SwampTing's Untitled Campaign (Inactive)

Game Master SwampTing

For the past several months, Irrisen has been the topic of hushed conversations. Reports of pockets of unnatural winters appearing around Golarion, of the fabled Dancing Hut of Baba Yaga being captured and shackled in the Irrisen capital of White Throne, and more recently rumours of a daring raid by a band of murdering vagrants (i.e. hobos) who dared, in the midst of a period of civil unrest, to sneak into the heart of White Throne itself to steal the same Dancing Hut from under the noses of Irrisen's elite Winter Guard. For some of you, these are more than just rumours. You know full well the truth of these matters, having participated in them yourself.

Whatever your knowledge of these matters, you were not expecting the elaborate way in which your summons was conducted. A warded missive that required a drop of your own blood to open, separately-sent instructions for the decoding of the missive, the flames that suddenly consumed the summons after you read it. However, the summons had been sent by the Society's Master of Spells himself, and when Aram Zey called, you knew well to respond.

You have followed the instructions in the missive and found your way to a secret chamber which you reckon must be several feet below the Lodge in Absalom. Having passed through dark, rough-hewn corridors to get to this chamber, you were surprised to find your destination rather comfortably furnished and well-lit with torches bearing flames that burned without fuel or heat. 3 comfortable couches, an enormous soft rug and at the far end, a rosewood desk with a high-backed chair upholstered with red velvet. There is no sign of the Master of Scrolls, and for the moment, nothing to give any clue as to why you have been summoned.

Thread opened. Go ahead and dot, say hi, interact etc. We still have another 2 weeks or so before we can begin. The mission briefing will begin sometime next week to get you up to speed on what you need to know for the mission. Gameplay for the mission itself will begin on 1 November.

Ka crosses the room, circles it to get a feel for her surroundings. Once at ease, the dark haired youth settles into a comfortable looking couch and awaits the others. Promptness was one of her many virtues.

A tall, black haired, man enters the room. Looks around to see only a human woman sitting on the couch. He walks up to her and ask, "may i have this seat madam?"

She stands to greet you with a formal bow. Her silk kimono of blue and silver make a whispery sound as the fabric rubs against itself as she moves. A curved swordcase is strapped to her back and her black hair is formed into a neat topknot.

"Of course sir. Sit with me while we wait for the others to arrive. It is good to see a fellow Pathfinder value's promptness." the eastern-featured girl adds with a shy smile. Around her wrist is wrapped a beaded silver chain displaying the sigil of her exotic deity.

"I am Jinsa Ka, from the empires to the far east. Might I have the honor of learning your name as well?"

Thank you, Jinsa. My name is a mystery to me, for I know not it nor where I come from. at this point his sits down, each his three swords catch the light and give off slightly different reflections. Other than the swords, nothing is scene that would indicate a fighter, let alone a magus. I have come to be called by my number, and that is Subject 42.

A halfling man wearing well-made full plate leads a wolf (who wears studded leather and a saddle) into the strange lounge, picking the smallest chair for himself and seating himself carefully.

"Hello there, friends! I am Alden. Alden Helpinghand. I follow the order of the paw, as does my faithful ally Naala here." He indicates the obviously well-bred riding wolf.

"Has anyone seen our host yet? I've met Aram Zey several times before, but never in this particular place."

"A mystery? How very strange." the exotic girl's eyes light up for a moment before her complexion deepens via a dark blush.

"Forgive me, I did not mean to call you strange. I do enjoy a good mystery, however. Since we have some time it seems, I would quite enjoy the tale if there's one for telling sir. What is your earliest memory?" the youth seems genuinely curious and occasionally you see her glance at your blades, though she has removed hers and placed the sheathed katana across her knees for comfort's sake.

Looking up to the newest arrival from her conversation with the dark haired cypher sitting beside her, she bows her head and welcomes you to a seat.

"We have heard nothing from our patron thus far, but Fourty-two and I were just getting to know each other. I am Jinsa Ka, and I am quite honored to meet you and your beautiful wolf. Sit, share stories of the road with us while we await our good master Zey's arrival." the girl says to the newcomer.

From her satchel, she slips out a bottle of dark brandy. She briefly describes it's exotic origin and offers to pass it around after taking a long pull straight from the bottle herself.

Alden will gladly accept the bottle from her, taking a gulp.

"Well met, madame, and you too, sir. Why, if a story is what you wish, a story I most assuredly have for you! Once, in service of the society, I traveled to a town called Belhaim, where a tower had recently collapsed. Bodies of kobolds were found in the rubble, and we came to later find out that they were the servants of a dragon! Now, it turned out later that said dragon was actually the draconic equivalent of a senile old man, but even a weak dragon is a fearsome one! We trounced the bastard and reaped the glory! It was quite the adventure!"

The door swings open again as Alden makes his proclamation. A moment later, a man of Tien origin steps into the room. He is dressed in simple white "Han Fu" under a black great-coat of Tien design. A broad straw hat casts a shadow over his features, obscuring the slightly out-of-place dark-lensed goggles resting against his forehead. He sports a pair of clubs tucked into his sash at each side of his waist, but his primary weapon appears to be the hooked lance slung across his back. A brown thrush is perched on his shoulder, looking for all the world like any other mundane thrush except for the small purple crystal flying in circles around its tiny head.

The man smiles and bows slightly by way of greeting. Curiously, the thrush too gives a slight bob of its head.

"Greetings, gentlemen, milady. We thought we were early... but evidently not the earliest. I am Exiel, and my keen-eyed friend here is Lucien. I take it we will be working together on our next mission... Did someone mention something about a dragon?

42 looks at the two new arrivals, Good day gentlemen, I am Subject 42, call me what you wish. he looks back towards the woman sitting next to him.
My story, as many like it, starts with pain. he pulled out a flask out of his coat and took a drink. My first memory was awakening in this underground cavern, with vines leading out of my body. A green haired elf and a black haired woman were standing over me. They were saying something in Elvish, so i couldn't understand. I heard other people around me, and i was able to turn my head to see five others, each with a a name like mine. 42 took another drink out of his flask than looked up at the people around him. I am terribly sorry, would any of you like some of this? He holds the flask out to each of them.

Starting the briefing and setting the scene only. Gameplay proper will not begin till 1 November.

The door creaks open and a plucky, red-headed pint-sized lass steps into the room. She gives looks at 42's proferred flask quizzically, but before anyone can say anything further, there is a rumbling from behind the upholstered chair. The wall behind it shifts and flows to reveal a long dark passageway. A lone human stands in the passageway dressed in rather plain blueish-grey robe. He appears unremarkable, but all of you recognise him easily, and you all know better than to think little of the Pathfinder Society's Master of Spells.

Zey looks each of you over in turn with a slight scowl of dissatisfaction and mutters something under his breath about having to "make do" as he takes his seat behind the desk.

"Alright, let's get this started. I've just about had it with those obnoxious oracles, and I have many more pressing businesses to attend to."

"As some are well aware, there's been a lot happening in Irrisen lately. Winter pockets popping up all over Golarion, the hut of Baba Yaga liberated under mysterious circumstances that have nothing to do with the society at all. Because it is inconceivable that the Society would get involved in to such an extent in the political affairs of a sovereign nation," he says with a sarcastic snort.

"Naturally, the hut is now in a secure location. As a guest, of course, since attempting to hold it by force would be both impossible and suicidal. Of course, it has been quite the unique and fascinating opportunity to be able to study and chronicle the variable inner layouts of the artifact and its denizens. However, the hut is getting quite restless, and I have also been working to ascertain what needs to be done to make sure this whole matter is dealt with as quickly as possible."

"Through certain...interactions... with some of the hut's inhabitants, I have ascertained that the worst has likely come to pass. The Royal Ice-B!tch, Elvanna, has embarked on some grand scheme to ensure that the Head-Crone herself does not appear to take her away to whatever fate befalls those crotchety old bats every 100 years. Said Head-Crone has gone missing, and her precious riders were supposed to retrace her footsteps and retrieve certain keys for the hut to achieve that purpose. Well, some of you already know all too well how thatpanned out." As he says this, he casts a stern look at some amongst you. (This would be Ka, Exiel and maybe Sue if she has any of the mantle boons assigned to her character. For the rest, your companions will inform you that as far as anyone knows, the riders have all been hunted down and killed by Elvanna's forces.)

"Anyway, some of you will have no choice but to take up this mission because that mantle was passed to you. Literally. The rest of you have no choice either, because I'm sending you along with them. The next two keys that you will need to find are in some sort of magical dungeon, or possibly a trio of dungeons, hidden within a well-known landmark in Iobaria known as "Artrosa".

"I've already ascertained where the entrance would be this time of the year...don't ask. Apparently the door moves depending on the season or somesuch. Don't ask. I'm told that the door would be "at the maiden's crown", or something along those lines. I'll leave it to you to work it out when you get there. From there, your mission will be quite simple. Infiltrate, discover what the keys are, retrieve them and bring them back to me."

Zey retrieves what appears to be an ordinary rock from a drawer in the desk, brings it close to his mouth and whispers a single arcane syllable. As he does so, a split appears in the rock, and he easily separates the rock into two halves. A pair of runes adorn the rocks where they used to meet, glowing faintly in the gloom of the chamber.

"I will teleport you to the location when you are ready. Once you are done, simply trace the rune on this rock. I will know to come retrieve you...oh, when I get the time. Two more things. First, don't even think of calling me until you have what I sent you for. My time is precious and I will be most disappointed if I find myself needing to send another team to perform this task. Second, you are not to advertise your association with the Society during this mission. In fact, this venture is officially one that you lot have taken upon yourselves to embark on. We never spoke this evening, and I have never seen this chamber before. In fact, this chamber will no longer exist after tomorrow. Understood?

42 puts the flask back into his coat and looked at Zey, so, we have one stone to share in between the five of us, correct? he looks at the rune on the stone and tries to decipher it

Knowledge: Local: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

"Artrosa is the name of a trio of giant, carved figures in northeastern Iobaria, also known as "The Three Who Watch." The three figures are in the form of a maiden, a pregnant matron and an old crone, each corresponding to one of the threefold aspects of womanhood. They are said to have been carved by the magics of Baba Yaga herself back when she was still active in Golarion."

"Hmm...would that mean that this secret dungeon was also made by Baba Yaga? And if the inhabitants are her servants, perhaps they will be well-disposed towards a bearer of the black mantle?"

Exiel finds his spirits raised by this thought. He has had many notable successes at diplomatic missions for the Pathfinder Society.

"Do you have any information about the creatures we are likely to face within the dungeon, or of any other challenges we may face?"

Jinsa Arches her eyebrows after the master speaks.

"Where I am from there is a common saying after someone phrases something that way good master."

A brief pause...perhaps three heartbeats,

"What Chamber?"

With a sly smile and slight nod, she expresses her understanding.

Knowledge Dungeoneering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

I have been in one or two. They are these big mazes that crazy people put monsters and people into. They expect one to kill the other. Sometimes they even make bets on who will survive. 42 laughed at an old memory. I was able to make some money with the odds against me.

42: The rune on the stone is one commonly used in spells that alert or inform another, such as in the sending or alarm spells.

Zey looks at 42 and replies, "Correct. You are expected to work as a team, stay as a team and come out as a team. It's to be used only when you're done with the mission."

Noting Jinsa's remark, Zey allows himself a rare smile and simply says, "exactly."

Turning to Exiel, he says, "Good to see that our agents are still good for more than just murder and pillage. I suppose it is possible that at least some of the inhabitants of the dungeon may be less inclined to eat you if they are convinced that you bear the mantle of one of Baba Yaga's riders, but there's no guarantee. Ambition or hunger may cause them to attack you anyway. Or they might be there to attack you as some sort of test. It will be your job to find out and deal with whatever awaits you in there. I'm sure you are all at least somewhat experienced in this line of work. So work it out."

42 looks around the room, studying each of the pathfinders there.

"If everyone is alright with it, I think that Alden should hold onto the stone for us. He looks the toughest in that armor."

42 drummed his his fingers on thin. Each time his fingers went down, a small "tap tap" sounded. "What are the chances that they might take our weapons before we can enter this place?"

Zey arches an eyebrow at 42's question.

"I just said 'It will be your job to find out and deal with whatever awaits you in there.' All I have for you is your destination and your objective. Whether you are greeted with grovelling and tribute or sharp-metal and fire is up to you to discover and deal with," he says drily.

This is the Pathfinder Society we're talking about. What made you think you would be sent in fully informed? ;)

Dum dee dum...waiting for this to kick off. It's going to be a long week...

nothing honestly. I'm just waiting for it to start, so i thought i would ask questions since no one else is commenting.... except Exiel.

Well, I'm signing up for a non-PFS pbp anyway, so I thought I'd check in. 1 more week to go.

I am in 3 PFS pbp and after the first one finishes, i plan to run some myself. I haven't been able to play since i moved to japan.... other than one home game.

Sue nods, used to Aram Zey's cryptic instructions.

Artrosa?
Knowledge Geography: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Sue does not have any of my RoW credits.

Ok, looks like it's time to begin.

Aram Zey looks at all of you as a silence descends upon the room.

"Well then, if there are no further questions, I guess you'll be on your way."

The Master of Scrolls beckons your group over to him as he drones an incantation and touches you each in turn. You experience a sudden sense of vertigo and a violent lurch from within, as if you'd been seized by the stomach and abruptly pulled across an enormous distance. And perhaps you have, for when the feeling passes, you are no longer in the dark chamber below Absalom.

You find yourselves up to your ankles in snow as a blast of cold air hits you. In the distance, you see the sun slowly creeping over the horizon, illuminating your surroundings. You are in the midst of a mountain range, atop what appears to be one of the peaks. From every direction the view is dizzying, offering a clear panorama of miles and miles of wilderness. Wispy clouds race across the dark blue sky overhead, though the floor of the crevasse lies in shadow, the sunlight blotted out by the massive cliffs on either side. Gray grasses and scraggly trees poke through drifts of ice and snow, weaving their way through black boulders that lie at the base of the towering cliffs.

Crudely carved into the face of the cliffs to the East, several miles apart, stand two impossible sculptures that each rise over half a mile in height. Each carving depicts a naked humanoid woman holding forth a warning hand. The first depicts a pregnant matron, and beyond that another shows a stooped and withered crone. As you look over the edge of the cliff you are on, you see what appears to be an stone carving of yet another outstretched extending from the cliff face below you, and quickly realise that you are standing on yet another impossible sculpture, and a quick reconnaissance by Exiel's familiar confirms that the sculpture you are standing on resembles a young maiden with long flowing hair.

A rock wall backing the top of the figure's head rises above the plateau that you stand on, creating some cover from the cold winds blowing across the mesa. A small copse of bare, weathered trees stands in the shelter of the rock wall, their knotted roots clinging desperately to the cold, hard stone. Dozens of bones litter the ground before the grove, some so ancient that the trees' roots appear to grow right through them. Behind the trees, a shadowy arched opening in the wall leads deep inside the rock. As Exiel and Ka approach, one of the trees straightens up, then bows as it extends a long branch towards the opening, as if bidding, or daring, you to enter.

With nothing else to do, you eventually make your way down the passage...and down indeed it goes. As you descend, you note that the walls of the passage are decorated with various motifs of nature. Flowers, young animals, and appearing several times amidst them, a pretty young woman, here plucking a fruit from a tree, there lying alongside a young doe, or making a wreath of flowers as she lays under a chiseled sun. Piles of smooth, pale pebbles that glow with a faint violet light lie scattered along the walls of the passages. The pebbles emanate a warm violet glow, reminiscent of the light at dawn that you left behind you, and illuminate the corridors with a warm, dim light.

Arrange yourselves in marching order from left to right. The passage is 10ft wide, so you can have up to two people side by side. Also state whether you cast any spells or take any other actions as you descend into the Artrosa. Keep in mind that the light here is considered dim light.

In an area of dim light, a character can see somewhat. Creatures within this area have concealment (20% miss chance in combat) from those without darkvision or the ability to see in darkness. A creature within an area of dim light can make a Stealth check to conceal itself. Characters with low-light vision (elves, gnomes, and half-elves) can see objects twice as far away as the given radius. Double the effective radius of bright light, normal light, and dim light for such characters.

Note that even with low-light vision, you still have a 20% miss chance unless you have your own brighter light source. If you have darkvision, you're fine.

"This cold doesn't bother Naala too much, with her fur and all, but boy... my toes sure are numb! Let's get in that cave quickly!"

Perception Alden: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Perception Naala plus scent: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Alden will ride on Naala toward the front of the pack, and can be the front-liner if you all would like, but is better served to be adjacent to the most melee-driven characters. :)

Exiel will maintain mage armor on himself (CL8, will last 8 hours, will re-cast when it expires) and take point beside Alden. If it looks like we're about to enter a room or a cave or cavern, or we perceive that there might be imminent danger, he will cast an extended heroism on himself using his metamagic rod of extend.

Exiel's perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
Lucien's perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

Exiel uses a hooked lance (a reach weapon) and is happy to take point too.

Clarification: Use the link above my picture titled "Combat Map". It should take you to a map that you can arrange yourselves on.

Subject 42 mumbles to himself. I told them that i wanted warm weather assignments.. blasted society. He wraps his hand around one of the scimitars on his waist.

perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
42 takes up the place at the end to guard the rear.

Sue will use her Wayfinder to cast light on the Wayfinder. She will carry her wand of divine favor in one hand and get Exiel to hit her with her wand of mage armor.

I moved Ka Jinsa to the front with Alden right behind her. The dhampir oracle in the middle back and then taking the other bit of rear guard with Mr. 42. Feel free to make other arrangements if desired.

Sue will use her Wayfinder to cast light on the Wayfinder. She will carry her wand of divine favor in one hand and get Exiel to hit her with her wand of mage armor.

"Ok, if you say so..."

Exiel takes the wand and tries to hit Sue with it.
Attack roll with improvised weapon: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 9 - 4 = 13
Damage: 1d1 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Attack roll with improvised weapon: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (18) + 9 - 4 = 23
Damage: 1d1 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

That formation looks fine.

It looks good to me too.

You must have descended about 500ft downwards down the long and twisting passage. After a final turn, you see that the stairs end in a large chamber. Hewn from the surrounding basalt, the walls of this large chamber have been chiseled into an incredibly intricate display of thousands of wildflowers. In the middle of each of the carvings, a wreath of pinecones encircles a life-sized carving of a young nude woman.

On the north wall, the figure washes her hair. On the east wall, the figure sits staring upward at a crescent moon. On the south wall, the figure picks a bouquet of flowers, while to the west, the figure points to a triangular, knot-shaped symbol. To the north, a curving stone staircase climbs up and disappears into the western wall, while an open archway beckons in the southwest corner.

At the edge of the chamber, Exiel's familiar calls for a halt. He was the first to hear it, but upon pointing it out to the rest of the group, you all notice that there is some sort of intense dialogue going on between two voices in the chamber, though not in a tongue any of you recognise. You cannot see who or what is having the dialogue without entering further into the chamber.

Exiel, I assume this counts as your trigger for casting extended heroism on yourself? To actually see into the room, you need to get down the stairs and then turn the corner. Map has been updated. What do the rest of you want to do?

Alden takes in the beautiful carvings, trying to determine what they might represent.

Knowledge(engineering): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Knowledge(nature): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Knowledge(nobility): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

42 cranes his head to try to hear the strange dialog going on in the chamber and tries to make out what they are saying, or at least what language they are speaking. Linguistics: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15

Alden, you identify that the moon phase depicted in the carvings on the Eastern wall is the waxing crescent. Apart from that, neither Alden nor 42 are able to discern anything meaningful.

Subject 42 pulls out two long sticks with a tube attached to one end. Each had a string leading from the bottom of the tube. "these are Skyrockets. Who wants to surprise those below us with a little fireworks?" he holds out one ready for someone to take it.

Exiel shrugs.

"Sounds good. Personally, however, I prefer to have both hands on my weapon. If you want to fire off that thing, I'm more than happy to charge in directly after."

With that, Exiel casts an extended heroism on himself, stashes his metamgic rod and readies his weapon.

"Ooh, fireworks! Yes, let's do that! Exiel, just make sure that you stay near myself and Naala. We'll aid you in every way we can."

can I hold one in each hand and have someone else light them for me, that way everyone else will be ready for action? Since they take a round to fire off anyways.

Hmm. Yeah you can do that. But you will need someone to spend their surprise round lighting each rocket for you (so 2 people for both). If you keep a hand free, you can light one rocket yourself.

I'll move us into the surprise round. At the moment, whatever or whoever is in the chamber is unaware of you, but will quickly become aware once the fireworks are lit, or they start to notice the extra light coming from your light sources.

Everyone declare your surprise-round action and roll for initiative.

Init: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16

Sue will activate her wand of divine favor.

"I'll go on ahead. Sounds like there are at least two people down there. I'll see if I can catch them off-guard (i.e. flat-footed). Aim that thing at the person I'm not trying to stab. Or whatever, as long as I'm not caught in the fireworks display."

Exiel will move quickly down the stairs, hoping to catch one of the people down below before they get to act or ready their weapons.

Initiative: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

I've moved Exiel on the map. Can I see the people in the chamber yet?

Subject 42 puts one of the skyrockets back into his bag and prepares to light it. he will light it and aim behind the one Exiel is not behind, and wil try to aim where both of the foes are in the blast, but where Exiel is outside of it.
int: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22