THE GRINDING GEAR (Pathfinder Edition): IC Thread

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 4:03 am

Road, Near hilltop:

The journey from Brunderton took around a week, but your travel time was rather back-loaded. As you progressed towards the hill your associate marked on your map, you strayed further and further from the well-used roads. For the last day of your progress, you've been trekking along a rude dirt path that is beginning to get reclaimed by nature, grasses creeping over the edges and narrowing the trail. Weather has been fairly clement. There was a brief shower of rain a few days ago, but nothing lasting. Today, clouds have been gathering more densely in the sky. A real storm might come sometime tonight.

You are far off the beaten track. The closest settlements are a nameless copper mining town that was functionally abandoned 2 years ago when the ore ran out and Stonewash, which was pillaged by one of House Medvyed's armies a few months ago. Real civilization is at least 4 or 5 days journey away. Local animals are fairly wild, and there's been a more-or-less constant background of birdsong for much of your journey. From time to time, you run into another traveler or 2, but rarely more than once or twice a day. One warned you that there might be bandits around, but you haven't been attacked yet. Then again, you are fairly well armed, and it isn't as if it's hard to forage for food here. Someone would have to be pretty desperate to take you on without a major numerical advantage.

Thankfully, you seem to have finally tracked down your destination. You were told to look for a large hill, the only one in the region with buildings on it. And now that you are around 2/3rds of the way up, you can make out some structures in the distance. It looks like a medium-sized inn, with a stable and chapel close nearby. However, it is difficult to make out details at this range.

flare22 · Post by **flare22** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 7:58 am

Yellow continues up the path staying alert also you mention constant bird song im keep an ear out for any sounds that suddenly stop or should be there but are not and im keep my eyes on the trail ahead

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 8:12 am

As Yellow nears the top of the hill, he notes that the background noise of the forest steadily diminishes. There are no birds near the buildings, and he doesn't see any animal tracks.

He is now close enough to see the open courtyard between the buildings. Unlike the dirt trail, the courtyard is cobbled. The buildings themselves look to be in poor condition. They aren't dilapidated, but do look as though they may have gone years without any maintenance.

A huge statue rises from the center of the courtyard, its base alone easily taking up a square. There are a large number of humanoid bodies lying on the ground around it.

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 2:29 pm

With Yellow in the lead, Reve and Felf follow a shor tdistance behind. Reve in particular is leaning heavily on her oversized walking stick by the time the small group approaches the crest of the hill. Nevertheless, she offers a warning, "Careful here. The oncoming storm may have brought others, looking for shelter."

flare22 · Post by **flare22** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:15 pm

At the womens warning yellow takes out his ten foot pole but does not load it yet then he slowly advances towards the bodies when he gets ten feet away he pokes one keep a redied action to draw his gun if it jumps up and attacks if not he checks to see if any of the apear to have windows

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:22 pm

The stench is horrible. Some bodies are quite recent, others heavily decayed. [Perception] Each body bears at least one round puncture wound, and it doesn't look like any came from blades.

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 5:24 pm

There are 3 buildings around the STATUE, plus a few small outhouses.
- a 4-story INN, the largest building by far.
- some STABLES, the most worn-down structures.
- a small CHAPEL, built of stone.

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 7:18 pm

Both of the elves cover their noses at the stench. The two act with long practiced coordination. Felf draws her sword and readies her shield, looking around for any potential threats. Reve pokes one of the corpses with her 10' walking stick. "If there wasn't a storm coming on, I'd suggest burnin the bodies, although that might draw attention."

(do the puncture wounds match bullets, or a fang?")

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 7:36 pm

The puncture wounds were made with something long and thin. None of them pierce all the way through the bodies

There are a variety of races represented in the corpse pile. Humans, goblins, a few orcs, a scattering of dwarves and halflings. The most recent is a bearded human in chainmail, which is only slightly rusty.

[Perception] None of the bodies seem to have been touched by scavenger animals. There are no teeth marks on the bodies.

flare22 · Post by **flare22** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 9:42 pm

yellow puts away his pole and loads his gun the stoops to make a heal check to determine cause of death as well as what is making scavengers avoid this
also if cause of deaths turns out to be just the puncture wound ill try to find what cause it

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:41 pm

[Heal] The cadavers seem pale and dry compared to typical examples. There is very little blood. There is also little sign of struggle. There are few defensive wounds on the bodies, though the armored human and goblinoids seem to bear older wounds.

[Knowledge (Nature)] Yellow isn't sure why animals would stay away from these delicious corpses. If they were poisonous, wouldn't there be animal carcasses too?

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Wed Nov 14, 2012 11:58 pm

Reve says, "If some of these bodies have had time to decompose, then it's unlikely that they'll rise up and attack us come nightfall. But whatever did this to them is likely to want to do the same to us. We should be cautious. I suggest we examine the statue first, and then take a look at the chapel, saving the larger buildings for later."

With an alert Felf looking on, Reve makes her way over the pile of corpses, using her walking stick and thick boots to keep from touching the dead. As she approaches the STATUE, she will examine it more closely.

{Reve will attempt any appropriate knowledge checks about the bodies (perhaps Knowledge: Religion?) and about the STATUE. Also, Felf may loot the chainmail, we'll see.}

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 2:21 am

It's slow going making it through the body pile without touching anything. They surround the statue to about 20 feet in every direction. [Perception] All bodies but the armored human have been stripped of weapons, armor, and other useful equipment.

[Knowledge: Religion] The human has 2 puncture marks together on his neck. Could this be the work of a vampire?

The copper statue is about 10 feet tall, standing on a 5 foot block of marble. The metal is oxidized green with age. A plaque on the marble base reads "Garvin Richrom" in Common. The statue itself depicts a middle-aged man in fine, if somewhat ostentatious clothing. He is smiling in a friendly, yet somehow mocking manner.

[Perception] There are thin cracks along the edges of the plaque. It looks as if it could be pressed in like a button.

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 3:58 am

"Puncture wounds on these corpses, and they've been exsanguinated. Here's one with two on his neck. We have some kind of blood sucker, possibly a vampire. I suggest we camp elsewhere, and not spend the night here." Reve says. She examines the panel more closely.

{checking for any kind of traps or obvious mechanisms.}

flare22 · Post by **flare22** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:19 am

"id rather not have to be caught out in the storm if i can avoid my powder horse keep my powder dry but i don't want my gun to rust this thing is my meal ticket ya know"

yellow scans the building nearby and tries to gauge which one seems the most structural sound as well as which one will be the driest. (knowledge engineering check)

"but your right blood suckers are nasty if possible we first stay in a building with western facing windows then after sun set swap to a building with eastern facing ones so that we spend the least amount of time in darkness between that and a nights watch and some traps we should be fine unless there's something else at work here"

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:29 am

Whatever wrote:

"Puncture wounds on these corpses, and they've been exsanguinated. Here's one with two on his neck. We have some kind of blood sucker, possibly a vampire. I suggest we camp elsewhere, and not spend the night here." Reve says. She examines the panel more closely.

{checking for any kind of traps or obvious mechanisms.}

[Perception] It definitely looks like the plaque is a button, connected to some kind of mechanism inside the statue's base. There are hairline cracks on another side of the base, looking like signs of a secret door. It is difficult to guess what the plaque-button mechanism does with your current information, but it might be linked to the door. You might be able to learn more if you tried pushing the button.

flare22 wrote:

"id rather not have to be caught out in the storm if i can avoid my powder horse keep my powder dry but i don't want my gun to rust this thing is my meal ticket ya know"

yellow scans the building nearby and tries to gauge which one seems the most structural sound as well as which one will be the driest. (knowledge engineering check)

"but your right blood suckers are nasty if possible we first stay in a building with western facing windows then after sun set swap to a building with eastern facing ones so that we spend the least amount of time in darkness between that and a nights watch and some traps we should be fine unless there's something else at work here"

The CHAPEL is made of stone rather than wood. From the outside, it looks the sturdiest. Unfortunately, the large glass windows are mostly either cracked or outright broken.

The INN is in the best shape overall, but [Perception]a corner of the roof has fallen in on the 4th floor. There is a large hole open to the sky, visible even from the weed-choked cobbles of the central courtyard.

The STABLES are in terrible condition overall, but there are no large holes or broken windows, and it isn't so bad that they look liable to collapse any time soon.

flare22 · Post by **flare22** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:41 am

"I suggest we stay in the inn on the eastern part of one of the upper floors if possible that way we will have the advantage of height for the purpose of spotting incoming hostels. also we can put some stairs and doors between us and any monsters that slip inside even if our eyes miss them our ear can hear people climbing creaky stair cases"

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 1:37 pm

"This plaque looks like some sort of trigger-plate. Depressing it should activate something inside the statute, perhaps the hidden door on the other side of the base. I'll leave it for now. That door might lead into the statue, but it's more likely to lead under ground," says Reve, as she carefully picks her way back across the bodies.

"That's why I'm reluctant to encamp within one of these buildings. I'd want to thoroughly canvass the interior first, and that's impossible if there's stairs or secret doors that lead to a connected set of cellars or crypts. After all, our friend mentioned treasure in the hill, not on top of it."

"The inn is huge, it would take us hours at least to explore the whole building. We should check the chapel first, as it is smaller, and we'd be done quicker. But you shouldn't be afraid of a little rain. It won't kill you, unlike whatever happened upon these poor souls. And if your gun is well-oiled, it shouldn't rust." Reve continues in an aside, more to herself than to Yellow, "Guns, pah. I remember when they were clumsy and random weapons. Give me Thassilonian magic any day. It's an elegant system, from a more civilized age."

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Thu Nov 15, 2012 4:35 pm

The CHAPEL has an image of an elaborate mechanical mask engraved over the doors. [Knowledge] Reve recognizes it as a symbol of Brigh, an obscure goddess of invention.

As it looked previously, the stone is chipped and stained in places, but it seems sturdy. The large wooden doors bear scratches and marks from weapons, but look solidly intact.

flare22 · Post by **flare22** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 12:01 am

"very well if you prefer to risk pissing off whatever god that shrine was built to by sleeping there then ill defer to you in this. but lets head there now id rather we be inside before we once again begin our lively debate over how your obsession with that dead civilization clearly shows your fear of letting go of the past as well as your inability to embrace the onward march of time."

Yellow begins to walk towards the shrine being careful to skirt the bodies and staying alert

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:19 am

The doors push open easily, revealing a thoroughly trashed interior. The altar, some sort of elaborate metal puzzle box, has been smashed open, and most objects have been tipped over and shoved around. No obvious valuables remain at first glance.

There is a closed door visible in the left-hand wall. There is probably a second room.
{Map coming when I can access the main computer at home.}

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:42 am

"Pfeh, you humans and your 'progress'. We didn't need it a hundred years ago, and we don't need it now." Reve says, as she and Felf approach the chapel, "As for offending the goddess here, you have nothing to worry about. Brigh is a goddess of invention and clockwork. You're on her side with this argument, for certain. I'll hold my peace for now, though, in deference to her temple."

Reve uses a bit of magic to clean off her boots and her walking-stick, to ensure that nothing remains of the corpses she had just been walking on. {casting Prestidigitation}.

With the door open, Reve steps inside, and begins to inspect the room. She is alert for any sort of traps or well-hidden doors, particularly any in the floor. Felf steps inside the doorway, and turns to keep watch on the courtyard, occasionally looking back to check on Reve's progress.

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 2:21 am

[Perception]
As it looked initially, there are no great valuables remaining. The place has been thoroughly looted. The second room contains mainly shelving, most of which has been stripped bare. Two things do catch your interest:
- In the first room, a small wooden statuette depicting Brigh as a clockwork woman. The head has been worked into a key shape.
- In the second room, an urn has been knocked off a shelf and shattered, spilling ashes all over the floor. It is painted gold, but is merely made of clay. The following is engraved on the surface: “My dear sweet AnnabelMarie, taken too soon.”

There are no hidden doors in evidence.

flare22 · Post by **flare22** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:09 am

Yellow wipes his feet and dusts himself off before entering the temple also he unloads his gun and puts it away. after entering he carefully moves towards the statue.

"a goddess of invention you say finally a religion a can relate to perhaps ill pick up some of there literature when we return to civilization"

if nothing stops him yellow will walk up to the statue of the goddess then kneel before it and pray

"while i do not intend to become part of your flock i may in the future please take this into consideration before you smite us for trespassing and maybe sleeping in this place also let me assure you that we are in no way associated with the fools who desecrated this place"

after he finishes he then proceeds to search for something to use as a broom so he can start cleaning the temple before he goes to bed down.

Avoraciopoctules · Post by **Avoraciopoctules** » Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:31 am

There is a broken altar, and a small statuette, but no full statue. There are a few faded and torn hangings on the walls that might have once depicted the goddess.

When Yellow kneels and prays, he does not feel anything unusual.

There is an old twig broom in the room with the shelves. Clearing out the worst of the dust, shoving the larger mess into the corners, and putting the seating back into a crude order would take around half an hour. More extensive cleaning might take 4 times as long.