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So, we just finished a two-year Rise of the Runelords game and the players want to jump right in to Shattered Star.
I did my best to foreshadow Shattered Star during Rise and will be carrying forward events from our run of Rise. I'll try to call out ripples like that as they come up.
I'd like to keep my players able to read this thread, so please leave it spoiler-free beyond the spoilers in these reports.
The Last Generation
Four heroes were responsible for the overthrow of Karzoug:
- Grimmer Pallgreves, a dwarven rogue aiding the adventurers who recovered his family's lost crown
- Kriger the Wanderer, a cleric of Desna and Pathfinder scholar
- Tobar Smithson, a paladin of Torag and guardsman in Sandpoint, hoping to get back in one piece and marry Shayliss Vinder
- Shalelu Andosonna, hunter of goblins and giants
During their struggles, they worked closely with Sheila Heidmarch, the young Pathfinder Venture Captain in Magnimar, and Broderick Quint (Brodert Quink), an elderly sage in Sandpoint. As a result, these two are considered the foremost experts on Thassilon in Varisia.
They left a few loose ends on their quest, such as stationing Bakrakhani refugees from the Runeforge at Fort Rannick and leaving a small army of animate trees roaming through Sanos Forest. Overall, though, much of Varisia went through their lives never knowing how close they came to the rise of the runelords.
Following their defeat of Karzoug, the four heroes largely went their separate ways. Grimmer returned to Janderhoff with his mountain of treasure. Kriger began wandering the world and beyond. Tobar settled back in Sandpoint to marry and raise a small army of children. And Shalelu passed over the Crown of the World with her lover Ameiko Kaijitsu.
Years Later...
Tobar's eldest daughter, Alara'hai, was raised on his stories of the battle against Karzoug and the tutelage of the aging Broderick Quint. She has long been troubled by the question "sure dad defeated one runelord, but what about the other six?"
Alianne, searching for her uncle Kriger and looking for a reason to leave the Land of the Linnorm Kings, made her way to Sandpoint. Meeting with Alara, the two of them decided to head to Magnimar and apply for membership with the Pathfinder Society.
Korva Ursian is using her city guard training as a stepping stone to greater things. Long inspired by the tales of Shalelu and Tobar, calming the great storm over Varisia and solving the Skinsaw Murders, she sees great opportunity in joining with their descendants.
Alara shares in her parents' appearance and glowing personalities, making her a difficult person to hate or even disagree with. She heard the call of Shelyn, an event Tobar accepted with aplomb... after all, he was called by Torag and that's far weirder.
She fights with a glaive given to her by her father, a trophy modeled after Karzoug's weapon. Although she does have some limited healing, she expects to solve many problems with her glaive or her silver tongue.
Alianne is short, stealthy, and inclined towards the arcane arts... roughly the worst Ulfen ever. Tired of being constantly overshadowed by her sister, Alianne made her way to Sandpoint after meeting Shalelu and Ameiko on their way north.
Alianne fights with a rapier, relying on her finesse to carry the day. But her real passion is the study of magic, even if that hasn't borne fruit in the form of spellcasting yet.
Korva only recently finished her training with the Magnimar city watch, the first step in her journey to become a legend like Shalelu and Tobar. Even if her martial skills weren't enough to gain her admittance into the Pathfinders, her knowledge of Magnimar and its surroundings are encyclopedic.
She's not quite the terror with the bow Shalelu was yet, but might be even more dangerous in the end.
Cheers!
Landon
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In preparing for campaigns, I usually give the players some handouts to get them up to speed with sort of what their characters know. I feel like it's extra important in this case, because there's just as much to not-know.
I posted the handouts with a bit of commentary:
Alara'hai - History and Diplomacy (Gather Information)
Alianne - Arcana and the Planes
Korva - Dungeoneering, Geography, and Local
One sidenote related to these: I have the Thassilonians use "virtue equivalents" for the runes. So people might call Karzoug the Runelord of Greed, but he calls himself the Runelord of Prosperity.
Cheers!
Landon
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On greeting two travelers from Sandpoint, Korva was delighted to talk about the hometown of one of her heroes. On discovering Alianne (or Ali) and Alara'hai (preferring Alara) were related to her heroes, her joy could not be contained.
With Korva nominating herself as their escort, the three of them set an appointment with Sheila Heidmarch. Sadly, she wasn't able to get there in time, but another Pathfinder, Koriah Azmeren left a strange puzzle box to occupy their attention.
With Alara's knowledge of Thasslionian and Korva's loss of patience, punching the immobile plates, they eventually determined the nature of the puzzle and opened the box.
I allowed a Linguistics check to get a hint, which I felt better about then switching to a pure skill challenge.
What's in the Box?
At which point the effect they'd noticed, but not decided to disarm, triggered... releasing a cloud of mist and two tiny dog-headed humanoids into the room.
They quickly banished the summoned fae, uncovering the contents of the box. Ali decided to test her new ring for feather falling properties, by stacking a chair on the table and climbing up... as Sheila and Koriah finally made their way into the room.
Thankfully, the explanation "I was testing this ring" sounds a lot more convincing when you float gently to the ground.
Pathfinders?
Sheila introduced herself and asked what the meeting was about, getting three very different answers: Alara wishing to join the Pathfinder Society, Ali looking for her uncle Kriger, and Korva acting as escort for as long as she can.
Offering to refer Kriger to Ali the next time he came to give a report and asking the mayor to indefinitely reassign Korva, Sheila quickly steered them towards what she wanted. Natalya Vancaskerkin, a contact of the Pathfinders and member of the Tower Girls, had vanished shortly after sending word she'd discovered a powerful Thassilonian relic.
The new recruits agreed to go undercover, as it were, keeping their ties to the Pathfinders secret to prevent drawing attention from the Consortium.
The Investigation
Using Korva's connections, they spoke with Investigator Kasadei working on a series of disappearances that may be related. Kasadei had no reports of Natalya disappearing, just a series of burglaries and petty crimes. The Tower Girls, however, recently moved their operation. The watch hasn't been able to find their new base.
Meanwhile, the disappearances were a mix of the strange (many victims showing back up as indigents with no memory whatsoever) and the brutal (two corpses with their hearts ripped out). In either case, Kasadei mentioned the Lord Mayor is preparing to offer a reward for outsiders cracking her case.
On Sheila's suggestion, they also talked to the professional information broker and amateur fortune teller known as "The Amazing Zograthy." He confirmed what Kasadei had said, that the Tower Girls had been staying with Fenster the Blight and moved away. With a little charm and a pile of silver, he divulged that another girl had been by searching for Natalya and also went to Fenster the Blight...
Shadowed in the Shadow
Making their way under the Irespan to meet this Fenster, Korva realized they'd been tailed by the same man in battered finery for much of the day. Passing Alara's notebook back and forth, they arranged to corner the man near the Shadow's decrepit clocktower.
Recognizing a poor position, Plutivarch Dremis spilled the details of his plan: follow people connected to Sheila Heidmarch and use the information to get in good with the Consortium. Alara laughed it off, implying Heidmarch had shot down their offer, and saying they were looking to join the Tower Girls instead.
Dremis spilled what he knew of the Tower Girls, saying their leader was connected to a clan in Riddleport able to turn into rats. Korva slipped him a gold coin, suggesting he should be back in two days with more information.
This also serves to foreshadow some of the later Consortium involvement in the game.
Next Time
They track down Fenster the Blight, looking for more information on Natalya Vancaskerkin and the Tower Girls.
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Last time, our intrepid party solved a puzzle for Sheila Heidmarch and were confronted with another: where is Natalya Vancaskerkin and what is the relic she found before losing contact?
Following the clues from Investigator Kasadei and the Amazing Zograthy, they made contact with Fenster the Blight. Although Korva didn’t wish to be indebted to any disgusting criminal, Alara’hai wove a story about wanting to join the Tower Girls.
With the jangle of coin and Alara’s promise to put in a good word with Fenster once they’d joined the Tower Girls, he relented and explained where he’d sent Terisha Skiloni after her lost lamb. From talking to the Amazing Zograthy, they knew Terisha was also seeking out Natalya.
Natalya’s House
Listening at the side door, they quickly realized it was guarded. Rather than bursting in, they politely knocked and spoke with the guards beyond the door.
At Korva and Alianne’s prompting, Alara wove a new story of owing Natalya a substantial amount of money. Although the guards were reluctant, one of them let his youth get the better of them and agreed to be the ladies’ guide.
The interior of the fire-gutted house proved to be even fouler than normal for the Shadows. Both Korva and Alara failed to keep their balance on the narrow board, falling into the sewage covering the floor.
We Be Sewer Goblins
As it turns out, sewer goblins are very protective of their territory, emerging from the pipes to confront those who would dare set foot in their sewage. With help from their guide, they quickly dispatched the creatures… but not before Ali and Korva received wounds slick with sewage.
Sadly, the battle roused the attention of the goblins’ kin in the next room… giving them time to winch their comically overlarge crossbows. Alianne rushed their barricade of crates and barrels, unintentionally shielding the the others with her own body.
Rather than climbing into the rafters, their guide suggested they may be able to climb inside the fireplace if they could get past “that crazy goblin thing.” Feeling pretty confident, they strode in to the back room, rousing the goblin snake hiding under the ladder.
Mua ha ha!
A voice from above encouraged the fight, “Yes, fight! Fight for my amusement! Earn your place in my growing army!” Taking this as all the sign they needed, they locked in combat with the goblin snake.
It proved more sturdy than any foe they’d fought previously, surviving several hits while knocking their guide and Alianne unconscious. Korva and Alara proved too much for it, however, finishing the creature off as it was certain it was on the brink of victory.
Putting Ali back on her feat, helped by a potion lifted from the guard’s repose form, they began to negotiate with the voice above. Of course they’d love to join her army and, although they’d rather she comes down, they’d be honored to come up and talk to her.
Tense Negotiations
Staying close to the fireplace and well-anchored, they negotiated with the voice above… Natalya Vancaskerkin, leader of the Army of Natalya Vancaskerkin, who would soon unite Varisia under one flag… that of Natalya Vancaskerkin.
They convinced her to join them at the new headquarters: Dragonhead Manor, which the three have inherited usage of. It was, after all, a far more suitable place to begin conquest of Varisia from.
Once separated from her goblin allies and stirge pets, they could probably lift the object she kept touching in her pocket.
More Tense Negotiations
Unfortunately, it was not to be. The front door opened to reveal Terisha Skiloni, also after Natalya, and happy enough to put a short sword in the traitorous Tower Girl’s gut.
Alara decided on a new plan: signalling Terisha, then tackling Natalya from behind. In the ensuing chaos, Alianne slipped in to “help,” pocketing the object Natalya had been so keen to keep track of.
With Alara pinning Natalya, it was a simple matter for Terisha to tie her up. Especially now that her bluster left her with the coppery shard.
Terisha took Natalya off for Tower Girl justice, not mentioning the relic she may have, but peeling off Natalya’s boots as a “thank you” for the girls helping out.
She will probably figure out what happened after they question Natalya, though, which will be interesting.
The Virtue of Confidence
Alianne took the lead with a gusto, brooking no disagreement on her suggestions to head back to Dragonhead Manor to change and summon Sheila Heidmarch. Alara knew enough of Thassilonian relics to fear that her friend had been compromised, but hoped Sheila would be able to resolve it.
After being filled in by Korva and having the subtext about Alianne’s sudden change added in Thassilonian by Alara, Sheila wrapped her arm around Ali’s shoulder, elaborating on well she’d done to recover the relic… as she brought her fist into the younger woman’s nose, knocking her unconscious.
With the shard liberated and placed in a secured box, Alianne woke up confused and groggy. Sheila elaborated on her suspicions: that the shard is part of Xin’s Sihedron, a relic that represented the seven virtues of rule before they were sundered by the runelord’s betrayal.
And… if it is real and not just a legend, it could be a weapon powerful enough to defend Varisia against the next runelord to stir.
Next Time
They learn more about the Sihedron and it’s shards, trying to determine where the others might lie.
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With the mysterious shard safely in Sheila Heidmarch’s possession, Korva and the recovered Alianne set to work devouring the texts Sheila left for them.
Alara took a different route while the others studied, illuminating scrolls embodying the beauty and healing power of her goddess, Shelyn. Ali noted she could call on their power… sometimes… maybe, so Alara entrusted most of the scrolls to her.
Research went slowly at first, separating references to Xin’s Sihedron from references to the Sihedron as the symbol of Thassilon or the lost goddess of runes.
Secret Meetings
They’d made arrangements to meet Plutivarch Dremis the following day in the ruined neighborhood around the Shadow Clock. He appeared at the appointed time, recently shaved and wearing a set of clothes that had been washed in the last week.
He spilled what details he had with little prompting: a Tower Girl by the name of Sasha had come ashore on a rowboat yesterday and sold a large number of Thassilonian curiosities. She first visited the Bronze House of the Consortium, but was sent to sell most of her wares in the Bazaar of Sails.
They slipped Dremis a stack of gold, asking him to bring back information from the Bronze House and pick up one of the less expensive items Sasha had sold.
Alara explained they were still looking for the Tower Girls and the piece might point the way. Their instructions that he should drop off the item at Heidmarch Manor labeled “For the Sword of Virtue” were perhaps somewhat stranger.
Although Korva wished to explore the Shadow Clock, Alara’hai warned against it, feeling the slick taint of evil on the place and strangely disordered thoughts within.
I figured, with Natalya back in Ayala's hands, she would regain enough focus to send some goods ashore for sale. Sasha seemed like an obvious choice, being one of the most trusted but presumably also among the most expendable. In retrospect, Terisha might have worked better.
The House of the Enemy
After some discussion among themselves, and changing into much nicer clothes, they decided to head to the Bronze House. Alianne and Alara would play sisters from a rich family, while Korva would be a guard escorting them.
Waited on by a halfling steward, they saw the wares of the Bronze House, trying to focus on new acquisitions. A few items dragged from the depths of the Varisian Gulf caught their fancy, including a paradox box and a stone Alianne thought might fit into the shard.
They did slightly better at the Bazaar, although confusing poor Dremis as he made the same rounds. A vendor who’d spoken to Sasha sold them a strange item: a stretch of leather scorched with the outline of a door, decorated like the paradox box with the word “LISTEN.”
Foreshadowing the door in B22 for no good reason. Just seemed like a fun thing to have the vendor have gotten from Sasha.
Further Research
Waiting to hear back from Dremis, they finished their canvasing of the books and settled in to compare notes. It was obvious the shards were scattered, even contested over the Runelords, but where could they be found?
Asking Sheila to come back over to discuss their findings, they peppered her with further questions. Did she know where Natalya found the shard? What would happen if Xin came back? Are their stones associated with the different Virtues as there are runes, schools of magic, and metals?
Their questions answered, and Sheila offering to track down the ioun stone of confidence, they settled in around the shard to examine it properly. Spurred on by the suggestion it may know where its opposing shards lie, they focused on the shard and asked about its opposites.
I also gave another way to disable the curses (by having an opposing shard in close proximity), because I wasn't planning on having Sheila play ioun stone vending machine. But, since they figured it out, I'm happy to have her chase down some stones for them.
I'll probably get them a few stones, then make them find out what the others are. That doesn't seem like a very common piece of lore, even for someone as well-versed as Sheila. Probably hide the remaining information in the library in Kaer Maga (or even the caulborn).
I might switch up the ioun stones some, just to make sure they fit the Virtues or counter the Virtues. They might actually already, which would be rad, I just haven't looked.
Sight of the Shards
Strange visions clashed behind closed eyelids: a tower among the waves and a pagoda set into a basalt cliff. Korva was quickly able to identify the ocean tower as “The Crow,” one of the Irespan pilings furthest from the city.
Alianne voiced her suspicions that the other might be in Leng, a realm of nightmares and madness her uncle had been forced to pass through twenty years before.
With a fresh direction for investigation, they looked towards the Crow. Perhaps that is where the elusive Tower Girls have been hiding? It certainly would explain the girls’ disappearance and Sasha coming ashore in a rowboat.
He learned the language himself after a run-in with the Denizens of Leng and eventually taught it to his niece, because crazy uncle. So she was quick to jump to the Leng conclusion... granted, she's right, but the evidence isn't really conclusive yet.
I decided to have the visions go both ways. I trusted them not to go after the Leng one while there was one sitting over in the Crow.
They pretty much immediately figured out the mechanics of which shards they were seeing and that they should find as many as possible on the not-Leng side before getting involved in that madness, so foreshadowing successful.
Next Time
What will they find in the Crow? Tower Girls? Relics of ancient Thassilon? Sinspawn? The spidery shriezyx? Or something even worse?
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Last time, our heroes saw a strange vision of a tower, surrounded by waves and covered with beaked gargoyles. Korva identified it as “the Crow,” one of the Irespan pilings furthest from the city.
Despite the lack of known entrances, they arranged for a new expedition. Sheila Heidmarch provided supplies and passed on a few requests: that they map the place, bring back sketches of any historically significant art, and retrieve pieces of any “sinspawn” they may find.
They rented a rowboat, Korva grousing that the deposit was enough to buy two boats that size, and made their way to the Crow… finding port in a niche at the tower’s base.
The Tower
The niche, obviously long used by smugglers or transients, had its back wall broken out far more recently. Cautiously making their way through the picked-clean rooms, they encountered little more than a watchful rat before heading up the seemingly endless staircase.
Alerted to someone’s presence by the scrape of heavy wood against stone, Alara called out and began to parlay with the Tower Girls. She claimed they were just here to see Terisha. And, once Terisha was dragged upstairs, they entered a more delicate negotiation to gain access to the Crow for scholarly purposes.
Blindfolded and brought to see the gang’s leader, negotiations eventually bore fruit. The scholarly trio, who truthfully claimed to be neither Pathfinders nor Consortium agents, would be allowed rights to explore and document the tower, but its contents would still belong to the Tower Girls.
I'm curious to see what happens when they try to take the Shard out of the Crow.
The Siccatite Door
Terisha lead them to the door that had been vexing the gang, a silvery barrier rippling with heat. They immediately recognized it as the plate scorched into the hide they bought yesterday, along with its mate.
Although Alara’s attempts to poke the runes with her glaive met with nothing and Ali soon found even lightly touching the door scorched her flesh, they quickly found a solution.
Alara wrote the text into her notebook, looking for combinations and planning out a strategy. Ali implemented the strategy, at the cost of a number of minor burns, then received Shelyn’s healing grace.
Opening the door in minutes impressed the Tower Girls sufficiently to allow them what had been promised: free access to the knowledge of the Crow, so long as its contents remained property of the Sczarni.
Beyond the Door
Passing into uncharted territory, they began the mapping for Sheila. They soon found an ancient scum-covered pool and, when Ali attempted to discern whether the liquid was poisoned, discovered a different sort of danger.
Blobs emerged from the pool, one enveloping Ali’s leg while the other was swiftly dispatched. Some acid burns and an unpleasant chop with a glaive later and they were able to dispatch the second blob as well.
However, the experience made them cautious. When they found thick smears of guano covering the walls, Alara declared “there’s probably a swarm of bats this way” and headed in the opposite direction. They found the stairs… and a tiny blue creature that panicked, running down them.
Mite Be a Problem
Following the creature, Korva mentioned underground fey known as “mites” and reiterated Fenster the Blight’s cryptic comment about “blue dwarfies” vanishing Magnimar’s citizens.
The mite’s trail lead them into a room with strange mounds of dirt. Undeterred, they explored the mounds and found their inhabitants: ants the size of ponies.
Except for one mound, seemingly abandoned, which they explored to find a tiny tunnel ringing with the echoes of metal on stone. Crawling through, they found themselves confronted by a swarm of mites throwing their tiny darts.
In moments, the mites were routed, although one’s dying doom convinced Ali that the room would collapse and flood at any moment. Worse than that, though, was her guilt at killing the adorable and largely harmless creature.
Through pantomime and a few words shared with Aklo, they convinced the survivors to take them to King Zuuga.
Domain of Zuuga
Zuuga sat atop his skull throne, wearing a crown that… on closer inspection seemed to be a human-sized bracer. He welcomed his new servants with open arms and the explorers quickly fell into their role.
With his blessing, they would search for his errant pet Clickylegs and retrieve the king’s sleeping crown (apparently a replica of his waking crown). Although he could not say where Clickylegs had gone, he suggested looking “down.”
Zuuga’s newly promoted executioners, authorized to slay Clickylegs if he proved to be a thief, were allowed through the mite sleeping quarters and into the ancient chambers beneath the Crow.
Guards Long Gone
Although the lower chambers were once prisons and torture chambers, whatever defenders had been left were clearly long gone. Massive scuttling spiders and long-imprisoned sinspawn fell quickly, although the latter’s head made its way into Korva’s pouch for future study.
Beyond the torture chamber, they discovered another set of stairs heading deep into the darkness. A quick check of Korva’s map confirmed their suspicions: they stretched beyond the confines of the Crow and below the seafloor itself.
I ended up running the sinspawn very poorly as a result, but they got to feel good about their tactics being rewarded with an easy fight. So I'll just chalk it up to the madness of being couped up for ten thousand years. Eek.
Next Time
What evils lurk below the sea floor? Can they talk their way past the guardians of ancient Thassilon or will they be forced into a life-or-death battle beneath the sea?
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The explorers moved further into the depths beneath the Crow, their growing map revealing that they’d passed outside the Irespan piling entirely and into the bedrock supporting the Varisian Gulf.
However, they were quickly distracted by the fused glass mosaics decorating the walls of the stairway. To the left, the mosaic showed Xin speaking to a gathering of humans and giants. To the right, its mirror image showed Alaznist calling on a gathering of inhuman horrors.
Alara’hai pointed out figures as they moved down the stairs, elaborating on the mosaic’s historical significance... until they reached the basalt doors.
Putting their heads together, they associated the names decorating the door with figures in each mosaic. Three were servants of Xin: the two longest-ruling Runelords and the first of the rune giants. The other four were extraplanar creatures Alaznist communed.
Ali suggested blood would activate the runes, so Korva cut herself to fill the names… Yamasoth, Haagenti, Lamashtu, and Pazuzu. The doors opened and the explorers breathed a sigh of relief.
Beyond the door, a shaft of light showed a red stone statue of Alaznist and the horse-sized larva wearing an endless track around her. Korva quickly fell back, allowing Alara and Alianne to surround the maggot-vomiting monstrosity. Their superior tactics quickly sent the thing back to the Abyss, but not before it tore a huge chunk from Ali’s chest.
Search for Evil
Somewhere in distance, Alara could sense a force of evil unlike the rest of the Irespan’s latent “Zeal.” It was both more focused and far more orderly. Ali and Korva agreed they should head there first, as it might be the next shard.
On their way, they found moaning creatures in the darkness. Although they seemed clever enough to use spears, the emaciated creatures were unable or unwilling to parlay, quickly falling to blade and arrow.
After their second batch of such creatures, they found a door reeking of gangrene and unwashed bodies. The voice from inside sunk into their minds, begging them to not be mean and just leave it alone.
That Stink
With some cajoling, the creature allowed them into its sanctum. Although roughly human in size and shape, its cancerous flesh ran like candle wax, leaving gobbets of foul-smelling ooze wherever it moved.
Although even Alara had trouble reading emotion into its eternally melting face, they convinced the creature “Stink” to tell them about the mean people who had been troubling him. He explained the meanest was Lord Baz, the Accuser, but the Suzerain was pretty mean too. And the imps. And the nupperibos.
Although Stink’s directions to Lord Baz left something to be desired and the party was quite certain they wouldn’t be able to “smush through the grate,” Ali promised the creature they’d make Baz and the Suzerain stop being mean to him.
Before returning to their search, they took a moment to explore a room near Stink’s, finding a staircase leading to a shimmering blue wall. And beyond that wall? The water of the Varisian Gulf, held back by ancient magic.
Perhaps unwisely, Alara pushed her finger through the spell, but suffered no more harm than a wet digit.
Further Search for Evil
Reorienting themselves to the source of evil, they deftly avoided a (thankfully malfunctioning) fireball trap and found the ruins of ancient alchemical equipment in a vaulted hall. Of all the questions they had to answer, the riddle “who sets up a lab in a hallway?” seemed to vex them the most.
But they did find the source of evil, a labyrinth of curved tunnels covered with graven iron plates. Orienting themselves with Alara’s sense and Korva’s wise application of chalk, they made their way towards the center of the maze… watchful of the clicking of claws against iron behind them.
At the center of the maze, they found the source of the evil, a tiny invisible vortex connecting the maze to somewhere far away. A moment later, the source of the clicking found them. The flaming hound fell quickly, but Alara’s healing blessings were running out… along with their stash of scrolls and potions.
Unfortunately, the evil was not the Shard they sought, so they returned to explore on Stink’s directions. Perhaps Lord Baz would have the Shard.
Domain of Baz
Unable to smush through the grate, or crank it open, they skirted their way around to find a strange arena. Two tiny winged humanoids chittered from the balcony while two of the moaning creatures fought each other with spear and claw.
Adding to the fight, the explorers cut one of the fighters to ribbons… but it would not fall with its master ordering it froward from the balcony. With a swift change of plans, Alara occupied the fighters on the arena floor, while Korva and Alianne struck at their masters in the balcony.
The battle soon turned, with the first winged creature falling almost immediately. The other fled towards a trio of doors, shouting for aid in its native tongue. As Ali finished it off, one of the doors opened and Baz, a revolting mix of fly and child, buzzed forth from its chamber.
Ali reversed her advance, regrouping with her companions just in time for Baz to disgorge a massive swarm of biting flies. Alara turned on the flies, turning Shelyn’s crafting to the creation of acid, while Ali and Korva beat down the monstrosity.
“Fine!” it exclaimed into Ali’s mind after a particularly telling blow, “you can have the lab! Fine!” As it attempted to buzz away, however, she ran it through with her rapier.
Not sure I'll stick with that, but it was a solid mechanism for the fight. Was still probably easier than DR but... I think I'm okay with that. CR 1 creatures with DR 5 and full HP seems pretty weird to me anyway.
Next Time
They return to Stink for their reward and find new leads on the Shard. But what of the Suzerain? And what will the Tower Girls think of the ancient zither and coffer of coins they lifted from Baz’s quarters?
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Making their way back to Stink, our trio were reminded that Baz was not the only threat to the foul-smelling devil. The Suzerain also ruled over his corner of the dungeon, likely to expand now that Lord Baz has been banished back to the Hells.
Following Stink's instructions, they made their way to the Suzerain's chambers. They gently opened the door, hearing the sloshing footsteps of Stink's kind and chirping commands to "Keep patrolling! Keep patrolling!"
Negotiations quickly broke down with the devils' hidden commander, the "Suzerain of Little Erebus." With Alara'hai and Alianne unwilling to salve the Suzerain's vast pride, the situation soon became violent.
Although the patrolling demons were cut again and again, they rallied at the Suzerain's cries. Aided by the cries, Korva and Alara cut down the invisible commander while Ali kept the disgusting lemures occupied.
With the Suzerain out of the way, his soldiers quickly folded under the combined onslaught.
Turning the Key
Prying open a nearby door, they discovered a long-abandoned store room containing a rough clockwork contraption the size of a man and a fine set of smith's tools.
Alara rifled through her packs, remembering a clockwork key they found near Baz's chamber. With it, they awoke the clockwork servant.
The clockwork was able to answer a few questions about the complex, specifically mentioning the labs of the pilings chief wizard hidden beyond a guardpost and a series of sewers.
Armed with that knowledge, they returned to Stink to settle their account and left the servant to tidy the long-destroyed labs.
The Veil of Water
Leaving Stink's room, they fell to curiosity about the stairs leading into the Varisian Gulf. Poking around that area, they found an observatory looking over the waving seaweed of the seafloor.
After shaking off their awe, they saw the shadow of a ship partially hidden by the seaweed, around the size of the vessel they'd left. "Is... that our ship?" Korva asked, suddenly considering a possible betrayal by the Tower Girls, but the name emblazoned on its side was "Liza Star."
Availing themselves of a scroll left by the observatories ancient inhabitants, they explored the wreck and killed the reefclaws nesting there. Korva identified the ship and its treasures as belonging to a lost sailor named Lockerbie Brast.
The Guardpost
Following the clockwork's instructions, they wove their way through the complex, avoiding unfinished tunnels. This lead to a room dominated by a murky pool and tentacle-pillars supporting its vaulted ceiling.
Knowing better than to trust the room, but lacking a better solution, Ali and Alara began swimming across with Korva providing cover. In Ali's faint light, a twisted face appeared in the gloom, it's jaw splitting in two as it clamped onto her face.
Despite the
unfavorable environment and the creatures' zealous bites, they destroyed the creatures and harvested what they could for Sheila's contact at the Golemworks.
Beyond the pool, they quickly found the promised sewers... and a distant voice singing in an unknown language. Ali, laboring under several wounds, suggested they withdraw to the clockwork's room to rest and recover before tackling the sewers.
The Sewers
After a day of rest under the watch of their clockwork servant, they made their way back past the watery guardpost and into the sewers proper. The singing had stopped, but they explored its source... a room painted with a view of Magnimar. It was not the shoreline Magnimar would be built on, but today's Magnimar.
Making their way on the bridge through the room, Ali and Alara noticed Korva's footsteps going silent. They turned to see a clawed hand gripping Korva's ankle from beneath the water, Korva frozen stock still. A breath later, the hand's owner used his hold to crawl up onto the bridge.
As he feasted on Korva's flesh, the others did what they could, hacking him off their friend and dropping his body back into the water. As Korva recovered from her ordeal, she filled in her suspicions: "I think that was Lockerbie Brast... also, I think he had a wife... we should probably find her."
Ali and Alara shared a glance, remember their father and uncle's experiences with ghoul fever. With that specter hanging over their heads, they made their way through the sewers quietly and cautiously.
As a bonus, Korva also got a great result on Knowledge (local) to get the side quest without talking to Brast, so having him try to kill her makes that check more important. If that makes any sense.
Arguing in the Dark
Bouncing through the sewers, whispers of a conversation made their way to the party. Sneaking forward, they soon found their source.
Three pallid humanoids with shocks of white hair and milky eyes argued about... something. Ali, able to understand their language the best, suggested it might be a philosophical question or experiment.
Alara, seemingly less concerned about the philosophical questions, hissed "these are Fenster's blue dwarfies." Korva nodded, "the ones behind the kidnappings."
Against the Kidnappers
And with that, the battle was quickly joined. The first of the stunted creatures fell to the assault, scattering his colleagues... only to have them return moments later.
Ali followed one, finding herself face to face with his ally... a vaguely humanoid mass of rotting parts crowned by a trepanned dwarf's head. Alara kept close to the other, taking a step back as Fenster himself emerged from her quarters, his face blank of its usual leer and bluster.
Although the creatures fought dirty, applying strange alchemical inventions, the stitched carrion proved the greatest menace. Ali took a number of filthy wounds before switching places with Alara, letting her glaive do the work of dismantling the hideous creature.
Meanwhile, Ali and Korva ravaged their humanoid opponents. The small creatures Korva called "derro" had a mad will, but could still be put down by a rapier to the heart or an arrow to the head.
As their last enemy fell in the darkness, they considered the merits of having let Fenster live after their first meeting.
Also, we got a ton of stuff done this session. In about three hours, we got a side fight on the way to the Suzerain (glossed over), the Suzerain fight, the reefclaws, the aquatic sinspawn, Lockerbie, the cave morays (glossed over), and the derro plus Fenster and the carrion golem. Plus a bunch of roleplaying and exploration.
Next Time
In the darkness below the Crow, does the next Shard await? Do any of the derros' prisoners yet live? And what were they doing down here?
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With the derro defeated, our heroines found a set of cells, filled with strange lights and whimpering test subjects. But the keys were no where to be found.
Doubling-back, they made their way down a small set of stairs. Far beneath the ocean floor, they met a fourth derro and her two winged replicas.
Ali stared covetously at the derro woman’s alchemical equipment, while Alara carefully drew information from the mad creature. She and her assistants were here performing experiments, attempting to cure a curse that had long vexed their race.
Although the derro was nonchalant about her “assistants” death, even Alara’s silver tongue could not persuade her to stop harvesting test subjects. After the derro magister’s final refusal, battle was joined a moment later.
Ali and Alara moved towards the magister, tangling with her warped duplicates while she showered them with acid. In those first moments, Alara was nearly dragged under by the duplicates’ numbing bites.
As Ali and Korva attempted to get Alara to safety and salvage the situation, the derro’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as she somehow drew all light from the room. Seconds later, our heroines had blindly retreated back up the stairs.
Echoes of Pride
Back in the main chamber, Korva advised withdrawing further, while Ali suggested the darkness was a momentary setback and they could surely defeat the derro.
Alara looked on in concern, “Ali, are you alri…?” The question was cut off by Ali throwing herself against one of the walls of the room, demanding it open for its rightful ruler. A moment later, she jolted out of her reverie, seemingly surprised by the echoes of her own voice.
Momentarily distracted from their recent defeat, they searched the wall, finding a frighteningly well hidden door. Activating the ancient catch, they slipped down the stairs, hoping the derro did not know of this passage.
At the base of the stairs, they found a beautiful room, covered in art of Thassilonian cities rendered in reds, oranges, and golds. Two statues of Alaznist flanked a pair of red double doors.
Alara looked to the others. “My dad said he saw doors like this once, below Sandpoint.” Ali nodded, “Uncle Krieger said something about them too… that they were dangerous.”
Calling on Shelyn’s sight, Alara looked on the doors… and collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by the magic coruscating beyond them.
The Doors Beckon
Doing their best to make their unconscious companion comfortable, Ali and Korva set watches until she awakened. Comparing notes, they concluded the shard was beyond those doors… along with a powerful magical effect, held in abeyance since the time of Thassilon.
Ali fiddled with the ancient magic on the door, attempting to disable or discharge the old magic. But it was far beyond her. They speculated it may have been laid by Alaznist, the Runelord of Zeal, herself.
Seeing little other choice, they opened the door, revealing a large room with an altar in the Sihedron’s shape. Two spidery beings they recognized as shriezyx stirred from their slumber.
The creatures howled in Thassilonian, cursing the intruders as servants of Karzoug the Claimer. Alara spat back “Karzoug is dead! We would never serve him!” through gritted teeth.
Nevertheless, the shriezyx would not be persuaded. And, frankly, Alara was insulted enough to be associated with Karzoug that she may not have put her best effort into it.
Ali and Alara did their best to pinch one of the things between them, unfortunately leaving the other time to spin its webs around Alara, accusing her of working for the Claimer as it worked. The webs sapped her strength, threatening to drag her back into unconsciousness.
As the first shriezyx fell, its copy’s jaws closed over Ali’s head, leaving her bleeding on the floor. Alara was able to return the other girl to her feet, but it took the last of her strength, leaving her passed out on the floor… still covered in the shriezyx webbing.
Korva and Ali fought bitterly against the remaining shriezyx, putting it down before it could drag Ali down with it. They cut Alara free, then collapsed for a moment of rest as she recovered from the webbing’s effects.
For the shriezyx web, I had it give a condition card that, among other things, dealt nonlethal damage every round. That worked really well, leading to some tense situations and even knocking Alara out of commission without actually killing anyone.
In the Shrine
With Alara back on her feet and the last of Shelyn’s power burned to keep Ali up, they set to examining the shrine. The first thing they noticed were the carvings around its base… fourteen sides, each written in a different language, creating some sort of grand ritual.
But within the indentation at the top of the shrine was a greater prize: the brother to the Shard of Confidence, forged from a dull grey metal. Ali gingerly flipped the shard into a container Sheila had given them for that purpose, but staggered back as she did.
Two visions warred in her mind. One was a hellish light faintly illuminating a swamp with several smaller, ghastly blue lights dancing underneath.
The other was Heidmarch Manor, where they had left the Shard of Confidence. Where there should have been guards near the steps, there was only a smear of blood.
And, since I'd decided the shards always show the two opposing shards' locations, this was a great time to spring some opposition on them.
Flight to the Manor
Ali insisted the others follow her, making their way towards the underwater observatory while explaining what she’d seen. Back at the passage, they used the remaining scroll’s magic to allow them to breath underwater, and swam back to their boat bobbing at the surface.
They rushed across town, hoping Korva was recognizable enough out of uniform and soaking wet to talk past any guards they might encounter. Luckily, they made it to Heidmarch Manor unharmed.
The same could not be said for the guards which had been posted at the door.
Alara quickly identified three pools of blood. Two belonged to the guards, now dragged around a corner and out of site. The third, however, was an unknown man who was likely dead now.
Trusting Sheila to forgive any impoliteness, they barreled through the front door.
Two Varisian thugs, who Korva quietly identified as members of the Gallowed, stood watch in the main hall.
Alara launched in quickly, challenging the men to stand and die or step aside and live… unlike their friend that had died taking the front door. The Gallowed hesitated, giving our heroines enough time to get past them and render the conversation moot.
Strange Visitors
Following the sounds of conversation above, they made their way to a study with windows overlooking the Magnimar Zoo. A strange view, certainly, but not nearly as strange as the dragon atop the table, demanding something from Sheila Heidmarch in Draconic.
The dragon seemed unaware of the trio’s presence, focusing on Lady Heidmarch. So when the Korva’s misfired arrow arced above it and Heidmarch, plucking the arrow from the air before it hit her, claimed it was a warning shot… it may have believed her.
In any case, it did not accept the warning, leading Ali and Alara to make their way into the room. Heidmarch, meanwhile, kept the dragon occupied with her staff and lashing feet.
Unfortunately, the Gallowed were not the dragon’s only allies, as a humanoid figure of earth tore its way from beneath to trap the Lady. Between the dragon and its elemental servant, she quickly fell, leaving it to the three of them to fend off the intruders and somehow prevent them from killing Sheila.
Alara made her way under the dragon’s snapping jaws, applying what healing magic she could to Heidmarch. Meanwhile, Ali did her best to keep the dragon’s attention while Korva finished off its servant.
Finally, with the earth creature dead and Sheila back on her feet, the battle seemed to turn.
Sensing the same thing, the dragon roared in rage and crashed through the windows out into the night.
Sheila acquitted herself well, but the players got their chances to shine as well, so they were cheering when she did her thing. And the dragon got away at the end without me having to cheat anything (beyond having set the battle in a study with windows).
My only regret is that, if I'd thought of this encounter before I started the game, the very first encounter with the puzzle box would have occurred in the same study.
In the Dragon’s Wake
In the aftermath, Lady Heidmarch confirmed the trio’s suspicions: the dragon had been looking for the Shard of Confidence. However, her husband Canayven had managed to keep its servants away from the vaults while she “kept the dragon occupied.”
The Heidmarches accepted the team’s report in the main hall, performing a field initiation and presenting them with their wayfinders. Although they could not claim it publicly, for fear of revealing their mission, they were now officially Pathfinders.
Korva suggested that the hellish blaze they’d seen was the torch of the Lady’s Light, a massive Thassilonian statue deep in the Mushfens. Canayven and Alara filled in that the Lady’s Light is a statue of Sorshen, the Runelord of Love, and was one of her personal strongholds.
Next Time
Our heroines tie up loose ends as they prepare to journey to the Lady’s Light!
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Comparing their notes, the Heidmarchs and their newly-minted Pathfinders quickly came to the conclusion that someone possessed the Shard of Efficiency… someone actively looking for the other shards.
Not wanting to waste any time, they began laying plans for their journey to the Lady’s Light. The Lady Heidmarch suggested they take the Shard of Confidence with them, showing their pursuer the trackless wastes of the Mushfens rather than a well-known building.
However, the dragon was not their only concern: they still needed to keep the Consortium off their trail. Sheila suggested a plausible cover: Sabriyya Kalmeralm, the “Princess of the Bazaar” was interested in Mushfen spices. The meeting was set for the next afternoon, leaving the party a short time to rest and recuperate.
Loose Ends
So, naturally, they decided to sneak back into the Crow and release the derro’s experimental subjects. Tracking down Koriah Azmeren, a Pathfinder and Darklands expert they’d met briefly, they convinced her to accompany them at least long enough to kill the derro.
The Tower Girls were understandably surprised to see Ali, Alara, and Korva back… as they’d been gone for days and left the piling without being seen. The gang’s leader suspected them of slipping away with her loot, but was partially mollified with a map of the Crow’s inner reaches.
Unlike their first battle against magister, the second was over in moments, with Koriah brutally killing the derro. Korva shyly asked the elder Pathfinder if she was seeing anyone. After some awkward stammering on both sides, Korva did her best to laugh the matter off and fade into the background.
With the magister dead, the Pathfinders used her keys to free the prisoners. And, following an extensive search, they were able to find the tunnels the derror had been using, delivering the maddened prisoners to the church of Pharasma and reporting their success to Lieutenant Kasadei.
Alara conspired to tie two remaining loose ends together, hiring Plutivarch Dremis to watch over the sewer entrance from the Crow and providing him a letter of introduction to the Tower Girls.
This is going to be awesome in Beyond the Doomsday Door.
Princess of the Bazaar
The trio met with Sabriyya Kalmeralm in a tea house to help establish their cover. The more people knew the story, after all, the better.
They briefly discussed old times, how Tobar and Kriger had helped secure her a place on the Council of Ushers following an… opening during the Skinsaw Murders. But, after that, it was all business.
Sabriyya wanted a supply of spices and medicinal herbs from the Mushfens, requiring a trade partner on the other end to harvest the plants. Unfortunately, no “civilized” races spend time in the dire swamp.
Even the Princess of the Bazaar knew only of a single guide. But Jasper had returned from the Mendevian Crusades… different, so they were on their own.
The party agreed to serve as her go-between, asking to trade most of the fee for a cut of the first year’s profits. A quick set of haggling settled on a percentage and Sabriyya wished them luck in the Mushfens.
Next Time
What can the mad prophet reveal? What awaits the party on their way to the Lady’s Light?