Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

As the political scene in Taldor explodes into chaos, heroes take on the mantle of agents, advocates, and saboteurs working for Princess Eutropia to help secure her claim to the Imperial throne and prevent the Empire from collapsing in on itself in civil war. Will they grow from relative nobodies to powerful politicians and spymasters in the deadliest political arena in the Inner Sea?

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Re: Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

Post by ManWithDoor » Mon Jul 27, 2020 4:11 pm

Through the doors and around a corner, you come to wide stairs descending into a tiered, circular chamber. The ceiling ascends to a dome forty feet high, and in the center of the room are the remains of what once might have been a lectern. Perhaps a lecture hall of sorts. The center platform is scorched black, but appears somewhat faded. Whatever caused the scorching must have happened ages ago.

Chairs stand in odd positions throughout the room, no longer neatly arranged around the room but now collected into circular patterns, even outside of the greater circular patterns of the hall itself. Circular gouges mar the surface of the wooden walls and floor here, some left to stand alone, while others are multiple circular scratches overlaying one another, joined by lines and scrawlings. The greatest concentration of circles gathers on the ceiling, some forty feet above, where multicolored circles inscribed with artistic fanaticism surround a five-foot-wide hole in the ceiling.
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Each of the circular tiers are 5 foot different from each other (obviously going down 5' as you approach the center of the room).
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Re: Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

Post by Vardaen » Tue Jul 28, 2020 4:44 pm

"More of the damn circle patterns. I don't like the looks of it, I've heard of enough cults in my day, there is something sinister to them I promise you."

Theodrix moves to the first set of scratched circles and gazes at it a moment, then to the chairs in their pattern. "Gods damn it this is creeping me out!" He kicks one of the chairs with a great force hoping to send it skittering across the chamber.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Re: Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

Post by Othniel » Thu Jul 30, 2020 5:10 am

"Perhaps this chamber was used for summoning," the wapriestess suggests, though her tone is far from sure.

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Re: Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

Post by ManWithDoor » Sat Aug 01, 2020 2:02 am

As the chair gets kicked across the room, disrupting several circular arrangements, you hear a squeak of anger coming from somewhere in the room. A voice sounds off, sounding like it's trying to be deep and threatening, but the squeaking voice isn't actually physically capable of getting to that register.

"You dare provoke the Hierophant of the Arc, Archduke of Tangencies, the Beginning and the End!" It pronounced the titles with clear self-importance. "You intrude into my important research into the will of the circles?!?"
Nobody succeeded on a Perception check to tell where the voice is coming from directionally.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Re: Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

Post by Zorbeltuss » Sun Aug 02, 2020 2:10 pm

"Where's the Duchy of Tangencies?" Mercutio quips back, the title sounds too silly not to have fun over it. "Never heard of that place".

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Re: Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

Post by Vardaen » Tue Aug 04, 2020 7:42 pm

"Yes we dare! We dare for you are within our domain! This abode belongs to us! Your circles have defiled our rectangles! Show yourself or die by blade and fire!" He's full of shit of course, be can't seem to help himself.
Bluff! Get that squeeker to show up
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Re: Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

Post by ManWithDoor » Wed Aug 12, 2020 1:37 am

Having reached a breaking point, the hidden voice screams out "Come forth, my servants! Slay the invaders, consume those that would dare defy the will of the circles!!!" From underneath the cracked floors come two floods of rats, two squirming, roiling masses of squeaking rats drawing closer, teeth flashing and claws scratching everything in their path. Astraea and Theodrix are in the lead, and take the brunt of the animal hunger.

Hanging from the ceiling near the hole at the apex, a giant rat suddenly appears as he shoots a corrosive bolt of magic right into Astraea, who had dared so clearly to challenge him. The dire rat has brown fur, with white circles painted along his length. He is richly dressed, with metal chains and jewels and bracelets.
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Rat Swarm (right): 6 Damage to Astraea
Rat Swarm (left): 4 Damage to Theodrix
--- Both save against the Distraction ability (so not Nauseated)
--- Swarm Note: Rats are Tiny creatures, not Fine/Diminutive, so not immune to normal melee attacks. Instead they take Half Damage from piercing/slashing weapons, and no reduction towards bludgeoning attacks. Is still a Swarm, so does take 1.5x AOE damage.

Rat Wizard: Casts 'Acid Arrow' at Theodrix (since he basically said 'bring it!'): Ranged Touch Attack = 16, Hit. 4 Acid Damage.
--- Wizard has enough levels that Acid Arrow has a 2nd round of damage, so will do another 4 Damage on his turn, unless you 'neutralize the acid'. So if someone wants to spend their round pouring their waterskin all over him or whatever, that'll wash it away.
--- He is hanging from the ceiling, about 40 feet up.


Astraea: 10/16 HP
Theodrix: 7/15 HP
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Re: Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

Post by Othniel » Sun Aug 16, 2020 7:02 pm

"Someone kill that damned rat," Astraea calls out as she hacks away at the swarm.
I'd rather be shooting the big rat, but these swarms need to be dealt with fast, so Astraea will hack at the one attacking her with her bastard sword.

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Re: Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

Post by Vardaen » Fri Aug 21, 2020 6:59 pm

"Ah rats!"

Thoedrix has dealt with his fair share of rats while a sailor on ships. "Burn them out!" he unfortunately has no alchemist fire or other like items. Instead he is forced to go hand to hand against them. Luckily he's no unarmed, and with longsword in one hand and Feather Slicer in the other he lays into the rat swarm swirling all around him as he tries to keep himself from being overwhelmed.
TWF vs Swarm
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Re: Book 1: Crownfall, Act 2: Lost in History

Post by ManWithDoor » Sun Aug 23, 2020 3:22 am

Astraea and Theodrix are swarmed by hundreds of rats. The little buggers are flooding underfoot, climbing up their pant legs, and squirming between gaps in armor to get to the tasty fleshy bits underneath. The warpriest hacks and slashes with her bastard sword, the big weapon crushing a half-dozen vermin with each stroke. Theodrix is somewhat more dignified about it, making sweeping strikes with his longsword and magical axe, significantly thinning the herd trying to take him down.

Aurelia, Bertram, and Mercutio ...
Astraea attacks Swarm (right): 10+4 = 14, Hit! 1d10+3 = 11 Damage, divided by 2 b/c Swarm, for a total of 6 Damage.

Theodrix: TWF vs Swarm (left): Longsword = 15, Hit for 1d8+2 = 10 (soft crit!), halved to 5. Handaxe = 16, Hit for 1d6+3 = 4 (halved to 2), so 7 total Damage.

Swarm(left) -7
Swarm(right) -6

Astraea: 10/16 HP
Theodrix: 7/15 HP (acid damage scheduled for next round too)
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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