Several different tunnels converge on a narrow ledge overlooking a rubble-filled cavern. The far wall is made of a smooth, dark gray metal. A single circular door, tightly closed, sits on the metal wall just above the upper level of the rubble. The group moves forward carefully, Nameless climbing down first and then the two behind him, but their eyes were just not sharp enough to detect the jinkin sneaking up on them. He jumps up, hidden behind a thin but wide metallic plate lying in the rubble, and stabs Nameless. He yells, showing his sharp teeth, in a language none of you understand. "Brak veet Jazvit thod!"




Initiative:

Jazvit - 7 (AC 22, damage taken 0)


Surprise round: 16 to hit flat-footed Nameless, 1 nonlethal & 3 lethal damage.
Climb DC 10 to go up the ledge, going down only takes double movement. Once down on the rubble-covered ground you're no longer squeezing (so Daken is still squeezing).
The map is hard to translate into the grid as usual :) But the shaded areas fill two purposes: outlining major obstacles to make it easier to compare with the image, and they are a rough estimation of what squares one cannot stand in (but one can sometimes move through them, judgements should be made here based on the image.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:36, Sat 29 Apr 2017.

Nameless gets stabbed and falls to his feet. The earlier wounds take their toll and while the android is still conscious it is clear he is in bad shape.

Ren summons the divine energy of the stars and the heavens and silvery light pours out of her hands and embraces Nameless. His bruises and wounds start to bind and he recovers. Seeing that Nameless is back in relatively fighting shape Ren circles around to flank the tiny creature for the rest of her companions.

Standard Action: Casting CLW on Nameless to heal 5 L and NL damage (so he's at 6/9)
Move Action: Moving to D2 (I'm assuming it would be climb checks to move to C1/D1 so she won't be able to flank but if I'm wrong just assume that she goes to E2 instead to flank for Nameless.


Nameless maintains his passive face as he slides to the side and works his rapier forward to pierce the tiny creature but it easily dodges behind some rubble and Nameless misses completely.

Move Action: 5' step to E4
Standard Action: Attack hitting AC 21 (23 if Ren can flank) for 9 pts of piercing damage.

19:44, Today: Nameless rolled 21 using 1d20+3.  oops, real attack this time.
19:45, Today: Nameless rolled 9 using 2d6+1.


Chakha roars and charges into combat. She keeps the red fury out of her vision but her anger still bubbles beneath the surface.

Full Round Action: Charging to D4 hitting AC 28 (no crit) for 13 pts of slashing damage.

19:46, Today: Chakha rolled 28 using 1d20+8.  chaaarrrrrgggee!
19:46, Today: Chakha rolled 18 using 1d20+8.  crit?
19:46, Today: Chakha rolled 13 using 2d6+6.



Finally Daken takes up the rear and works his way down from the ledge. He doesn't have any interest in joining the melee in front of him but takes up position to make sure
the creature doesn't try to escape this way.

Move Action: Double move to move down to C4


Init Order:
Ren: 18
Nameless: 15
Chakha: 13
Daken: 10
Jazvit: 7

As Chakha finishes the combat, slicing yet another jinkin open - scales scattering on the ground from the wound - one more of those tiny, evil faces look out from the northern chamber visible from the big cave room. It's face displaying a mix of fear and hatred, it mumbles arcane words with a foreign twist to them and steps through an invisible portal, eager to leave.

Nameless cautiously moves forward, eyes peeled for any additional hidden dangers while Daken again pats down the dead and removes an ear for proof.

Ren and Chakha poke through the rubble before heading towards the metal doors to examine them.

"Perhaps that is where the rest of the expeditions went? The chieftess did say the others passed this way and perhaps in sufficient numbers the 'jinkins' would hide instead of ambush?"

The creature carried nothing but a short sword. The rubble on the floor lies in small piles here and there, and in places one can see the cave floor below the metal scrap. There are metal plates, many of them much thinner than would be practical for the sort of construction metal smiths usually work with - weapons, armor, hinges and locks and various tools. But it's all made out of skymetal, the material said to have once rained down from the sky. Skymetal really is more than one type of material, there are several different kinds - the most commonly known one called "Numerian Steel". It's a dark metal often found to be very flat and smooth, like the strange wall in this cave. It is well known that Adamantine is a component of numerian steel, but even though adamantine is expensive and very useful, it's rarely extracted from the numerian steel. The purple flame marking the black hill in Torch enabled the smelting and working of skymetals such as numerian steel, but even then extracting the adamantine was very time consuming and expensive.

Plates, twisted and sometimes seemingly burnt lie scattered in the rubble. Some are the size of a hand, some three times or five times as large. Here and there lie cylindrical or cubic objects, the shells of some object from long ago. Short metal sticks; even in some places pieces of the alien, sturdy but bendable plastic material - nearly all of them burnt and melted in the edges - join the metal plates. Anything useful seems to have been picked out already.

The circular door is shut tight with no handles or windows. Those with better darkvision remember that there was a similar door on the wall in the cave where they first found Sef's tribe, but can't remember if it was identical. The door and the wall is dark gray and smooth - appearing to be made of the numerian steel, very hard to break through.

The group gathers around the door to decide their next course of action. Nameless seems obsessed with the door, combing every inch of it for any clue as to how it opens or what lies beyond.

OOC: he'll take a 20 perception check for 27 while the others are talking.

Ren opens her mouth to speak but Daken beats her to the punch.

"We should go back. We've got three ears, we should turn them in and see what kind of aid Serf will provide now."

"You mean Sef?"

Daken frowns and nods.

"Yeah, the chameleon chief. She said she could give us a reward for these and she might spill some more info about these doors. Look we don't even know how they work and there's no way we're battering our way through them..."

Chakha grunts as if Daken was issuing a personal challenge but Ren steps in as usual as the mediator of the group.

"We shall see about that but there is wisdom in your words. I would like to go back and examine the other door we saw. And you're right, maybe Sef will be able to advise us on how to move forward. Nameless, are you listening?"

But he wasn't, he was obsessing over the door.

OOC: The party will sit tight and let Chakha's fatigue wear off and give Nameless time to inspect every inch of the door. Assuming he doesn't open it they will head back to present the jinkin ears to Sef.

"You killed these?! Great news for us!" Sef reacts with surprise and appreciation when the group returns. She immediately turns away from you and walks towards her hut, talking over her shoulder and soon starting to rummage around in there. "We know they are more than three, more than ten we think. But they are cowards. Appear out of nowhere, take things, sometimes attack - then run again! But I hope this gives them a better scare than before."

Investigating the door did not reveal much of interest, but the door and wall itself was odd enough to speculate. The whole wall has an alien look to it. If one hasn't visited any of the bigger cities in Golarion, one has probably still heard of the great buildings found therein. The enormous marble temple of Abadar in Korvosa, or the much bigger pathfinders' Grand Lodge in Absalom - such buildings are well built with the kind of smooth walls that by themselves are a work of art. But this wall is made out of metal, and not any metal but skymetal. Except for a couple of scars here and there that one could have guessed were from falling rocks if they weren't almost horizontal, it all probably looks as the day the wall was made. And the door too. Thin grooves around it mark the circular door, but other than that it does not appear to be much more than just another part of the wall. It's only this, and it's size and location that makes it seem like a door - as Nameless finds no way that anyone could open it. Except perhaps jamming something into the grooves and prying the door open - a feat that would likely require great strength.

"This is for you." Sef hands Daken a brown leather pouch containing forty-nine of the small, circular, coin-like objects that are in Numeria referred to as Silverdisks. They're commonly used as currency, each being worth ten gold coins. "And I have this, as I have said. Strange things." She holds forth five strange thin strips, each about the length of an index finger and about half as wide. They're made of the same flexible and smooth material you found in the rubble, plastic. They're mostly dirty gray with no text on them, but each feature a brown stripe on one side. "Treasure, as I said. The one with the purple hair asked for us to keep watch for such things, she wanted them, so I consider them treasure. But I don't know what to have them for.

Chakha adds the coins to her pouch and once again Daken starts to protest but then thinks against it.

We'll divvy it up in the end...it's fine, she can carry it for now...

Nameless meanwhile grabs the thin plastic strips and puzzles over them a bit, flexing them with his hands. He examines the thin profile of them and then heads towards the nearby door attempting to stick the strips into the narrow grooves around the edge of the door to see if they are some kind of key.

Nameless goes to the southern door; it's nearly the same distance but less climbing, no corpses in the way, and the area does not seem to be trapped. Approaching the scorched and battered metal wall, he finds that the door is open - where the other one was shut solid he now only finds an opening five foot off the ground. Inside are corridors to the left and right, and one straight ahead - that one too with an open doorway. Outside this inner door, on the wall, sits a small black box with small, foreign symbols on them. Numbers, Androffan numbers from one to nine lined up nice in a square pattern. The corridor seems to continue through a room and past two more sets of doorways, and that's as far as he can see. There's rubble here and there, not at all as much as in Sef's cave or the jinkin caves, but some. And in the corridor, just 20 feet away from him, is a construction of some kind. A piece of furniture of a very alien design, or even a being of some sort. It has three legs, a somewhat thick upper body resting on these, and a strangely shaped, thin thing where the head would be. Two lights glow faintly from this 'head', as if eyes watching Nameless.

"You going there?" Yadriss walks up behind Nameless, hands behind his back. "You be careful. Is haunted by the dead with four arms. You can die." He seems to hold genuine respect for the area as a dangerous place, but finishes his sentence with a cruel smile.

---

"Are you going through the wall?" Sef asks the group. "Two other groups have gone before, more than the one with purple hair. Not one has returned."

Ren nods at Sef.

"We came here to find out what happened to the purple haired one and the others. So yes, we will go inside. Do you have any maps about where this goes or what's inside? Any little bit will help..."

---

Nameless nods at Yadriss. When Ren rejoin them Chakha takes the lead, marching cautiously down the hallway towards the furniture with lights. She pauses 10' away from it, halfway down and motions for Nameless to come forward and inspect it.

OOC: Pause here in case the party entering causes something to happen.
Otherwise they will proceed down the left branch first.

Chakha - Ren - Nameless - Daken

Sef draws up a crude map on a piece of paper. Soon enough, the group have themselves seen the same things that she drew on the paper: going through the circular entrance in the wall, they stand in a curved hallway with floor, walls and ceiling made out of smooth dark metal. Panels of lighter material run along the ceiling eight feet above. To the left and right, the hallway is blocked only five-teen feet from the entrance by metallic junk and rubble from ground to floor. The rubble is spread over the floor, as if someone has been digging through it for valuable items. In the short hallway straight ahead, the metallic object does on closer inspection seem to be a being of some sort. Three legs, a head with glowing eyes, and metallic strings and tubes running through the body, but no-one in the party can recognise the creature. It's entirely, eerily motionless. The area beyond the smooth wall is just as dark as the cave, only Nameless and Ren can see - but the room ahead of them is bigger than the hallway. Peeking inside, they see a tangle of what appears to have been cages, and in between the metallic wires lie organic material - it appears to be ancient bones from some long dead creature. The cage tangle is against the northern wall, to the south lie small mounds of rubble in front of a closed flat door. An open door sits straight ahead through the room, the contents of the room cannot be seen from here, but another door appears to lead back to a cave. Even though they can't see that far even through the darkness, the group knows what's there.

"Sand," Sef had said. "Sand, sand everywhere. A small cave, then sand as far as my eyes can see, in a cave that is bigger than most. And sands there are cursed, haunted by undead - skeletal creatures but arms are four!"

---

I see there's no knowledge: engineering either! :)
Edit: Daken has it! But is treated as untrained when it comes to technology, without the Technologist feat.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:40, Mon 15 May 2017.

Throughout their explorations Ren grabs little knickknacks and loose pieces of rubble until she has quite the pocketful of odds and ends. When they reach the opening to the sand cave everyone readies their equipment for attack and then she starts throwing the junk into the room, one piece after another.

"If it's some kind of mechanical trap or creature it might detect the vibrations and let us get a good look at it first."

The group gathers before the final room leading to the desert cave. Within it, two strange machines sit to the north and south against the walls here. Their faces appear similar to coils of metal tubes with several nozzle-like protrusions pointing into the room itself. In order to try and discover some sort of trap, Ren goes to gather a few extra pieces of rubble - bent metal cut with sharp edges and often round angles. She picks a piece up, and the group immediately hears a metallic noise from behind. "Whzzzz!"
In an instant, a metallic net comes flying through the air over Daken's head, hits the wall behind Nameless and lands by his feet; as the immobile creature from the hallway emerges to attack the group!


Initiative:
9 - Enemy construct (AC 14, damage 0/31)

Surprise action: Net vs FFtouch
14:25, Today: DM Ventrikel, for the NPC Enemy construct, rolled 6 using 1d20+4.  Surprise net VS Daken.

Daken flinched and cursed as a net went sailing by over his head.

"Let's just ignore the glowing construct! Let's just walk on by without giving it a second glance!"

His sarcasm betrayed his fear as the automaton menaced the group and he jumped to the side and instinctively flung a glob of acid at the thing. To his surprise it landed dead center on the construct and sizzled and bubbled as it ate into the armor.

Move Action: Stepping aside to D6
Standard Action: Acid Splash hitting touch AC 20 for 3 pts of acid damage.


Nameless paused. He wanted to rush forward however with Chakha rumbling for a charge he hesitated to wait for the large barbarian to rush forward first. In the end his artificial brain quickly came to the conclusion that inaction was inexcusible and he did his best to run forward and attack ahead of the giant northerner.

He plunged his rapier forward but the angle was off and it slid across the metal surface causing little more then light scratches on the surface.

Move Action: Move to B6
Standard Action: Attack hitting AC 11


In Chakha's mind combat was very simple. See the enemy. Run to the enemy. Put all your weight behind your first blow. If it was still standing you repeated that last step over and over again until it was a bloody heap at your feet. Her opponent might not have guts to disembowel or blood to drain from a cut throat but she saw no reason to change battle tactics at this point. She charged. She swung with all her might. Her sword bit deeply into the construct, crumpling a whole section of what could reasonably be described as its torso.


Full Round Action: Charrrge!
Hitting AC 17 for 18 pts of slashing damage.

19:50, Today: Chakha rolled 17 using 1d20+7.  chaaarrrrrgggee!
19:51, Today: Chakha rolled 18 using 2d6+6.  damage!




Initiative:
Daken: 20
Chakha: 15
Nameless: 16
Automaton: 9 - 18 slashing, 3 acid damage
Ren: 4

12:42, Today: praguepride rolled 44 using 4d20 with rolls of 3,13,13,15.  group init (+1, +3, +2, +5).

Tiny black dots appear in the spot where Chakha hit the being with her sword - in the light from the dropped torch, they look like little bugs. Hundreds of them crawl over the metallic body, and the body actually seems to heal as they emerge - the scarred metal bending as if very slowly coming back together. The does not seem to focus much on this process, as it quickly raises a metallic, mostly cylinder-shaped hand and slams it straight into Chakha's stomach.

Initiative:
Daken: 20
Chakha: 15
Nameless: 16
Automaton: 9 - AC 14 19/31
Ren: 4

Standard: Slam Chakha, 16 to hit and 10 damage.

14:30, Today: DM Ventrikel, for the NPC Automaton, rolled 10 using 1d4+6.  Slam dmg.
14:29, Today: DM Ventrikel, for the NPC Automaton, rolled 16 using 1d20+6.  Hit Chakha.

Daken attempts to throw more acid into the fray but Chakha blocks any real chance of success.

Despite her exhaustion Chakha enters her final bout of rage, roaring in fury as she slams home her sword. With one last mighty swing she brings her sword down and splits the automaton nearly in two before falling to her knees in exhaustion.

Free Action: Enters rage (6th round for the day, she is done)
Standard Action: Attacking hitting AC 23 for 15 pts of slashing damage.<


The rest of the party moves forward to confrim that the construct is vanquished and Daken is prepared with acid in case it starts moving again.

The bug-sized beings continue to crawl over the destroyed body, healing it slowly - but the group quickly finishes the job, attacking it again until even the regeneration stops. It carries no weapons, but the net it previously threw as well as four more can be extracted from it's body - all of them constructed from alien, sturdy material.
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:09, Sun 28 May 2017.

As is par for the course, Chakha packs away the nets, easily handling the added bulk with her massive frame. The party returns to the cavern of sand and Ren resumes tossing bits and bobs into the room to try and 'trigger' any guardians or predators waiting in ambush.

The two machines on the walls of the final room before the desert cave seem to be there for some strange purpose, but they are motionless and seem entirely dead - there's not a single light on them. Ren, standing in the room, begins tossing pieces of metal on the sand ahead. The cave turns north and leads to what seems to be an enormous sand-filled cavern... Near the wall in one place stands a large rock with many small holes and dents, it looks strange. It's large enough to nearly block the way, but one can squeeze past it. And as Ren tosses little pieces of metal on the ground... Nameless, watching it, for a moment sees what appears to be an eye, lurking behind one of the holes in the big rock. Then it disappears, as if something covers the hole again.

---

X: The large rock, with something inside?

Nameless gestures towards the others.

"There is someone or something behind that rock. Those holes allow it to spy, possibly even fire a crossbow or some thing similar from protection. I would advise caution."

Ren nodded and positioned her shield, motioning for the others to fall into step behind her. The party creeps cautiously towards the rock, eyes peeled for danger or ambush.

OOC: Moving up slooowly. Essentially they're in combat mode and taking Full Defensive standard actions (+4 dodge AC) as they move towards the rock.

As the group approaches, purple flesh shows briefly behind the holes in the rock. And then it begins to grow out. Long tentacles extend from more than ten places on the surface of the rock. The party stops, preparing for battle... And the three that are standing on the sand find themselves sinking, their feet entangled by sticky fluid in the ground! Tentacles lash out for Chakha and Ren, but the women - guarded and prepared - easily deflect the attacks. More purple, fleshy extensions from the creature in the rock work to lift it up, moving it slowly backwards from the approaching group.

---

Initiatives:
X: Aberration 20 (AC 14, HP22)
I went ahead with some actions due to high initiative.
Full round: Attack (2 tentacles)
Five-foot step.

Fortitude DC 14 or entangled for Chakha, Ren and Nameless.
Roll another save if you make it and move to another square.
Tentacles extend far enough for 10ft reach.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:48, Thu 01 June 2017.

Daken once again is the quickest to react. Seeing the tentacled beast on the other side of the wall he attempts to summon magical slumber to befall the creature.

OOC: Casting sleep. Will go off right before his next round's action.


Ren is caught and her feet sink into the ground. With all her effort she manages to slog forward to put herself (and her shield) between the rock and the rest of her group. How they would get around the rock was another issue entirely.

Entangled! -2 to attack and -4 to dex and 1/2 speed movement. She can still slog forward 5 ft though as a move action to E3 and standard action is to strike defensively.

-4 to attack for defensive, -2 to attack from entangled + 2 melee attack = net -2. Hit!

She strikes for 7 pts of B or P damage, whichever is better against this blob.

+2 AC from defensive fighting offsets the -4 DEX from entangled


Chakha and Nameless are both stuck and with Ren block the way all they can really do is aid her in trying to keep Ren on her feet.

Both of them will aid another to give her +4 to her next entangled roll


The creature attacks and Ren fends it off.

Daken's spell fires off pervading the area with a magical sense of slumber.
OOC: DC 16 sleep spell. I'll pause here to see if it lands or not.


OOC: Initiative
Daken: 25
Ren: 20
Abberration: 20
Chakha: 10
Nameless: 9


Looks like you were a bit hasty but that's fine, I'll just skip over the beasties actions and go straight into round 2 for Ren and Daken.

This message was last edited by the player at 16:21, Fri 02 June 2017.

The aberration resists the spell! Those standing in the thick, sticky mud feel something latching on to them from below - a sharp sting!


12:54, Today: DM Ventrikel, for the NPC Aberration, rolled 17 using 1d20+5.  Will.
A character who was entangled and remains in the area around the creature takes 1 bleed damage at the beginning of their turn.
The creature moved away, so unless Nameless moved up to D4, he's safe - and the ground around him quickly dries up meaning he's not entangled anymore.
B and P both worked fine!

Daken: 25
Ren: 20
Abberration: 20 (AC14, HP 15/22)
Chakha: 10
Nameless: 9

Daken fires off another glob of acid when it's clear his spell didn't take hold. As usual his aim is off and a spot of it hits the side wall instead of his target.

Ren, with the help from Nameless and Chakha, frees herself from the sticky, stinging mud and moves forward for another attack. Her morningstar doesn't hit the tentacle she was aiming at, instead skittering off the stone as the tentacle squirmed out of the way.

Aberration is up. I also rolled for nameless and chakha and if it matters they free themselves next round from the entanglement

Daken: 25
Ren: 20
Abberration: 20 (AC14, HP 15/22)
Chakha: 10
Nameless: 9

The creature flails with its tentacles towards Ren, missing twice!

OOC: Breaking the entangle lets you avoid the bleed damage.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:50, Wed 07 June 2017.