StephNyan |
The Quest for Perfection—Part I: The Edge of Heaven
The Pathfinder Society has turned its attention to the Ruby Phoenix Tournament—a world-renowned fighting competition, held once every ten years in the city of Goka on the eastern continent of Tian Xia. More specifically, the Decemvirate is interested in the incredible prizes available to the tournament’s winner—a choice of treasure from the legendary vaults of Hao Jin, the Ruby Phoenix herself. As part of the preparations for the tournament, Pathfinder Society agents have been deployed across the Inner Sea and beyond to seek out forgotten lore, allies, and magical items to be used by the Society’s tournament representatives.
Venture-Captain Amara Li, leader of the Lantern Lodge and Goka native, has uncovered information about one such item hidden amid the reaches of the Wall of Heaven—an Iroran relic known as the Braid of a Hundred Masters. Organizing the search from her base in the Dragon Empires, she intends to send a group of Pathfinders to the high mountain range in search of the braid’s ancient home: the Clouded Path Monastery. The two-week-long journey to the mountains began in the cosmopolitan city of Goka, passed through the surrounding villages and farmlands, and led thousands of feet up into the tallest mountain range on Golarion; all that remains is the final day’s journey up from the base camp.
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Bulgo Bluefoot |
Bulgo asks around...
Takes ten on know(local) for 15
"Well, this is going to be interesting. It seems the monks may have been driven from their monastery by a demon."
Looking up at the mountains he is glad that he bought some warm clothes further back down the mountain.
"I don't suppose anyone recalls tails of these monks having hidden hoards of gold do they?" he asks hopefully.
Rolan Sunsearcher |
Rolan shakes his head, That's just blown out of proportion, it's actually a yeti. Still scary, but less infernal and/or fiery. I'm afraid I haven't heard anything about gold, but if they have legendary items, there's certainly a good chance.
Theron Keenfoot |
Gather info, diplomacy: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10
"A yeti you say? The big furry types wasn't it? Well as long as we stay quiet we shall, or should, be fine."
The halfling's roc, the size of an average man, stands as confident next to Theron. Practically accenting the small posture of the halfling race.
Bulgo Bluefoot |
Heh, three halflings in the party! Yes!
"Well, dinner is waiting for us, and my stomach doesn't deal well with disapointment!" suggests Bulgo, shouldering his pack and heading down the trail.
StephNyan |
The trip to the base camp in the low mountains on the edge of the Wall of Heaven takes 2 weeks from Goka. Led by two guides hired by the Lantern Lodge—Xue Ho and Hai Xuan—the expedition reaches the destination without incident.
The base camp site, only a few hundred feet above the forest line that covers the lower reaches of the Wall of Heaven, offers a panoramic view of the surrounding farmlands, far below. The half-flooded terraced farmlands appear silver and mirrored in the late afternoon light. The camp itself is little more than a trio of unmaintained wooden shacks surrounding the remnants of a large firepit and a fallen wooden corral fence to the east.
The guides, Xue Ho and Hai Xuan, are locals from the farming villages below. The two are experienced mountaineers and are familiar with this stretch of the Wall of Heaven. The two men, both well under 6 feet in height, have lean frames and skin prematurely aged through exposure to the mountain winds. The pair, though only capable of broken Common, have proven to be friendly and knowledgeable guides.
"In year past monk use camp to meet farming people," Xue Ho shares with the party. "Trade item monk not make for self. Camp also place for pilgrim rest, before one more day up."
Hai Xuan nods and adds to that. "Since monk place no use, camp also no use. Now just a lot empty house around campfire."
You look around and see the remains of a corral that once housed horses belonging to pilgrims traveling up the mountain on foot. It lies in shambles off to one side of the camp.
Theron Keenfoot |
Theron looks at the campfire pit.
"By my grandfather's curved big toe, what kind of pitiful situation is this? It's the wrong shape.....supposed to be like this...that goes like that to prevent cinders and this, dunno what that is." He throws a halfburnt weird shaped object over his shoulder.
"Well at least the firepit's better organized. You said the last part of the trip is one day, what will we face, as in challenges ahead?"
Bulgo Bluefoot |
Bulgo wanders over to the fallen Corral.
"This wouldn't have fallen in the year that the monks have not been around. Surely someone did this on purpose."
perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
StephNyan |
"We make way up," Hai Xuan tells Theron, not proving very useful. "Very high we go!"
When Bulgo investigates the Corral he hears a low growl. The source of the growl is a snow leopard, which crawls out from underneath the remains of the building.
Negi: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Rolan: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
S'arkee: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Theron: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Snow leopard: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Round 1:
Negi
Rolan
S'arkee
Snow leopard
Theron
Bulgo
There's no map for this encounter, so don't worry too much about positions. The snow leopard's 20 feet in front of you, meaning you can all reach it within a single move action. (It's medium sized.)
StephNyan |
Before anyone else is able to something, Negi charges forward on Jon and pierces the snow leopard's side with his lance. the animal immediately passes out.
Combat's over!
would pay richly for snow leopard pelts.
Once you have dealt with the snow leopard, a search of the camp reveals that the campsite has not seen much activity in recent years. The local farmers have had very little reason to maintain the campsite, since they no longer have any dealings with the monks. Both Xue Ho and Hai Xuan refuse to travel farther, believing that the higher one climbs, the more there is to fear beyond mere snow leopards. "We no go to scary monsters, no!"
Nevertheless, the Xue Ho and Hai Xuan do agree to wait for you to return from the monastery. Though the guides have not been to the monastery themselves, they have made the pilgrimage to the Two Brothers, once, many years ago. The two guides can provide you with simple maps and directions so that you should not get lost en route, as well as a description of the major obstacles and landmarks you're likely to encounter along the path. "There be cliff cave, Path of Many Shrines, chain bridge across crevasse, and Two Brothers."
Feel free to ask your guides some questions about these obstacles.
Theron Keenfoot |
Intelligence: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (17) - 1 = 16
"These pelts are worth much to the right 'buyer'. Though i prefer to let said buyer have a chat with my roc, this feline was acting on territorial instinct after all, prize pelt hunting is despicable."
Rolan Sunsearcher |
Rolan shrugs, Perhaps, but there is little point in this poor feline's life going to waste. We weren't hunting him in the slightest, but I say that if such valuable pelts fall into our hands, then we might as well take them.
He turns to the guides, his brow furrowing at the very names of their upcoming obstacles, If you don't mind, would you elaborate on some of those things? Is there anything to worry about in the cliff cave or on the chain bridge? And what is the Path of Many Shrines or Two Brothers?
Bulgo Bluefoot |
Bulgo, relieved at his swift saving from being cat food sits down for a moment to take his breath.
"Surely there cannot be many such predators around." he asks hopefully.
"How will Jon get over a chain bridge, Negi? Or up a cliff?"
S'arkee The Sickly |
Knowledge Geog: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Just found a issue, I've already done it...but I can do it again just to make up the numbers for no benefit. I believe I've only done the first part, but not part 2 or 3.
StephNyan |
@S'arkee: Okay! That's much appreciated! :)
"Cliff means you climb, and bridge means you go to other side," Hai Xuan informs Rolan. "You never seen bridge?"
Xue Ho explains the other things Rolan asked about: "Path of many shrines be path with many shrines along path. Two brothers be cliff formation near cliff edge. They look like thick pillars."
StephNyan |
You leave the base camp and the guides behind. After traveling for 1 hour from the base camp, the mountain route takes you through a narrow valley, which terminates in a rock wall. A large crack, forty feet up the wall, looks large enough to allow an adult human through. Several small cracks and holes dot the entire surface of the rock wall. A rock overhang, ten feet above the gash, acts as a natural roof, sheltering the immediate area from the elements.
Check the new map to get a better idea of the place. And don't forget to move yourself on the map when your character moves :)
Rolan Sunsearcher |
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Rolan glances around, then moves over to examine the carcass of a small rabbit, Something is killing these animals. We need to be on our watch. Negi, can you tell anything more from this?
Theron Keenfoot |
"Aw man, why go killing animals meaningless? If one kills rabbits in large quantity, use them all entirely. But agreed, we aught to be on ourguard."
Bulgo Bluefoot |
Bulgo looks around the area.
"Maybe this is just a camp, and that is the remains of a meal."
His stomach rumbles.
"Is it morning tea time yet?"
He eyes up the cliff face, wondering how hard the climb is likely to be.
"Want me to try going up and drop down a rope?"
S'arkee The Sickly |
Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (20) + 0 = 20
"Careful! I see bones! Bones may mean something is here..." S'arkee states as he looks over the situation, but remains back where he is, not wanting to advance clloser to the water.
Bulgo Bluefoot |
I'm assuming there is no way to get to that cut in the rock without going through the hole?
"I guess this is my job." sighs Bulgo, who had fantasies of eating a large filled roll with fried chicken.
"I don't suppose anyone has a rope?"
Embarrasing, but Bulgo doesn't actually have a rope or climbers kit. I know we handwaved a bit at the start, but was there an oportunity to buy some of that stuff?
Rolan Sunsearcher |
Rolan shakes his head, glancing around at the others, I'm afraid that I don't have one either. Now I think about it, if we're going up a mountain then that may have been a good purchase.
Theron Keenfoot |
With the others feeling embarressed about forgetting the rope, Theron whistles a soft tune while taking one from his pack.
"Worry not, i've got one with me."
He pats his roc on the head and the great bird presents its back. Theron gets on.
"Up we go."
Fly up, get through the hole and attach the rope, is the aim here. Any obstacles in this plan, GM?
StephNyan |
You may always purchase items prior to a scenario's actual start, or in between scenarios.
Theron retrieves a rope from his pack and flies up to the hole the party needs to get to. When he arrives there he searches for a way to attach the rope, but then...
Filament: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
Free Pull: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16
From the second hole in the ceiling, which bulgo and S'arkee notices seconds earlier a insect-like creature appears. It shoots a thin and sticky filament at Rolan, who's hit by it. The filament sticks to him, and the creature pulls Rolan 10 feet closer to the hole. For now, Rolan still stands with his feet on the ground.
Negi: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
Rolan: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
S'arkee: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Theron: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Creature: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
Round 1:
Rolan
Bulgo
Theron
S'arkee
Negi
Creature
Like usual, everyone in bold is up. That mean everyone! :)
S'arkee The Sickly |
S'sarkee casts Bless over the whole party and remains as far from the creature's sticky filaments.
Can't remember the knowledge that might be needed to know more about this creature so I'm going to guess nature. Most of my knowledge checks are all the same bonus.
Knowledge Nature untrained: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
S'arkee The Sickly |
I remember now. This fight took soooo long with my group as none of us were climbers and my character for this was a Dwarven Fighter with a massive towershield as his main defence so anything involving swimming or climbing was a no for him.
Theron Keenfoot |
Theron hears some commotion and a yell from Rolan.
"Everything's clear up here.....hey, something wrong down there? "
Theron pushes his knees to steer his roc back down.
Move action, fly down towards the others.
StephNyan |
@Theron: Could you move your own token when your character moves?
@Rolan: Seems like none of the characters knows what creature this is. I'll only say you could try.
@Bulgo: Correct!
S'arkee casts bless on the party and stays away from the creature and its sticky filaments. He's unable to determine what kind of creature's trying to reel Rolan in.
Bulgo manages to hit the creature with a stone from his sling, but doesn't really hurt it.
Negi also releases a shot, but can't get the stone all the way up to teh creature.
Theron realizes something's wrong and flies back to the party.
Round 1:
Rolan
Bulgo
Theron
S'arkee
Negi
Creature 1NL
Rolan's up. Bless is active.
Rolan Sunsearcher |
Rolan draws his wakizashi, attempting to cut down and break through the filament.
Attack if necessary: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
StephNyan |
Rolan draws his wakizashi and slashes at the filament, but he loses his balance and misses it when the creature tugs at the filament again. (The attack doesn't hit the filament's AC.)
Pull: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10
However, the creature's pull isn't as strong as before. Rolan's able to quickly regain his balance and prevents himself from being reeled in.
Round 2:
Rolan
Bulgo
Theron
S'arkee
Negi
Creature 1NL