elodie will call upon spirits to aid him.

Cast Guidance on Maius.

Agreeing with Elodies plan, Jeremiah will stand in line and grab the rope. Readying himself to help pull up Gumphrey...

The party readies themselves for another rush of water current before Maius tries the door ... but unfortunately, closing it has caused it to re-lock. So, what now?

Sighing, Elodie mutters, "Of course it locked again while our lock expert is drowning in a pit in the next room..." She begins to search for a small sliver of wood in the water. As soon as she finds one, she attempts to wiggle it into the keyhole. Taking a deep breath, she focuses on transforming the piece of wood inside the lock into a piece of wood that fits the inside of the lock--in other words, a key that will unlock the door.

Cast Wood Shape.

The spirits decide to help her, shaping the wood into a key that matches the lock ... with a twist, Elodie unlocks the stone door and steps back while Maius opens it. The water immediately spills past you, flowing into the chasm once more. Ready this time, nobody is swept off their feet. With Maius at the door, the party works together to lower the spliced rope down to the Shadow Man, who is still treading water, but has become very very tired. When the rope hits the water, he grabs it, ties himself off, and begins to climb. With the water at your feet, holding the rope secure is more challenging that anticipated, but after a minute or so, Gumphrey reaches the ledge and pulls himself into the hall. His lies there for a minute, catching his breath, with his face just barely out of the water.

- OOC: Everyone can Take-10 on their balance checks and still succeed.

- OOC: The Wood Shape spell cannot create fine details ... but it can form the wood into any shape that suits her purpose. Since "fine detail" isn't very well defined, I am ruling that a simple key is well within the scope of the spell (an average key may be, as well, I haven't  decided yet) ... but an fine or superior key is definitely not. That keeps the spell's "lock opening" capabilities in check, so that it can't match those of the wizard's Knock spell (which is the same level, affects almost any lock, affects more than just locks, and affects multiple "locks" at the same time). Pictured below are two medieval keys; the key for this door is more like then one on the right; the one on the left would undoubtedly require fine detail.

As Gumphrey tries to catch his breath, Elodie pulls the wooden key out of the lock and pockets it. She then kneels beside Gumphrey, trying to determine if he has any injuries. Before asking him, though, she says, "Gumphrey, I hear there's some fresh crocodile skin waiting for you around the corner!"

Since Gumphrey has been secured and Elodie seems to be tending to him, Jeremiah will start investigating this room carefully.

OOC: Is there enough of a ledge to move around this pit?

Elodie wrote:She then kneels beside Gumphrey, trying to determine if he has any injuries.
Before asking him, though, she says, "Gumphrey, I hear there's some fresh crocodile skin waiting for you around the corner!"

Gumphrey is a cold and exhausted, but otherwise uninjured ... amazing, given the height he just fell. At the mention of crocodile hide, he replies "Another one? Jeremiah, might helping get a little gator-skin for myself?" He struggles to his feet and begins to light another torch.

Jeremiah wrote:Since Gumphrey has been secured and Elodie seems to be tending to him, Jeremiah will start investigating this room carefully.
OOC: Is there enough of a ledge to move around this pit?

The remaining floor around the chasm appears to be cracked and brittle, but in some places (especially the corners) there is enough ledge to stand on. In front of the door, however, the ledge is only a few inches wide. Moreover, the chasm underneath appears to be wider than the remaining floor, giving Jeremiah the impression that it might not support his weight.

- Dungeoneering Roll = 15 (Take 10)

There doesn't appear to be much in the room. Whatever furniture or adornments once filled it, they must have fallen into the chasm long ago. Gumphrey hands Jeremiah his new torch, so the woodsman can get a better look into the mysterious room.

The masonry ceiling is domed and supported by arches that run from corner to corner, crisscrossing in the center (at the apex). Unlike the rest of these ruins, this room is not stained with mildew, mold, or fungus; it has remained relatively untouched by the flooding in the other corridors. Both doorways are also set under smaller arches, that rest against opposite walls. There does not appear to be an ideal place to hook a grapple, but it might be possible to snag it on the arch above the opposite door.

It would be a tenuous hold, at best, but it MIGHT be enough to swing across to the other side, especially if someone was willing to then climb the rope (whoever swung across would hit the opposite wall roughly 3 yards beneath the far door) ... but such a feat could be dangerous, especially if the grapple came loose. It is also possible that someone could run around to the other hallway and open the far door from the other side.

"I agree, Jeremiah. Let's go quickly." Gumphrey moves toward the gator carcasses.

Perception Check: (OTW) X + 9 = __
Survival Check: (Skin Gator) 10 + 9 = 19

OOC: I didn't pay enough attention to the map. If we wanted to get to the other side we could just go around...

Jeremiah and Gumphrey make it to the gator carcass, which is right beside the one you left here earlier. Jeremiah skins it quickly, and Gumphrey learns as much as he can from a single demonstration. "So, I'm going to get some gator-hide gear, too! I am so excited."

- OOC: Are Gumphrey and Jeremiah going to return to where the party is waiting, to explore further down the "row 25" hallway? Or is the rest of the party going to follow them to the gator hide, and then press on down the "row 19" hallway? Or some other plan?

As Jeremiah and Gumphrey head off to skin the gator, Elodie says to Maius and Talmut, "It looks like we can get a closer look at the other side of the room if we go over to where the gators came from. I'm going to take a look."

Elodie then heads towards Jeremiah and Gumphrey (OOC: down the row 19 hallway).

While Gumphrey and Jeremiah are dealing with the gator hide, Elodie heads toward the door on the opposite side of the chasm. Talmut goes with Elodie; Maius goes with Jeremiah.

- OOC: To speed things along, I decided to split the party according to light source. Swift should be back and able to post this evening.

As she moves down the hall, she again sees the old roots that have grown down into the ruins from the surface. Over time the thick woody growth busted through the stonework and now hugs the walls of this hall. Cautiously, she passes beneath the roots and moves onto the door. Talmut is right behind her.

Jeremiah and Gumphrey will need a few more minutes to finish skinning.

O.O.C. - How deep is the water now? Has it lowered significantly since a bunch washed into the pit?  Are there any markings around this door?

Whispering, Talmut glances at his bloodied clothes and says "Thank you for your aid, lady Elodie, and thank Maius as well."  Steeling himself, the conjuror makes a silent promise to himself - "Be wary!"

Standard Action:  Ready Acid Bolt at the first sign of attack

This door is identical to the other one, with a graven ram's head and the August phrase "Defluo est Cado." The water level is a few inches lower than it was before, standing around calf height now, but it's still draining; the current has also eased up a bit.

After Jeremiah is done skinning the gator, he will head in the direction he seen Talmut and Elodie go.

"See Gumphrey, this is the proper way of skinning a reptile if you want a quality skin."

After he is done, he will knock out all of the gators teeth and put them in a pouch...

Everyone is at the door now.

Elodie looks at the door and says, "Well, we know what's on the other side. Should we press on?"

If everyone else agrees, Elodie is ready to continue down the hallway (OOC: down row 19 and around the corner).

"Yes, let us continue."  Talmut will follow ahead.

The party continues on, down the same hall in the same formation. Gumphrey takes point (and the torch), in order to check for traps. The hallway turns to your left, revealing a side passage leading into another room ... Gumphrey decides to check it out. As you follow him, his light reveals another emaciated creature covered in fungus and moss. Another couple of steps reveals a growth of vines at the back of the room, with two humanoid corpses caught in them. Yellow flowers, roughly the size of your hands, grow at random intervals along the vines. Suspended above the ground, the two corpses look suspiciously similar to the plant-covered monsters that attacked you earlier (as well ash the one in this room). Gumphrey holds the torch still long enough for you to make out the bulbous stalks from which the vines seem to be growing. 

A brief moment passes before one of the corpses looks up at you, pain and fear in its eyes. It's movement arouses the attention of the moss and fungus covered monster, just a few yards in front of you ... the thing lifts its head, spots the party, and begins to shamble toward the door.

"Maybe, we should turn ..." Gumphrey begins to say, when he is interrupted. PFffFFt! One of the bulbous stalks deflates suddenly, releasing a gust of yellow pollen directly at Gumphrey. The yellow cloud engulfs Gumphrey, who begins coughing and wheezing, trying to regain his breath. The pollen fills the air around him, as well, a little of it getting on Jeremiah and Elodie (who do not seem bothered by such a low concentration of it). 

- Ranged Touch Attack (Pollen) = 17 (13 on the die). Hit.
- Gumphrey's Will Save = 9 (8 on the Die).



- Gumphrey's Initiative = 22 (19 on the die)
- Talmut's Initiative = 21 (19 on the die)
- Jeremiah's Initiative = 17 (14 on the die)
- Elodie's Initiative = 14 (13 on the die)
- The Creeper's Initiative = 9 (7 on the die)
- The Thing's Initiative = 9
- Maius's Initiative = 3 (1 on the die)

Jeremiah draws his bow and proceeds to fire an arrow at the creature in D19.

Free: Quick Draw
Standard: L. Bow: 12 + 7 = 19 Dmg: 4

Once again, Talmut call on the aid of the Lord of the Shadowy Depths, Ahu.
"Engage the Shambling Thing, but stay submerged!"



Full Round Action - Summon Monster 2, Celestial Squid
Free - Order it to attack the Thing

HP:19/19	AC: 12 (16 M.A)	Fort: +2, Ref: +3, Wil: +3	Init: +2	M.W. Quarterstaff: +0Atk 1d6-2
BAB: 1	Mov: 6	CMB: -1 | CMD: 11	Per: +0	Spell Save DC=Spell Level+15, 17 Conj.

Spells Learned - 0: Detect Magic, Light, Mage Hand, Read Magic; 1st: Grease, Obscuring Mist, Summon Monster 1, Summon Monster 1; 2nd: Summon Monster 2, Summon Monster 2, Web
Bonded Object - The Staff of Nu'll
Magic Items - Pearl of Jacobany, Pearl of Jacobany

R & R - ROUND 1

Init 22
Gumphrey lumbers forward toward the vines at the back of the room.

Init 21
Once again, Talmut calls upon the aid of Ahu, the Lord of the Shadowy Depths. The unearthly squid appears yet again and attacks, even while staying as low as possible. Beak and tentacles dance around, beating and tearing at the growth-covered figure.

- The Squid appears in G21 (the only square in the room Talmut can see) and then moves to E20
- Bite Attack = 20 (14 on the die) 6 Damage

Init 17
Jeremiah draws his bow and then fire. With a THUNK! the arrow sinks into the chest of the creature. 

Init 14
Elodie implore the spirits to guide Jeremiah's arrows.

- Cast "Guidance"  to give Jeremiah a +1 competence bonus a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check.
- Rule 24

Init 9
The vines spring to life, wrapping around Gumphrey likes a mother welcoming a lost child. At the same time, the vines release the two corpses at the back of the room ... and all three moldy, plant-covered creatures lumber forward and attack the squid! Then, suddenly, the tendrils bore violently into Gumphrey's head!

- Move 5' Step, 5' Step, 5' Step
- Punch Attack = 18 (14 on the die) 6 Damage to the Squid
- Punch Attack = 5 (1 on the die) Miss.
- Punch Attack = 7 (3 on the die) Miss.
- Gumphrey suffers 4 points of Intelligence damage.

Init 3
Maius will use his oratory talents to inspire courage.

- Everyone gains +1 morale bonus vs. fear/charm & +1 competence bonus on attacks/damage.

Free Action: "Gumphrey, fall back!"
Standard Action:
    L. Bow: 2 + 8 = 10 
    DMG: 4