[Day 62 – Against the Grey Maidens or The Grippli Has a Fireball Oops!]
[This game uses the Pathfinder 1E roleplaying game. Game sessions happen once a week. This session happened September 6, 2021.]
[SPOILERS! If you are likely to adventure through the Shattered Star Adventure Path from Paizo, this campaign will be spoilers all the way down.]
Player Characters
Zitch Grimreaper – male ratfolk 6th level Witch with a donkey rat (capybara) familiar
Roscuro – male ratfolk 6th level Monk
Swamprover – female grippli 5th level Wizard
Marativy – female ratfolk 6th level Ninja
Via Roll20
Templeton von Trapp – male ratfolk 6th level Summoner (Synthesist)
Hrefna – female changeling 5th level Omdura
NPCs
Gridik Stormstride – male blue kobold 3rd level Wizard (Invoker)
Ariphi – female tiefling 5th level Rogue
Mel Sharples – male halfling Cook (Expert of unknown level)
Alice Hyatt – female halfling Bodyguard (Warrior of unknown level)
Flo’ Castleberry – female gnome Bodyguard (Warrior of unknown level)
Autumn
Day 62
Morning
The Ratpack started the day with another superb breakfast prepared by Mel. The group discussed plans on going after the vial Mochtau requested. There were a large number of unknowns about breaking into the barracks of the Grey Maidens, finding their bathhouse area (hopefully unnoticed), and then locating a secret door therein. Actually, locating the secret door would be the easiest thing, but accessing the bathhouse of an all-woman mercenary group without a fight was going to be very challenging. Roscuro was banking on the fact that not all of the Grey Maidens were charmed by “Sorshen” or at least not all the time and maybe some negotiations might be possible.
After breakfast the adventurers geared up and walked over to the troglodyte caves. Inside the caves, the Ratpack checked in with Sulgesh, their leader [thanks to the Ratpack; see Book 2, Session 7, for details]. Roscuro told Sulgesh the snappy-bitey-pinchy bugs were recovering and the adventurers had killed some new big bugs. Sulgesh thanked the group for the warning and said goodbye as the group took the passage to the deeper caves.
Two Hours Later
After making their way through the narrow tunnels to the underground entrance to the dungeon under the Lady’s Light and entering the dungeon, the adventurers were once again in the water filled cavern with the heptagon plinth the glass golem once stood on [destroyed by the Ratpack in Book 2, Session 12]. The heptagon was still emanating an ominous hum, so the adventurers avoided it.
To get to the lower level of the dungeon, they went to the teleportation mural and kissed its feet, which teleported them down to the lower caverns. They piled into the waiting boats and rowed across this cavern to the adjacent cavern that had the compulsion field. They were alert for any aquatic monsters and to keep those who succumbed to the compulsion field from jumping into the water.
At the grotto that was the dumping area for the compulsion field, Marativy went to work on the secret door that led to the Grey Maiden barracks area. Using the magic gloves recovered from the sea hag [Book 2, Session 15], she was able to disarm the Alarm spell on the secret door [which kept the Mass Hold Person spell it was attached to from going off as well].
Beyond the secret door was a cooking area with rough stone walls and a fire, a big pot, and some chopping tables. No one was in the room at the time, so the Ratpack quietly entered the room. On the far side of the room was a red metal door. The panels of this door showed Sorshen performing various sex acts with a range of humanoids.
Roscuro predicted the panel to open the door would be the one with Sorshen having sex with the succubus as she seemed to have a thing for them. Zitch used the wand of detect secret doors to see if there were any other hidden exits. There were none, but, surprisingly, the red metal door detected as a secret door and after concentrating on it, Zitch was able to determine that the panel that opened the “secret” door was the one depicting Sorshen having sex with the succubus.
The group readied for whatever was on the other side of the door and Roscuro pressed the panel. The door split in tow and retracted into the wall [like all the red metal doors had]. On the other side was a dining/ready room with a long eating table around which were sitting eight surprised Grey Maidens. There were three doors on the north and south walls and a large door on the far wall. The Grey Maidens stood and pointed their swords at the group of adventurers standing in the doorway.
Roscuro decided to try diplomacy and called out, “Halinda says ‘hello!’” as a greeting. This caused the Grey Maidens to pause for a second before replying. As they started to reply, Swamprover cast a Fireball into the room, centered on the Grey Maidens, where it exploded.
Marativy advanced into the room to attack, but it was unclear if she was attacking or merely threatening one of the Grey Maidens [she rolled abysmally]. Hrefna attempted to bluff that the fireball was a test to de-escalate the situation. The Grey Maidens might have bought her words until Templeton loudly stated, “We are willing to discuss the terms of your surrender.” At this point the Grey Maidens attacked the Ratpack and the fight started in earnest.
The Ratpack overwhelmed the Grey Maidens fairly quickly [the fight only lasted three rounds], killing them. Afterwards, Roscuro turned to Swamprover and asked, “What was that?” Swamprover shrugged and said it seemed like a good idea at the time.
The Ratpack quickly searched the room and the bodies, finding two potions of cure light wounds and a bag of gold coins [472gp]. The six side doors each led to a sleeping area with bunkbeds and chests of spare clothes. Roscuro waited at the far door for the others to check the side rooms and then reassemble before opening it. As he opened it, five more Grey Maidens attacked from what turned out to be the bathhouse. This fight was shorter with the same result. The bathhouse had another door on the far end.
While the bodies were moved aside, Hrefna produced a healing aura that healed the Ratpack to full health. Zitch then used his wand to locate the secret door on the right [southern] wall, incidentally verifying there were no other secret doors. Roscuro opened the secret door, behind which was a corridor. Roscuro led the entire group into the corridor and then called for the secret door to be closed. This would hide the Ratpack from any avenging Grey Maidens that might show up, at least for a little while.
The corridor turned right, then left, then left again, and finally right before ending at a set of double doors. Marativy checked the doors and found no traps on them. The rest of the Ratpack backed up and then Roscuro and Marativy opened the doors. An overwhelming flood of vapors flowed out of the small room beyond. Marativy started babbling, having lost her wits [failed a Fortitude save]. Roscuro was able to keep his wits and led her back to the rest of the group where the vapors were not as thick. Marativy had no idea what was happening and attacked Roscuro, thinking he was an enemy [for 8 points of damage!].
Once out of the thickest part of the vapors, Marativy regained her wits and apologized for attacking Roscuro. Roscuro accepted and said he would go retrieve the needed vial. He tied a cloth across his muzzle to filter the air some and Zitch and Hrefna cast protective magics on him.
Roscuro went back into the storage room, the thick vapors stinging his eyes. There were several pedestals with vials of various sizes and shapes on them. A glass orb hung by a golden chain from the high ceiling, a golden light emanating from the contents of the vial. Roscuro located the large vial Mochtau had described – it was sitting by itself on a pedestal. Unfortunately, when Roscuro picked it up, it triggered a trap! The globe of liquid hanging from the chain burst, shattering several adjacent vials which started filling the room with a gaseous poison. At the same time, the doors slammed shut and locked!
Roscuro put the vial that was his goal into his handy haversack to protect it and free up his hands. He called out for help and started attacking the door hinges to little effect. The rest of the Ratpack came to Roscuro’s aid. [Someone whose name I neglected to write down] worked at getting the doors open, but it took a couple of tries. Gridik called out for Roscuro to get as far off the floor as he could. Roscuro did this by leaping up to the golden chain and climbing it to the top. This got him out of the worst of the poison gas, but it was still slowly killing him [he failed a Fortitude save and lost points of Constitution]. When the doors were force open a bit, Gridik cast Fire Breath and filled the lower half of the room with flames. This caused an explosion that burned off the poison gas but also shattered all of the glass vials in the room, burning off untold wealth in rare scents.
Roscuro unhooked the gold chain from the ceiling and safely dropped down to the floor.
End of Session
Rat Whispers
[I’m kind of glad the Other GM never told us how much treasure we destroyed in the perfume closet. I suspect it was not an inconsequential amount.]
Ratpack
Book 1:
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Book 2:
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