A few hours before dawn, the camp is awoken by the sound of creatures moving through the nearby underbrush. A trio of horses, fully saddled and with saddlebags, emerge from the tree line foraging for food. Kozen investigates and notices that the horses seem agitated, and that the saddlebags they carry contain rations and clothing for small humanoids. He speculates that the horses could have been abandoned by the fugitive Captain Othlo and his crew, but Artemis raises a more disturbing theory: bloody wounds on one of the horses indicates that it was attacked sometime in the last several hours. Kang finds a small blue feather hidden at the bottom of one of the saddlebags, which Goragar identifies as a magical means of instantly creating an anchor. The theory that this was Othlo’s horse gains ground, and Goragar expresses his hope that they catch up to him and deliver some payback. Shalelu returns from scouting the tree line and says the horses came from the north. Some in the camp urge an immediate departure, but Artemis emphasizes the risk of stumbling about in the dark towards an unknown danger and persuades everyone to wait until morning.
Bringing the new horses with them, the adventurers set off at first light. As they travel, talk turns to what the adventurers are likely to find in Turtleback Ferry, and all but Briza are pessimistic. The travellers cover a few miles, but their journey stops suddenly. Rounding a bend in a river, they see, several hundred feet away, a classic river bandit strategy. Tree trunks have been cut down and placed across a narrow part of the Skull River to block boats from moving in either direction, and the road that parallels the river has been similarly obstructed. A dozen highwaymen and river pirates man the makeshift barrier in order to extract a heavy “toll fee” from all who would pass through. In order to raise or lower the logs, the bandits have enlisted the aid of an eleven-foot tall, green-skinned marsh giant! In the clear light of day, both groups see each other, and no one doubts that a battle is imminent: “Let’s make some corpses”, says Kang.
Artemis dismounts, takes cover behind a boulder, and lets fly with an arrow. Even at a distance, the marksman has no difficulty striking the obese marsh giant. Shalelu follows suit. The bandits return fire with a volley of arrows and the giant hurls a nearby tree stump, but no one is hurt. Kang takes to the sky and turns invisible, slowly covering the distance towards the attackers, while Briza runs forward at full speed, rapidly closing the distance. Goragar prepares for battle by reciting some prayers to Gorum and then follows, still mounted on his warhorse. Kozen summons shadows to surround her and enchants a length of rope to set a trap should any of the bandits approach, but the battle is decided several hundred feet away from her. As Artemis and Shalelu continue to successfully exchange volleys with the bandits, Briza and the marsh giant charge at each other. The giant’s natural reach, extended even further with a long gaff hook, proves a decisive advantage as he wounds her twice before she can even close the gap. She slashes him right across the abdomen and rank fish guts pour out of his belly, but with an anguished cry to the demon lord Dagon, he rakes the gaff back and impales the hook in Briza’s throat! In an instant, the Shoanti swordswoman once so full of life is laid low forever.
Goragar, whose childhood village was razed by giants, yells a battlecry and spurs his horse forward. He tries to cleave the giant’s gaff in twain, but the giant is too fast for the clever manoeuvre. Even the massive half-orc is overpowered by this foe, and soon succumbs after a series of awesome blows. The unconscious half-orc stays in his saddle, but bleeds profusely and is only seconds away from death. Fiery retribution rains down from above as Kang emerges from the shroud of invisibility and begins dropping explosives on the hapless giant! The fish-faced foe makes the decision to try to leap into the water to escape, but it’s not fast enough to evade yet another alchemical bomb and flops down, a smoking husk. The surviving bandits, realizing the battle has turned against them, flee into the tree line, with many falling from Artemis’ and Shalelu’s arrows. With literally only seconds to spare, Kozen heroically dashes next to Goragar and staunches his bleeding.
The half-orc returns from the very brink of death only to hear Kang imploring him to do something to help Briza. But the brave warrior was killed instantly, and there’s nothing anyone can do. Everyone gathers around, with Tillia in tears. Shalelu says, perhaps coldly, that there are two choices: bury her where she fell or set the body adrift on the river. Artemis says there’s no time for either, as the group needs to be moving, but Kang is outraged and, this time, the group’s leader is overruled. Goragar and Shalelu investigate the bandit camp to look for spades, and they find the battered, unconscious form of Captain Othlo along with the bodies of the last of his shipmates. The doom that befell Pinkeye’s Comeuppance seems to have carried on as a curse to its captain and crew. Goragar slings Othlo over his shoulder, and returns with Shalelu to assist in digging a grave for Briza.
Before the body is lowered into the grave, the adventurers begin stripping it of valuables and equipment. Tillia, already distraught, is revolted and shouts that the adventurers are no better than jackals! She implores them to bring the body to Turtleback Ferry so that Father Shreed can at least perform a decent burial. Shalelu whispers to Artemis that a Shoanti warrior like Briza would doubtless prefer to be buried on the field of battle where she fell, but Tillia’s chastening words have had their effect. The decision is made to wrap Briza’s body up in a bedroll and tie it to the back of one of the spare horses. Goragar decapitates the marsh giant and takes the head as a token of the first giant slain by the company of adventurers. As the journey north continues on, far more sombre than before, Goragar discusses what went wrong in the battle, noting that they should have taken better advantage of their obvious superiority with archery to whittle the giant down before it could close into hand-to-hand combat. The journey into the cold continues for several hours, and a mild drizzle turns into steady rain as the adventurers start a fire and set up camp.
[17 Kuthona 4707]
A cold, rainy day matches the mood of the adventurers when dawn comes. Noticing Othlo beginning to stir, Goragar slaps him awake. The battered halfling is berated by Goragar, Artemis, and Kozen for his cruel lack of compassion towards the safety of his crew, but all the once-likable man can talk about is whether they’re closer to Claybottom Lake, where the giant albino gar known as Pinkeye destroyed his first vessel. If anything, the tragedies that have befallen Othlo (many of his own making) have only strengthened his single-minded obsession to get revenge! Disgusted, Goragar punches the halfling back into unconsciousness. The adventurers break camp and continue, knowing they’re not far from Turtleback Ferry.
A few hours pass uneventfully until the sound of horses in pain can be heard in the distance. The adventurers rush closer and see that a farmhouse on the far side of the river is under attack! Brutish creatures the size of giants with arms as thick as pythons are attacking the farm’s horses—already, a man that Tillia identifies as Farmer Jonas is being shaken like a rag-doll! Ogres have obviously ventured deeper south than usual, but the campfire stories told of their horrendous brutality and savage cannibalism aren’t enough to give the adventurers pause. Kang drinks an extract, shouts a challenge, and, uncharacteristically, flies right towards his foes! Perhaps affected by the recent death of his “assistant,” the master alchemist has placed himself in harm’s way and suffers a bone-shaking blow from an ogre’s greatclub. Realizing his mistake, Kang turns invisible and retreats. Meanwhile, Artemis and Shalelu open fire with their bows and Kozen entangles one in its own shadow. Goragar defends the eastern side of the river bank when the ogres start to jump and swim across. The adventurers take a more conservative strategy and it pays off in victory.
Only hours away from Turtleback Ferry, and the path ahead lays clear. The adventurers have made good time on their trip from Magnimar, but tragedy has struck along the way. Briza was the heart of the group. How will they go forward without her?
After the violent suppression of the ogre raid on the farmhouse, the adventurers cross the river to secure the scene. Kozen utters some healing magic to revive the unconscious landowner, and he thanks the adventurers profusely, expressing surprise that ogres would strike this far south. The farmer, Jonas, exchanges pleasantries and local gossip would Tillia. Kang whispers to the others that they should ask for a reward, but the decision is instead made to continue on.
Another hour’s march north reveals a tiny thorp located on a rocky promontory overlooking a large lake. “Turtleback Ferry, I presume,” says one of the adventurers, but Tillia laughs and shakes her head. “That’s Pendaka! Turtleback Ferry is on the far side of the lake and is much larger.” The adventurers discuss whether to press on, but the cold, rain, and approaching darkness convince them a night’s rest in Pendaka would be wise. Standing in the middle of a cluster of small houses, the only building of any size in Pendaka is a large inn and trading post called the Walleyed Wife. Tillia notes that they’re in time to catch the last ferry across Claybottom Lake, but the others have had enough of boat travel, so she makes the last leg of the journey alone while the others get rooms for the night. They leave Briza’s body (shrouded in a bedroll) and the unconscious Captain Othlo in the stables. A heavyset man named Olam Keecher, covered in flour and berry juice, treats the travellers to his “famous” cranberry turtle egg pies while lamenting the lack of trade along the Skull River in recent months. The adventurers manage to purchase a few supplies from Olam and then turn in for the night as the cold wind wails outside. Shalelu, true to fashion, sets up her own campsite away from the settlement.
[18 Kuthona 4707]
Over breakfast, Kang and Goragar ask Olam if he’s heard any interesting rumours lately. He says that a fishing boat was torn in half last week in the middle of Claybottom Lake by Ol’ Pinkeye, and that if the constant rain doesn’t let up soon, Claybottom Lake and the Skull River could flood their banks like they did one time years ago. Olam is pleased to hear that the adventurers plan to discover what happened to the Order of the Black Arrows, since the rangers were a steady source of custom for the inn.
After several hours walking, the adventurers finally reach the end of a journey that started over two weeks prior: Turtleback Ferry, a small village of about 30 buildings perched on the north shore of Claybottom Lake. Peopled primarily by farmers, hunters, and trappers, the rural village can be seen to sport a small trading post, an inn, a tavern, a smithy, a small one-room schoolhouse (Tillia’s), and a temple to Erastil. Few residents are out on the streets even though it’s early afternoon and, although not unfriendly, they look gloomy and hurry to get out of the unceasing rain. The adventurers decide their first order of business is to see that Briza receives a respectful burial, so they walk to the temple.
Inside, they find the local priest (and, as it turns out, mayor), Father Maelin Shreed, talking with a rather unusual figure: a goblin wearing clean, well-maintained clothing who speaks with a middle-class accent! Kang draws an explosive, but halts as Father Shreed welcomes the visitors and introduces the goblin as “Sir Roderick, a brave knight.” Father Shreed explains that “Sir Roderick” is something of a local hero. When told by the adventurers that they’ve been sent from Magnimar to investigate the loss of contact with Fort Rannick, Father Shreed is relieved and explains that he’s been struggling to keep Sir Roderick from setting out to solve the matter all by himself. Sir Roderick prepares tea for everyone and explains with a dignified bearing that he desires to be a duly-deputized law enforcer someday, and that, although Turtleback Ferry has no organized constabulary, he plans to set a sterling example. Artemis invites Sir Roderick to come with them to Fort Rannick and, despite Kang’s repeated provocations, Sir Roderick agrees. With a plan to leave first-thing in the morning, the adventurers go on to explain to Father Shreed what happened to their fallen companion, and he promises to quickly organize a service at dusk.
Outside, with a few hours to spare, Goragar asks what should be done with the captive Captain Othlo. As the nearest jail is back in Ilsurian, the decision is made to let fate deal with the obsessed halfling. Goragar pushes the bound figure off his horse and into the mud before riding away. The visitors, along with Sir Roderick, visit the schoolhouse to tell Tillia about the service for Briza. She promises to attend. A visit is made to the local smithy, Irontooth’s Metal Goods, a business named after the forged metallic false teeth worn by “Irontooth” Jorveni. Jorveni reluctantly turns down an offer to purchase a beautiful suit of mithral breastplate (seized from Othlo), and the adventurers get the first hint that there’s a real limit to how much wealth a small community like Turtleback Ferry has to offer. When asked by Artemis whether he’s able to defend himself, Sir Roderick brings forth an unusual object composed of twin metal barrels with a wooden stock: a type of alchemical-driven projectile launcher called a “musket.” Kang is impressed at seeing what he calls a “veritable explosion machine,” while Artemis is dismissive—“clunky, loud, and very easy to see.” Later, at the local general store, Kang persuades an old maid named Wenda Leenee to part with a healthy part of her life savings in order to buy a rare bottle of wine. Artemis notices some unusual items on the dusty shelves, and realizes some of them are enchanted—something Wenda explains as the clever purchases of her “dearly departed”.
During their errands around town, Artemis saw a resident bending over a water trough and noticed a surprising tattoo on the man’s calf: the Sihedron rune! Rather than confront the man immediately, Artemis decided to wait and try to find the man later. In the late afternoon, the adventurers decide to have a drink prior to the funeral. At a tavern called Bottom Ups, they see the two halfling proprietors (a husband and wife named Yads and Berthandy Kesker) partaking in what the locals know to be a regular habit: a heated argument that involves hurled expletives and hurled bottles! After the fight ends (as it always does) in apologetic hugs, Artemis asks Berthandy if she knows of anyone with a seven-pointed star tattoo. Berthandy suddenly pulls her sleeve down and looks nervous as she explains that she’s never heard of such a thing.
The funeral for Briza takes place at the local graveyard, and is attended by dozens of locals as word has spread of the warrior’s sacrifice on a mission to help the village. Maelin gives a short but heartfelt eulogy, while Kang says that Briza taught him humility, wisdom, and patience. Tillia tries to speak but sobs keep her from being understood. After Briza’s remains are lowered into place and the service concludes, several residents offer to help the newcomers in any way they can. Artemis asks for, and receives, good directions to Fort Rannick.
That night, Artemis accepts Father Shreed’s invitation to stay at the temple, while the others walk to a nearby inn called The Turtle’s Parlor. The innkeeper, Cesten Orlandi, is clearly in a foul mood and tries to make up for weeks of vacancies by punishing the travellers with an exorbitant rate for rooms. Sir Roderick, who has walked with the adventurers to make sure they’re taken care of, intervenes and negotiates something somewhat more reasonable. Kozen is refused entry because of her dog Taz, as the spiteful innkeeper seems to derive perverse pleasure in turning away the very customers he so desperately needs! Fortunately, Sir Roderick offers to let Kozen stay at his home (a converted outhouse) despite his innate fear of dogs.
[19 Kuthona 4707]
Before dawn, a dense fog rolls into town, shrouding creatures and objects that are more than a few feet away in a swirling gray mist. When he awakes, Sir Roderick exclaims to Kozen that it’s far too dangerous to leave for Fort Rannick in such conditions. When the adventurers regroup, Artemis says that, as someone reliant with a ranged weapon himself, he shares Sir Roderick’s concerns, but that every day they delay is another day that lives are in danger without the protection of the Order of the Black Arrow rangers. Artemis notes that his own cousin, Fillias, is one of the rangers and could need help. Sir Roderick seeks the advice of Father Shreed, who tells the goblin to trust his own instincts but that, in such fog, travel could actually be safer because threats could pass right by the adventurers like ships in the night. Sir Roderick is persuaded, and even reluctantly accedes to riding on a horse in order to emulate the common practice of noble knights.
Shalelu rejoins the group as they follow the road north, expressing surprise and distaste to discover that a goblin is in their company. After about an hour’s journey, the adventurers come to an old wooden bridge and cross over to the west bank of the river, which borders the notorious forest of Kreegwood. Artemis hears the sound of a large cat yowling in pain in the nearby woods, and shares what he’s heard with the others. As they talk about what to do, they hear the sound of dogs barking in the same direction, and an off-key voice singing “going to eat some kittens today, going to eat them in a stew in every way.” The adventurers discuss the matter backwards and forward, until they hear the sound of a large cat fighting with the dogs and the grunts of battle. Deciding that it was probably just a hunter, the adventurers decide to continue following the road north. Two hours later, they see the promised sign indicating the direction of Fort Rannick.
The replacement character for the player who ran Briza is introduced in this session: a goblin gunslinger named Sir Roderick. Sir Roderick was definitely very different than a normal goblin in Golarion and in the character I can see some of the concerns about the inclusion of goblins as Core races in Pathfinder Second Edition--that is, how far can you stretch "the norm" before it undermines the setting? Still, Sir Roderick was a fun character. As we'll see, also an effective character because firearms target Touch AC--so, like Kang, he almost never missed. Rise of the Runelords was definitely not designed with alchemists or gunslingers in mind, because the vast majority of creatures have high AC only because of their natural armor bonuses, which are bypassed by touch weapons.
I had fun role-playing the NPCs in Turtleback Ferry. It was challenging because so little information is given about them compared to those in Sandpoint. But I gave Father Maelin a Russian accent, had Wenda be a senile old lady, and had Cesten be a bitter self-sabotager. It's always good to have some opportunities to stretch one's creative muscles even in the middle of a planned adventure.
The stuff about hearing the animal in distress while the PCs were crossing the bridge was actually the hook to the main first part of the chapter, where the PCs come across a homestead of ogre-kin (depraved, deformed hillbillies) named the Grauls who have imprisoned a trio of survivors of Fort Rannick. The PCs didn't bite (probably because the players assumed it was just another random encounter), which meant all that prep work went for naught! I had to scramble to get Fort Rannick ready before the next session. It's too bad, as there were some great (and memorable) encounters, traps, and monsters in the Graul house. Not having the Fort Rannick survivors also rendered the Shalelu/step-father subplot kaput. On the other hand, I was happy not to have to run a trio of friendly NPCs in every battle.
[19 Kuthona 4707 continued]
The adventurers pause at the sign indicating the direction of Fort Rannick because a minor problem has sprung up: Kozen is sick. Days travelling through the cold and rain have led to her catching a severe cold, and rather than continue on, the group decides it would be best if she (and Taz) stayed behind and built a fire and campsite while everyone else scouts ahead.
The others then continue on, finding themselves travelling along a wide valley that runs along the southern edge of the mountains that separate Kreegwood to the south from the Storval Deep to the north. The landscape is rugged and desolate as they advance, with the thick fog making it hard to see far in the distance. Before long, the adventurers catch a terrible stench on the wind. Strange shapes hanging from trees swing and creak, but only when the adventurers cautiously approach do they realize there are dozens of corpses hung from branches, the bodies impaled with gigantic rusty hooks like meat awaiting a butcher’s block. Sir Roderick recognizes the torn, bloody clothing on some of the bodies as the type that Fort Rannick’s rangers would wear, and already the mystery of the fort’s silence seems partially solved. Goragar speculates the rangers were killed by giants. Shalelu lingers to inspect the face of each corpse before continuing on, seemingly unsatisfied.
The adventurers make out the outline of a fortification a few hundred yards further west. Only a general impression can be gained in the dense fog: a large, walled fort nestled at the base of two sheer cliff sides. The sound of rushing water attests to the presence of a waterfall nearby. Although it’s the middle of the afternoon, the fog, rain, and sudden appearance of lightning in the sky make for an ominous portent. The adventurers decide that Artemis, Kang, and Shalelu should stealthily move ahead to investigate further (relying on the fog to provide concealment from any sentinels), while Goragar and Sir Roderick stay behind. The three scouts approach from the east and see that a small stream serves as something of a moat around the castle’s 15-foot-tall walls. A bridge spans the stream and leads to a pair of battered double-doors. On a parapet above the gate, an ogre scrubs at a human skull, happily singing to himself!
Kang whispers that they need to figure out the layout of the fort without alerting the guard. Shalelu whispers for him to be extremely cautious, as there could be dozens of ogres inside. Kang nods and drinks extracts to turn himself invisible and provide flight. Artemis chooses an isolated section of the outer wall to scale. The distracted ogre notices neither. Kang silently flies through the fort and is able to gather a rough idea of its layout: the walls have an eastern gate and a southern portcullis; stables are near the east gate; a crumbling guard post sits at the bottom of a narrow, blocked path up the mountain to the north; a mouth-watering scent attests to a cookhouse further south; a large wooden building (probably a barracks) is visible to the southwest; and to the northwest, an inner wall protects a stone keep. Kang makes sure the building nearest the east gate (the stables) are empty before returning to the other scouts and relaying what he’s seen.
The trio discuss how to quietly kill the ogre guard and decide that Shalelu should go fetch Goragar and Sir Roderick. Once assembled, the adventurers settle on a rough plan that involves killing the ogre and then occupying its position so that a height advantage will be gained on any ogres that respond.
Artemis begins the operation by quietly scaling the wall, down the other side, and then back up right behind the ogre! Noticing that the ogre’s greatclub is leaning against the wall, Artemis takes it and silently places it inside his magical backpack. He tries to reduce the ogre’s combat effectiveness even more by stealing the small giant’s javelins, but grabs a buttock instead! The ogre lets out with a yelp and turns to confront his assailant. Artemis jumps off the parapet, falling slowly thanks to a magical ring, and Kang flies him to safety. Meanwhile, Sir Roderick takes careful aim with his musket and shoots the ogre in the back! The sound of the gunshot echoes through the valley as Shalelu fires a pair of arrows to finish off the lone sentinel of the east gate. With the entire fort alerted, the adventurers fall back to a nearby copse of trees and adopt a confused succession of plans before running away piecemeal just as the ogre’s reinforcements arrive. Fog makes pursuit impossible, and the adventurers escape to plan another raid.
The adventurers decide that this time, they’ll approach from the southern side with the goal of crossing the bridge, stealthily moving east along the wall, and then scaling an isolated portion of it. Knowing that Goragar’s lack of natural grace and heavy armor makes moving quietly difficult, Artemis gives everyone tips on how to avoid making noise. The second plan is good enough to get the adventurers across the bridge and just before the iron portcullis, but as they turn east, a spike from Goragar’s armor scrapes against the wall and causes a loud screech. Excited babble in Giant language can be heard from just above, and then a trio of ogres jump down ready for battle!
The resulting fracas is brutal, bloody, and confused. Due to the fog, Artemis, Shalelu, and Sir Roderick find it difficult to pick out targets. Goragar kills one ogre quickly. Kang flies close enough to hurl a bomb that, although it bounces away from where he intended, is still enough to kill another. He pays a price, though, as the third ogre is more heavily armed and armored than his peers (and, oddly enough, features a missing lower jaw to which dead minks have been attached!). This third ogre impales Kang with a massive hook, and the tiefling is lucky to live long enough to retreat. Artemis pinpoints the surviving ogre’s position and lets loose a volley of arrows that cause the monstrous creature to bleed profusely. Goragar stands his ground and matches the massive ogre blow for blow, and it’s the ogre who collapses first! The adventurers hear the sound of reinforcements and know that ogres on the other side of the wall are raising the portcullis, but they decide to keep fighting. Goragar steps into position and assumes a battle stance just as the first wave of ogres rush out!
Clearly, Fort Rannick and the Order of the Black Arrows have fallen to an ogre army. But how, after all these years, did the fort fall to familiar enemies? And can the adventurers survive a frontal attack by the savage forces it now contains?
Hearing the sounds of explosions echoing through the valley, Kozen correctly deduces that her allies’ “reconnaissance” mission has gone awry. Although still sick and shivering, he hurries towards the sound of battle and arrives at the edge of the battlefield just as the other adventurers prepare to make a stand against the bulk of the ogre army. As Goragar and Shalelu prepare to hold the line, Kang flies to the top of the wall so he can drop bombs on the ogres when they storm out. Sir Roderick and Artemis prepare to open fire as well, but the thick fog continues to hamper their ability to acquire targets. Shalelu calls up to Kang that if she or Goragar fall in battle, it’s his responsibility to make sure they’re not captured alive because what the ogres would do to them would be far worse than death.
The storm hits. In twos and threes ogres stagger and stumble out of the front gate and into the fog, trying to find the foes that are right in front of them. Fortunately, the ogres’ size and the adventurers’ clever positioning create a natural bottleneck that keep Goragar and Shalelu from being drastically outnumbered at the point of attack. Goragar swings his blade methodically, cutting down ogres that have been sorely wounded from Kang’s inerrant explosives! Sir Roderick has difficulty hitting anything in the fog, but Artemis’ arrows strike home time and time again. Kozen arrives and lends a hand by enchanting a rope to trip some of the ogres. In a matter of minutes, a full dozen ogres are slain!
Goragar is badly hurt, and it’s clear from the shouts coming from Fort Rannick’s courtyard that a second wave of ogres are on the way. A hasty decision must be made: flee, or fight? Fight! Some of Goragar’s wounds are magically healed, but in mere seconds the fighting starts again. This time the ogres are led by two warriors with better weapons and armor, and strange appearances: one has knees that bend in reverse like a goat, while the other has a grotesquely-oversized head that constantly wheezes. Ogres aren’t smart, but the decision to focus all of their attacks on Goragar is an easy one. In a vicious exchange of blow after blow, both sides are slashed, battered, and impaled. Victory or defeat hangs by a thread. Suddenly Sir Roderick gets a bead on the goat-legged ogre and fires a shot from his musket that’s so powerful it blows the top of the creature’s head off!
The wheezing ogre keeps fighting, feeling confident that once it kills the weakening half-orc in front of him, the others will be easy prey. Kozen gets too close and suffers a vicious wound, but bravely maneuvers himself so that he can heal some of Goragar’s wounds even while the fighting continues. Kang curses that he’s running out of bombs, but an instant before the last ogre can level a killing blow on Goragar, another powerful shot from Sir Roderick fells the attacker.
Goragar is somehow still standing despite the punishment he’s taken, and advocates a tactical withdrawal. Kozen says retreating could be as dangerous as pressing forward, as they could be set upon in the night. Artemis speculates they may have already killed all of the ogres and retaken the fort. Kang agrees, and persuades the others that it’s worth investigating further. Inside the main gate and to the east, the adventurers find one of the many horrific scenes they’re destined to encounter at Fort Rannick: an open-air cook house has been used by the ogres to roast almost a dozen of the Black Arrow rangers. Kozen vomits from the sight, but Artemis and Shalelu each take the time to go through the bodies as if looking for something. Meanwhile, just outside the gate, Goragar makes sure all of the ogres are dead and then looks to see if any are holding valuables: in addition to some mildly-enchanted suits of hide armor and ogre hooks, one carries a copper ring etched with a badger that Goragar identifies as a ring of feather falling. He rejoins the others as they cross the courtyard and examine the other structures: a tall guard post that is clearly falling apart, wooden barracks that are a fire hazard, and stables that are well-maintained but empty.
With only the central keep left to explore, Goragar cuts through the already-battered doors to reveal a main hall swathed in a horror of dried blood and bits of flesh swarmed over by clouds of flies. Ahead is a T-junction, and the adventurers can hear ogres talking and laughing from rooms nearby. Kang and Artemis cautiously scout ahead and find one ogre in a room to the right admiring his own artwork (made with a decapitated human corpse as a “paintbrush”). To the left, two ogres have dressed up in human-sized armor and are guffawing about each other’s “tiny man clothes” in front of a collection of heads mounted on pikes.
Rapidly realizing that Fort Rannick is far from being cleared of danger, the group reassemble and whisper about what to do. Shalelu speculates that something unusual must have been at play for the ogres to capture Fort Rannick, and that they must have a strong leader to keep the normally chaotic creatures in line. Sir Roderick suggests returning to Turtleback Ferry so he can make more ammunition and Goragar can rest and heal. Artemis suggests camping in a nearby copse of trees, but the smoke of a campfire (necessary given the cold) could be seen. After further discussion, consensus is reached to return back to Turtleback Ferry.
An epic battle worthy of song has been won at the gates of Fort Rannick. But the mission is unfinished, and the victors have been forced to retreat. Should they have pressed their advantage, or were they wise not to press their luck? And what will they find when they return?
If there's one thing that tops this session . . . it's what happens next session!
Having routed a small army of ogres at the gates of Fort Rannick, the adventurers decide to retreat to Turtleback Ferry. The journey back is uneventful, though the unceasing rain swells the Skull River and leads to speculation that it may soon flood its banks. Early evening brings the travellers within sight of the lights of the town. They head first for the local inn (The Turtle’s Parlor), but Cesten Orlandi is still angry from the group’s last visit and, despite a complete lack of other guests, says that there’s no vacancy. The adventurers, bloody and battered from their ordeal, decide to see if Father Shreed could put them up for night. At the temple, they find the goodly priest of Erastil hosting a meal for members of the community who have fallen on hard times. Father Shreed welcomes the adventurers in for a hot meal, a place to sleep, and even some magical healing.
Over dinner, Kang announces to the others that he’s perfected a brilliant new alchemical formula, the fruits of which he promises to display in the morning. A conversation by some of the other guests catches Artemis’ ears, and he hears gossip about a “pleasure barge” named Paradise that mysteriously sank one night in Claybottom Lake, killing all aboard, even its owner, a foreigner named Lucrecia. Sir Roderick chimes in that he remembers hearing about its popularity with drinkers and gamblers, but that he never partook. Later, Artemis asks the locals if they know anything the seven-pointed star tattoo he’s seen on a couple of residents in town. His question is met with silence or denials. Later that night, as they get ready to turn in for the night (using bedrolls spread over pews), the adventurers are treated to an entertaining series of misadventures as Sir Roderick attempts to try out his new ring of feather falling. When it doesn’t seem to work, he concludes from the badger etched into it that it may in fact be a ring of burrowing.
[20 Kuthona 4707]
In the morning, Kang leads everyone outside the temple to show them his new discovery. Injecting himself with a viscous green goo, amazing dragon-fly wings suddenly spout from the tiefling’s back and he launches himself into the air! Sir Roderick, in particular, is amazed, so much so that his initial reluctance to allow Kang to use his home to perform alchemical experiments is overcome. Everyone goes about various errands, with Sir Roderick crafting ammunition for his musket, Kang concocting various alchemical items, Artemis buying arrows and a map of the Hook Mountain region, Goragar drinking, and Kozen familiarising himself with the town. At Artemis’ request, Kozen puts his quiet likability to good use by asking around for more information on the location of the sunken Paradise. A bereft cobbler whose son was on board tells Kozen that the barge apparently sank about eight miles south of Turtleback Ferry in about 40’ of water. Apparently an investigator from Ilsurian was hired to conduct an inquiry, but the fellow seemed in a hurry to return south and didn’t provide any conclusive explanation for the disaster. Artemis, who was initially enthusiastic about exploring the wreckage, decides against it given its distance from Turtleback Ferry.
[21 Kuthona 4707]
As the adventurers prepare for a return visit to the Valley of Broken Trees and Fort Rannick, they witness Father Shreed coordinating anti-flooding preparations. The town has occasionally suffered minor flooding before, and, given the constant rain, Father Shreed says it’s only prudent to be cautious despite the presence of a dam dating to ancient times regulating the flow of water from Storval Deep to the north. Artemis unrolls his new map and realizes that the dam is barely ten miles from Fort Rannick, and expresses alarm that Fort Rannick could be a staging area for an ogre attack on the dam! The adventurers set out, collecting Shalelu from her campsite on the outskirts of the village. She seems reluctant to go, citing the fact that the Black Arrows are clearly all dead, but Goragar persuades her that they should be avenged.
The cold, wet weather has grown as monotonous as it is constant, and Kozen continues to have trouble enduring it. But there’s one major difference from their last visit to Fort Rannick: there’s not a trace of fog. When the adventurers approach in the middle of the afternoon, they’re easily spotted by an ogre sentry in a watchtower who rings a large bell to alert the entire fortress! Artemis and Sir Roderick put their amazing marksmanship to good use and kill the ogre. Kang tells the others that he’ll scout ahead and once again sprouts dragonfly wings! He flies over the walls and sees that the courtyard is empty but that the doors to the inner keep have been reinforced. Noticing strange flashes of lights coming from the cliff-face far above the fort, Kang hovers for a moment until he’s able to decipher a coded message: “Danger. I’m here.”
Kang reports back to the others and they decide to advance while he investigates the message further. Shalelu, sensing a trap, says she’ll stay on the bridge over the moat and watch their backs. At the front gates, Goragar is forced to literally cut a path through ogre bodies which have been stacked like cordwood in the entryway to create an obstacle. And, even more cunningly, spears and other jagged pieces of metal have been hidden amongst the carnage to stab the unwary! With some effort, however, he and the others reach the doors to the central keep and discuss what to do.
Far above, Kang flies along a steep, narrow, and twisting path carved into the cliff until he finds the source of the messages: a man is hidden on the trail, using a mirror to reflect the sun’s rays! The fellow, a young man in his late teens, is clearly the worse for wear, shivering and emaciated, but he has enough strength to call out to Kang. He gives his name as Fillias Lahs and says he’s the last survivor of the Order of the Black Arrows! Grateful for rescue, he explains, in a somewhat rambling fashion, that he’s one of the newest members of the Order and had been assigned to tend to a nest of giant eagles further up the trail when the ogres attacked. He says the ogres picked the perfect time, as part of the Order hadn’t yet returned from a long-range patrol and the fort’s commander, Lamatar Bayden, was on one of his monthly “communing with nature” walks. The ogres seemed to know exactly how and where to strike too, he says, and quickly breached the walls—a slaughter ensued! Fillias says he’s been holed up on the trail for weeks (drinking rainwater and eating eagle eggs), unable to sneak away because the ogres blocked the bottom of the trail with rocks. Now that help’s arrived, he tells Kang everything he’s witnessed and overheard about the ogres—including, crucially, that he saw the ogres’ massive leader, Jaagrath, talking with a witch about a plan to ambush any other force that tried to attack the keep!
Kang flies Fillias down to the ground and leaves him with Shalelu for safekeeping. When Kang explains to the others what he’s learned, Goragar, Sir Roderick, and Kozen are keen to charge forward and dispatch the remaining ogres. Artemis and Kang appear to have success in persuading them to wait while they infiltrate the keep to discover the nature of the ambush. With Artemis climbing and Kang flying, the two scale the central tower and enter the keep from a trapdoor on top that they find near the body of the recently-slain ogre. But, on the ground below, the others have decided against remaining still: Kozen suggests creating a “distraction” by breaking through the front doors of the keep. Goragar nods and prepares to charge.
A second battle between the ogres occupying Fort Rannick and the adventurers hired by Magnimar to oust them has begun. This time, the ogres know the adventurers are coming. By splitting into two groups, have the intrepid heroes doomed themselves to failure?
A lot more foreshadowing of the coming flood, something that will come around in a major way a few sessions from now.
Fillias Lahs was the Contact (an optional mechanic from Ultimate Campaigns) for Artemis. He worked well to fill in some background to what happened to Fort Rannick, but was curiously ignored by the party when it came to other role-playing. I really like the *idea* of the Contact mechanic, but for whatever reason it just hasn't worked out well with my players.
In a dusty storeroom near the stairs to Fort Rannick’s central tower, Artemis and Kang listen at the door to an adjoining room. They hear the sounds of ogres talking about whether Jaagrath will notice that they’ve ignored the “ambush bell.” Kang cracks open the door quietly and reveals that the two ogres are in a large chamber, squeezing dead rangers who are hanging from the ceiling in order to collect their dripping blood in buckets below. Artemis whispers something to Kang, but the ears of the ogres perk up—they’ve heard it, and now notice that the door has been opened! With a bellow, they rush to investigate. Kang, who had previously made himself invisible, is safe, but Artemis has to make a run for it and gets smashed in the lower back with a massive greatclub before escaping back up to the top of the tower. He jumps off and starts to float down safely down to the ground thanks to a magical ring. When the two ogres reach the top of the tower, Kang is there, flying invisibly overhead, and drops a few explosives—liking shooting fish in a barrel, the ogres are doomed.
Meanwhile, down blow, Goragar puts his beefy shoulder to the already-busted doors of Fort Rannick’s central keep and breaks through the pile of debris used to bolster it. Javelins come flying towards him from a pair of ogres stationed around the corner at either end of a “T” intersection. The battle cleric of Gorum strides into the fray, knowing he’s walking into an ambush: ogres are arranged down the left and right sides of the “T” as far as he can see. “They’re going to try to surround me!” he shouts to Kozen. “Make sure you back me up!” The brave, lithe fletching stays close behind Goragar and heals him repeatedly with a magic wand as the wounds of battle start to escalate. Like a farmer rhythmically cutting wheat with a scythe, Goragar goes to work on the ogres, reaping bodies around him as a ghastly crop. The half-orc doesn’t retreat even when Kozen is forced to withdraw. From the doorway, Sir Roderick uses his musket to great effect, never missing except when the weapon jams. Soon Artemis and Kang arrive to add their firepower to the scene.
Through it all, a booming voice has been shouting to the ogres and giving them orders, and now the source of that voice appears: Jaagrath Kreeg, a mountain of an ogre, a full 14’ feet tall with veritable boa constrictors for arms. He lands a telling blow on Goragar and then, overconfident, tells his remaining coterie of ogres to finish him off while he mops up the rest. He charges Sir Roderick and slashes him across the throat with his ogre hook, but somehow the hardy little goblin stays on his feet! The battle is chaos, as both Goragar and Jaagrath are effectively trapped behind enemy lines. Goragar fights with desperate vigor as he’s surrounded by Jaagrath’s lieutenants, including a massively obese ogre with spellcasting ability. Sir Roderick backs up and fires three rapid shots from his musket, dropping the massive Jaagrath before helping (along with Kang’s unerring bombs) to kill the spellcaster. The tide has turned, and although the remnants of Jaagrath’s forces keep fighting, they fall in quick succession.
Once again, the adventurers have eschewed strategy or stealth for the direct approach, and once again the bold gambit has resulted in a stunning victory! The interior of Fort Rannick lays before them—what horrors will they find inside?
Having won a second tremendous victory over the ogres occupying Fort Rannick, the adventurers take stock. The wounded are healed, the enemies looted, and a safe, warm place is found for the sick and feverish Fillias Lahs (who occasionally murmurs something about “Commander” and “Lamatar”) to be tended to by his cousin Artemis while the others explore the rest of the keep. Shalelu pulls Goragar aside and tells the half-orc she’s leaving: the person she was hoping to find is almost certainly dead. Goragar asks who it was, and Shalelu tells him about Jakardros Sovark, a man who was essentially her step-father before he suddenly abandoned her after her mother’s death. Shalelu explains that she hasn’t seen Jakardros in almost two decades, and wanted to finally confront him. Goragar says that if anyone discovers anything, he’ll let her know. She says she plans to spend a few weeks in the area before heading back to Sandpoint.
By the middle of the afternoon, a thorough search of the first level of the inner keep has been completed. Most of the rooms have been wrecked and defiled by the ogres, and exhibitions of their grisly hobbies are everywhere, such as the corpse of the keep’s priest of Erastil displayed as if he were eating his own intestines. Only the library of the Order of the Black Arrow still holds anything of value, and the adventurers collect a few tomes on the Hook Mountain region and its inhabitants.
The search continues on the keep’s upper level. A chapel has been turned by the ogres into a grotesque mockery and the furniture in many rooms splintered into unrecognizable bits of wood, cloth, and glass. But in a large chamber decorated with longswords and stuffed animal heads on the wall, Sir Roderick finds a hidden compartment in the base of a shattered wine cabinet! Inside are a pair of soft green leather boots; a jewellery box containing a silver locket, which itself contains a single golden hair that Kang identifies as nymph hair; and a coffer containing dozens of love sonnets written to someone named “Myriana”, said to be so beautiful that the moon itself was “blinded when it spied her dancing on the tarn” and who is the “truest grace to know Whitewillow’s soft embrace.” Kozen recognizes the name Whitewillow as a part of the Shimmerglens where the planar walls between this realm and the First World are said to be thin. But speculation focuses on the name “Myriana”—it sounds exactly the same as the name of Artemis’ wife! The searchers bring the sonnets to Artemis, afraid of his reaction, but are relieved to discover his wife’s name is spelled “Miryana” and that subtle clues in the sonnets point to it being a completely different person.
As the adventurers prepare to search the the keep’s basement, discussion is had about what Turtleback Ferry will do now that almost all of its protectors have been slain. Sir Roderick says he’ll never abandon the village, and talk turns to how the expert musketeer is perceived by the more common members of his race. Locked in conversation, the explorers are surprised to descend the staircase into the basement to find a chamber decorated with gauzy silk curtains, lit by warm braziers, and infused with the scent of sweet incense. “How lovely of you to come,” purrs the seductive voice of an aristocratic-looking woman with fire-red hair, alabaster skin, high cheekbones, and an elegant, fashionable dress. Ignoring the questions coming from Kozen, Goragar, and Sir Roderick (all of whom she dismisses as mere servants), she focusses all of her attention and charm on Kang. She gives her name as Lucrecia, says that her master, Mokmurian, could use someone clever and powerful enough to destroy “those loathsome Kreegs”, and offers to show Kang a life the likes of which he never thought possible. But Lucrecia has badly miscalculated: Kang is completely immune to her’s, or any woman’s, charms! Once he’s found out as much information as he can, he rebuffs her coldly.
Lucrecia shrugs and then transforms into half-human/half-snake creature just like the one fought atop the Shadow Clock weeks ago in Magnimar! She pulls out a wicked looking dagger, but Sir Roderick doesn’t hesitate to open fire again and again at point blank range! “You ruined my dress!” Lucrecia shouts as blood and gunpowder mix, and with a hurled curse she places the goblin into a mystical sleep! Before she can do anything else though, even escape, Kang hurls a single bomb. When the smoke clears, Lucrecia is quite dead.
A search of the lamia matriarch’s chamber uncovers a long-forgotten secret door leading into a natural cave system. The adventurers realize the corridors are clearly too small for ogres to have traversed it, and decide to leave it alone. They return to the first floor and rest for the night.
[22 Kuthona 4707]
Loading up a spare horse with Fillias and several bags of treasure, the adventurers begin their return journey to Turtleback Ferry.
I had Lucrecia pick Kang to work his wiles on because he was the most visible leader of the group. But her attempt was doomed to failure, as Kang has never shown the slightest whiff of romantic interest in anything other than alchemy set.
For the first hours of the journey, the walk back from Fort Rannick to Turtleback Ferry is uneventful. As they near the bridge to cross from the western bank of the Skull River to the eastern bank, however, three of the adventurers realize the waters are raising rapidly: a flash flood! Sir Roderick yells out to a pair of locals who are fishing from the bridge and they turn to see a wall of water dozens of feet high coming towards them—they panic and run for cover. Several dozen yards downriver, a mysterious traveller is making his way north when he hears the shouts of the fishermen. The figure, an extremely pale man wearing heavy armor, spurs his warhorse forward to investigate. The adventurers on the west side of the bank move safely away, while the fishermen and the newcomer on the east side do the same: the bridge is washed away in the tumultuous waves as the river overflows its banks by several feet on either side.
Although no one is hurt near the bridge, Kozen presciently notes that the surge could prove catastrophic for the residents of Turtleback Ferry. With no easy way to cross the river now, the adventurers push through trackless underbrush on the western side of the flooded river, while the mysterious figure keeps pace on the eastern side. Soon, the lights of Turtleback Ferry come into view, and screams echo through the night. Panicking townsfolk are struggling to get to higher ground as the rushing waters rip away smaller buildings. The town church is still standing, but near one building Tillia Henkenson and some children are trapped in an old rowboat that’s threatening to capsize as waves slam it repeatedly into the side of a house! Kang’s dragonfly wings emerge as he flies over to help, but before he can get there a giant aquatic snake emerges from the waters and snatches a little girl in its monstrous jaws! Artemis and Sir Roderick react instantly, however, and kill the snake with arrows and gunfire before it can swallow the child whole. Kang catches the girl and leads her and the others in the boat to safety.
But the night’s danger is far from over. What first appears to be a massive black tree is being carried along by the flood waters, but just before it hits the church it submerges, and then, with a thunderous roar, it emerges and can be seen as the terrible lake monster the locals know only as Black Magga! In terms of sheer size it’s the largest creature any of the adventurers have ever seen, a gargantuan monster with a serpentine neck supporting a reptilian head and a body made of a mass of wriggling tentacles. Black Magga looms over buildings of Turtleback Ferry and begins wreaking havoc, smashing everything and everyone in sight. The creature breathes a thick cloud of foul-smelling vapor over the area, driving Kozen insane! Artemis’ streaking arrow crumples upon impact with Black Magga’s rubbery skin, while Sir Roderick fires his last bullet only to have his musket misfire. Goragar takes up a battle stance but is too far away to attack. Black Magga suddenly darts its long, serpentine neck forward and bites Sir Roderick almost in half! The monster spits the body out to be lost amongst the floodwaters. Artemis runs to escape, but the confused Kozen simply stands there, babbling. The poor dancer from Magnimar dies next, quickly crushed to death by one of Black Magga’s tentacles. Then, as quickly as it appeared, Black Magga dives deep into the waters of Claybottom Lake and disappears!
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the river, Kang is helping the mysterious traveller (who gives his name as Innes Falkenrath) usher the locals to safety. By the time the alchemist realizes Turtleback Ferry is being attacked by a veritable lake monster, he’s too far away to intervene. When Black Magga is gone, Kang helps to ferry his allies (and Kozen’s body) over the river and they find refuge at the church. Father Shreed, Tillia, and several other residents are inside, having set up a makeshift hospital on the top floor of the stone structure. Father Shreed expresses alarm that perhaps the dam to the north, Skull’s Crossing, is damaged and that things could be even worse next time if it’s not repaired. He is saddened and further alarmed when told that the Order of the Black Arrows have been almost completely wiped out, with only one survivor found (Artemis’ now-unconscious cousin Fillias, who occasionally murmurs something about “finding Lamatar”). With the worst the night has to offer behind them, the others are introduced to Innes, and several of the adventurers notice he wears the holy symbol of Vildeis, a powerful empyreal lord dedicated to the destruction of evil everywhere. Artemis announces his intention to head to the dam to see why it didn’t control the flash-flood, and the others agree to go with him in the morning.
[23 Kuthona 4707]
In the morning, the floodwaters have receded somewhat and, for the first time in weeks, the rain has stopped. In the bright light of morning, several townsfolk see Innes clearly for the first time and are frightened by the realization that he has vampiric ancestry! The adventurers, however, don’t even blink. They take all of the treasure from the battles against the ogres at Fort Rannick and place it inside Sir Roderick’s house, and even go so far as to track down the body of Kozen at the cemetery to strip it of possessions!
The group, reconstituted with the addition of Innes but the loss of Sir Roderick and Kozen, sets off north after taking a ferry to the western bank. On the way, Kang asks Innes about his background. Innes says he’s from Korvosa, but that for now he’d rather keep the rest to himself. Kang talks about his plan to never age and live forever, an idea that sounds appealing to Goragar because the half-orc would never have to lay down his arms. As the adventurers reach the edge of the Kreegwood, they hear an odd buzzing sound. Suddenly, four creatures appears instantly just a handful of feet away. Pixies! Tiny, two-foot-long humanoids with wildly colored gossamer wings begin flying in figure-8 patterns all around Innes, chattering excitedly and rapidly about how Yap is looking for him and wants him to come to the Shimmerglens. Innes explains to his new companions that Yap is an old friend he rescued from slavery in Korvosa years ago. Artemis says the Shimmerglens (a foreboding swamp known to be full of unpredictable fey) is the wrong direction from where they’re going. Innes is forced to make a hard choice. He promises to catch up to the others as soon as he can, but expresses his intent to find out why Yap needs to see him so desperately.
A total victory at Fort Rannick has been marred by the sudden death of two party members at Turtleback Ferry. The surviving adventurers remain unswerving in their dedication to discover what’s happening at Skull’s Crossing. What could cause one of the legendary relics of the ancient empire of Thassilon to suddenly fail? And will the adventurers, diminished in number, be able to do anything about it?
This session has the big Black Magga encounter, a scripted scene in the AP that is really interesting because it's not about victory--it's truly about mere survival! Black Magga is way too tough for PCs of the party's level at this point in the campaign, but he fights for only three rounds before submerging into the water. Unfortunately, three rounds is enough for him to wreak a lot of havoc, as we saw from the deaths of Sir Roderick and Kozen. It was a bummer to see Sir Roderick go, as he was a fun and interesting character with a lot of potential. Kozen's loss wasn't a big deal, on the other hand, because his player had already decided he'd be leaving the campaign so she could introduce a new PC (Innes). Nonetheless, Kozen's death was "real" and unscripted--a tragic fate for a nice dancer from Magimar.
I'm not generally a fan of players abandoning viable characters in the middle of a campaign (either by having them leave or by discouraging teammates to raise them from the dead when possible) because it causes story disruption and adds to my workload. But Kozen's player was pretty new to the campaign so I was willing to make an exception. As fate would have it, unfortunately, Innes' fate wouldn't be a good one--we'll see why very soon.
I was really skeptical of the Shimmerglens subplot when I first read the AP, and I still am to some extent. It just doesn't really fit thematically with the rest of what's happening and kind of gets dropped in out of nowhere. Nonetheless, I had a surprisingly fun time role-playing Yap the pixie!
Having left his new allies behind, Innes Falkenrath, Paladin of Vildeis, sets off southwest along the western banks of the Skull River. His goal: to reach the Shimmerglens and find out why an old friend named Yap is desperate to speak with him. But barely an hour into his journey, Innes comes upon a strange sight: a young red-haired woman is snoring peacefully on the ground and being slowly tied up by ropes that seem to move of their own accord! Noticing a tiny arrow protruding from the woman’s calf, Innes realizes pixies are at work. He asks them to explain themselves, and they become visible. They explain that they were “recruiting” additional help for Innes and then fly off. When the woman awakens, quite groggy, Innes tells her what happened. The woman gives her name as Katzumi and says she was sent by her master to live alone in the wilderness as a test of her endurance and will. However, Katzumi seems happy to go along with Innes and finds her horse grazing nearby. Together, the two reach the southernmost fringes of Kreegwood, almost directly opposite Turtleback Ferry. But without a way to cross Willow River, the two travellers are forced to march ten more miles to reach the thorpe of Bitter Hollow on the shores of Lake Coal. There, at the settlement’s lone trading post, a grubby, superstitious local takes one look at Innes’ deathly pallor and refuses to allow them to stay the night. The fellow grudgingly promises to ferry the pair across the river in the morning.
The two set a campfire just a stone’s throw away from the grimy buildings of Bitter Hollow and settle down for an uneasy night’s rest in the cold. Wisely deciding to exchange watches, the two are not taken completely unaware when danger arrives in the form of a trio of large red-and-yellow scaled forms that look a little like dragons (but much smaller and with only two legs): flame drakes! The drakes demand something from the travellers in a language that neither Innes nor Katzumi can understand. When the response they seek is not forthcoming, the drakes swoop down and breathe balls of fire on the unfortunate adventurers. Innes yells for her injured steed to flee, and it bolts with one of the drakes chasing after it and losing ground. Meanwhile, the two adventurers draw their swords and wait for the drakes to swoop at them before lashing out with their blades. The battle is a near thing, but the two humanoids emerge from it alive. Even Innes’ horse returns, having escaped its pursuer.
Meanwhile, far to the north, another group of adventurers set up camp barely a half hour from their destination. Goragar, Kang, and Artemis have journeyed to Skull’s Crossing without incident.
[24 Kuthona 4707]
In the morning, as they trudge the last couple of miles to the dam, the trio of adventurers are lost in thought. Artemis feels the burden of having lost several allies already, but knows that his duty is to carry on. Kang wonders whether it may be about time to quit the mud and blood of the adventuring life and return to his experiments full time. Goragar thinks about the people of Turtleback Ferry, and how all of his battles recently have contributed to their safety. Then, rounding a bend in the river, all three see Skull’s Crossing in its massive magnificence. Over three-hundred feet high and spanning the width of a gorge, this bulwark from ancient Thassilon, covered in carved skulls, still holds back the waters of Storval Deep despite being thousands of years old. But it’s also apparent that something has gone wrong: a steady flow of cascading water pours through what appears to be a recent break in the dam, and several lumbering shapes can be seen moving about on its upper reach. Even from this distance, the adventurers come to the same conclusion: within a handful of days, the entire dam will fail, flooding the area downstream for miles. Kang suggests evacuating the people of Turtleback Ferry, but the others persuade him to investigate the dam first.
A winding stone staircase climbs the western rock face of the valley, and the adventurers decide it’s the easiest way to reach the dam. Stakes lining the edges of the stairs are covered in skulls, all marked with the territorial runes of the Skulltaker Trolls. Goragar remarks that it’s odd that the trolls would be cooperating with ogres, but soon the conversation terminates when the stairs end at a dark cave. Artemis stealthily scouts ahead and sees a massive, two-headed beast arguing with itself! The ettin hears Artemis and tries to give chase, but Kang’s bombs make short work of it. Inside its filthy lair, underneath some furs, the adventurers discover a small treasure trove. Further investigation shows that the cave connects to another set of stairs on its far end, and these stairs eventually lead to the top of the dam. The choppy waters of the Storval Deep can be seen to the north, surging near to the top of the dam, while to the south is a fatal fall to a muddy lake. A tower of skull-shaped domes sits in the center of the walkway, and the adventurers have no trouble discerning a small group of ogres near it. Four of the ogres are hammering at the crumbling stone of the dam, while a fifth sits nearby, shouting orders. All seem exhausted and prove to be easy prey for the adventurers: Artemis lets loose with a volley of arrows from hundreds of feet away, and when the ogres try to charge, Kang and Goragar finish them off without suffering a scratch.
Meanwhile, far to the south, new friends Innes and Katzumi are ferried across the Willow River. Halfway across, a coterie of pixies suddenly appear, asking why the adventurers took so long and why they don’t just fly over the river. They promise to go fetch Yap. The ferryman warns his passengers that anyone with a lick of sense stays on the Wicker Walk (a safe, designated path that leads to gnome settlements in the Sanos forest), but the two adventurers know they may need to head deeper into the trackless Shimmerglens. They tie their mounts to a tree near the river and proceed on foot through the treacherous terrain. Before long, another pixie appears and Innes recognizes his old friend. Yap looks much the same as the last time Innes saw him in Korvosa, but now his clothes are rumpled and his eyes are puffy from crying. Breathlessly, he explains his problem: his mistress is terribly ill with misery and heartbreak, and the land around her (an area of the Shimmerglens called Whitewillow) is reflecting her anguish and pain. Yap’s mood brightens when Innes and Katzumi promise to help, and he leads them further into the tangled trees of the swamp.
Two parties of adventurers are independently trying to put things right that have gone wrong in the Hook Mountain region. Will their separate efforts result in efficiency or tragedy?
I loved the concept of Skull's Crossing--such an awesome image and place for adventure. My only regret is that the battle on top of the dam is so forgettable. What could be more exciting than to have a big climax with the risk of falling off?
[24 Kuthona 4707 continued]
Although there’s a welcome respite from the rain, a chill fills the air as Innes Falkenrath and Katzumi venture deeper into the Shimmerglens, guided by the pixie Yap. Yap keeps up a constant barrage of chatter, not even noticing that his charges are falling behind in the treacherous landscape that he so easily flies over. Barely a mile into the swamp, tragedy strikes in the form of a pool of quicksand. Both Innes and Katzumi walk into it unaware, and then realize they’re stuck and slowly sinking! Katzumi somehow manages to swim to the edge and pull herself out, but Innes’s full-plate mail pulls him under in seconds. Katzumi desperately runs for a nearby tree, cuts down a branch, and extends it over the quicksand, but to no avail. Innes is lost in the darkness deep below the surface, and, despite his valiant efforts, eventually succumbs without ever again reaching the surface. Yap, who had flown far ahead and had no idea what was happening behind him, breaks down in tears to discover his saviour is dead. He says that maybe “mistress” could help. Katzumi builds a pile of sticks to mark the spot, and lets Yap lead her further into the swamp.
Meanwhile, at the massive dam known as Skull’s Crossing, Artemis, Goragar, and Kang enter a dome-shaped superstructure. The first chamber they see is clearly a recent battlefield, as it’s covered in bits of flesh, broken weapons, splashes of blood, and dead ogres torn limb from limb. Thick sheets of ropy fungus grow along the walls, but Kang’s eye for detail allows him to realize that large creatures are hiding behind the fungus: trolls! The master alchemist hurls a bomb into the room as the green-skinned, bestial creatures charge forth with claws extended. Goragar, who stands in front of Kang, receives the brunt of their attacks but his stout armor and magically-enhanced defences turn aside every single blow! The battle spills over into the spillway, but the experienced adventurers work well together and suffer nary a scratch before emerging victorious.
Artemis concludes that the trolls must have been fighting the ogres, and that the two forces weakened each other. A thorough search of the superstructure reveals little of interest apart from a hidden cache of valuables and a set of massive stone doors that have a message on them written in dried blood in the language of giants: “BELOW DWELLS WET PAPA GRAZUUL! ALL HAIL WET PAPA GRAZUUL!” The hinges on the doors are old and gritty, but with great effort the adventurers push them open to reveal a flight of stone steps leading down into darkness. The trio descend to a large, damp chamber dominated by a rectangular pool of water set into the floor. Goragar starts to head to one of the sets of doors on the western side of the room when a massive shape rockets out of the pool and stabs him in the face with a strange-looking trident! The adventurers have stumbled unwittingly into the lair of the chief of the Skulltakers, Wet Papa Grazuul! Having expended most of his defensive magicks in the battles above, Goragar is sorely pressed by the sudden frenzy of attacks, and in instants only the legacy of the Orc blood that runs in his veins allows him to stay standing. The war priest of Gorum tries to withdraw, but with one final thrust of the trident, Grazuul stabs him in the chest and pulls out the half-orc’s still beating heart! Artemis is the next target of the troll lord’s ire, and the master archer finds his rib-cage almost pulled apart from Grazuul’s rending claws. Artemis collapses in a pool of blood, barely alive. Kang stands alone, but his steady and consistent flow of bombs have weakened Grazuul considerably, and one last explosive blows the villain apart! Kang rushes to Artemis and force-feeds him a magical elixir to stabilize him. Unfortunately, it’s too late to do anything for Goragar.
Back in the Shimmerglens, two grieving travellers push on into the area known as Whitewillow. A cold, dark mist looms within the canopy of bone-bare branches on twisted black trees. Strange murmurs can be heard on an unnatural wind while dying birds twitching in the shallows and slithering things with too many eyes seem to lurk out of the corners of their eyes. Yap whispers that Whitewillow wasn’t always like this—that the area is reflecting Myriana’s (his mistress) anger and heartache. The journey into the heart of Whitewillow is a foreboding one of bleeding trees, ghostly parades, and even a mysterious derelict ship from which a beautiful, haunting melody can be heard. Eventually, the pair reach a clearing ringed by decayed willow trees. In the center of the clearing is a calm pool of unnaturally still water. Yap whispers that his mistress is just ahead, but he’s too scared to approach further. Reluctantly, Katzumi walks towards the pool and is startled as a ghostly nymph, almost blinding in her hate-filled beauty, rises with a howl from the waters. “You have failed me!” Myriana shrieks. “They took him to their mountain lair, despoiled him, and now his soul will not return to this plane!” Katzumi doesn’t comprehend at first, but manages to placate the raging nymph long enough to understand that she and her lover, Lamatar Bayden (commander of Fort Rannick), were ambushed by the ogres and murdered. Myriana demands that Katzumi find Lamatar’s remains—even if only a single finger or lock of hair—and return them to Whitewillow so that the lovers can be reunited in death forever. Katzumi promises her help, and, as they leave the clearing, Yap says he knows where the Kreeg clanhold is and can lead her there. And, if they’re successful, he says maybe his mistress will bring Innes back to life! He shares some of his enchanted pixie dust with Katzumi, saying the voyage to the Kreeg clanhold will be a dangerous one for just the two of them to make.
At Skull’s Crossing, Kang and a magically-healed Artemis discuss what to do with Goragar’s body. They decide that burial at sea is a fitting end for a warrior who died in battle, but the two argue over what to do with Goragar’s possessions. Artemis prevails, and the body is stripped before being floated into the Storval Deep. Kang says a nice eulogy, while Artemis reads an entry from Goragar’s book of Gorumite war prayers. After the solemn ceremony, Artemis suggests resting but Kang urges further scouting, and this time the latter prevails. Using alchemical means to turn them each invisible, they return to the scene of Goragar’s death. Doors to the west lead to an unremarkable chamber, but the doors to the east give way to a strange sight. In an alcove against the wall sits a fantastically detailed scale model of Skull’s Crossing guarded by a lumbering, scorpionlike construct composed of skulls! Kang remembers reading about so-called Skull Rippers, guardians of tombs and other important places in ancient Thassilon. This construct must have stood on guard for several thousand years! The two adventurers, still invisible, retreat stealthily and breathe a sigh of relief.
Only one path lays before them: to the south, an impressive mound of skulls lies heaped against the wall, partially blocking a large stone door. Kang clears the skulls while Artemis watches to ensure the Skull Ripper doesn’t emerge from its chamber. Once Kang finishes, the two push open the door to see a narrow chamber that ends at two curved alcoves to the east and west. Each alcove is blocked by a dull iron portcullis, and beyond each portcullis a circle of runes glow with a faint orange light on the floor. Although one circle holds only a pile of crimson ash, the other holds a winged creature that looks weak and dying, but that in its prime would have been something to behold: a massive denizen of Hell itself! The creature rouses and feebly reaches for one of them, whispering “freedom.” Standing a safe distance away from the portcullis and the magical circle that binds the fiend, Kang and Artemis are told that the floodgates of Skull’s Crossing require life energy to operate, and that over several millennia the denizen of the other chamber perished. Because the fiend, who says his name is Avaxial, is so weak, he’s no use to the dam’s mystical generators either. He begs Kang and Artemis to set him free, promising them great riches if they do so. When they balk, he adds that unless other living creatures take his place, the floodgates will never open and the entire dam will burst! When asked how he got to be in this position, Avaxial says he remembers only a name: Karzoug. Artemis and Kang confer, and decide that Avaxial is probably trying to trick them. When they tell the fiend that they’re leaving, Avaxial rages and says that if they don’t set him free, the circle that binds him will break when the dam collapses, and then he’ll make it his immortal mission to hunt them down and take them back to Hell to be his eternal playthings! Despite the threat, Kang and Artemis leave and make plans to load up the horses with as much treasure as they can and return to Turtleback Ferry.
Goragar's death was a shock, because he and the others had been curb-stomping everything they came across. It was a lesson to all of us how much weaker a Warpriest is when they get caught by surprise and don't get a chance to buff themselves. Artemis was nearly another victim as well.
The negotiation with the demon was extremely important. I think the exact mechanisms of how the dam's floodgates could be closed wasn't apparent (in part because neither of the two PCs had the requisite Knowledge skills), but their decision to just walk away will of course have major implications later in the campaign.
Outside Skull’s Crossing, Artemis and Kang pause in their preparations for departure to examine the structure’s integrity once again. Artemis is convinced that a total collapse of the dam would be catastrophic for the entire downstream region and suggests re-entering it to figure out how to open the floodgates. Kang, however, says that it’s too dangerous and that their best course of action is to hurry back to Turtleback Ferry and begin a general evacuation of the town.
Meanwhile, in the Shimmerglens, Yap leads Katzumi northeast until they reach the southern banks of the Willow River. Yap explains that they can save time on their journey by going directly across rather than backtracking to the Bitter Hollow ferry. Katzumi is puzzled as to how they’ll get across until Yap says his friends will make it easy. He calls out in a tongue that she doesn’t understand, and in seconds almost a dozen hand-sized river sprites appear. They promise, to Katzumi’s wonderment, that they can arrange it so she can cross with no difficulty. She’s nervous but agrees, and soon finds herself walking across the bottom of the Willow River, breathing water! Thanks to Yap’s fey friends, miles have been shaved off of their journey. Heading north with the Kreegwood to their left and the Skull River to their right, Yap and Katzumi soon find further assistance. The plight of Myriana has touched many in the region, and word of Yap’s mission to find help has spread widely. A river nixie reports that powerful adventurers are on their way back from Skull’s Crossing, having ousted the ogres and trolls that were making war there. The nixie suggests that they could be enlisted to help with the quest to recover Lamatar’s body from the Kreeg clanhold at Hook Mountain.
With Yap and Katzumi heading north, and Artemis and Kang heading south, a meeting is inevitable. But, unknown to both groups, a fifth person is present, hiding in the underbrush and listening to their conversation with interest. Vier, a professional “trouble-shooter” from Riddleport, has been betrayed by his former adventuring party and has followed the trail of a rumoured band of warriors that he thinks could be quite useful in getting revenge. But an uncontrollable sneeze gives away the pale, one-eyed spy’s position! Vier explains his presence quickly, but wonders aloud if he’s made a mistake in enlisting the help of a group of warriors led by a pixie! Yap, for his part, tries to persuade the group to head directly to Hook Mountain, but Kang and Artemis are adamant that Turtleback Ferry has to be warned before the dam breaks. They promise Yap and Katzumi that, afterwards, they’ll join in on a quest to free the region from the ogre threat once and for all.
The adventurers cross the Skull River via ferry at nightfall, and head straight to the temple of Erastil. The lower reaches of the town are still under a couple of feet of water, but the town seems to be recovering well from the flash-flood and attack of Black Magga. Inside the temple, Artemis tells Father Shreed about the dam’s imminent collapse and the need to evacuate. Shreed is persuaded that an evacuation is necessary, but Artemis isn’t able to convey the urgency of the situation as well as he would have liked. Shreed says that he’ll begin preparations in the morning, but that it will take several days to get everyone (especially the sick and the wounded) moved safely to a location away from the likely path of such a devastating flood.
The adventurers find a warm place to rest on the temple’s upper level. As a bedtime story, Kang tells Kat and Vier about the “psychopathic demon” trapped in the dam that may try to drag him to Hell if it gets free.
[25 Kuthona 4707]
In the morning, Artemis walks up the hill to the village schoolhouse, where some of the town’s displaced have found shelter, to speak with his cousin Fillias. Fillias is on the road to recovery but suffering from survivor’s guilt over what happened to Fort Rannick. Artemis kindly tells him that there was nothing more he could have done, and that surviving such a slaughter is a testament to the young man’s courage. Fillias swears that he’ll do his duty as the last surviving Black Arrow and help lead the people of Turtleback Ferry to someplace safe.
Back at the temple, preparations for evacuation have started, but aren’t proceeding with great haste. Vier dryly notes that if the townspeople are leaving, the adventurers should be on their way as well. Katzumi asks Kang about the scar on his neck, and Kang explains how someone tried to kill him in his sleep during a recent boat ride. The conversation is interrupted when Kang is verbally accosted by the local innkeeper for leaving a mess in his room on his first visit to Turtleback Ferry. Kang shrugs it off, however. All are forced to endure Yap’s attempt to “improve morale” by playing a flute (badly). Katzumi suddenly realizes that she left her horse at the start of the Wicker Walk and asks if there’s time to retrieve it, but the others say it’s too far out of the way.
After Artemis arranges for four horses to carry the adventurers (though Vier insists on walking) and the bulk of the loot that had been stashed in Sir Roderick’s house, everyone meets at the ferry to cross the river and begin the journey north. Artemis suggests following the river until it reaches the mountains, and then crossing the mountains west so that they’ll be on high ground if the dam should burst during their journey.
Barely an hour into their march, the adventurers realize that they’re being stalked by creatures hiding in the trees of the Kreegwood. Artemis scurries up a tree while the others dismount and take up battle positions. With their presence discovered, horribly deformed humans with oversized arms and obese torsos emerge from the treeline. Katzumi strikes first, stabbing one through the chest. Fortunately, her instincts were correct as the others identify their assailants as brutish, degenerate creatures called ogre-kin. Kang lobs bombs to devastate the attackers, but one explosive gets batted high into the air and lands near the adventurers’ horses! A frightened Yap calls out for the plants to defend him, but the fighting is over seconds later as Vier uses a poisoned dagger to fell one of the attackers and Artemis, from his perch on a tree branch, plants an arrow through the throat of another.
The adventurers press on and soon reach the edge of the mountains where a broken trail leads to Fort Rannick. They push past the lonely structure that is now more mausoleum than sentinel. The going is quite slow through the mountains as jagged cliffs, snow-covered valleys, and boulder-strewn hills make travel an arduous process. Two of the party’s horses are weakened by hypothermia, slowing the group even further, but, as they set up camp for the night, Artemis seems a miracle-worker when he digs out an almost-forgotten heatstone from the bottom of his pack. The weary adventurers and their mounts are able to bed down comfortably for the night thanks to the warmth it provides.
[26 Kuthona 4707]
The heatstone continues to radiate warmth for the duration of the day’s march. During a mid-morning break, a loud roar, like distant thunder, can be heard echoing through the peaks and valleys from somewhere to the east. Artemis and Kang exchange looks, for they can guess the source of the noise: Skull’s Crossing has collapsed, and anyone still in Turtleback Ferry is probably dead. Artemis keeps the group on track for the rest of the day, using natural landmarks and maps to make sure they don’t get lost. The party’s ostensible guide, Yap, admits he doesn’t know *exactly* where Hook Mountain is and spends most of the journey snuggled warmly inside Katzumi’s backpack! Knowing the heatstone won’t last much longer, Artemis and Vier keep their eyes open for any source of fuel during the march and are able to spot a couple of stunted trees. It’s not much, but it’s enough to keep them alive through another freezing night.
Near sunset, the adventurers reach the base of a mountain that stretches nearly ten thousand feet into the sky. “We’re here,” Artemis announces. The adventurers set up camp. Just after midnight, as Vier throws the last of the logs on the fire, howls spring up all around the campsite. The adventurers’ presence has not gone unnoticed!
Ingenuity, preparation, and luck have gotten the adventurers this far. But do they have the inner fortitude to survive a climb up Hook Mountain and then face whatever terrible dangers within the Kreeg clanhold? And even if they do, will they ever uncover the true reason behind the destruction of Turtleback Ferry?
I was very curious to see where the PCs would be when the (randomly rolled) flood actually took place. The poor people in Turtleback Ferry! The loss of the village has become a somber note in the campaign, one that reminds the PCs of the price of failure.
Camped at the base of Hook Mountain, the adventurers ready themselves quickly when they hear howling nearby. Kang unfolds his dragonfly wings and takes to the sky, spotting a pair of massive dire wolves on a ledge overlooking the camp. Katzumi rushes to the ledge and draws her katana, ready to do battle. The wolves jump towards her but land awkwardly in the snow drifts, providing an opportunity for the adventurers to pounce. Katzumi kills one before it can even recover, while Artemis’ arrows and Kang’s explosives combine to kill the other. The battle is over so quickly that Yap doesn’t even bother getting out of bed!
[27 Kuthona 4707]
The adventurers huddle in their tents to keep warm and survive until morning. But the howling of the wind outside and the heavy snow that falls continuously brings warning of a dangerous, dismal day ahead. A blizzard has hit the Hook Mountain region! Rather than risking trying to climb the exposed mountain face in such dangerous weather, the group decide to wait out the storm. Vier suggests building a makeshift igloo, and, with the others’ help, creates a crude but effective shelter. Yap stays snuggled up tightly inside Katzumi’s backpack and the others squeeze themselves inside the dome for warmth. In such close quarters, the others can’t help but notice an odd lump moving around underneath Kang’s clothes. The master alchemist explains that it showed up after a failed experiment one day, and that they should be glad they can’t hear it talk!
[28 Kuthona 4707]
Although Vier’s idea has allowed the adventurers to survive the storm, they’re not surprised to discover that their mounts, left outside and exposed to the worst of the cold and wind, have perished overnight. Katzumi says prayers to Shizuru, the Tian-Min goddess of the sun, honor, swordplay, and ancestors, for their spirits’ safe passage in the afterworld. The mounts are stripped of much of the gear that had been stowed on them, with Kang taking the bulk of it in a magical haversack. Yap offers to stay behind and “guard the campsite”, but Katzumi persuades him to come along on the day’s planned climb.
In their first foray, the adventurers agree to climb together and stay close to one another. The mountain isn’t particular steep in most parts, but after an hour, Katzumi and Vier have hardly made any progress at all. Kang says it’s an exercise in futility, but everyone tries again. Vier does better this time, but Katzumi only scales a few dozen feet, and the adventurers know that the longer they’re out in the cold, the more likely frostbite or even hypothermia will set in. Artemis, who is able to scale the side of the mountain easily thanks to his kobold ancestors, offers to scout ahead while the others wait below.
After about four hours of climbing, the watchman from Magnimar crests the last craggy outcrop about a half-mile from Hook Mountain’s 10,000-foot peak and sees a gaping cave belching forth foul black smoke. He’s reached the entrance to the Kreeg’s clanhold, but two guards stand at the cave entrance, swathed in furs and leathers. They give an immediate shout and advance! Artemis, thinking quickly out of self-preservation, jumps off the cliff, trusting his ring of feather falling to save his life. He lands on a slope about thirty feet below the outcrop and starts to run to safety, but a pair of javelins imbed themselves in his thigh and back. The ogres don’t intend to let an intruder escape! But Artemis has one last trick up his sleeve, and drinks an elixir given to him by Kang weeks ago: it turns him as invisible as the wind, and the ogres are forced to give up the search. With the sun setting rapidly, Artemis climbs partially down the mountain, descending to an altitude where his lungs no longer burn from the lack of oxygen. He sets up a tent on the side of the mountain and settles in for the night.
Meanwhile, far down below, the others worry about their missing ally. Kang spends the time with his bottles and powders, and his whispered discussions with Vier about furnishing the newcomer poison are easily overheard by Katzumi and Yap. Yap tells Katzumi that Kang is evil, but the alchemist defends himself, saying that everyone’s done something bad in their lives. Vier says Katzumi could use toughening up in a place like her hometown of Riddleport.
[29 Kuthona 4707]
Artemis climbs down to the base of the mountain. Tired and shivering, he explains to the others what he saw. This time, the heroes decide on a new plan. They’ll each climb at their own pace, but those who reach certain landmarks will set up a temporary camp and wait for the others to catch up before everyone advances. The plan is a good one, as it allows the group to make progress (even if intermittent) while lessening the time they’re separated from one another in case they’re attacked. After several hours of climbing, with the sun setting again, the adventurers set up camp. They’ve made it about halfway to where Artemis remembers stumbling upon the entrance to the clanhold.
The experienced adventurers keep watch, despite the cold, but this time their precautions aren’t enough to give them advance warning of attack. Gliding silently down the mountain, a foursome of flame drakes allied with the Kreeg ogres have followed Artemis’ scent! Once the drakes spot the adventurers’ tents, they breathe fire in unison! Vier’s uncanny instincts protect him from the worst of the attack, but the others, especially Katzumi, are badly burned. Even worse is a fact that won’t be realized this night: Yap has been killed instantly!
Kang takes to the air to duel one of the cowardly attackers, while another lands to menace Kat and a third turns its attention to Vier. The last drake follows its original prey, chasing Artemis from the campsite and the sole source of light, Katzumi’s everburning torch. Unfortunately, the flame drakes can see in the dark and Artemis can’t!
Kang duels his opponent in the sky and unveils a new invention for the first time: bombs that explode with waves of concussive force! His attacker is knocked to the ground and then crushed by the bombs’ force. Katzumi dodges claws and tail sweeps to kill her foe with an impressive display of swordsmanship. Vier takes the most surprisingly tack, bribing her greedy attacker to leave! Meanwhile, dozens of feet away, Artemis scrambles to stay alive in a one-on-one battle against his unseen draconic enemy. The archer suffers a terrible bite wound, but once Katzumi gets close enough with her torch to reveal the attacker, Artemis swings his enchanted pick desperately and connects, killing the drake instantly!
Unprepared for the extreme cold and treacherous ascent, the adventurers have found Hook Mountain more than they bargained for. But their determination has kept them in good stead, and another day’s climb may just bring them all to the lair of the Kreeg ogres. Will they vanquish the degenerate monsters who have destroyed Fort Rannick and Turtleback Ferry for unknown reasons, or will they realize, too late, that bearding the lion in his den could be a fatal mistake?
This scenario really tested the PCs' endurance. Players often ignore things like being good at climbing or resisting the elements in favour of chasing yet another +1 on attacks, so I love it when the full spectrum of the game's hazards come into play. Getting up that mountain was grueling work that wore down the PCs' hit points (and gave them the fatigued/exhausted conditions), and although they did great in the random encounters in this session, the cumulative toll will bite quite hard next session.
I felt bad for poor Yap, burned to death instantly, and even worse for the poor horses (who slowly froze to death).
The feeble morning sun illuminates the adventurers’ campsite halfway up Hook Mountain, its inhabitants having mostly recovered from the attack of the flame drakes just hours previously. The intrepid mountain climbers redouble their efforts to make it to the cave that Artemis spotted on his previous climb. Although Kang did well the previous day, he struggles for the entire morning to make significant progress. At about midday, Vier and Artemis decide to climb ahead of the others to surreptiously set up a camp just a few dozen feet below the lip of the cave. As Artemis ascends a particularly treacherous slope, he wipes away some frost from an icy patch and is startled to realize that a face is staring back at him! He clambers up, hearing the ice crack from his weight and heat behind him. Fearful of an undead monstrosity, Artemis draws his heavy pick and swings it overhand into the back of the creature that stumbles out of its imprisonment in the ice! The figure staggers and nearly drops to the ground. It turns, and Artemis realizes he’s not dealing with a monster: but with a shivering, bedraggled, newly awakened kitsune! With fiery red hair, a fox’s tail, and a delicate rapier, the figure may once have cast quite the dashing figure, but now it looks like death warmed over.
Realizing his mistake, Artemis apologizes. The irritated kitsune says his name is Jinkatsyu, and stands shivering while Artemis hurriedly assembles his tent. Soon after the pair are inside, Vier arrives and asks for an explanation. Jinkatsyu explains that he came to Hook Mountain on the trail of a trio of witches who kidnapped and murdered his birth parents—the last thing he remembers is confronting them when they cast some sort of spell in unison. Still holding a grudge over getting, quite literally, stabbed in the back by Artemis, Jinkatsyu answers the archer’s question about how long he’s been in the ice and says he’s not sure—he arrived in the month of Neth . . . in the year 4705!
Kang stumbles into the tent about an hour later, fatigued and frostbitten from the climb in freezing temperatures. Kang is understandably startled to see a newcomer in the tent, but quickly takes advantage of an opportunity: he tells Jinkatsyu that he can provide magical healing if the kitsune will help defeat the Kreeg ogres. Jinkatsyu seems inclined to help, if for no other reason than that the ogres and witches may be working in concert. As they all wait for Katzumi, the lack of oxygen at this mountainous altitude takes its toll, and Vier finds himself wheezing and exhausted. Finally, in the middle of the afternoon, Katzumi arrives, embarrassed. Jinkatsyu notices something that none of the others, including Katzumi herself, noticed: a severely burned dead pixie has flopped out of her backpack! Katzumi sobs upon realizing that Yap is dead and insists upon burying the pixie despite the icy, rocky terrain. Vier helps her, and they manage to scrape out a small furrow and then cover the body with snow. The delay is costly, however, and Jinkatsyu also begins to suffer from altitude sickness.
With the sun beginning to set, the adventurers have a momentous decision to make: attack the Kreeg clanhold now, despite their own weakened state; rest overnight and attack at dawn; or even retreat completely! Vier pushes for the latter, stating that he wouldn’t last two seconds in a fight. But Kang and Katzumi argue that they’ve come too far to turn back, and that further delay only risks further suffering from the cold and altitude. The consensus is reached to take the battle to the enemy now before it’s too late. But having decided to attack, inexplicably, no further plans are made. The result is a tragic one.
As the conversation winds down, Artemis sets off on his own initiative and easily crests the final craggy outcrop that conceals the cave entrance from below. The same two ogres are on patrol, but, unlike last time, Artemis has taken advantage of the rocky terrain to avoid being seen. Without waiting for his allies, he begins the assault by firing an arrow: it tunnels into the belly of one of the ogres, who gives a shout of surprise and anger. Both charge towards Artemis’ position. Vier and Kang, happening to form the second wave of the assault, arrive on the scene but are without the benefit of clever tactics or a formidable warrior to halt the ogres’ advance. Vier hurls a dagger that grazes one of the ogres, but takes the long end of an ogre hook in the sternum for his trouble! Before he can escape, the hooked end of the weapon literally disembowels him! Alas, the ill-fated adventurer’s prediction that he wouldn’t last seconds in a fight against the ogres has proved prescient. But the worst is far from over: before Vier’s body even hits the ground, the other ogre catches Artemis by the back of the neck with his hooked weapon and then punches him in the face so hard his skull crumples inward. In the time it takes for Kang to utter a single shout, two of his allies, including the group’s ostensible leader and someone who had been by his side since the Sandpoint days, are dead.
Kang hurls an explosive that kills the ogre that Artemis shot with an arrow, leading the other to loose an echoing shout for reinforcements. Kang’s reinforcements arrive first, as Katzumi and Jinkatsyu reach the cave in the third and final wave. They surround the ogre and with skilful swordplay manage to kill it, but in moments, heavy footsteps can be heard approaching rapidly. Kang takes to the air and hovers just below the ceiling of the passageway as two more ogres and a hill giant thunder into view! Even more enemies can be heard advancing in the distance, leading Katzumi to shout for the others to run as she heroically tries to buy them time by charging the hill giant. But in the wide entryway, the three adventurers quickly find themselves surrounded by enemies and overmatched. Katzumi stands her ground and trades blows with the giant, but soon she too lays dead. Kang, wounded severely in the fighting, shouts to Jinkatsyu that he’s leaving. He flies out of the cave entrance and hovers nearby, watching as the kitsune, too tired to flee, raises his rapier in defiance as almost a dozen additional ogres flood into the entryway, pushing and shoving for the privilege of tearing apart an intruder.
Kang knows the battle is lost, but sticks around a moment longer to try a desperate gamble. Having noticed the structural weakness in the lip of the cave, he hurls a bomb to shatter the natural faultline, sending Jinkatsyu tumbling down the mountainside like a pinwheel alongside a cloud of rock and snow. Kang quickly flies downward and scoops up his newest, and only surviving ally. “We have to get off this mountain and get to safety. We’d need an army or a dragon to overcome those ogres,” Kang concludes. “It’s over.”
Unprepared for the weather, the altitude, and the difficulty of climbing Hook Mountain, the adventurers persevered and reached the Kreeg Clanhold. But whether through poor tactics, exhaustion, or atrocious misfortune, three of their number are now dead. Has evil triumphed, or does fate have another surprise in store for the survivors?
The assault on the Kreeg Clanhold was a disaster, and the closest thing the campaign has had to a true TPK so far. Crits by the monsters were part of it, but just as much was the staggered approach and the lack of a true front-liner like Goragar. Kang's player had a plot twist card that allowed him and Jinkatsyu to escape, but losing three PCs in just a matter of rounds (including Artemis, the group's stalwart leader) was a real blow. I think the players were as demoralized as the fictional survivors. I gave a bit of a GM pep talk afterwards as we debriefed, including some discussion about tactics, the firepower that magic can bring, etc. One of the unintended consequences is that two of the new PCs next session were full casters (one arcane, one divine) and that turned most encounters into cakewalks. Ah, Pathfinder--you are a difficult beast to manage!
Despite the remoteness and perils of Hook Mountain, the disastrous attempt by a group of adventurers to defeat the Kreeg ogres has not gone unobserved. In a hidden campsite nearby, an unusual trio of spellcasters—a grippli, a ratfolk, and a half-elf--had spent the day watching the entrance to the Kreeg clanhold and planning their own assault. But now, having just witnessed the death of three adventurers and the lucky escape of two others, the watchers decide to extend a lifeline.
Kang and Jinkatsyu are preparing to dig in for a cold, miserable night with a plan to descend in the morning, but then they hear movement coming towards them from above. Too exhausted to flee, Jinkatsyu draws his rapier, ready for a last stand against what he presumes are ogres. But instead, he sees a trio of humanoids approaching! The newcomers call out that they can offer healing and introduce themselves: there’s Ava, a female grippli grasping the holy symbol of Sinashakti, the empyreal lord of joyful travel; Salma al-Khashramyah, a tall and attractive female half-elf; and Saan, a ratfolk wearing dirty, threadbare robes holding the hand of a ghostly child! Kang and Jinkatsyu are understandably suspicious at first, but, given the circumstances, quick to accept aid. The two explain they’ve come to Hook Mountain on the trail of the missing commander of Fort Rannick, while the newcomers explain that Saan is a professional ghost-seeker and has been led to this place. Tomorrow, the last day of the year, is the Night of the Pale, she reminds everyone, when the borders between the world of the living and that of the dead are at their thinnest. The two teams agree to work together.
The sound of drums and shouted celebrations echo down the mountain from the cave entrance above as the sun goes down. Salma suggests everyone move down to the base of the mountain to rest and recover, but Kang is insistent that if an attack is going to be made against the ogres, it should be sooner rather than later—the arduous climb down and then back up Hook Mountain would only leave them worse off than before. Sighing, Salma murmurs an incantation and a roomy igloo suddenly appears nestled in a nearby hollow: inside, it’s cozy and warm, the perfect place to talk strategy. A consensus is reached for an assault, first thing in the morning, that combines magical spells of silence (to avoid alerting the entire clanhold) and stone-shaping (to create a chokepoint to defend against counter-attacks).
[31 Kuthona 4707]
Dizziness, headaches, and nausea afflict the inexperienced mountain climbers. Fortunately, Kang and Ava have planned for the eventuality and pool their resources to cure the worst effects of the altitude sickness. The adventurers emerge from the magically-constructed igloo into a clear, bright day. Kang drinks an extract to turn invisible and flies up to scout the entrance to the clanhold. He hears snoring coming from inside and can see several ogres, passed out after a night of revelry! Empty casks are all around, as are some of the blood-spattered and partially eaten remnants of his companions. Kang flies back down and everyone ascends, magically silenced by Salma’s spell. But when Ava recites a prayer to conjure a wall of stone, she realizes too late that she’s within the field of magical silence, and her attempt fails. Jinkatsyu, however, takes advantage of the silence to sneak up on the ogres and kill some of them in their sleep! He might have been able to finish them all, but Salma evokes a massive explosion that wounds some of the ogres, wakes them up, and alerts the rest of the clanhold! Ogres and a hill giant charge forth in a veritable repeat of the previous night’s doomed battle: but this time, even in the absence of the planned chokepoint, the adventurers prevail. Jinkatsyu’s thin blade somehow deflects the attackers’ massive weapons, Kang hurls bombs with unerring accuracy, and Saan manifests a bolt of lightning. The battle is over quickly and the invaders are barely scratched.
The adventurers cautiously advance deeper into the cave. Along one wall of a domelike cavern, an enormous figure stands against the wall: a 40’ tall giant with black skin covered by fissures and cracks. The giant wears majestic armor, gilded and encrusted with gems, a ferocious full helm, and, around its neck, a seven-pointed star medallion that Ava discerns is magical. Kang and Salma recognize the figure as Gargadros, a legendary general in ancient Thassilon that became one of the first of the so-called Dread Kings. But, startling, the figure is not a statue: it’s a preserved corpse!
A side cavern contains a pit wafting decay, and the adventurers happily pass by it. The main passageway leads to a junction of sorts, with four exits. Kang’s excellent hearing detects whispering from one of the passageways further on, and he returns to tell the others what he’s found. They decide to lure the enemy out, and Saan has the perfect spell for the job. A cloud of poisonous vapors appear at her command and drift towards their hidden assailants. A trio of choking, gasping figures appear: hunchbacked crones with leathery skin that Salma identifies as annis hags. Jinkatsyu instantly recognizes the witches who kidnapped and murdered his family! The kitsune charges into the fray and strikes one of the hags down, terrifying the other two. They split up to flee, with one disappearing down a corridor and another shouting for assistance to an unknown protector.
Jinkatsyu chases the shouting hag and is taken aback to see that her protector is a frost wight! The walking corpse, whose body is caked in ice and has a claw of icicles for a hand, begins shooting arrows at the kitsune from an enchanted longbow. Kang joins in the fight, while the others stay back and take cover. The shouting hag is blown to pieces by an alchemical bomb, and additional firebombs devastate the frost wight before Jinkatsyu destroys the unliving abomination forever.
The adventurers carefully search the rooms that branch off the junction. One large chamber is filled with hammers, anvils, fire pits, and half-forged blades and axe heads. Tunnels from the chamber wind down hundreds of feet before eventually terminating in a gallery overlooking a massive mine in which dozens and dozens of ogres can be seen mining ore. The adventurers realize their quest must lay elsewhere, and return to the central part of the clanhold. The hags’ foul-smelling chamber is cluttered with an appalling amount of body parts, dead animals, spoiled food, and filth, but nothing of value. The chamber the hags’ “protector” emerged from is clearly a shrine to Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters.
The last chamber off of the junction proves to be the most interesting—and potentially the most dangerous! A gigantic chamber, hundreds of feet long, contains a long sloping ramp that terminates from of an immense stone throne. A massive giant that looks like he was carved from stone himself sits on the throne, with a massive earthbreaker hammer to his right and a slightly smaller stone giant to his left. “Deal with these mites. They’ve caused enough problems for me,” the figure on the throne instructs his bodyguard. The stone giant advances, swinging a massive stone club, but the adventurers are ready for him. Once again, the team of Kang and Jinkatsyu prove unstoppable, with the others aiding the cause through a barrage of spellcasting. The enthroned figured stands up when his minion falls, and announces that he, Barl Breakbones, will lay the broken bodies of the adventurers before his master, Mokmurian, Lord of Jorgenfist, as together they prepare for the return of the land’s true ruler. But the great stone giant doesn’t even lay a finger on the intruders before he’s blasted, burned, and stabbed to death in a flurry of attacks!
A search of the throne room thousands of gold pieces worth of coins and jewels, along with a plethora of enchanted magical items. But of more pressing concern is a message written on mammoth hide in the Giant tongue:
Barl—
Latest contact with Teraktinus indicates he has narrowed the search—he believes a human town called Sandpoint could hide what my lord seeks. Teraktinus will lead several of the people, as well as the dragon, on a raid into the town on the night of the first new moon of the new year. When they return, they may be pursued, and I may need your ogre slaves to aid in Teraktinus’s retreat to Jorgenfist. Be ready to return at my command!
M
The people of Fort Rannick and Turtleback Ferry have been avenged, though not without cost. Another chapter of an epic story draws to a close, leading tantalizing questions to be resolved in the next. Who is Mokmurian? What “ruler” was Barl Breakbones referring to? And, most importantly, can the adventurers reach Sandpoint in time to save it from an invading army?
The new combination of PCs (with a high level wizard and a high level cleric) made combats much easier, and nothing really gave the group a hard time--even the "boss" of Chapter 3, Barl Breakbones, was a real pushover. I might normally have been disappointed, but it was the last session of the year before the holidays so it was great to end the chapter and have the awesome cliffhanger of "Sandpoint is about to be invaded" to think about for the start of Chapter 4.
Having read the mammoth-hide message disclosing a planned attack on Sandpoint on the first new moon of the new year (the 17th of Abadius), the adventurers start to discuss the fastest way to get to Sandpoint. Salma says he can simply teleport everyone there. Saan explains she would like to stay at the Kreeg Clanhold for now in order to converse with the spirits that will surely appear in the evening. So, rather suddenly, Salma grabs the hands of Ava, Kang, and Jinkatsyu and magically transports them hundreds of miles in an instant!
A simple, relatively peaceful town with all the color and common oddities one expects from a tightly-knit community, Sandpoint sits at a point on the Lost Coast halfway between Magnimar and Windsong Abbey. Wood buildings and cluttered docks line the town’s natural harbor, while farms and the manors of wealthy citizens dot the surrounding countryside. During the day, fishing, farming, lumbering, glassmaking, and shipbuilding occupy most of the townsfolk, who commonly retire to their homes by way of Sandpoint’s many taverns. A playhouse and would-be museum make unusual attractions in such a small community, but Sandpoint’s true landmark is the Old Light, a lighthouse of ancient origins that lies in ruins.
Through Salma’s spell, the foursome appear outside of Cracktooth’s Tavern near the center of the town. This early in the morning, the establishment is closed. Kang announces that the first order of business is to alert the mayor about the impending attack, and fortunately the Town Hall is just down the street. Inside, the newcomers see labourers raising a banner proclaiming the “Goblin Day Festival!” A clerk recognizes Kang and treats him as a hero, saying that everyone knows he was one of the heroes who stopped the “scarecrow” invasion several weeks ago. The clerk happily leads the group to the second floor office of Mayor Kendra Deverin, a woman with short brown hair in her early thirties. Kang again enjoys the unusual (for him) phenomenon of being greeted warmly despite his “Hell-touched” appearance. Deverin is introduced to the other adventurers, and told the story about the discovery of a planned attack on Sandpoint. She’s interested but not alarmed at the news, saying that she’s can’t imagine why an army of ogres or giants from central Varisia would come all the way to the Lost Coast to attack a small town like Sandpoint. She suggests the adventurers may have fallen for a ruse, but says she’ll keep an open mind if they come up with any more proof. In the meantime, she explains, the town is celebrating the last day of the year and the defeat of the temporarily-united goblin tribes at Thistletop by holding a festival in the town square. She asks the adventurers to keep word of another potential attack on Sandpoint quiet so as not to alarm the festival-goers.
Intrigued by something Deverin mentioned about a mysterious stranger washing up on the beach some weeks ago, the adventurers’ curiosity gets the better of them. They walk to the town square, now starting to fill up with stalls and wagons, and toward the Cathedral, where the stranger is supposed to be staying. The building is the largest in Sandpoint, a brand-new building of stone and glass that contains interior shrines to six different faiths as well as ancient standing stones in the center. On the front steps of the building, the adventurers see one of the local acolytes, the muddle-headed Sister Guilia, speaking with a tall, black-haired elf woman. After introducing themselves, the adventurers quickly learn that the elf, Nerissa, is the stranger that Mayor Deverin spoke about. Nerissa explains that she has no memory of who she is, what happened to her, or why her own journal is written in a code she can’t decipher!
A vendor approaches to sell the group berries but suddenly whispers to Nerissa “You may forget, but you will never escape!” and produces a dagger! Before anyone can react, the “vendor” stabs her and tries to make a run for it. The cut, although shallow, seems to sap Nerissa’s strength: the dagger was poisoned! As the elf staggers inside, the others try to apprehend the would-be murderer who has fled out of sight. Fortunately, Salma spots him trying to squeeze through a narrow alley. Kang rushes to one end and Jinkatsyu rushes to the other, seemingly blocking escape. “If I fall, others will come in my wake—the traitor will die!” the assassin shouts, and then climbs a wall of the alleyway and onto a rooftop! Salma hurls a massive fireball that rocks the town with its echo, but the assassin leaps for cover behind a stone chimney and escapes the blast. Kang unfurls his dragonfly wings and hovers adjacent to the rooftop to hurl bombs as Salma encircles the fugitive with a translucent ring of magical energy. Jinkatsyu reaches the rooftop and darts forth to stab the assassin, not realizing the ring is a wall of blindness spell! But even with the kitsune’s sudden loss of vision in mid-stroke, his rapier stabs the assassin in the heart! Despite efforts to save the man’s life for interrogation, he bleeds to death seconds later.
Salma is able to dismiss her spell and end Jinkatsyu’s blindness. It’s not long before the Town Watch arrives. Sheriff Hemlock isn’t pleased to see Kang back in Sandpoint along with a band of adventurers, and notes that they’ve barely arrived before a body has turned up! As Hemlock goes into the Cathedral to question the target of the attack, Kang speaks to part-time Watch member Jodar Provolost and manages to persuade the man that it’d be in his own best interest if Kang were to investigate any strange vials found on the body. Indeed, several contain poison. Back in the Cathedral, a frightened and weakened Nerissa has been taken to one of the sick beds and looked after by Sister Giulia and Ava. Nerissa explains to Sheriff Hemlock that she knows nothing of the attacker or why she was the target. Sheriff Hemlock is not pleased to have a mysterious corpse on his hands along with the mysterious Nerissa, and departs with a warning to the adventurers to stay out of trouble. When Kang and the others go to check on Nerissa, Kang gets a hunch that perhaps Sister Giulia knows more about Nerissa than she’s letting on, but he can’t figure out a way to get the airy acolyte to reveal any secrets.
Leaving Nerissa to rest, the adventurers head to a local inn called the Rusty Dragon. Its namesake is clearly visible in the form of a skeletal rusty metal dragon that serves as both advertisement and lightning rod. Inside, the tavern is busy as local farmers and merchants have come for the Goblin Day Festival and stopped in for a light repast before it starts. Ava talks to an aged but spry halfling maid named Bethana Corwin and gets a large room (one of the few left) for everyone to stay in, while Kang talks to the tavern’s owner, a beautiful young woman with a white streak in her hair named Ameiko Kaijitsu. Ameiko recognizes Kang and tells him that Cyrdak Drokkus has been doing a wonderful impersonation of him in his one-man show about “local heroes.”
In their two-bedroom suite on the second floor, the adventurers discuss what to do next. Salma is keen to teleport back to Hook Mountain to obtain the mammoth hide message to help prove the threat of invasion is real, but Kang says the group is still injured and weary and it would be too risky. Salma reluctantly agrees and begins committing the interior of the room to memory. While Ava prays to her deity in shame for not being able to help stop the poison that weakened Nerissa, Jinkatsyu and Kang decide to check out the festival in the town square. They find a wide variety of games, trinket stalls, and homemade food and craft vendors. The only thing that catches Kang’s eyes are some dolls of straw and rag meant to represent the “Heroes of Sandpoint.” He buys two of them before hearing word that Cyrdak Drokkus’ show is about to start at an outdoor stage built near the popular Sandpoint Theatre. Cyrdak’s show incorporates a heavily-fictionalized retelling of recent events and proves enormously popular. Afterwards, Kang gains a private audience with the multi-talented performer and asks who in town would traffic in poison of the type discovered on the body of the assassin. The tiefling emerges with two leads: Jubrayl Vhiski and “Pillbug” Podiker.
The adventurers’ first morning in Sandpoint has proven an eventful one, as already they’ve met a potential ally and done battle in the streets. But as the townsfolk are busy with the festival and the local constabulary seems suspicious of them, will they succeed in preparing the town for an invasion force that may already be on its way?
The player who had introduced Saan in the last session of the previous chapter decided over the break that she didn't like the character, and so this session sees the introduction of Nerissa. Nerissa was a ninja with a mysterious past that I tried to draw on for some action and intrigue in this session.
[31 Kuthona 4707]
In the middle of the afternoon, Salma is confident she’s memorized the features of her room at the Rusty Dragon. She heads out to find Ava, and soon learns that the grippli is visiting with the mysterious Nerissa at the Sandpoint Cathedral. Still weak from the assassin’s poison, Nerissa repeats her claim that she has no idea why she was attacked and little memory of her life previous to washing up on a nearby beach. Father Zantus comes to check in on his patient. He gives Salma a long, curious look with a flicker of recognition, and Salma hastily identifies herself as a newcomer to town named “Silva.” Father Zantus is hesitant, but finishes his examination of Nerissa and then departs, mentioning that it’s nearly sunset so everyone needs to “take the necessary precautions."
Ava is intrigued at this cryptic warning and spends the remainder of the afternoon trying to find someone to explain what Father Zantus meant. Most of the residents she asks change the subject or simply walk away, but she manages to persuade one person to speak: Jargie Quinn, proprietor of Sandpoint’s preeminent seafood restaurant, the Hagfish. Even the normally voluble Jargie is reluctant to speak, but Ava is just so cute and small that he can’t refuse her aid. He explains that tonight is known as the Night of the Pale, when the spirits of the departed walk the land. Jargie says anyone with a lick of sense barricades themselves indoors with certain symbols on the door to keep the dead from entering. Ava takes a look at the symbols and discerns that they’re holy Pharasmin runes telling spirits that they’re not invited.
As Ava finishes her examination, the sun begins to dip below the horizon and ominous bells toll from the Cathedral. The adventurers hastily convene as all the townsfolk begin locking their doors. Salma takes refuge inside the Rusty Dragon (as does Nerissa within the Cathedral), but Kang, who is wavering, is addressed by an aged Varisian woman standing across the street. The woman, known to locals as Madame M’vashti, tells Kang that she’s read the Harrow and that there’s something Kang needs to see tonight—he needs to realize the full implications of his past failures, because “da’ bad man comin’ gonna be more powerful din before.” Before leaving, she alludes to having foreseen that she won’t live out the month. Kang decides to see things through in the town square, and Ava and Jinkatsyu bravely accompany him.
Hours pass as the night grows darker and colder until, near midnight, the adventurers hear the sound of hundreds of people marching. A ghostly procession approaches, led by the solemn visage of Father Maelin Shreed of Turtleback Ferry. Accompanying him are hundreds of townspeople of that doomed village. Almost all of them pass by the adventurers wordlessly, but the spirit of the town’s innkeeper, Cesten Orlandi, stops slowly and faces Kang. “You could have saved us!” he moans over and over again, growing more and more vehement each time. Kang is overwhelmed by the psychic assault and collapses into a coma! The procession continues as Ava and Jinkatsyu try to awaken Kang, but with no success. The last figure in the procession is that of the town’s schoolteacher, Tillia Henkenson. She says in a wistful whisper, “tell him we understand and forgive . . . but worse is coming, and he has to be ready.” When the procession is finished, Ava and Jinkatsyu carry the unconscious Kang to shelter to wait out the rest of the long night.
[1 Abadius 4808]
In the morning, the two adventurers carry Kang to the Cathedral to consult with Father Zantus. The priest suspects Kang is suffering from a spiritual curse of some kind, but can provide little in the way of explanation as to what the long-term effects of it will be. Ava decides to consult with Salma. After a quick magical jaunt to the Kreeg Clanhold to collect some of the spoils of war left there, Salma arrives at the Cathedral and examines Kang. His vast erudition allows him to recall the details of a rarely-cast spell that shatters the curse and jolts the tiefling back to consciousness! All Kang can remember of the last several hours are constant, recurring visions of a dam bursting and himself drowning, over and over and over again. He’s obviously shaken by the experience. Kang’s recovery is accompanied by that of Nerissa, as her body’s ability to recover from the assassin’s poison has been dramatically accelerated by Ava’s divinely-fuelled intercession.
As the adventurers leave the Cathedral, they’re met by Bosk Hartigan, Sandpoint’s Deputy Sheriff and primary criminal investigator. Bosk explains in his gravelly voice that he’s been left in charge since Sheriff Hemlock is out trying to verify the claims that the adventurers made to the mayor yesterday. The grizzled veteran goes on to say that he’s managed to link Nerissa’s attacker to a boat that’s still tethered to the docks, and that, given everything that’s happened, he’s willing to work with them if they want to accompany him on the raid. The adventurers agree and, after a (relatively fruitless) discussion with Jodar Provolost about the town’s defences against invasion, meet Hartigan at the docks. Ava runs to Sandpoint Savories, where Nerissa works, and persuades her to come along on the raid.
The adventurers approach cautiously, with Salma possessing the body of a wharf rat and leaving her own body to slump to the ground, alarming Hartigan. Kang, Nerissa, and Salma huddle around the door to the boat’s cabin while Kang searches it for traps. Having pronounced it safe, he opens the door only to trigger a trap as dozens of flasks of alchemist fire drop from the ceiling of the cabin and explode! Nerissa somehow escapes without even being singed, literally running over the water to reach safety. Salma’s possessed rat is obliterated. Kang is burned, but bravely dashes into the blazing ship to see if anything can be recovered. He finds a secret compartment containing a mask and a sword, and manages to make it out of the inferno alive. As the residents of Sandpoint start a bucket brigade to keep the fire from spreading to the docks, the adventurers examine Kang’s discovery. The mask is insect-like, with antenna and long mandibles, while the sword is cruelly serrated. Nerissa feels like maybe she’s seen these items before, but any concrete memories are lost in a veil of fog. Salma’s spells identify each as heavily-enchanted (and quite valuable) items. Unfortunately, both items are seized by Bosk Hartigan as evidence pertaining to the original crime, and, despite Kang’s protests, they’re taken off the adventurers’ hands.
After returning to their inn for a brief respite, discussion turns to how to prepare for the expected invasion of Sandpoint. Kang and Salma decide to see what they can find out about dragons, since the intercepted message mentioned that the invading force would include one. The two have little difficulty persuading local legend-keeper Ilsoari Gandethus for permission to use his museum and archives for research. Meanwhile, Nerissa and Jinkatsyu decide a sparring match would be a good way to see if Nerissa is able to use the weapons that washed up on shore next to her. At the Red Dragon, Ameiko clears space in the common room so that her patrons can be entertained by the duel. She has to call the match, off, however, after Jinkatsyu inexplicably fumbles his way through his opening moves, appearing to be more harmful to himself and the audience than his opponent!
The explosion aboard the assassin's boat was a pretty exciting scene, and I was impressed that they were able to find the hidden trapdoor even with the fire raging (Kang's fire resistance helped, of course). I would have handled some things differently with the Red Mantis if I had some of the setting material I have now, but at the time all I really had to go on with the group was their entry in the Pathfinder Wiki. I'm always annoyed at myself when I mess up established setting lore.
Jinkatsyu's duel with Nerissa has become an infamous moment in the campaign. It was intended just as a bit of fun, but when Jinks' player rolled *three* natural ones in a row, I had to make a big deal of it. Even now, something like forty sessions later, people in Sandpoint talk about how terrible a swordsman Jinks is despite all other evidence to the contrary.
The first weeks of the new year go by quickly as each of the adventurers prepares, in their own way, for the invasion they know is on the way. Salma researches the weaknesses of dragons in Ilsoari Gandethus’ archives, and helps his teammates by making multiple magical trips to recover and sell the wagonload of treasures discovered at the Kreeg Clanhold. Jinkatsyu trains hard to increase his stamina and has a fruitful encounter with an old friend from some years past: Veznutt Parrooh. The aged but spry gnome is intrigued when Jinkatsyu mentions Jorgenfist, and relates that he’s heard rumours that stone giants have recently built a fortress called that in the Valley of the Black Tower in the Iron Peaks. Parooh promises to try to track down a good map of the area, but from memory says one could travel to the Storval Stairs and head east to reach the Valley. Meanwhile, Ava spends her time helping out at the Cathedral, and earns the deep gratitude of all who work there. Nerissa returns from some extremely dangerous solo expeditions spent scouting for any signs of approaching giants, having successfully fought off goblins, wild boars, and even bugbears. She found no signs, but rumours continue to run rampant in the area of people spotting giant-sized footprints, smashed trapper’s cabins, and the like. Kang spends most of his time hunched over his portable alchemical laboratory, concocting a slew of new and old recipes to fully outfit his teammates for the battle to come.
Early in the month, the adventurers hold important meetings with Mayor Deverin and Sheriff Hemlock. Deverin is resistant to suggestions that Sandpoint be evacuated, saying it would be a huge undertaking to move (and keep safe) so many people, and that, try as they might, a sizable number of the residents would never leave just because of largely unsubstantiated rumors. Salma persuades her, however, to see if she can get people to assemble in the town’s stone buildings on 17 Abadius so that, if a dragon attacks, they’ll be away from flammable wooden buildings. Mayor Deverin also says she’s been able to get a small contingent of reinforcements from Magnimar, with the cover story that they’re in the town for a “joint training exercise.”
A later meeting with Sheriff Hemlock is equally productive. Hemlock is determined that the town won’t be caught off-guard like it was when goblins invaded during the previous year's Swallowtail Festival. He discusses the placement of the Town Guard, the Citizen’s Militia, and the Magnimarian troops at the most likely invasion points. Jinkatsyu has the foresight to realize that the units need a good way to communicate with each other, and arranges for each to be outfitted with whistling signal arrows.
The adventurers stay on watch during the night of 16 Abadius, just in case the invasion comes a day early, but all is quiet in Sandpoint.
[17 Abadius 4708]
Just as she promised, Mayor Deverin comes up with a plan to get the residents of Sandpoint to congregate in stone buildings (like the Garrison, the Cathedral, the Town Hall, and even the old Glassworks factory) without panicking anyone by telling everyone there’s a special “town drill.” In the doldrums of winter, most residents are happy to take part in a break from their routine. The adventurers decide to take up position at Tanner’s Bridge, hypothesizing that an attack is most likely to come from the east.
At the first blush of sunset, Kang’s uncanny eyesight allows him to see something that the others miss: silhouettes of enormous figures on the nearest tors, heading for the northern entrance into the town! Kang’s warning gives everyone time to prepare, and he and the other adventurers head there to reinforce the strongpoint where Sheriff Hemlock has taken command. First blood is struck as a hail of boulders begin to rain down on the North Gate. The invasion of Sandpoint has begun! Three massive stone giants, difficult to see clearly in the waning light, call out taunts, perhaps hoping to lure the defenders out of their fortifications. None fall for the trick however, and the return fire of dozens of archers (blessed by Ava’s magic) proves that the battle will be hard fought on both sides. Just as the bloody giants draw their clubs and start to charge, Salma’s spellcraft spoils their plans by encircling them in a ring of blinding energy! Two of the giants can only stumble around, while the third is felled by a long distance explosive hurled by Kang.
The defenders’ victory at the North Gate couldn’t have come at a better time, as, seconds later, a signal arrow is heard from Tanner’s Bridge, indicating another group of giants is attacking. The adventurers race back to their previous position, only to find that here, the Town Guard has been overrun: instead of having a defensible chokepoint (in the form of the bridge), the giants are tall enough to easily wade through the waters! And worse, they didn’t come alone—a trio of massive bears covered in matted fur and bony growths are chasing recalcitrant townsfolk! The rush to the eastern side of Sandpoint is disorganized—instead of responding as a unit, the adventurers arrive in ones and twos and quickly risk catastrophe. Kang’s dragonfly wings give him speed and manoeuvrability, but the giants’ skill with hurling massive boulders soon leaves him bruised, shaken, and ready to retreat! Ava arrives, seconds too late to save local tanner Larz Rovanky from being torn apart from one of the massive bears.
And just as the others arrive to do battle amongst the tombstones of the Boneyard, the situation escalates. A dragon descends from the clouds and strafes the Garrison with flame! Shouts can also be heard from the Town Square, as giants have apparently breached the perimeter and are running wild through the streets! Nerissa recognizes one of the screams as coming from Sister Giulia, but the amnesiac warrior has her own problems, locked in hand-to-hand combat with multiple massive foes. She somehow manages to tumble away and follows Kang’s instructions to head for the Town Square. Ava uses her magic to help Jinkatsyu get some distance from the attackers, but escape looks unlikely. And then, to make a dangerous situation even more perilous, Salma evokes a tremendous blast of cold at the ascending dragon. The dragon isn’t severely hurt, but now its gaze falls squarely on the wizard and her companions!
Salvation for Sandpoint is balanced on a knife’s edge, and the situation looks bleak—can the adventurers turn the tide?
The PCs had some very good suggestions to the town leaders about preparing for the invasion. I wanted to show that the leaders were sensible and taking reasonable precautions (players quickly scoff at NPCs who are played as stupid just to preserve the plot), while also still allowing the heroes their chance to shine in the invasion. In order to speed things up at the northern gates where the NPC archers were, I just reduced the giants hit points by a fixed percentage to represent all of the arrows raining down. It worked well.
I'm glad I had a lot of time to prepare for this session, because there was a ton to do in terms of drawing out maps ahead of time, getting minis for everything, making notes on the round-by-round breakdown of the invasion, etc. Although it was impossible to grid Sandpoint to scale, I did have flip-mats prepped for all of the planned battle sites with notes on the distance and travel time between each one.
This session covered the first part of the invasion, and it was fantastic. Ending with the dragon swooping down and the PCs in trouble was a great cliffhanger.
The Battle of Sandpoint continues! Irritated by Salma’s magical attack, the juvenile red dragon Longtooth swoops down at full speed and lands inches from the wizard. “You have made your last mistake!” the dragon snarls. But before it can unleash the full fury of its might, Salma tries a desperate trick: an enchantment that somehow convinces Longtooth that the giants are his enemies! Longtooth leaps and bites one of the stone giants instead, as fate smiles on the defenders of the beleaguered town. Meanwhile, Nerissa’s blades and Kang’s bombs combine to kill one of the massive bears, while Jinkatsyu’s darting rapier dispatches another. Ava mostly manages to stay out of harm’s way and uses her magic to heal her injured allies.
From somewhere to the south, the shouts of stone giants can be heard: “If you don’t give us all the beer, we’ll smash you flat! Beer or death! Your choice!” But the adventurers are too hard pressed at Tanner’s Bridge to respond. Nerissa’s uncanny ability to look like she’s in multiple places at once helps keep her safe from the increasingly frustrated swings of a stone giant. Another massive explosion of ice evoked by Salma eviscerates the remaining giants and Longtooth while somehow leaving her companions untouched!
As the adventurers start to run for the Town Square (where they heard shouts of alarm earlier), the long, low wail of a war horn echoes from all around—the invaders’ signal to retreat! All over town, the giants drop their prisoners and booty and flee in groups of twos and threes for the nearby tors. The adventurers are treated as heroes by the grateful townspeople, but the question on everyone’s lips are the same: why did the stone giant army attack Sandpoint? A balding, bespectacled man named Broddert Quink claims to have the answer: he says the giants were digging for something at Old Light before they were scared away! The adventurers are intrigued by the cantankerous old man’s theories that Old Light is actually the remnants of an ancient Thassilonian weapon called a Hellstorm Flume and, when Quink mentions that a previous group of adventurers discovered catacombs under the town, the present group seize on the notion that perhaps the giants were after something hidden down there! Speculation turns to whether the giants will come again, with Nerissa suggesting the fleeing giants could be followed. Salma says that she could teleport everyone to Hook Mountain and use the mountain cave as a staging area for a search for the giants’ fortress of Jorgenfist. No decisions are reached, and Sandpoint’s newest crop of heroes decide to enjoy the free drinks and accommodation provided at the Rusty Dragon.
[18 Abadius 4808]
Rain is falling steadily when the adventurers awaken from a night of celebrating their victory. Jinkatsyu and Nerissa, in particular, imbibed far too much and suffer the effects of a hangover until Kang brews a concoction to help them. The group decides they had better consult with the mayor about their next steps. They find Mayor Deverin in the Town Square giving an impromptu speech to honour those who fought in defence of Sandpoint and to remember that, despite the victory, several lives were lost—including town tanner Larz Rovanki and Varisian elder Madame M’vashti. After the speech, Ava helps Father Zantus care for the wounded while the others walk with Mayor Deverin back to the Town Hall. Deverin thanks them sincerely for their assistance. When asked about the catacombs under Sandpoint, she explains that, during last year’s Swallowtail Festival, a small army of goblins sneaked into Sandpoint using tunnels that none of the residents knew about. After a group of adventurers entered the tunnels, they found chambers dating back thousands of years—some with still-thriving demonic residents! The adventurers prevailed, Deverin explains, but not without the loss of life. In order to ensure that no further threats could emerge from the tunnels, she had the local blacksmith erect a steel barrier to seal off the entrance to the tunnels in the basement of the old Glassworks building. When the adventurers press her on the idea of entering the catacombs to discover what the giants were looking for, she seems sceptical and reluctant, noting that she can’t fathom why stone giants from the center of Varisia would be interested in ancient ruins along the Lost Coast. She says she’ll authorize their entry if they’re sure, but the adventurers leave without having decided on a course of action.
The adventurers split up for the afternoon. While the others run errands or drink, Salma stays focussed on the stone giants. Having discerned the name of the leader of the raid from the mammoth-hide message found in the Kreeg Clanhold throne room, Salma is able to cast a spell to scry on the stone giant Teraktinus. The impressive figure can be discerned moving roughly eastward in the rain accompanied by at least two others of his kind. Salma hurries to find the others and suggests the possibility of teleporting directly to Teraktinus tomorrow for a surprise attack! Kang and Ava, however, are worried that the limited “viewing window” of the divination spell might conceal the fact that an entire army of stone giants could be around Teraktinus. By asking around local watering holes, the adventurers are able to surmise that as many as ten giants might have fled Sandpoint when the signal horn blew. As the night continues on, the others realize that, despite her unceasingly good nature, Ava gets whiny when she’s tired.
[19 Abadius 4708]
In the morning, the adventurers meet for breakfast in the common room of the Rusty Dragon to settle on a plan. The group leans towards Salma’s idea of attacking the fleeing stone giants, but the plan falters when a new attempt to scry Teraktinus fails. A scouting mission to the catacombs is then agreed upon. From Brodert Quink, the adventurers learn that, in addition to the entrance in the Glassworks, fissures in the alleyway between Junker’s Way and Tower Street bring air to the surface from the catacombs. Brodert insists on coming along on the expedition but is surprised when the group chooses to visit the fissures. Suddenly, Nerissa turns intangible and sinks through the ground for a firsthand look at what all the talk is about.
Having turned aside a heavily-armed scouting party of giants, bears, and even a red dragon, the adventurers have kept Sandpoint safe for now. But have they made the right choice in prioritising the catacombs over taking the fight to Jorgenfist?
There were a lot of possibilities about what to do next, and you can gather from the recap that there was a lot of discussion and debate. The decision to return to the catacombs was a logical one, but secretly not one I was thrilled about before I knew a) It was a dead-end and b) there was stuff down there not met to be encountered until the start of Chapter 5, and I wasn't prepped for any of it! Fortunately, things worked out okay, as we'll see next session.
A tentative foray into the catacombs under Sandpoint continues, as Nerissa drops intangibly through almost thirty feet of rock to find herself in a small, dark chamber that contains a spiral staircase wrapped around a pillar. The staircase literally leads to nowhere, as tons of fallen rock have destroyed wherever it originally led. Trusting her uncanny ability to see in the pitch blackness of the underground area, she moves along a short corridor to find another chamber of worked stone. This one contains a circular stone pool of rippling water lined with skulls. Wary of a trap, she lobs a rock into the pool only to see it sink to the bottom in a perfectly normal way. Meanwhile, on the surface, the others hear the sound of cheering coming from the northeast. Kang’s keen hearing picks up chants of “Nisk! Nisk!” and he can’t resist investigating. Ava uses her abilities to slip through dimensions to drop down to the catacombs and retrieve Nerissa, and everyone leaves. Brodert Quink is annoyed at the interruption, saying he’s spent a lifetime trying to learn more about the ruins of ancient Thassilon in and under Sandpoint.
When the adventurers reach the sound of the cheering, they see an odd sight: two large, flatbed wagons have been lashed together and are being pulled by a team of oxen, and their cargo is a bound and unconscious stone giant! And even more surprisingly is that local alchemist (and Kang’s hated rival) Nisk Tander is standing on the giant’s rock-hard stomach receiving the plaudits of victory! Walking easily alongside the wagons is elven scout and bounty hunter Shalelu Andosana. The adventurers pull her aside and she explains that she was in Galduria a few days ago when Nisk (her source of knock-out poison for her special sleep arrows) suggested an audacious plan: by leaving a cartload of sedative-laced alcohol out on the road for the giant raiding parties to “stumble upon”, they might take one of them prisoner for interrogation! Shalelu recounts that, surprisingly even to herself, the plan went off without a hitch. She says, however, that Sandpoint wasn’t the only place raided in recent days—many towns and ruins in western Varisia were targeted, with the giants usually making off with stones, treasure, and wealthy merchants or moneylenders. As Shalelu finishes her tale, Nisk sees Kang in the crowd and smugly announces that he’s done what even the “Heroes of Sandpoint” have failed to do by taking one of the attackers prisoner. And more, he says that after hearing the adventurers’ “tale of woe” about altitude sickness on Hook Mountain that he’s personally perfected a formula to make mountaineers immune to the danger. “Nisk Tander’s Elixir of the Peaks” the formula will be called, he says, and adds that if the adventurers had a competent alchemist among their number, their battle with the ogres would have been much easier. Kang is predictably outraged by the comment, and his allies come to his defense.
When Sheriff Hemlock arrives, he orders the odd procession to continue on to the Garrison. He tells the adventurers that they’ve earned the right to take part in the interrogation of the stone giant if they wish. Nisk Tander begs off, claiming he has important matters to attend to at his shop (even though it’s a Sunday). As the others enter the Garrison, Ava sees a trio of young nobles standing across the street at the Town Hall. They wave her over with kind smiles on their face. “I’m Nagol Scarnetti, president of the Sandpoint Welcoming Committee,” one of the men explains. “And we’d like to welcome you to leave Sandpoint, freak!” He and his cronies start chanting “People Not Freaks!” and handing out fliers for their new campaign as the grippli’s face widens in shock and anger. Salma and Jinkatsyu come to her aid, but the verbal altercation doesn’t end until Ava summons a gout of water to douse Nagol. “This isn’t over, you freaks!” he shouts, before storming off in a huff.
In the courtyard of the Sandpoint Garrison, the unconscious stone giant is starting to stir. Hemlock calls out several guards in case even the thick steel chains tying the giant to the wagons aren’t enough. Shalelu nocks an arrow and points it right at the giant’s neck. When everyone is ready, Ava conjures a gout of water to spray the giant in the face. Deeply hungover and still partially drugged, the giant moans, flickers his eyelids, and tests the chains holding him in place. The stone giant, who proclaims his name as Tuvarok of the Valissgander Tribe of the Plateau People, doesn’t seem frightened at all by his predicament. He arrogantly explains that his lord, Mokmurian, has mastered the lost arts of powerful magic and has assembled several tribes to sweep down into the lowlands and rule Varisia as the giants once did in ancient times. At first he refuses to say more, but Nerissa persuades him to expand on his earlier statements by appealing to his weakness: strong human ale! When she rolls a keg of Two Knights beer over from the Rusty Dragon, Tuvarok laughs, says he will take her as his personal slave when the true invasion comes, and then starts to talk. He explains that Mokmurian has gathered at least seven tribes under his command, with each tribe numbering in the dozens. In addition to stone giants, lesser kin—ogres, hill giants, trolls, ettins—have flocked to his banner, as have several lamias, followers of the Mother of Monsters. When asked why the giants raided Sandpoint, Tuvarok says he doesn’t really know. The leader of the scouting party, Teraktinus, mentioned having a special mission from Lord Mokmurian, but didn’t tell anyone what it was. Tuvarok explains that his people have a special way of prying secrets from the stones, and that perhaps one of the stones knew something that Lord Mokmurian wished to learn. When asked about Jorgenfist, Tuvarok says it’s a mighty fortress constructed by Mokmurian around an ancient place that is taboo to his people: the Black Tower in the Iron Peaks. “Lord Mokmurian is too powerful to fear blasphemy!” Tuvarok shouts proudly. Indeed, Tuvarok is so confident in the superiority of his master and the assembled tribes that he even offers to lead the adventurers to Jorgenfist so that they can witness its majesty firsthand. The interrogation concludes with a promise from Tuvarok that the true invasion force will come in less than a month and will sweep through all of Varisia.
Afterwards, the adventurers discuss what to do. Nerissa says that it sounds like the giants are planning to march en masse even if they didn’t get what they came for in Sandpoint. Jinkatsyu says that if the giants are coming for a particular stone, the adventurers could find it first and take it away, thus sparing the town. Kang notes that if they do find the stone, it could be a useful bargaining chip with the giants. He says that the first thing to do is find whatever it is the giants were looking for. Conversation turns to what should be done with Tuvarok. A consensus is reached that the giant poses too much of a danger to Sandpoint and should be killed. However, when the group broaches the idea with Mayor Deverin, she’s adamantly opposed and says that murdering sentient prisoners of war would be illegal, immoral, and likely to make tensions with the stone giants even worse. She says she’ll arrange things with Magnimar so that Tuvarok is detained safely until he can be tried for his crimes. The adventurers do succeed, however, in persuading the quite reluctant mayor to give them permission to enter the catacombs. She reminds the group of her concern that if there is anything down there, it’s best to leave it safely contained rather than stir up trouble. After meeting with the mayor, the group settle on a plan to explore the catacombs for a few days and, if nothing of interest is found, to plan an expedition to Jorgenfist.
The adventurers spend the next few hours on various tasks. Having been told by Sheriff Hemlock that Miryana Lahs has been seeking information on how her husband died, Kang pens a very matter-of-fact letter about Artemis’ death. Jinkatsyu and Salma head over to Nisk Tander’s shop, Bottled Solutions, in the hopes of obtaining a sample of his “Elixir of the Peaks” so that Kang can replicate it. Salma adroitly plays to Nisk’s ego, but can’t persuade the alchemist to part with a vial for less than 3,000 gold pieces. The two leave, disappointed. Nerissa runs into Sister Giulia and is asked, in a circular and absent-minded way, if she and her friends could put a stop to the “haunting” of a local cemetery, Paupers’ Graves, because Madame M’vashti always wanted to be buried there. Nerissa says that the defense of Sandpoint has to come first, but that, if there’s time, they’ll try to get to it. In the middle of the afternoon, everyone assembles at The Way North, the small map shop run by Jinkatsyu’s friend Veznutt Parooh. The shop is open, despite it being a Sunday, and Veznutt delivers the promised map of how to reach Jorgenfist. When asked about a map of the catacombs, however, he says the adventurers who previously explored it never revealed enough details to create one. The excitable gnome offers to go along as party cartographer if there’s a new expedition, but Kang distracts him by mentioning some maps of the Hook Mountain region he recently donated to Ilsoari Gandethus.
I didn't know if the PCs would take advantage of having a prisoner to interrogate, but it turned out to be a good decision. It allowed them to learn a lot about Mokurian and his fortress, for me to drop some back-story and lore, and for the sense of urgency that comes from knowing something is going to happen on a fixed date (such as the invasion in one month). As I write this, Chapter Four is long in the past and the sense of urgency has unfortunately disappeared because an abstract danger that will occur at unknown some point in the future doesn't seem all that pressing.
With a few hours of daylight left on a cold, wintery afternoon, the adventurers decide to take up Sister Giulia’s vaguely-stated request to investigate the “haunting” of Paupers’ Graves. The few miles’ walk eastward on the Lost Coast Road is uneventful, and soon the adventurers reach their destination: three acres of land, bordered by a low crumbling wall, perched between the road and the seaside cliffs to the north. Although the graves are overgrown with vegetation and many of the tombstones are faded and indistinct, the place appears serene and far from terrifying. Salma examines some of the markers and explains that the graveyard was popular with Varisian caravans long before the construction of Sandpoint began several decades ago, and that many poor labourers who died in the town’s construction were buried there. When a graveyard was added behind the town’s cathedral, few bothered using Paupers’ Graves anymore. The adventurers walk around and, not finding anything suspicious, discuss either leaving or waiting until nightfall. Jinkatsyu, however, clears away the tree branches and dead leaves covering one of the graves and realizes a disturbing fact: it’s empty! And worse, a vertical shaft has been dug out of the earth and descends at least 25’ down into darkness.
Nerissa is quick to volunteer to go first, and drops down the hole to find a warren of rank-smelling passageways frequently layered with well-chewed bones. Instants later, her visit is welcomed by the slavering jaws of a pair of large dogs that are clearly amongst the walking dead: ghoul hounds! One by one, the adventurers drop into the hole to do battle with the ghoul hounds (who are easily dispatched), but the last member of the group left above on the surface receives an unwelcome surprise—an arrow in the back! Ava panicks and jumps into the hole, saved from further harm by a magical ring that slows her fall. With Jinkatsyu taking point this time, the group moves further into the warren. Salma’s fireball disintegrates a pair of ghouls who thought to make a meal out of the kitsune, but there doesn’t seem to be any further opposition. Coffins, gnawed bodies, and piles of bones are found, as well as a small cache of treasure.
After a thorough search of the underground tunnels, the adventurers decide to return to the surface. No sign of the mysterious archer appears until the half-elf Salma (the only member of the party with human ancestry) climbs out of the hole. Once she does, a volley of enchanted arrows come speeding out from behind a well-hidden sniping position and strike true. The adventurers spring into action, but not before the archer (revealed to be yet another ghoul) fires a final arrow that kills Salma outright! The archer is quickly destroyed, but the real hero of the fight is Ava who springs quickly to Salma’s aid and uses powerful divine magicks to bring the fallen wizard back from the realm of death. The faith that the grippli has repeatedly demonstrated through prayers to her deity Sinashakti was amply rewarded. A thorough search of the cemetery turns up no further ghouls or other threats, and with Nerissa and Jinkatsyu suffering from the low temperatures, the group decide to teleport instantly back to the Rusty Dragon. Nerissa personally delivers the news of the group’s success to Sister Giulia, and the others pass the night resting from their harrowing experience.
[20 Abadius 4708]
In the morning, the adventurers undertake a few errands. Salma teleports herself and Jinkatsyu to Magnimar to purchase supplies and sell some of the items the group found in Paupers’ Grave. Kang continues using the freely-provided and well-appointed suite at the Rusty Dragon to conduct his smoky and foul-smelling experiments into alchemy, testing the patience of even a veritable saint like halfling maid Bethana Corwin. Nerissa goes over her journal again, still frustrated that she wrote such an extensive diary at some point in her past but cannot now decipher the code. Ava continues her prayers and supplications to Sinashtaki.
Around lunchtime, the adventurers decide to make a serious effort to investigate the catacombs underneath the town. Through a variety of magicks (the most visibly interesting of which is Kang’s elixir that turns his body into fluid), the adventurers all descend through fissures in the ground to the chamber that Nerissa scouted earlier. Tunnels and chambers of ancient worked stone are explored, but beyond a pool that magically replenishes purified water and an impressive statue that Salma identifies as Alaznist, the Runelord of Wrath, little of interest is discovered. Clear signs indicate that the heroes who aided Sandpoint after the Swallowtail Festival had already trod this same ground, and vanquished any visible threats.
In the catacombs under Sandpoint, the adventurers have stopped for a short break. Nerissa opens her pack to pull out some rations, sees the strange mask she was found with when she washed up on the beach, and gasps—“I remember . . . everything!” Suddenly, her eyes roll back in her head and she falls to the ground convulsing. Ava, realizing the seriousness of what’s happening, instantly grabs Nerissa and teleports her to the surface so that help can be sought at the Cathedral.
The remaining three members of the party decide they may as well continue with their explorations. In one ancient chamber, a jagged block of marble forms an altar of some kind. A shallow concavity in the block holds what appears to simply be filthy water, but Salma’s divinations prove it to be so-called “Waters of Lamashtu” capable of creating mutations and deformities in those who drink it. The adventurers move on and soon come to what must be an immense underground cathedral. Bodies of monsters slain just months ago lay here and there. As the trio of explorers approach a sort of dais that holds a bubbling cauldron of water, the ghostly form of a young man wearing robes and holding a thick grimoire appears above the cauldron.
At first, the adventurers are concerned that they’ve triggered a hostile wraith or spectre, but then the ghostly figure starts to speak! In a sombre tone, he explains that he was once Xeveg Kishalq, the first Hero of Sandpoint slain since the monumental events that started with the Swallowtail Festival. He says he has been sent “by those who watch” to deliver a message to those who currently quest in defence of the town: the path lays elsewhere, and although in time they must return here, a nigh-unstoppable force will soon sweep down on Sandpoint if they tarry too long. The spirit of Xeveg then states he has been authorized to answer three questions. The trio consult amongst themselves and then start by asking why the giants came to Sandpoint. The spirit says that the giants were looking for a stone they could speak to in order to ascertain if Sandpoint hid a place of great importance. When the second question is whether that place is the catacombs, the spirit says that it lays below the catacombs, but that its time has not yet come. “What’s so important about this place” is the third question, and the spirit says that, in time, words will be scribbled on the walls that lead to the keys to the true conqueror’s undoing. The spirit starts to fade, but not before its final words echo through the chamber: “I was the first to fall, but I shall not be the last. May you fare better than I.”
The adventurers discuss what they’ve heard. Although wary that they may have fallen for trickery and misdirection, the looming threat of an invasion of Varisia by Mokmurian’s army seems too dangerous to ignore. With Salma casting a spell to help them find a way out of the catacombs, the adventurers make their way back into Sandpoint by passing through a secret door and out a cave that obviously once served as the means by which the goblins snuck into Sandpoint to attack the town.
After checking at the Cathedral and learning that Nerissa has entered a deep catatonic trance and will require Ava’s constant monitoring, the three return to their suite at the Rusty Dragon to plan their journey to Jorgenfist. One idea is to accept the offer of Tuvarok, the captured giant, to lead them to the fortress. Kang, however, expresses worry that Tuvarok will surely lead them into a trap, and that by the time they reach the Iron Peaks on foot, Mokmurian’s army could already be on its way. Jinkatsyu says the key is Mokmurian himself: if the adventurers can cut the head off the proverbial snake, the army may fall apart. Extensive discussion is held on the best route to take to get to Jorgenfist, with leading contenders including a quick teleportation to Galduria and then travelling the rest of the way on foot, teleporting to Hook Mountain and then west to Ravenmoor and then northeast to the Storval Stairs, or trying to discover enough information about Jorgenfist (perhaps through scrying) to allow a direct teleport there. No consensus is reached, but the trio agree to conduct some inquiries on their own and then meet back at the Rusty Dragon in the evening to make a decision.
Salma visits with Ilsoari Gandethus and gets permission to look through the man’s journals on travels through Varisia. The half-elf finds notes about a prominent inn in Ravenmoor called “The Bobbing Cork” that might serve as the basis for magical spells that could help keep the adventurers from getting lost if they start at Hook Mountain and travel to the town. Kang, for his part, tries to address the problem with altitude sickness he and his now-deceased former companions encountered on their ascent to the Kreeg Clanhold. However, the secrets behind “Nisk Tander’s Elixir of the Peaks” continue to evade him, a fact that is particularly galling for the self-described “Master of Alchemy.” Meanwhile, Jinkatsyu decides to consult with an expert, and visits his old friend Veznutt Parooh. Parooh explains the natural path from Sandpoint would be to take the Lost Coast Road over to Ember Lake and then pass through Galduria, Wolf’s Ear, and Ravenmoor before travelling cross-country up the Storval Stairs and then directly east into the Iron Peaks and the Valley of the Black Tower. When Jinkatsyu asks about what might be possible if the adventurers started at Hook Mountain, Parooh gives a surprising answer: what if the adventurers used rafts or canoes to sail across the Storval Deep and follow the Muschkal River straight to Jorgenfist? Jinkatsyu is intrigued by the possibility.
That evening, however, when the group meet up again, Salma says that a water route would be too dangerous: there are known to be giant creatures in the lakes in central Varisia, and carrying even a small canoe could be exhausting in the mountains. Kang suggests a minor alteration: following the river, but on foot, so to avoid getting lost. Salma, however, is concerned that uneven terrain and rocky cliffs could make following the river much harder than it sounds. With a route still unsettled, the adventurers decide to sleep on it.
[21 Abadius 4708]
Longnight, the shortest day of the year, is an extremely cold one. At breakfast in the inn’s common room, the adventurers reach a decision: they’ll teleport to Hook Mountain, descend to its base, journey directly west until they reach the Muschkal River, and then follow it on foot north until Jorgenfist. Kang notices that the common room is busier than usual, and that several ethnic Varisians seem to be streaming in. A barmaid explains that they’ve come for the celebration of Madame M’vashti’s life.
The trio make final preparations for departure. Ava is told about the plan and instructed to contact them through magic once Nerissa recovers from her current predicament. Potions to endure extreme cold are purchased, and Kang and Salma discuss the best spells to use on what they expect will be a difficult journey through a rugged and foreboding landscape. When the three are as ready as they can be, Salma teleports them directly to the entrance to the Kreeg Clanhold near the peak of Hook Mountain—and right next to the cave’s new inhabitants! Hundreds of venomous snakes are slithering all over the cave floor, obviously having found it a warm, dry place to survive the winter. Kang, however, labours under the misapprehension that the snakes are common, harmless garden snakes! But Salma knows better, and immediately evokes a magical inferno to kill dozens of them. But the survivors slither and swarm all over the newcomers, and Jinks and Salma can’t help but be bit and poisoned before another magical fireball can destroy the rest. Fortunately, the adventurers are hardy enough to shake off the worst of the poison and they’re able to continue.
The journey down the mountain is marked by a near tragedy, as Jinkatsyu’s handhold gives way and he falls nearly two hundred feet before landing on a ledge below! Somehow, the kitsune survives, but only with the aid of several magical healing elixirs will he be able to continue on the next morning. For now, the adventurers sleep in the temperature-controlled comfort of a magical dome conjured by Salma.
[22 Abadius 4708]
The adventurers reach the base of Hook Mountain safely and turn west. It doesn’t take long to reach the point where the Muschkal River flows into Lake Coal. The trio turn north, but soon further progress is blocked by a series of jagged cliffs. Salma and Jinkatsyu are able to ascend, but it takes Kang hours of work to finally reach the top. Finally, near midnight, the exhausted adventurers set up camp and rest.
Having set off on a dangerous journey through the mountains towards Jorgenfist, three adventurers have temporarily left their companions behind in Sandpoint. Will they come to regret their diminished strength in the time ahead?
In retrospect, I'm of two minds about having Xeveg's ghost appear. On the positive side, I felt justified with might otherwise have been heavy-handed GM intervention because my one Plot Twist Card for the chapter was something like "help comes from an unexpected direction." In addition, I was still prepping the rest of Chapter Four and hadn't even touched Chapter Five yet, and had no idea what to do if the PCs jumped a chapter ahead! On the negative side, it might have come across a bit forced and cheesy (though I did my best to make it an interesting role-playing encounter and provide a nice call-back to a memorable event earlier in the campaign).
It might sound odd, but I really enjoyed the part where the PCs learn about and discuss the pros and cons of different routes to Jorgenfist (some of which I never envisioned!). When players are doing good role-playing about something important, I can just sit back and relax and enjoy the show. I made careful to stay neutral on things, but I was somewhat glad they didn't choose a route that involved Galduria or Ravenmoor, because I hadn't managed to obtain much information on either city and I always want destinations to be portrayed "authentically".
This session contains the end of the very, very, low-on-the-radar Madame Mvashti subplot. It never achieved what I had originally intended, but GMs can only influence the overall story, they aren't writing a solo novel where they have total control.
In a recovery room at the Sandpoint Cathedral, Nerissa starts to stir and eventually comes out of her catatonic state. Ava is at her side, and explains how she seemed to remember her mysterious past before collapsing. But whatever trauma led to her collapse has also again suppressed the secrets of her past—except for a haunting echo, “Forlorn, Not Forlorn.” Nerissa remains in surprisingly good spirits, however, but is alarmed to hear that Kang, Salma, and Jinkatsyu have already set out for Jorgenfist.
[23 Abadius 4708]
In the morning, Ava telepathically contacts Kang and says that Nerissa has awaken and that the two of them are ready to rejoin the group. Seconds later, Salma teleports to Sandpoint and finds Ava and Nerissa at the Cathedral. The trio decide to take advantage of their time in the town by purchasing some additional gear for the difficult trek through the mountains. While exiting a local shop, Ava sees that the town’s new clerk, Bimmy Beems, is waiting for her. He hands her a scroll and says several confusing statements about her being a servant, being of service, etc., before finally landing on the right words: “You’ve been served.” Ava unravels the scroll and can’t make heads or tails of the densely-written and archaic language within. Salma manages to understand part of the scroll, and explains to Ava that she’s been sued by Nagol Scarnetti for damages over the incident a few days earlier outside the Garrison, alleging everything from assault to the wanton destruction of personal property to seditious libel! Ava is on the verge of tears as Salma discerns that she’s expected to attend a hearing on the matter in just a week’s time. However, Salma promises her that he can have her back in Sandpoint in time to avoid being held in default.
While they’re away, Kang and Jinkatsyu rest in the magical hemisphere conjured earlier by Salma’s magic to keep them warm. The magic of the hemisphere allows them to easily see out, but others are blocked from seeing what’s inside. The two adventurers spy a stone giant hunting party coming down a rocky hillside in their general direction. The two prepare for a fight as best they can, hoping their campsite will be overlooked. But shifting winds carries their scent to the trio of dire bears that accompany the stone giants, and the bears roar their discovery! It doesn’t take long for the giants to spot the strange opaque dome on the otherwise mundane landscape, and they move up to investigate it cautiously. Kang and Jinkatsyu decide to strike first with their usual weapons of bomb and rapier, respectively. The battle is a difficult one, but at first the two heroes more than hold their own. When one of the massive giants is badly hurt, the other decides that warning Jorgenfist that intruders are on the way must take priority, and he runs. Kang unfolds his dragonfly wings and gives chase, but the maneuver leads Jinkatsyu alone in the dome against the surviving giant and the bears! The kitsune fights bravely and skilfully, killing all but one of the attackers, until a series of missteps gives the last survivor an opening. With a terrifying roar, the bear catches Jinkatsyu’s torso in its massive teeth and shakes its head back and forth several times before hurling the swordsman several feet into the air, dead before he even hits the ground. A massive crater marks the spot where Kang’s bomb incinerated the fleeing stone giant, but the master alchemist is too late to do anything for Jinkatsyu except to destroy his killer.
Seconds later, Salma, Ava, and Nerissa appear back at the campsite and see Kang holding Jinkatsyu’s lifeless body. Ava immediately drops to her knees and prays fervently to her god, Sinashakti, for the power to restore her friend to life . . . and it works! Jinkatsyu awakens as if from a deep sleep with no memory of what happened since the battle against the bear. Nerissa chastises the group for going off on their own on such a dangerous task, and both she and Ava express surprise at hearing the full story of what had happened over the past couple of days. Kang is unapologetic, and says that death is simply part of what they’ve all signed up for, noting that every single one of his previous companions on this epic quest have died in battle. Ava asks the members of the group to make a pact that they’ll stay together in the future so that what happened to Jinkatsyu doesn’t happen again.
The group continues on north. When Ava explains her legal problems back in Sandpoint, Kang assures her that his “extensive knowledge of the legal system” (no doubt from encounters on the wrong side of the law) will be sufficient to have her acquitted of any charges. Still, Ava is concerned that the Scarnettis will win the suit and she’ll lose access to the expensive spell components she needs to perform her most miraculous spells—including bringing the dead back to life! Once it starts to get dark, the adventurers camp in another magical sphere conjured by Salma.
[24 Abadius 4708]
The party’s reliance on magic for almost every facet of their journey continues with the application of spellcraft to help them endure the freezing temperatures of the Iron Peaks. After about four hours’ of walking, the adventurers realize there’s a problem with their plan to simply follow the Muschkal River right to Jorgenfist: the river disappears into underground tunnels for part of its length! Magic again comes to the fore with a spell to prevent the party from getting lost in the endless rock-strewn terrain. After the spell expires, however, the adventurers try to push on before realizing that they’re lost. They decide to set up camp and continue on in the morning.
Little do they know that their camp, partially sheltered from the wind by being placed next to a cliff wall, is below the campsite for a stone giant patrol! When massive boulders begin to roll through the adventurers’ camp, the danger becomes apparent. None of the adventurers are hurt, however, and they charge the giants’ camp. Salma’s fireball makes short work of the threat, despite the backblast harming some of his allies. One of the stone giants, badly burned, throws down his club and announces his surrender.
The adventurers’ progress from Hook Mountain to Jorgenfist has been steady, but extremely slow. Will they make it before Mokmurian launches his invasion of Varisia? And how does the potential of having a prisoner change the calculation?
Jinks gets killed again! I had forgotten about this one. With the ready availability of raise dead, death becomes a temporary and somewhat expensive annoyance rather than a campaign-changer. I actually prefer the old rule from previous editions that death permanently lowers your Constitution score by 1 so that there's a hard cap on the number of times a character can die and be raised.
It was interesting having the PCs come at Jorgenfist from a direction the AP wasn't expecting, and trying to adopt some of the outer patrols to a different terrain type.
The surprise attack by the stone giant watch post has been repulsed quickly, and now the intrepid travellers have a prisoner to deal with. The giant, Syvariak, collapses to his knees muttering that he knew Mokmurian’s foolish crusade would lead to the downfall of the Plateau People. With his life in their hands, Syvariak doesn’t hesitate to tell his captors what he knows about Mokmurian and Jorgenfist. He says that Mokmurian was an exiled runt of the Kavarvatti tribe, the same one that Syvariak himself belongs to. One day, Mokmurian returned to the tribe brimming with arcane power somehow discovered by his blasphemous venture into the Black Tower—a structure dating to the time of the magelords of legend! Mokmurian slew the tribe’s male elder, Vandarrec, forcing the tribe’s female elder, Conna, to submit the tribe to his new leadership. Mokmurian then had the Kavarvatti begin construction of a massive walled fortress around the Black Tower while he began rallying other tribes to his banner; though most refused, six other tribes of stone giants and giant-kin settled around Jorgenfist. When asked, Syvariak says there is no way the adventurers (whom he assumes are advanced scouts of a Magnimarian army) will ever reach Jorgenfist through the treacherous wintery mountainscape and patrols, and that even if they somehow did, the hundreds of Plateau People camped around the fortress (not to mention the rocs and harpies!) would make short work of intruders. Nonetheless, the adventurers seem determined to continue their quest, and ask Syvariak about whether Conna might be able to aid them. Syvariak explains that Conna is usually found in the caverns underneath the fortress, and confirms she has a burning hatred of Mokmurian but is powerless to do anything about it.
The adventurers discuss what to do with Syvariak. Given his candor and obvious sense of honour, they decide to let him go. He accepts their decision stoically, and explains that he must do his duty by maintaining his watch post after the adventurers leave. He wistfully remarks that he hopes as many of the Plateau People as possible survive the war to come.
[25 Abadius 4708]
In the morning, the adventurers discuss plans to contact Conna magically. Ava prepares a sending spell before realizing it won’t work because she doesn’t know Conna. Salma tries scrying, but the attempt fails. Preparing themselves for another day’s marching through the harsh terrain, the adventurers continue north. Their progress continues to be slow, impeded this day by the necessity of making their way carefully down one side of a steep valley wall and up the other side. That night, as they camp, Kang uncharacteristically gives Jinkatsyu some food when the latter expresses concern he’s running low on rations.
[26 Abadius 4708]
In the morning, Salma again tries to scry on Conna, but with no result. The adventurers begin moving, and even continue to press on when a blizzard starts a few hours into their journey! The zealous travellers push forward, barely able to see around them, slowly trudging on and covering about half a mile an hour until finally they decide to set up camp in the magical shelter provided by Salma’s spellcraft.
[27 Abadius 4708]
Just before dawn, Kang is already awake when he hears the sound of stone giant voices nearby, carried on the strong winds that continue to swirl snow all around them. The tiefling alerts the others, and the adventurers who can speak Giant realize that the patrol’s dire bears have caught the adventurers’ scent and is slowly approaching the obscured campsite! Salma lets loose with a massive fireball once one of the bears pokes its nose into the magical dome, alerting the giants that powerful foes are nearby. They shout to each other and leave the bears to fight while running away to alert further watch posts. The battle against the bears is over quickly as the adventurers have gained, sometimes the hard way, knowledge of how to withstand their might. The adventurers quickly discuss whether to chase after the fleeing giants but, given the heavy snowfall that makes seeing and tracking impossible, they decide it would be futile.
The adventurers rest for a few more hours until the blizzard finally loses strength. Another day’s slow travel through deep snowdrifts and jagged terrain is uneventful and the adventurers set camp, frustrated at their rate of progress through the forbidding terrain. Late that night, resting comfortably again in Salma’s conjured dome, some of the slumbering warriors hear a low moaning sound carried on the wind. Nerissa, relishing her new role as the party scout, stealthily approaches the source of the sound. She spies a human male half-frozen in the snow, clearly suffering from severe hypothermia and frostbite. She drags the man back into the magical hut, where Ava is able to revive him.
The man is cagey at first, especially when he catches Kang lying about themselves being “simple travellers.” After a lot of back and forth, the party manage to persuade him that they really have Varisia’s best interests at heart and he opens up. He says his name is Veridian, and that he’s a scout for Magnimar’s military. He says he had been sent to the Iron Peaks when rumors started to come of a new stone giant leader trying to unify the tribes. Veridian explains that he managed to find a vantage point to spy on Jorgenfist and that, once he realized preparations were seriously under way for an imminent invasion of southwest Varisia, he started to make his way back to civilization to warn his superiors. However, he got caught in the recent blizzard and couldn’t get to shelter in time. Salma picks up on Veridian’s mention of having sketched a map of Jorgenfist, and barters with him: in exchange for a look at the map, she’ll teleport the man back to Magnimar and save him weeks of arduous travel! It’s an offer even the distrustful scout can’t resist, and he shares the map—it details a handful of structures within the walls of Jorgenfist, as well as the location of the different tribal campsites and a pair of caves in the cliffside below the fortress.
While Veridian rests, the adventurers discuss strategies for what they should do once they reach the fortress. Ideas include trying to sneak into the caves in the hope that they lead somewhere under the fortress or trying to provoke a fight between the tribes. At last a consensus is reached to start with the caves and establish a staging area for further expeditions into the fortress.
[28 Abadius 4708]
In the morning, the adventurers ask Veridian if he can ask specifically for the army to prepare a defense of Sandpoint. The grizzled scout is sceptical, saying the town is of little ultimate strategic value and that Magnimar’s army is small, having rarely had to deal with a threat of this magnitude before. Salma is as good as her word and teleports the man back to Magnimar, and then returns to where the others are. They continue their journey north, and when the wind and swirling snow brings promise of another blizzard, they decide to press on.
A pair of fortunate events—the capture of a stone giant dissatisfied with Mokmurian’s ascension to power, and the rescue of a scout able to provide a map of Jorgenfist—have provided the adventurers with a major advantage in their quest to stop the stone giants from invading Varisia and bringing untold havoc and death. But their journey through the Iron Peaks is slow, and time is running out. Will they make it there in time?
As the adventurers continue pushing through the rugged landscape despite the blizzard that obscures their vision, they hear what can only be described as a loud trumpeting ahead of them. Seconds later, a tremendous rumbling noise seems to come towards them from the north. With no idea what they’re about to face, the adventurers brace themselves for attack only to find massive boulders rolling over them from out of the swirling snow! Kang and Ava are badly bruised, while Jinkatsyu somehow darts on top of one of the boulders and escapes unharmed. But Neriss and Salma are neither so lucky nor so strong, and each is crushed to a veritable pulp by the cascade of rocks. Ava reacts quickly and is able to magically pull Salma back from the blackness of death, and the weakened wizard’s only thought is escape. She magically teleports everyone back to the day’s previous campsite a few miles further south. Ava rushes over to Nerissa and tries to repeat her feat, but it’s too late—Nerissa has slipped away.
Salma conjures a magical dome to keep out the wind and snow. The others talk about how what happened wasn’t an avalanche, as they weren’t buried under a cascade of snow and jagged rock—just smooth boulders. Obviously, a trap of some type, but they can’t figure out how the defenders knew they were coming. Ava prays to her lord Sinashakti, the Walker of Worlds, for the power to bring Nerissa back to life and, fuelled by the sacrifice of a flawless diamond, the supplication works. Nerissa slowly regains consciousness, looking wan and pale from the ordeal. Ava’s joy at the miracle is short-lived, however, as she realizes she has no more diamonds to fuel further magicks of the same sort, and not enough money to buy more even if she were back in Magnimar. Salma suggests simply stealing some, as they’re now far more powerful than any jeweler’s bodyguards, but Nerissa and Ava are strongly against the notion.
The adventurers’ much needed rest that night is interrupted when Salma realizes that some of the rocky outcroppings near them have moved slightly over the night—gargoyles! As has proven the case so often in recent battles, the foes cannot withstand the pure destructive conflagration of Salma’s fire magicks and Kang’s explosive bombs. Searching a crevice in the rock, Salma finds some old trinkets and battered gear that the gargoyles must have collected from past travellers over the years.
[29 Abadius 4708]
In the morning, despite the urgency of their quest, the adventurers settle on going back to Magnimar immediately and then on to Sandpoint the next day so that Ava will be present for the legal proceedings brought against her by Nagol Scarnetti. Kang again offers to act in her defence, confident that his self-proclaimed status as a “genius” will make up for any lack of legal training.
Salma’s teleportation spell is successful, and the adventurers instantly find themselves at a beautiful public park (lightly dusted with snow) in the city’ exclusive Alabaster District. Nerissa’s interest in finding a tavern, despite the early hour, leads her to ask a wealthy couple for directions. Alarmed at her vagrant-like appearance, the couple motion for a nearby member of the City Watch to escort the adventurers away and down from the Summit. The group decide to find someplace to sell some of the spoils of war they’ve accumulated in their recent adventures and eventually make their way to the Bazarre of Sails in Dockway. Here, despite the cold, hundreds of stalls have been set up to form the largest free market in Varisia. Nerissa is enchanted by the array of exotic foods and spices from all over the continent and even further afield, while Kang makes fast friends with a dwarf named Bartol Ehdrick who has been experimenting with mechanical wings, spring-loaded boots, and ink quill finger gloves to write ten messages at once! Meanwhile, Salma, Jinkatsyu, and Ava learn that the best place to purchase flawless diamonds of the type they’re seeking is at the Bronze House—the regional headquarters of the Aspis Consortium. There, they speak to a gaunt Taldan named Maiveer Sloan, who is willing to sell them “blood diamonds” from the Mwangi Expanse.
The rest of the afternoon passes quickly, with only Ava’s sobbing (caused by Kang referring to her and the others as “acquaintances” rather than “friends”) marring the day. At sunset, the adventurers walk to Defiant’s Garden, where Kang intends to see Lord-Mayor Grobaras and collect some sort of reward for having discovered the fate of Fort Rannick. Unfortunately, he can’t talk his way past the guards outside and is turned away.
The adventurers decide to spend the night in Sandpoint, and teleport into the room at the Rusty Dragon that Salma carefully memorized in past stays. However, they’re not prepared for the fact that other guests might stay there after their departure, and they find themselves suddenly standing next to a half-dressed, terrified couple screaming for help. Seconds later, Ameiko Kaijitsu bursts through the door, rapier in hand, and has harsh words for the adventurers’ foolishness. Jinkatsyu’s attempt to charm her is shut down hard, as he can’t escape the indignity of his embarrassing practice duel in the common room from days earlier.
The adventurers are lodged in different rooms, and spend the evening in the common room. Nerissa’s alcoholism becomes more alarming as she challenges the crowd to a drinking contest and finds no takers. When she offers to pay for the wine herself, she’s invited over to a table in the corner with a trio of well-dressed young men sit. Soon, she realizes that she’s sitting with Nagol Scarnetti and his friends and they’re mocking her for her association with “freaks.” Nerissa places one of the spicy peppers she obtained earlier from the markets in Magnimar into a flask of wine, and challenges Nagol to drink it after she takes a sip with no visible effects. He drinks the concoction down and then gasps in agony from the pain before rushing outside to dunk his head in a snowbank—leaving Nerissa chuffed at how well her prank on Ava’s tormentor worked. Meanwhile, Jinkatsyu, who is down to his last coppers, hears how Ameiko gives a discount to anyone who entertains the crowd with a story or performance. He takes the stage and tells the moving story of his family’s death at the hands of a coven of hags—there’s barely a dry eye in the room when he finishes. Ava braves the stage to tell a joke that is surprisingly well-received, but Kang’s follow-up leads to boos and minor outrage in the listeners.
[30 Abadius 4708]
In the morning, the adventurers visit local cartographer Veznutt Parooh in order to sell him a copy of the map of Jorgenfist they obtained from Veridian. Veznutt wistfully expresses his desire to accompany the adventurers, mentioning how the only true death is living the same day over and over again! He says he’s come across a few mentions of the Black Tower in his work—apparently it has stood since the days of ancient Thassilon, and no explorer who has entered has ever been known to come out alive. Legend has it that a great storehouse of knowledge exists under the Black Tower, but this has never been confirmed.
After their visit to Parooh, the adventurers hurry over to the Town Hall for Ava’s court proceeding. They see Nagol Scarnetti in the hallway, accompanied by a well-dressed and imposing barrister from Magnimar named Edgeworth. Edgeworth makes his way toward the group but instead of speaking with Ava or her “legal advocate” Kang, he instead hands Nerissa scroll. “You’ve been served my dear—poisoning a Scarnetti has consequences!”
The adventurers’ initial push towards Jorgenfist has been repelled, and now they’ve become wrapped up in local matters. Will they get on track in time to stop Mokmurian from launching his planned invasion of Varisia?
Inside Sandpoint’s Town Hall, a hearing is about to start on Nagol Scarnetti’s lawsuit against Ava stemming from an encounter where he called her names and she responded by conjuring a burst of water to drench him. Ava whispers to her friends that she doesn’t want them to do anything violent, as she’s confident she’ll get a fair trial. Kang says that with himself as her attorney, she’ll surely be acquitted. However, he sneaks off to the latrines to chug an elixir to increase his personal attractiveness and charm. Meanwhile, Jinkatsyu and Nerissa talk about the latter’s own legal troubles with Nagol Scarnetti. Truly, the adventurers have made an enemy!
When doors to the large meeting room are opened, the adventurers are ushered inside. They see the town council (representatives of the four “founding families”) sitting behind a semi-circular table, ready to hand out judgement at the end of trial. Present are Mayor Kendra Deverin, Ameiko Kaijitsu, Titus Scarnetti, and Belvan Valdemar (standing in his for his elderly father). Ava and her friends can tell that Ameiko is favourably predisposed to them and that Titus is downright hostile, but that the other two are remaining steadfastly neutral out of either principle (Deverin) or disinterest (Belvan). Mayor Deverin explains that the charges against Ava range from assault (for using magic against Nagol) to destruction of personal property (for allegedly ruining Nagol’s fine silk clothing) to seditious libel (for impugning the character of a noble).
The proceedings begin with Edgeworth, Nagol’s high-powered Magnimarian barrister, making an opening argument that seems to go over well with the judges. When Edgeworth begins his well-rehearsed examination of Nagol, Kang jumps to his feet to interject for proof that the noble’s clothes were actually ruined. Unfortunately, Edgeworth was well-prepared for this eventuality and has a set of ruined clothing introduced into evidence! Edgeworth elicits testimony that makes it sound like Ava, an “adventurer and spellcaster of tremendous power,” lost her temper and assaulted a defenceless, well-respected resident of Sandpoint. Edgeworth’s oratory is quite effective, and Kang has an uphill battle to win the judges back over.
Kang, who (despite his bluster) has no particular knowledge of the legal system or trial advocacy, begins the defence case by calling his companions as witnesses. Jinkatsyu’s testimony does little to change the basic outline of events as presented by Edgeworth, but Nerissa’s passionate defence of Ava’s character and contribution to Sandpoint is quite effective. Salma’s point-by-point, fact-based breakdown of what happened also goes over quite well. Edgeworth decides there’s little to be gained from cross-examining the trio, and waives his right to do so. But then, in a move that surprises many in the room, Kang calls Ava to the stand! On the verge of tears, she explains how hurtful it was to be accosted and called insulting names over and over again by Nagol, and how she was afraid of the much larger man and his friends. Sympathy wells up in the hearts of the judges (apart from Titus Scarnetti), until Edgeworth begins his cross-examination. He adroitly brings out just how many battles Ava has participated in, how she has fought terrifying foes, and how she could not conceivably been afraid of an unarmed young nobleman standing on the streets of Sandpoint across from the Garrison. “Ladies and gentlemen, I posit to you thus: if the defendant can stand toe-to-toe with massive bears and stone giants, how could she truly be afraid of my client? Was she afraid for her safety, as she claims, or merely suffering from hurt feelings?” All of the progress the defence witnesses made are shattered by the devastating remark, and Kang’s closing argument fails to further sway the judges.
During a recess for the judges to consider their verdict, Edgeworth approaches Kang and smugly offers a settlement: if Ava compensates his client to the tune of 2000 gold pieces and publicly apologises for her misbehaviour, he’ll withdraw his earlier request that she be stripped of all property and exiled from Sandpoint. Kang quickly rejects the offer, and whispers to his friends that if things go really bad, they can just teleport away. Some of the others argue that then they all might get in trouble and be permanently barred from the town.
When the judges return, it’s clear that only Ameiko is still on the adventurers’ side in the dispute. The verdict isn’t as severe as it could be, but it’s still harsh: Ava owes Nagol 500 gold pieces as compensation for the damaged clothing, and is exiled from Sandpoint for the assault and seditious libel. The grippli breaks into tears, but while the others console her, Jinkatsyu catches up to Mayor Deverin and asks for a quiet word. The kitsune prevails upon Deverin to reconsider the decision, saying that the adventurers have saved Sandpoint in the past and are currently on a mission to stop stone giants from invading again! However, Mayor Deverin says that the law does not allow past or future deeds of virtue to absolve one from wrongdoing: no one is above the law, she says, and (regrettably) even the “Heroes of Sandpoint” have to respect town law. She does whisper to Jinkatsyu, however, that Kang was a terrible trial lawyer and the group should seek an appeal of the verdict in Magnimar!
Sheriff Hemlock clearly feels sorry for Ava, and says he can give her an hour to gather her things and say goodbye before he has to escort her to the edge of town. The adventurers discuss what to do next. Jinkatsyu raises the idea of hiring a barrister in Magnimar and appealing the outcome, Nerissa says that it’s best just to take it on the chin and get on with things, and Salma suggests using magic to disguise Ava as someone else. In fact, Salma and Kang are so outraged by the verdict that they suggest just letting the town be levelled by the stone giants! Jinkatsyu is aghast at the idea of letting so many die just because of one lawsuit. Ava remains quiet and subdued during the conversation, her eyes downcast. Eventually, the group decide that they’ll make Magnimar their new base of operations, but that Ava should pay the fine and comply with the exile order to avoid further antagonizing the town leaders. Ava hurries to the Cathedral to say goodbye to Father Zantus, and he’s clearly saddened by what happened—he explains that many people in Sandpoint despise the Scarnettis. The two agree that in an emergency, Father Zantus will contact Ava through magical means. Afterwards, the adventurers are escorted through the North Gate by Sheriff Hemlock. Nagol Scarnetti is there, smirking, but Ava classily turns her back and ignores him.
Salma’s attempt to teleport everyone to Magnimar fails—twice! The party ends up on top of a rocky escarpment somewhere in the Sandpoint hinterlands and decides to set camp for the rest of the day and try again in the morning. Nerissa bakes some fantastic muffins, and says that if Nagol pursues a lawsuit against her, she’ll win. She ruminates about just sneaking into Sandpoint and assassinating the man (saying there’s no way she’d get caught, and no jail that could hold her), a remark that Jinkatsyu condemns. Later, Kang announces a breakthrough in his attempts to decipher Nerissa’s coded journal: he says it’s a log of imports from Aldoran to Cheliax. The others seem sceptical. Apart from rats swarming through the camp in the middle of the night (easily dispatched by one of Kang’s bombs), the hours until morning pass uneventfully.
[31 Abadius 4708]
In the morning, a snowy day greets the adventurers as they reconsider their plans. A consensus starts to develop for teleporting back to the Iron Peaks and the path towards Jorgenfist immediately, as the timeframe for the stone giant invasion is not known apart from scattered intelligence that it would take place in just a matter of weeks from the initial raid on Sandpoint. The heavy snowfall, however, convinces the group that travelling through the mountains is too risky and that they should head to Magnimar instead. Salma’s initial attempt to teleport the group utterly fails, and angry, he has to be talked out of trying for the Iron Peaks instead. On the second try, the group appears in Alabaster Park in Magnimar. The adventurers trudge through the slushy streets into the center of the city and head for the Arvensoar, hoping to gain some sort of reward or sponsorship for their quest to defeat the stone giants. Soon they reach the massive fortress that towers over the city, and Jinkatsyu persuades the sentinels to allow them in by mentioning their encounter with the scout, Veridian. After being escorted through the labyrinthine corridors of the massive fortress, the adventurers are eventually taken to meet with Captain Gibble Fank. Fank listens to their tale and Nerissa’s persuasive request for assistance on their expedition to Jorgenfist; Fank says he’ll consult with his superior and let them know in the morning. In the meantime, given the weather outside, he suggests they stay at a nearby inn, the Black Shield.
The Black Shield seems to be a tavern and inn that caters to soldiers, mercenaries, and caravan guards. Battle-scarred shields line the walls, and the half-orc behind the bar grunts as he takes the newcomers’ coin. Nerissa, Jinkatsyu, and Kang decide to brave the snowstorm to find a library so that Nerissa can research the origin of the strange red insect mask found in the boat belonging to her would-be assassin, and to see if she can learn more about the code she must have used when writing her own journal. A few hours later, however, when the adventurers finally find Magnimar’s best library, the Founder’s Archive, they have only moments to speak with the matron, Irba Demerios, before it closes. She confirms that the library should have the resources to assist them, and that patrons can hire private researchers if their own skills are inadequate. The trio agree to come back in the morning.
[1 Calistril 4708]
While the others are away at the library, Ava and Salma stand outside and endure the harsh weather so they can memorize the façade of the Black Shield to aid in future teleportation attempts. Just before lunch, a messenger arrives bearing two scrolls. The first, signed by High-Captain Acacia Uriana, says “Take all means at your dispersal to destroy the stone giant threat.” The second is a magical scroll that Salma deciphers as holding a spell that should allow them to teleport directly to Jorgenfist!
I set a *very* high Diplomacy DC for the PCs' attempt to get some direct help from the authorities in Magnimar, and they made it! Hence, the scroll of greater teleportation.
At the Founder’s Archive in Magnimar, Kang, Nerissa, and Jinkatsyu decide to focus their investigation on the mysterious crimson insect-like mask that they found hidden aboard the boat belonging to Nerissa’s would-be assassin. During their day at the library, Kang accidentally knocks a dusty book on murder-cults off the shelf and it falls open on a page with an illustration that exactly matches the mask! Underneath the illustration is the caption “Red Mantis.” With the library about to close, they head back to the Black Shield inn to find Ava and Salma staring at the front of the establishment intently to help fix it in their memories for future spellcraft. When she hears about the book they found, Salma explains she’s heard a little about the mysterious organisation of assassins known as the Red Mantis: she says membership is by invitation only, that they’ll accept contracts to kill anyone except heads of state, and that they have means of assassination that keep the victim from being raised from the dead! Salma says she could put feelers out to try to get in contact with them, but Nerissa says it’s too dangerous. The group speculate whether there is a contract out on Nerissa and, if so, who placed it. Although the library surely holds more secrets about the Red Mantis and perhaps the key to deciphering Nerissa’s mysterious journal, the group decide that the priority has to be stopping the giants of Jorgenfist; a decision is made to teleport there in the morning.
[2 Calistril 4708]
As the adventurers assemble for breakfast in the common room of the Black Shield, a general hubbub alerts them that something unusual is going on. Kegs are being lined up against a wall, bottles of wine cover an entire side table, and the place is surprisingly crowded at a time when most people would be heading off for a hard day’s work. Having been far too busy to glance at a calendar, the adventurers quickly realize that today is a holiday: Merrymead! Originally a day to share the last of the previous year’s mead with one’s fellows, the holiday has since evolved into a general day of heavy drinking, frivolity, and (more often than not) outbreaks of drunken violence. Nerissa is overjoyed and immediately starts to partake while the others hunch around a table examining the sketch-map of Jorgenfist they obtained from the scout Veridian. Various possibilities for teleportation are discussed, but the consensus is to try for one of the caves on the cliffside under Jorgenfist, overlooking the river. It’s not long before the shouting, spilled drinks, and pushing and shoving start, something that drives everyone but Nerissa into the alleyway behind the tavern. Ava barely manages to persuade her to come with them and, as they walk out into the bright light, the grippli realizes that Nerissa’s shadow sometimes disappears completely and other times points in the wrong direction given the angle of the sun! Ava points this out, quite concerned, but Nerissa explains it’s always been that way and isn’t something to worry about.
A cold wind swirls around the group in the alleyway as Salma makes a final study of the special teleportation scroll sent to the group by Magnimar’s army commander. Salma sighs as she realizes that the magic in the scroll isn’t powerful enough to take everyone along; someone will have to stay behind and be picked up later. Nerissa is quick to volunteer for the role, and happily heads back inside to keep drinking. Salma reads the complex runic magic on the scroll flawlessly, and an instant later she and the remaining adventurers appear in a cave almost 250’ above a narrow beach and river below. Countless bloated, many-legged insects trample one another on the floor of the cave, creating an unnatural susurrus of a million clicking bug legs. The rear of the cave is blocked by fallen webs and occluded by darkness.
Ava starts snacking on some of the bugs while Jinkatsyu lights a torch so that he and Kang can investigate the rear of the cave. As they approach, thick ropy strands of webbing shoot out from things hidden in the mass; Kang dodges out of the way, but Jinkatsyu finds himself entangled! From the rear of the cave, stocky, partially-decayed spiders the size of a horse advance as thousands of living spiders fall from their bodies like drops of blood. Kang shouts “deathwebs!” and hurls a makeshift explosive just before getting impaled by a sharp, serrated leg. Jinkatsyu cuts his way free from the webbing and starts attacking, but begins to feel sick as some sort of necromantic venom courses through his veins. Ava works out a plan with Salma, magically silencing the rear of the cave so that Salma’s massive fireball creates no noise when it explodes. Two of the monstrous creatures are fried in the explosion, and Kang manages to finish off the last one.
Jinkatsyu uses his torch to burn away much of the webbing and finds a surprisingly large collection of skeletons enmeshed within, many still wearing armor and grasping weapons. Salma appraises whether any of it is worth keeping while Jinkatsyu continues investigating—at Kang’s suggestion, he looks to see if there is a secret door, and is astonished to realize there is one! The adventurers, having established a beachhead in their invasion of Jorgenfist, decide to rest for the night and collect Nerissa in the morning before moving further in. Meanwhile, Nerissa is having an adventure of her own as the patrons of the Black Shield turn into a mob when the barrels and bottles are emptied—they rush off to ransack a nearby wine cellar, and Nerissa narrowly avoids being swept up in the riot and arrested by the city guards. She makes her way back to the Black Shield and helps the grateful proprietor clean up.
[3 Calistril 4708]
Salma teleports to the front of the Black Shield first thing in the morning, but has the bad luck to manifest while a horse and carriage are speeding down the road! She gets knocked brutally into a nearby snowbank that’s still covered in vomit from those who drank more than they could handle the night before. The now-filthy half-elf heads inside and, after some effort, manages to rouse a very hungover Nerissa. When they return to the cave near Jorgenfist, the others are ready to see what lies beyond the secret passage. The adventurers head through to discover a veritable maze of narrow tunnels. Wisely staying to what seems like the main branch, they navigate deeper and deeper in until Ava and Salma realize the adventurers are not alone—creatures have used the various side tunnels to surround them! The snarling, gnomelike figures wear metal boots and blood-red pointed caps while wielding large scythes, and their eyes are filled with the anticipation of blissful sadistic slaughter! Ava shouts a prayer to Sinashakti while Salma doesn’t hesitate to fill the caves with a massive fireball. The affray is fast and confusing as the attackers slip in and out of the side tunnels, but the adventurers stand their ground and eventually kill all but one of the attackers who slips through a tunnel so narrow the others can’t easily follow.
The adventurers have stumbled onto a potential way into Jorgenfist that could allow them to bypass many of the fortress’ outer defences. But with their penchant for setting off thunderous explosions, will they remain undetected for long?
Of every possible location on the map of Jorgenfist the PCs could teleport to, they just so happened to pick the one cave that offers a perfect hiding place/staging area and a secret route that bypasses all the dangers on the surface (while taking the unusual action of explicitly searching for secret doors). Maybe it's just really good luck, but sometimes I suspect someone may be reading something they shouldn't!
The redcaps felt a bit out of place--kinda goofy fey that presented absolutely no threat to PCs of this level. They were more a nuisance than anything.
In the narrow tunnels leading from a cliffside cave near Jorgenfist, Kang suddenly realizes that the battle against the redcaps caused many of his vials of chemicals to crack! He rushes back to the cave to render them inert before they explode. The others decide to continue on, with Nerissa scouting ahead. Eventually, the main branch of the small tunnels leads to a chamber cluttered by tiny mounds of carefully sorted junk. Resting on a hammock tied between a pair stalagmites is a kobold idly holding a shortspear. Nerissa’s stealthy approach allows her to retreat silently and confer with her fellow adventurers. They agree that she should sneak up again and try to subdue it so they have a prisoner they can interrogate for information.
At first, the plan goes well. Nerissa tiptoes in and pounces on the surprised kobold, placing a hand over its mouth so it can’t even cry out! But the wily creature is stronger than it looks and breaks free of her hold. Before Nerissa can react, the kobold impales her with its spear and then wrenches the weapon free, shouting “Enga best guard ever!” Nerissa collapses to the ground in a pool of blood. Hearing the shout, the other adventurers rush in. Salma’s magic locks the kobold’s muscles in place as Jinkatsyu darts forward and stabs it, but then the kobold also breaks free of the paralysis enchantment! Salma reverts back to her favourite means of dispatching enemies: conjuring huge explosions while somehow sculpting the flames to exclude herself and her allies. This time, though, an unwelcome surprise rears its ugly head: the beaded necklace that the kobold was wearing explodes in a fireball an order of magnitude higher than even Salma had ever conjured before! The blast shakes the cavern, killing Nerissa and Salma instantly and badly burning the kobold who is somehow still standing! Fortunately, Ava had not yet arrived on the scene and Jinkatsyu was able to duck between stalagmites to escape unscathed. Jinkatsyu shouts for Ava’s help as he stabs the creature in chest and it collapses, gurgling blood.
Ava arrives in time to bring Salma from the brink of death’s door, but Nerissa is too far gone to help without more powerful magicks. Knowing that the tremendously loud explosion must have alerted everyone nearby, the surviving trio of heroes quickly gather up Nerissa’s remains and rush back through the narrow tunnels until they reach the cliffside cave. There, they see Kang has set up his alchemical workshop in a niche in the rock; he forbids any interruptions, saying he’s on the verge of a magnificent breakthrough! Ava makes the preparations for the elaborate ritual to summon Nerissa’s soul back to her body, but she decides to communicate with it first—and in so doing, is surprised to learn that the soul has moved to a better place and has no wish to return. The grippli sobs as she realizes Nerissa is gone forever, and then, to make matters worse, Salma adds that the next time she dies, she wants to stay dead as well.
Exhausted and dispirited, the adventurers undergo a miserable day of rest in the cave. Their misery is exacerbated by swarms of poisonous army ants that stream out from cracks in the cave floor, and Salma is forced to nearly exhaust her magicks to fend them off. After getting to a fitful sleep that night, another infestation is discovered a couple of hours before dawn and this one is almost lethal! And then, a final blow: just before dawn, Jinkatsyu is tormented by nightmares of being unable to save his family only to realize that the horrific visions have magically sent to him by the surviving hag of Hook Mountain.
[4 Calistril 4708]
Having endured one of the worst days of their adventuring career, the survivors decide they have no choice but to press on. But do the defenders of Jorgenfist realize they’re under attack, or do they simply think Enga had an unfortunate accident with her necklace? And if the adventurers can barely survive one kobold, how will they ever succeed against the far greater terrors that lie beyond?
Kang's player was unable to make this session, hence the character's sudden need to work on alchemical formulas in the safety of their cave.
I really enjoyed the necklace of fireballs situation here, as it's one of the few times in RPGs that characters face consequences for hurling massive incendiary magic left and right.
The decision by Nerissa's player to stay that her character wouldn't want to come back from the dead started to become a pattern, and I think grew frustrating for the others at the table.
[4 Calistril 4708 continued]
After Kang finishes his experiment, he joins the others for a discussion of who is to blame for Nerissa’s death. There’s no consensus. Salma says she’s thought carefully about what she said earlier, and would in fact like to be raised from the dead should she perish in battle. Ava is overjoyed about the turn of events, and says that if she herself ever dies, she hopes the others will carry on their mission to stop Mokmurian. Kang adds that he’s written a will which he carries on his person at all times. With Jinkatsyu in agreement, the group resolve that they can’t let the tragedy of Nerissa’s death dissuade them from taking the battle to the stone giant leader.
The group move back through the mazelike tunnels, having encountered no danger at all there since the original attack by redcaps. Due to Jinkatsyu’s inability to see in the dark, the group is forced to travel with a source of light. A stone giant sentry posted in the chamber previously occupied by the kobold Enga Keckvia has no difficulty seeing the group’s approach, and stands at the ready, slapping his greatclub in his palm. Jinkatsyu gives a battlecry and charges forward! Despite being knocked off-stride by the club connecting with his hip, he closes within rapier reach and lets loose a flurry of strikes. Combined with Kang’s explosives, the giant is no match for the adventurers and soon falls.
The adventurers see tunnels leading out of the chamber to the north and to the east, and decide to head north. They pass by what is obviously the “inside” of a secret door, and when they push through, they find themselves in the personal quarters of the giants’ second-in-command: the famous general Galenmir! Galenmir and Jinkatsyu exchange blows as the stone giant bellows for his “Pit Guardians.” Jinkatsyu jumps off a piece of furniture to stab the giant in the eye, but the half-blinded warrior retains the wherewithal to slam the kitsune to the ground! Ava is grazed by Galenmir’s fist as she darts in, but she succeeds in magically teleporting herself and the unconscious Jinkatsyu out of the chamber just as Kang realizes three more stone giants are coming from the north. The alchemist hurls an explosive at the giant general and then calls for a retreat. The adventurers see Galenmir drink a potion before his body becomes almost cloudlike. Salma evokes another fiery blast before everyone retreats to the entrance to the small tunnels.
Ava calls upon his most powerful magicks to rapidly heal Jinkatsyu, and then the adventurers decide to make a stand against the onrushing giants. As the “Pit Guardians” start to succumb, the adventurers decide to counter-attack and Jinkatsyu rushes forward. Just as the battle in front of them is won, however, more giants and and a handful of ogres join in the fray from the rear! The battle becomes a true free-for-all, but the very size of Jorgenfist’s defenders means they get in each other’s way squeeze together in a manner that makes them easy pickings for Salma and Kang’s explosive attacks. The adventurers fight their way back to the small tunnels and temporarily block it with melded stone before attacking again, with Salma’s cascade of magical fire jumping from enemy to enemy decimating the defenders. In the end, only single ogre lives long enough to flee the scene.
Somehow, after all the furious fighting and ebb and flow of the battlefield, the invaders have triumphed over almost a dozen foes! Only the most fickle of fates could bring tragedy from a single kobold and glorious victory from a horde of giants. As the smoke clears from explosion after explosion, the adventurers have truly cleared a path into the heart of Jorgenfist. Will they be able to take advantage of their victory, or can the defenders yet rally?
This was pretty much an all-combat session. The PCs chose their trademark strategy when assaulting fixed fortifications: start a loud fight, battle wave after wave of defenders, partially kind of but not really retreat, and end up triumphing. Some would call it crazy and suicidal, but somehow it works for them!
As the smoke clears from the furious fighting, Salma suddenly cocks her head as if listening to an unseen voice. She announces that she has to leave on urgent business, but will return soon—and then teleports away!
But the surprises don’t stop there: a low rumble of words can be heard to the north—the stone giant’s equivalent of a whisper! “I don’t have much time,” says the voice. “But know that if you are here to slay Mokmurian, I am your ally. Come with me to a place where we can speak in peace, for I would aid you in your quarrel here—without my assistance you might find only your graves below Jorgenfist.” A brazier is ignited, and the adventurers can see that the speaker is an older female stone giant wearing heavy bearskins over her shoulders.
Although wary of a trap, they agree to follow her to a cave whose walls are painted with images of giants, mammoths, elk, deer, wyverns, and more. A simple oil lantern illuminates a small altar, and a modest offering of antlers, hooves, and patches of fur have been piled in front of it. “My name is Conna,” says the stone giant, the last remaining elder of the Kavarvatti tribe. After having been cast out, Mokmurian returned to the tribe full of dark power. He defeated the tribe’s other elder, Vandarrec and had his body blasphemously sacrificed here in this shrine to the Plateau People’s ancestral spirits.” Conna goes on to explain that she’s been tending the shrine since Mokmurian’s rise to power, praying for the intervention of outsiders strong enough to defeat Mokmurian and keep him from leading the assembled tribes into a disastrous war against the city dwellers. After the adventurers pledge themselves to stopping Mokmurian before the invasion is launched (something that will happen in a matter of weeks, if not days), Conna says she asks only one thing in return for help—that as many of her kin be spared as possible. She goes on to explain that Mokmurian spends almost all of his time in the library level below and that there are two different approaches that lead there, an eastern route that is heavily guarded and a southern one that is less so. But, she says, a powerful knight was recently captured on the surface and has been taken to the “Sihedron Room” for branding and sacrifice! Conna says that if the adventurers hurry, they might be able to add another ally to their side.
Before they leave, Conna mentions one final thing: she fears that Mokmurian has fallen under the influence of a powerful evil spirit—one of the legendary Ancient Lords who enslaved her people millennia ago. She says she’s heard Mokmurian whisper the name of this spirit when he thought he was alone: “Karzoug.” Kang remembers hearing this name before—as the figure responsible for binding the pit fiend to thousands of years of service inside Skull’s Crossing!
The adventurers decide their first priority should be to seeing if they can rescue the captured knight. They follow a long, relatively straight corridor until they reach a massive set of stone doors carved with an immense seven-pointed star. When they push the doors open, before them is a large rectangular chamber. The floor is loose soil, into which seven fifteen-foot-tall tree trunks have been driven into the ground like immense stakes. And manacled to one of them is one of the celestial-blooded: an aasimar! Unfurling his dragonfly wings, Kang flies over to the aasimar, completely unprepared for what happens next: a truly gigantic hill giant covered in runic tattoos somehow emerges directly from the ground and swats Kang like a fly, using a warclub that’s larger than the victim! Suffering cracked ribs, Kang manages to weave an evasive pattern and escape. Undeterred, Jinkatsyu charges in and stabs the giant in the hand, forcing him to drop his club. An amazing display of swordplay follows, as the dashing kitsune fills the hapless giant with so many bloody holes that it collapses with an echoing boom!
The unchained aasimar introduces himself as Whistin, Paladin of Ragathiel. He says he worships the empyreal lord of chivalry, duty, and vengeance, and was captured in an attempt to destroy the growing evil within Jorgenfist because he was a firsthand witness to the destruction of his home—Turtleback Ferry--in the recent flood! Kang quickly changes the subject, and explains that he and the others are here to stop Mokmurian. Whistin is keen to join the crusade, and together the group moves back down the corridor.
Before long, they hear voices coming from the southeast, speaking a harsh tongue that Kang explains is Draconic. “Sulaminga, I hunger! When shall we have fresh meat?” asks one of the voices. Ava panicks and says they should move quickly back to the deathweb cave to rest and recover. The group makes it back there without further incident. They rest for a little while before Kang announces he’s perfected a new recipe for his explosives. The adventurers decide to press further on this day and clear more of the way to Mokmurian. Instead of taking the “safer” southern path, they decide it would be better to secure the eastern approach so that nothing sneaks up on them from behind when they descend to the library. The group returns to a spot near where they heard the conversation in Draconic. The disgusting parasitic tumor on Kang’s back begins to move and wriggle erratically until it suddenly emerges from the back of his shirt and splits into two! Kang gives one half strict instructions to go scout out the cave ahead, reassuring his allies that it’s perfectly expendable. When the crawling, sluglike thing returns, it whispers in Kang’s ears: “Dragons, my lord, dragons!”
The adventurers decide to charge in and take the dragons by surprise—and the plan works perfectly! Kang’s bomb knocks one of the dragons off its feet in perfect synchronicity with Jinkatsyu’s charge. Whistin readies a polearm and flies in with a battlecry to attack the other. One of the stunned dragons manages to breathe a gout of flame, but the experienced adventurers have no trouble taking down both dragons quickly. However, there was one unforeseen flaw in the adventurers’ plan: the attack has given the inhabitants of the chamber directly adjacent to the dragons’ lair time to prepare their defences.
Jinkatsyu advances and sees a chamber filled with incense smoke, the walls of which are painted with angular symbols of a three-eyed, jackal-like visage. The swashbuckler has stumbled into an unholy
shrine to Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters, and the shrine’s two priestesses cackle with malevolent joy to see new playthings. Each of the priestesses is a lamia, and their magical defences prove strong as Jinkatsyu’s and later Whistin’s attacks often go awry due to illusory duplicates. The two lamias quickly get on either side of Jinkatsyu and take turns touching him with an ungloved hand, each touch sapping him of his willpower. In seconds, he collapses to the ground! Kang shouts for Ava to get ready for a retreat and hurls another bomb, but the adventurers can’t get to Jinkatsyu before it’s too late. With a euphoric evocation of Lamashtu’s name, one of the lamias decapitates him! Ava’s command of trans-dimensional magics allows her to move in and teleport herself, Whistin, and Jinkatsyu’s body back to the deathweb cave. Kang, for his part, flies away invisibly on dragonfly wings and manages to outrun and outwit the chasing lamias.
In the cave, Ava sobs as she calls down the spiritual might of Sinashakti for the magical energies needed to bring Jinkatsyu back to life. It works. But for the first time since their arrival in Jorgenfist, the adventurers have truly met their match. Will they be able to overcome the cunning and magical power of the Lamashtu priestesses?
Salma's player had to miss this session, hence the abrupt, mysterious exit at the beginng
I think Conna was good to help fill in some of the backstory, and there's not many NPCs to role-play with in this chapter. I do wish her situation had been a bit more complex, because the conversation boiled down to "I want you to help me." "Okay." "Cool, bye."
Whistin was the new PC for the player who previous ran Nerissa. As you will soon see, Whistin was not long for this world.
I thought Kang using his familiar (with a duplication spell) to scout was really cool and very smart. It was one of the very few times the PCs actually scouted ahead (physically or magically). It worked well, and I'm surprised there wasn't more of it throughout the campaign.
Man, these lamias! They're treated as just another monster in the AP and not given much backstory or attention, but they were tough for this group of adventurers! It's funny how a little thing like mirror image can stifle the best swordsman, and how they were able to use their own touch attacks to kill a PC (a bit of poetic justice, as eventually we'll have almost every PC doing touch attacks for the "I Win" button in a campaign full of creatures with natural armor).
In their cliffside cave below Jorgenfist, the adventurers regroup after a disastrous battle against lamia priestesses of Lamashtu. Jinkatsyu, returned to life thanks to Ava’s divinely-granted power, finds his wits restored thanks to Kang’s foul-smelling but always-effective alchemical wonders. The group are in the midst of a free-flowing discussion about how to defeat the lamias when Wystan receives a taunting, magical message from one of them: “Cowardly knight, why did you flee? You only delay the inevitable. Mokmurian has been alerted to your intrusion, and his wrath is mighty.” Wystan conceals the telepathic communication from his new allies. Before any decisions are reached, Salma unexpectedly reappears, explaining that she had to fulfil a promise to an old friend. The others introduce her to Wystan, and fill her in on the dramatic events she missed.
A suggestion is made to return to the caves where the waves of stone giants and ogres were repulsed, in order to move or hide the bodies so that the remaining defenders of Jorgenfist can’t discover the adventurers’ hideout. Kang says it’s far too late for subtlety or deception, but Salma is strongly in favour of the idea and persuades the others (bar Kang) to come with her. She explains that she can cast a (newly-mastered) spell ahead of time that will let everyone teleport away simultaneously! The journey through the maze of narrow tunnels connecting the cave to Jorgenfist’s subterranean levels proceeds without incident. Even working together, however, moving the stone giant corpses (each of which weighs half a ton!) is slow, exhausting, and quite loud. The sound echoes through the now largely-vacant chambers, and before long the cackling, mocking laughter of a lamia can be heard approaching from the east. Salma tries to get the jump on their tormentor, but the wizard’s spellcraft is ineffectual and the lamia dances away into darkness. Ava shouts that they need to leave before the other priestess appears, so Salma intones the final guttural syllable of her escape spell—but Wystan resists it! “I do not fear you,” shouts the knight to the lamias, readying a javelin as his only allies disappear.
Back in the cliffside cave, Kang sees everyone who left on the expedition suddenly reappear—except for Wystan. Ava shouts that Wystan doesn’t know the way back on foot, and everyone commendably starts running back through the narrow tunnels. But run as they might, they’re not fast enough to affect what happens next. Wystan waits, poised for battle, as he hears distant shouting in a language he cannot speak. Just as he’s about to leave, having decided that discretion is the better part of valor, the lamias strike! One has snuck up behind him from the north, while the other uses foul magicks to seal his eyes shut! Stumbling and blinded, Wystan can’t stand against the despicable genius of the lamias and succumbs to their attacks. When the other adventurers arrive, they see only the signs of battle and a message crudely painted in blood on the walls: “We have him, and he lives!”
Salma and Jinkatsyu are prepared to go after him, but Kang and even the sobbing Ava know that it’s too risky. It’s clearly a trap, and there are no guarantees that Wystan is even alive. With all of Varisia at stake, the rescue of one life can’t outweigh the protection of thousands. Reluctantly, the adventurers return to their hideout to rest until morning.
[5 Calistril 4708]
In the morning, Ava awakens to the sound of a lamia whispering in her mind: “He hurts, he hurts! Vainglorious fools, Mokmurian delights.”. She shares the taunt with her friends, but Kang is unshaken, saying that once they’ve witnessed the full power arrayed against them, the lamias will regret their errors. Battle plans are drawn, and the foursome return to the giant caverns. They find a disturbing sight—individual, severed fingers pointing, like breadcrumbs, to the lamia caves! Undeterred by the ghastly jest, the adventurers press on and soon arrive the unholy shrine. One of the lamias is there, and motions towards the altar where a figure, covered in a cloak, is held down by chains and moaning inarticulately. “You’re just in time to save your friend!” shouts the lamia while backing away into darkness.
While Jinkatsyu starts to move towards the altar, Kang shouts an alarm—something is rushing towards them from behind! The other lamia, having hidden in a side passageway, has come up behind the rear of the party’s formation to attack Ava and Salma. Salma reacts quickly, evoking her most powerful fireball yet on the lamia—only to find, when the smoke clears, that it had absolutely no effect! The brilliant wizard quickly deduces that the lamias (having heard earlier battles and seen the burned corpses of the multiple giants and ogres) have abjured themselves against her favourite spell! Jinkatsyu doesn’t hesitate to charge to Ava’s aid, plunging his rapier deeply into the lamia's side. But in the early flush of success, Jinkatsyu doesn’t realize that the first lamia has returned from the south. Magickal power paralyzes the kitsune, while the other lamia prepares to decapitate him—again! But in a stunning move, Ava transdimensionally hops in and rescues Jinkatsyu, taking both of them to the rear of the chamber.
Alas, Jinkatsyu’s salvation comes with a price: Salma is left unprotected against both lamias, and their joint charge leads her dead before her body hits the ground. Cackling wildly, the lamias revel in another sacrifice to their dark god. Ava again manages to teleport herself, Jinkatsyu, and Salma’s body back to the cliffside cave, while Kang narrowly escapes, thanks to the magicks of his alchemical invisibility proving just strong enough to resist the dispelling magicks of the lamias.
Back in the cave, Ava’s prayers (and valuable sacrifices) are up to the task, and Salma’s wounds knit together and she gasps back into life. But once again, the adventurers have been defeated with fatal results—and Wystan’s fate is still unknown. In the depths of despair, do they have the courage to sally forth yet again?
I love paladins, but unfortunately Wystan fulfilled the "lawful stupid" stereotype. It was a pretty fast in-and-out for this PC!
As I mentioned in the last commentary, these lamias proved surprisingly effective. They had a good mix of spells, were clever and cunning, and the PCs hadn't quite shored up their magical defences. On the plus side, the players definitely learned from this series of encounters how to prepare themselves against spellcasters later in the campaign. It wouldn't be long, for example, that they wouldn't budge without spells like freedom of movement and protection from evil cast on themselves.
Ava always had the best and most exciting rescues. She saved Jinks' life and Salma's corpse, so that a simple raise dead didn't have to be a burdensome resurrection.
In the cave that has served as their hidden base for attacks on Jorgenfist, the defenders of Sandpoint discuss what to do about the lamias that have defeated them handily in two consecutive battles. A suggestion is made to simply bypass the lamias, but Salma worries that would lead to the party being attacked from behind while engaged with other foes. The discussion of strategy continues until, with a loud “popping” sound, a pair of figures suddenly manifest in the cave! One is a robed figure, while the other is a heavily armed dwarf holding a waraxe! The robed figure nods to the dwarf and then teleports away, leaving the dwarf in a standoff with the adventurers. Jinkatsyu breaks the ice by asking the dwarf what he thinks of giants. “Kill them all!” shouts the dwarf. The others relax, and allow the dwarf, Jemar Crowell, to explain he was teleported to Jorgenfist in search of a fellow group of dwarves from Janderhoff who went missing while prospecting on the Storval Plateau. The adventurers decide not to look a gift horse in the mouth, and an alliance is quickly struck. The rest of the day is spent in heated debate about what to do next. Eventually, a consensus is reached to try to sneak past the lamias but to be prepared to fight if necessary.
[6 Calistril 4708]
The adventurers, with their new dwarf ally, try to move stealthily into Jorgenfist’s subterranean level. But Jemar’s armor clinks with every step, and Jinkatsyu’s scabbard constantly scrapes along the wall. The group doesn’t get far before they hear cackling laughter in the distance. Deciding to quickly search some of the unexplored side chambers, the adventurers discovery a reeking (but unoccupied) tannery and a forge designed to allow prisoners in iron cages to work the bellows—and the cages are still occupied! The five dwarves that Jemar came in search of are set free and given directions to the adventurers’ hideout to wait in until the threat of the lamias can be dealt with.
The adventurers decide to backtrack to make sure they’re not being followed. They see a massive dining hall that contains a large throne, and hear banging sounds coming from what must be a kitchen—but they decide to leave it alone for now. Conna, the stone giant elder who earlier gave them advice, whispers to the group from around a corner that Mokmurian is still alive and that the tribes above continue their preparations for war. Jemar erupts with fury when he realizes that the adventurers have befriended a giant, but although he scares Conna away, he doesn’t give chase.
After several more minutes of cautious exploration and backtracking to ensure they’re not walking into another ambush, the adventurers finally approach the unholy shrine to Lamashtu from the north. The cloaked figure is still on the altar, but Jinkatsyu discerns it’s larger than last time—and he’s ready when the figure throws off its shroud to reveal one of the lamias! Inexplicably without its magical duplicates, the lamia is stabbed multiple times in quick succession by the swashbuckling kitsune, and he resists the priestess’ attempt to paralyze him, thanks to Ava’s magical preparations. In seconds, one of the lamia sisters that had caused the group so much heartache lays dead at their feet!
A column of flame announces the arrival of the second lamia, laughing with joy when she sees the fate of her kin. Salma resists the lamia’s next wave of magic, and before it can try again, Jinkatsyu and Jemar have dispatched it. The stunningly easy victory is tainted only by the realization that another figure stands further in the shadowy caverns. The hooded figure is missing its fingers, and the adventurers are prepared for what they see when they remove the hood: Wystan has been turned into a cruel mockery of life—a zombie! Although destroyed quickly, the lamias would no doubt believe they had the last laugh. In what may be a sign of the greed that has infected them, the adventurers quickly and unceremoniously strip the paladin’s corpse of anything valuable.
The final engagement against the lamias was something of an anti-climax.
There's irony in the PCs cold-heartedly looting their fallen given that a major theme of the entire campaign is greed.
Following their successful battle against the lamias, the cautious adventurers decide to return to their hideout rather than press on. As they’re passing through the narrow tunnels that connect Jorgenfist’s subterranean level with their own cave, however, they see a surprising sight: a large ceramic vase standing in the middle of the route. Kang and Jemar hear the sound of movement in the various branching side tunnels around them and call out in alarm just as a stone thrown from somewhere in the darkness crashes into the vase and breaks it, releasing a massive black ooze! The scope of the ambush becomes clear when the adventurers realize that a group of redcaps are trying to cut off their retreat so they can’t escape the writhing mass that seems to flow towards them. Fortunately, Kang and Salma react quickly and incinerate the aberration before it can hurt anyone, and the party’s rear guard drives the surprised redcaps away. It seems even the murderous fey know when they’re outmatched.
When the adventurers reach their makeshift base, they see the dwarves that they rescued earlier have arrived safely. Considering his expedition to Jorgenfist successful, Jemar decides to escort the dwarves back home to Janderhoff. Carefully descending to the riverbank below the cave, he and the other dwarves depart with barely a farewell, leaving Ava with hurt feelings.
After a brief rest, the adventurers decide they should press on with their own mission. When they make it back near the winding ramp that connects the surface fortress with the subterranean level, they see barrels rolling down. Ready for anything, the adventurers are shocked to see one of the barrels is labelled (in Giant) “Suitable for sacrifice for Lokansir” and contains a humanoid figure—alive! When the captive is released, the adventurers can see it’s an almost naked, muscular figure covered in scars and tattoos with subtle gills on the side of his neck. The newcomer thanks his liberators and explains that he’s Yuzo—“a seeker of fame and fortune—but mostly fame!” Yuzo explains that he sought glory in matching his prowess against that of giant-kind, but must have been blind-sided because he doesn’t quite remember how he ended up in the barrel. The others explain their mission to slay Mokmurian and prevent the destruction of Sandpoint, and Yuzo is keen to take part in a quest that is sure to bring them all great renown. Fortunately, the other barrel contains Yuzo’s equipment, including a deadly-looking falchion.
With their numbers again bolstered by fortuitous aid, the adventurers continue past the site of their battle against the lamias and into a narrow passageway that starts to descend. But before they get past the natural chokepoint, sharp ranseur blades suddenly jut out from the walls on either side! The adventurers realize seconds too late that the walls on either side of the passageway have small holes in them, and that creatures on the other side don’t intend to let them pass without paying a toll in blood. Kang is hurt and retreats, but Jinkatsyu darts forward and finds the narrow gap that allows him to slip around to the other side of one wall—only to come face to face with massive, armored troll! The kitsune tumbles away, hoping to lure the troll out into the open. About the same time, the troll on the side of the other wall is engaged. Kang’s bombs blow one of the attackers to flaming bits of flesh, but not before Yuzo is badly hurt by getting repeatedly clawed and bitten. Working together, however, Kang and Jinkatsyu manage to finish off the last one, and Ava is able to draw upon powerful magicks to heal Yuzo. Salma’s keen eyes discern that some of the trolls’ possessions are magical, which leads the group to backtrack to their own hideout to secure the spoils of war.
While there, Yuzo sets up a collapsible bathtub and then opens a metal flask from which gallons of water stream forth! He fully immerses himself in the water while the others talk about their plans for the morrow. Kang expresses concern that they might be running out of time, and that, for all they know, the giant armies may have already set off.
[7 Calistril 4708]
In the morning, determined to finish off Mokmurian after days of gruelling effort, the adventurers sally forth again. They pass the troll guard post and start following a narrow, corkscrewing tunnel that takes them hundreds and hundreds of feet below the ground. When their descent ends, they see that the architecture is of ancient, peculiar design. This is no giant-craft, but instead a place dating to the days of the Empire of Thassilon!
I don't quite remember what led me to place the black-pudding-in-a-vase trap, but it seemed like a very redcap-appropriate scheme.
Yuzo, of course, was the new PC for the player who previously ran Nerissa, et al. Yuzo was a very boisterous, outgoing character, and a lot of fun to see role-played.
Having penetrated to the very depths of Jorgenfist and into a structure clearly dating to the days of ancient Thassilon, the adventurers cautiously explore their surroundings. It’s clear that even the powerful preservative magicks imbued in the stonework have started to fail, as many passageways are choked with rubble. Oddly enough, the places where the walls meet the floors and ceilings have been smoothed away and rounded, leaving not a single corner or hard angle visible.
With Yuzo taking the lead, the adventurers move into a room almost nauseating in its flickering dimensions! To Yuzo and Jinkatsyu, it looks like the room is starting to grow, but the others realize the truth: they’re being shrunk! From out of the shadows an obese hill giant whose body is covered with scars in the shape of Thassilonian runes charges forth with unnatural speed, his overdeveloped muscles bulging against his seemingly too-tight skin! Once again, Kang and Salma’s fireworks save the day. When the smoke clears, Salma remembers reading in a crumbling manuscript about creatures called Runeslaves—giants fleshwarped by Thassilonian magic into powerful but short-lived servants.
Jinkatsyu and Kang start looking at a pair of stone doors to the southern part of the chamber when another threat suddenly manifests. A massive iron-skinned fiend whose short arms and razor sharp claws seem friendly compared to the massive, fire-filled maw that splits its belly in two! It seems to glide right out of the stonework, but Kang’s special concussive bomb knocks it on its back, and Jinkatsyu and Yuzo are able to destroy it before it can even get to its feet.
Thick, acrid smoke pours forth from an immense, twelve-foot tall cauldron in the next chamber that causes Jinkatsyu and Yuzo to double over, retching. A hulking brute with a skull-like face and glowing blue runes carved into its forehead stands sentry. Salma identifies it as a stone golem, and knows that her magic can’t affect it. But nothing stops Kang’s bombs, and although Yuzo is battered by the golem’s attacks, it soon crumbles under the force of repeated concussive blasts. Using Yuzo’s magic decanter, Kang douses the flames under the cauldron and puts an end to the smoke. Yuzo is in favour of a strategic retreat, but Kang’s confidence persuades the group that they should continue forth.
Following the worked stone passageway to the east, the adventurers come across a chamber containing a dozen preserved bodies of ogres, trolls, and hill giants, all wearing suits of armor and staged as if rallying for war. As the group starts to pass between them, five of the corpses suddenly animate and attack, led by a headless zombie lord! Yuzo and Jinkatsyu are affected by its uncanny presence and flee in mortal terror, but Salma manifests arcing chains of fire to devastate the lesser undead, while Ava’s column of holy fire and Kang’s bombs finish off the leader just as it’s trying to summon more zombies to battle. Salma remembers hearing a tale of such headless zombies: that their maker can carry the head around with them and “see” what the body sees! Have the adventurers been spied on by Mokmurian during the battle?
After tracking down Yuzo and Jinkatsyu (who fled into darkness), the adventurers continue on. They’ve taken the best Mokmurian has to offer and have barely broken a sweat!
Having easily overcome several dangers in a hidden complex dating to ancient Thassilon, the adventurers decide to press on through one more room before retreating to rest. Believing that the set of immense bronze doors at one end of a hallway must lead to Mokmurian’s throne room, they decide to open a plain set of stone doors at the other end. Inside, they see a strange room whose rough angles have been smoothed over even more than the rest of the complex, featureless except for another set of doors to the northwest. Yuzo advances in and sees an uncanny sight. Seemingly standing in the middle of the air, dozens of feet off the ground, is a gaunt, long-limbed quadruped with huge, soulless eyes and a toothy maw! Just looking at the creature causes an image of the creature slashing and biting to flash through Yuzo’s mind, and when he looks down at his chest, he sees deep, bloody gouges! The others press forward to help, only to realize that there are two more of the strange hounds in the room.
Kang’s bombs again serve to dispatch his foes, but the noise of the battle alerts the inhabitant of the adjoining chamber. The northwest doors suddenly burst open, but only a billowing cloud of fog can be seen. The voice of a stone giant rings out, one quieter but more eloquent than the others the adventurers have fought before: Mokmurian! The unseen mastermind behind so much of the woe that has befallen the adventurers in the past months welcomes them to a final battle for the fate of Varisia! But rather than face their quarry, the unprepared and panicked adventurers decide to run for it.
Back in the “deathweb cave,” the adventurers hurriedly discuss plans and eventualities. Paranoid that Mokmurian may be scrying on them, the group is on edge. They resolve that, in the morning, a showdown must be held.
[8 Calistril 4708]
The adventurers prepare with their best abjurations and return to the chamber where they found the strange hounds. They push through into the chamber beyond, only to find it uninhabited! They have clearly found Mokmurian’s study, as neatly organized stacks and piles of books, arcane trappings, and more are all over the room. On a table stacked high with more books, a message has been left for the adventurers: “I await you in the library. Where my journey began, and yours must end.”
In a hurry to do battle before their powerful protective spells wane, the adventurers rush to the immense bronze doors out in the main corridor. The doors bear a huge, mirrorlike silver inlay of the Sihedron, but lacks any obvious hinges, handles or locks save for a single tiny star-shaped indentation at the center of the larger star. Salma’s divination spell discerns that the door radiates both conjuration magicks and a strong mystical lock. Ava casts a spell to negate the lock, but triggers a cascading effect: the door’s surface becomes suffused with a dull gray glow that rapidly brightens into a near-blinding intensity before a strange figure seems to float out of the door’s surface. The figure seems humanoid but sheds such harsh, blinding light that it can’t be seen clearly! Salma, Yuzo, and Kang find their retinas permanently burned out by the light. Jinkatsyu managed to avert his eyes in time and, with Yuzo’s grasping aid, succeeds in destroying the creature. Salma shows her unprecedented access to almost every known magical tradition by casting divine spells to cure the blindness of her allies. And then, knowing that trying the door again might summon another one of the creatures, she reduces a large chunk of the wall next to the door into dust!
The time has come for a fateful battle against Mokmurian—but will it end with a bang, or with a whimper?
When plausible, I try to make sure situations don't stay static when PCs press forward and then retreat. I figure it gives the enemies a chance to prepare as well.
Salma's archetype, spell-sage, really is overpowered because (out of combat) it gives free access to so many spells that it renders the cleric redundant.
[8 Calistril 4708 continued]
The battle against the Lord of Jorgenfist begins! Salma’s disintegration of part of the wall of the ancient library reveals that Mokmurian has heard the battle against the Shining Child and had time to prepare, as clouds of thick smoke billow out alongside an echoing voice: “You are worthy to have made it this far. I owe you gratitude, for you have demonstrated which of my servants are worthy of standing by my side and which shall be left to dust. Know that you have earned my respect, yet still my master’s reign over this land is assured!”
Unable to see inside, the adventurers hesitate until Jinkatsyu gathers the courage to dart in through the smoke. He hears the clanking and whirring of gears, and a very different, mechanical voice, speaking in a language that only Salma can understand: “Oh my! Please desist! The Therassic Library is repository to many fragile scrolls and excess moisture could damage them!” The fog seems to thicken and harden around the kitsune, but Ava’s magical warding allows him to quickly carve a way through to the other side. There, he sees an immense chamber, the domed ceiling of which is illuminated by numerous glowing crystal lanterns hanging from fine chains. The walls are carved in runes and sigils, while overstuffed wood-and-leather chairs and polished oak tables surround a thirty-foot-wide shaft in the floor. The source of the mechanical voice is apparent: a curious clockwork creature, constantly exuding smoke from its creaking and whirring limbs. It turns to Jinkatsyu and says (in Thassilonian) “Please sheathe that blade! Any swordplay or fisticuffs in the library could damage the holdings!”
But what gets Jinkatsyu’s attention isn’t the library or its custodian. Hovering near the ceiling at the far end of the room is a stone giant, much shorter, at barely ten feet tall, than the ones the adventurers have encountered before. Calm and determined, Mokmurian says “let it begin” as begins casting a spell just as Yuzo emerges from the fog. The gillman is struck by a narrow green beam of energy, but it hardly slows him down. Still, both he and Jinkatsyu realize they’re in trouble—if they can’t reach Mokmurian, how will they hurt him? Kang flies through the fog thinking himself protected by an invisibility concoction, but Mokmurian looks right at him. “Ah, the leader of the invaders. I have been watching your progress through my realm. It is fitting that we try our might against one another.” Mokmurian casts another spell and a billowing cloud of poisonous fumes roil through the chamber as Yuzo hurls taunts to try to get Mokmurian to come closer. Ava pushes through the fog and noxious fumes and sees how she can help her friends. With a prayer to Sinashakti, she hurls a spell to negate Mokmurian’s flying magic, and it works—the stone giant tumbles to the ground, landing hard. And then, seizing on the opportunity, Salma finally enters the chamber and, with a single spell, drains Mokmurian’s very intellect and willpower, leaving him no more capable of spellcasting than a toddler!
Suddenly, Mokmurian’s body goes rigid, his eyes flare with a soul-searing emerald radiance, and he begins to speak in a new, strangely-accented voice: “So these are the heroes of the age? More like gasping worms to me—worms to be crushed back into the earth when I awaken the armies of Xin-Shalast, when the name Karzoug is again spoken with fear and awe. Know that the deaths of those marked by the Sihedron—those giants you have so conveniently slain for me—hasten my return, just as your own deaths soon will. Fools, all of you. Is this all you could manage in ten thousand years?” Cruel laughter echoes through the library as the body of Mokmurian collapses, smoke pouring from his burned-out eye sockets.
The adventurers have won a great battle with trifling ease, and have become the greatest heroes in Varisia. But in their moment of seeming triumph, have they truly handed their true enemy an even greater victory?
After the defeat of Mokmurian and the ominous speech from Karzoug, a shocked silence fills the vaulted chamber. But then the silence is broken by the mechanical speech of the ancient library’s caretaker, a millennia-old clockwork construct: “Which volume of lore would you like me to retrieve for you? There are currently 24,491 volumes, scrolls, pamphlets, and unbound manuscripts available. Please indicate your wish by author, title, subject, or date of acquisition by the Therassic Monastery.” Salma is able to understand the creature’s mostly-forgotten language, and asks if it has info on Xin-Shalast, a place mentioned in Karzoug’s mocking speech. The clockwork librarian affirms that indeed the library has several useful volumes on the subject, and that it is ready to assist in retrieving them.
The decision is made that research can wait, however, as there are still several tribes of stone giants on the surface getting ready to march! After quickly stripping Mokmurian’s body of powerful magickal artifacts, the adventurers hurry to where they last saw Conna the Wise. They find her at the bottom of a massive ramp that connects the surface to the first subterranean level of Jorgenfist. Conna is proclaiming Mokmurian’s death to the assembled stone giant leaders around the rim above, saying that the spirit of Vanderrac has told her the time has come to return to their ancestral homes. The giants above are sceptical until Yuzo runs to the library, severs Mokmurian’s head, and returns with it to stand next to Conna. The tribal leaders slowly nod in acceptance of the truth, and the forces assembled around Jorgenfist begin to disperse. Conna thanks the adventurers, stating that they have earned her gratitude for helping to spare the lives of so many of her people.
The adventurers discuss what to do next, with various possibilities raised: returning to Hook Mountain to find the hag who escaped Jinkatsyu’s revenge; seeking out the cave of Longtooth (the dragon slain in the attack on Sandpoint) and looting its hoard; teleporting to Magnimar to sell the spoils of war; or heading for Sandpoint to see that Nerissa receives a proper burial. The Heroes of Varisia justifiably decide to rest on their laurels for the night, and decide in the morning.
[9 Calistril 4708]
In the morning, the decision is made to teleport first to Sandpoint. When they arrive in front of the Rusty Dragon, Ava suddenly remembers that she’s been legally exiled from the town! She starts to panic until Salma turns her invisible and Yuzo promises to escort her across the river via the nearby bridge. As the two start walking, they realize that the most incredible thing has happened: Sandpoint has become almost overrun by gripplis! On almost every street corner, groups of Ava’s racial kin are laughing, hopping, and chattering noisily with each other in their native tongue. She’s overjoyed by their presence, yet still wary of getting them or herself in trouble by being caught within the town’s borders.
Salma, Jinkatsyu, and Kang notice the same thing as they head towards the Sandpoint Cathedral with Nerissa’s body wrapped in a blanket. Jinkatsyu says that the Scarnettis must be at wits end with so many “freaks” about, and when the trio ask one of the gripplis what’s going on, they learn that their tribe has come from the Mushfens because their Elder Chief Cragpawmpum had a vision that Big Hero Ava would slay the most dangerous threat to the land and establish a new shrine to their god, Sinashakti, here in Sandpoint. The grippli explains that they arrived only yesterday, just in time for the big earthquake that rocked the town and was a sign of Ava’s impending arrival! Salma explains that Ava has indeed arrived, but isn’t allowed in the town because its leaders exiled her. Elder Chief Cragpawmpum arrives to investigate why his people have started congregating around the newcomers. When he hears about the situation, he sends scouts across all of the bridges to find Ava and then leads the rest of the gripplis towards the town hall to get Ava’s order of exile revoked! The trio of adventurers look on with amusement as the little frog-like humanoids hop towards Sandpoint’s center of power.
When the trio reach the Sandpoint Cathedral, Father Zantus is saddened to hear of Nerissa’s death. He affirms that he can, of course, arrange a proper burial, and that surely Sister Giulia would wish to attend. He says it will take a couple of days to arrange everything, but the adventurers persuade him to plan a ceremony at sundown this very day, explaining that they have important business to attend to elsewhere. When they ask about the gripplis’ mention of an “earthquake,” Father Zantus nods and explains that it was only a minor one, but it did open a sinkhole just outside the garrison’s northern wall on Tower Street. He says that no one was hurt, but that last night, strange howling and bloodcurdling screams came from the hole. Early this morning, Sheriff Hemlock sent some guards led by Bosk Hartigan into the hole to investigate and they haven’t yet returned. Salma cleverly notes that the time the earthquake occurred matches precisely the moment in which Mokmurian was slain.
Meanwhile, a pair of gripplis sent by their elder to find Ava come across Yuzo, failing to realize that the object of their search is standing nearby, completely invisible. When the gripplis explain why they’ve come to Sandpoint, Yuzo gets swept up in the moment and starts proclaiming Ava’s many “divine” qualities and even coins the appellation that spreads like wildfire through the tribe: “Ava, the Light of Sinashakti!” When Ava starts talking (while invisible), the two gripplis think they’re in the presence of a divine being and one of them faints while the other, filled with religious fervour, starts marking the spot where their empyreal lord first sent his emissary to their people. The grippli then speeds off into town to tell Elder Chief Cragpawmpum of Ava’s manifestation.
Back at the Cathedral, the other adventurers make their way to the town hall, curious to see what’s happening. They find that the gripplis have, en masse, interrupted a meeting of the town executive and are hopping all over the chamber. Titus Scarnetti is obstinate at first, but after repeated pressure by the heads of the other noble families (and the aggravation of dozens of gripplis everywhere), he begrudgingly votes to lift Ava’s ban from Sandpoint. The gripplis cheer and holler with joy, and Kang unfurls his dragonfly wings to fly to Yuzo and Ava’s position to tell them the good news. Ava makes a grand entrance on her return to the town, crying with joy, to the great acclaim of the other gripplis. She is greeted warmly by Elder Chief Cragpawmpum, and he enjoins his people to give the Light of Sinashakti both reverence and some space.
Once the adventurers are reunited, they decide it would be worth helping out the town and investigating the sinkhole to see if they can find the missing guards. A quick stop is made at the markets for some fresh food and other supplies. Kang learns that Nisk Tander has leveraged “Nisk Tander’s Elixir of the Peaks” into a profitable new business in Magnimar and has even given Bimmy Beems a Sandpoint “franchise.” Jinkatsyu is recognized and teased by some of the patrons at the Rusty Dragon who saw his ignoble “duel” some weeks ago, while Yuzo looks nervously at the ocean and keeps muttering about something looking for her.
When everyone is ready, they find Sheriff Hemlock and offer their services. He’s grateful for the help, and notes a detail that hasn’t been made public yet. Tracks were found leading *out* of the hole at dawn this morning, which is why he sent the guardsmen in to investigate, simultaneously asking Daviren Hosk to follow the tracks. With neither the guards nor Hosk yet returning, Sheriff Hemlock is concerned that the sinkhole may have opened up ancient chambers full of monsters, like those other adventurers once found under the Glassworks.
An examination of the sinkhole shows that it’s almost thirty feet wide, and has partially consumed the outer walls of the basement cells of the town’s garrison. However, it’s only fifteen feet deep, and the adventurers have no trouble climbing down. A narrow opening along the northern wall of the sinkhole allows access to a short tunnel leading further downward into darkness. The adventurers soon realize that they’ve gained access to the so-called “Catacombs of Wrath” via a different entrance. A quick search shows that stairs that were once blocked by rubble have been recently cleared, and it seems like as good a lead as any.
When the adventurers reach the bottom of the cleared staircase, they find themselves at a dead end covered in webbing. Clearing the webbing isn’t difficult, but finding the extremely well-concealed secret door is. Once the adventurers push their way through, they find themselves in an antechamber of sorts whose walls, floor, and even arched ceiling are covered in Thassilonian writing: some of the writing is in tiny, spidery script, while other words are nearly three-feet high, and the medium varies as well, from blood to dark ink to words etched into the stones themselves. Kang and Salma are able to discern that much of the writing consists of prayers and scripts to the demon-goddess Lamashtu, but Kang finds a verse that seems completely out of place from the rest: “If magic bright is your desire, to old Runeforge must you retire! For only there does wizards’ art receive its due and proper start.” As Kang reads the rhyme to his companions, a strange, whispery voice speaks in Thassilonian from a hidden position to the north. “Who are you? Where are you from? “What was the fate of Thassilon?” The adventurers are reticent, with Salma answering only that Thassilon sleeps. Kang, in turn, asks the voice what “Runeforge” is, and the voice grows coy, describing it as “a place of learning created by Runelords but grown beyond their control.” The voice describes it as the one place in Thassilon over which the Runelords could not exercise direct influence for fear of enraging the other six and causing an immense war, adding that if there are any secrets that exist to defeat them, they’re within Runeforge’s walls. But the voice eagerly brags about discovering Runeforge’s location and hiding its map and key within the writings on the walls. The voice then asks about the fate of the Runelords, the most powerful king and wizard in the realms, etc. Suspicious that an invasion of the surface might be planned, the adventurers give poor, opaque answers, and in a fit of pique, the voice doesn’t return.
Heading deeper into the underground complex, the adventurers see what is clearly an ancient shrine of Lamashtu, some of the walls of which have collapsed over the ages. Standing in front of a partially-broken stone pulpit is a massive four-armed demon, its eyes shining with a mix of intelligence and cruelty. It smiles as the adventurers approach, but before it can even get a word out, Kang hurls a bomb at it and knocks it to the ground! “I could have given you your greatest heart’s desire!” the demon shouts. “But now you have earned my wrath!” But the demon has never tangled with the Heroes of Varisia before. Jinkatsyu activates the magic in his strange, insect-like mask and it flies through the air and bites out the demon’s throat!
Seconds later, the distinctive sound can be heard of someone teleporting into the chamber. An immaculately-dressed courier appears wearing the livery of a Korvosan noble house. The courier delivers an invitation to Salma to attend and take part in this year’s Breaching Festival at the Acadamae, Korvosa’s premier institutional of magical learning. The Breaching Festival is an annual event in which competitors vie to enter the school’s Hall of Wards and exit from the other side, thus proving themselves worthy to win a prize that exceeds 15,000 platinum pieces. However, the competition is known as extremely dangerous, with a winner not being named in over a century and a half. Given just five minutes to decide via hourglass, the adventurers consult with each other quickly. Salma says it’s high risk, high reward. In the end, everyone agrees and they accept the invitation. The courier reads a magical scroll and teleports everyone away!
This session was the big kick-off to Chapter 5. I knew that this would probably be the last time the adventurers would spend any significant time in Sandpoint for the rest of the campaign, so I wanted to continue the PCs' connection with it. I started a new subplot--a tribe of gripplis coming to Sandpoint to worship Ava--and just played it by ear to see how the PCs would react and what would happen. By this time, the PCs were getting pretty high level and I thought it would be really fun and interesting to bring back the old-school concept of a high-level cleric getting followers and a shrine (whether she asked for it or not!).
The beauty of adventure paths is that they're meant to allow for an open-ended setting customised for each group, but with a through-line to keep things going. APs aren't like Pathfinder Society or Starfinder Society scenarios which are very much on rails, have to be finished in a set time-frame, and drastically limit GM discretion. Both styles of adventures have their place, but I think it's important not to run APs like PFS/SFS scenarios where it's just encounter, encounter, encounter. APs should, in my mind, be a campaign where characters really come to the forefront and aren't just interchangeable cogs.
The earthquake and sinkhole are of course the adventure hook that properly starts off the investigation into the Scribbler's domain. I'll be writing more about this soon. Interestingly, the PCs never followed up on what happened to Daviren Hosk, so the ranger's fate remains a mystery.
The ending was my attempt to see if the PCs would bite on an adventure hook that offered major cash rewards but would distract them from the main quest they'd committed to (and further shorten the dwindling timeline to stop Karzoug before it was too late). The adventure in Korvosa was the module Academy of Secrets, and we'll quickly see next session what ultimately transpired with it.
Having accepted an offer to take part in the Acadamae’s Breaching Festival, the adventurers find themselves teleported directly to the headmaster’s office! Behind a large oaken desk is a wizened figure in robes whom the courier introduces as Toff Orenlos. Upon seeing Jinkatsyu, however, Toff rises to his feet angrily and stomps over, literally tearing the mask from the swashbuckler’s face! Toff berates Salma for letting her “servant parade around in a mockery sure to draw the attention of the real Red Mantis!” Jinkatsyu stuffs the mask in his backpack, and Toff is mollified. He returns to his desk, opens a drawer to retrieve one of several wands, and uses it to remove the memory of the incident from the courier, lest word spread and earn the ire of the notorious group of assassins.
Toff then launches into a recitation of the history, purpose, and rules of the Breaching Festival. He explains that it started back in 4551 as a means to test the defences in the Acadamae’s Hall of Wards, that it’s only ever been won once (and on a technicality), that the challenge requires contestants to enter one door of the Hall of Wards and exit through another door on the opposite side, and that the first person to do so will win over 15,000 platinum pieces. Toff explains that Salma has been invited because diviners within the Acadamae identified her as one of Varisia’s most promising young wizards, and that her feats in slaying a red dragon in Sandpoint, devastating the ogres of Hook Mountain, and defeating the stone giant enchanter Mokmurian “in a wizard’s duel” has drawn attention far and wide. The other adventurers are bemused to find themselves constantly referred to as Salma’s “bodyguards”, “servants”, or “entourage.” At the end of his impromptu speech, Toff summons another of his assistants (a lanky recent graduate named Jandar Lilswin) to serve as their guide, reminding them that since the invitation has been accepted, they cannot leave the grounds of the Acadamae until after the Breaching Festival (which will start promptly one hour after dawn tomorrow morning).
As Jandar leads the adventurers through the hallways of the administration building, he explains that a handful of other contestants have already arrived and are waiting in the guest dormitories. But before the adventurers can exit the building, they hear a scream and a sudden thunderous crash coming from a classroom on the first floor. Rushing to the scene, they see a student lying on the ground, dying from severe burns, while a demonic spider the size of a bull elephant rears up on its back four legs, its eyes shimmering with magical energy! Jinkatsyu charges into battle with his rapier and stabs it multiple times. It tries to bite and claw him in return, but he nimbly parries the blows. But when energy courses out of its eyes in a random direction, it’s Salma who stands in harm’s way! The fire mage doesn’t have time to dive for cover and is struck by the beam and instantly turned to stone! Yuzo gives a battlecry and kills the strange beast (which Kang later identifies as a Retriever) with her falchion. Ava rushes in and manages to save the burned student’s life and even bring her back to consciousness, only to be snidely rebuked for interfering. Soon, Toff Ornelos arrives to investigate and quickly discerns the truth: the student, planning to participate in the Breaching Festival, had stolen a scroll far beyond her ken to summon demonic assistance. Toff banishes the student to the kitchens, promising she’ll spend years labouring there to repay the damage she’s caused. When the adventurers threaten legal action against the Acadamae if he won’t de-petrify Salma, he reluctantly agrees to see what he can do in the morning.
After much conversation about what to do with Salma in the meantime, the adventurers finally decide to just hoist her up and carry her to the dorms. Jandar, who had been trembling in fear during the Retriever attack, quickly takes them across the campus and towards the dormitory. On the way, the foursome talk about the contest. Ava notes the rude selfishness of everyone they’ve met at the Acadamae, and speculates that maybe no one wins the Breaching Festival because a mad wizard murders them when they enter! Kang speculates that maybe the headmaster is in on it, while Jinkatsyu raises that possibility it could be Karzoug himself!
When the group reach the dormitories, Jandar introduces them to the other contestants and then takes his leave. A burly, confident dwarf named Knur tries to intimidate the group with a crushing handshake, while a nervous, rodent-faced halfling named Fatmire seems to be having second thoughts about the whole thing. A scarred and bruised Varisian woman named Illia candidly admits she’s this year’s representative of the Cerulean Society (Korvosa’s thieves’ guild!), while an Ulfen wizard named Maganrad proclaims he is certain to win because he’s a student teacher at the Acadamae and has been studying the Breaching Festival for years.
After meeting the competition, the adventurers step outside to continue their discussion about how to win the contest. Kang says that if the only way the Breaching Festival has ever been won is on a technicality, they should try to think of another technicality—he proposes a complicated plan involving entering and exiting the front door and then racing around the side of the building to enter and exit the back door, thus satisfying the condition of entering one door and exiting another! Yuzo, however, is reluctant, saying that plan would do terrible things to Salma’s reputation when the most prestigious wizards in Varisia will be watching. Ava, however, backs Kang, saying they can’t gamble away their lives on a contest when Sandpoint needs them. Jinkatsyu remains more optimistic that they could win the contest fairly, especially if they let the other contestants go in first to clear the way. With no clear resolution to the debate, the adventurers return to the dormitory and rest for the night.
[10 Calistril 4708]
The adventurers and their fellow contestants are awakened at dawn by the tolling of bells. A quick glimpse outside shows that, already, streams of people are pouring through the gates of the walled campus in order to get the best spots to watch the festival. An irritated Toff Orenlos suddenly teleports into the room, casts a spell to return Salma to flesh, and then teleports away. Seconds later, Jandar arrives with a set of disclaimers that the contestants need to sign. But to the surprise of all, Salma tells them not to bother. She explains that she doesn’t have the spells prepared that she needs for the Breaching Festival, and she doesn’t have time to prepare them before it starts. Some conversation follows, but Salma remains insistent that it’s too dangerous. So, with no further ado, the adventurers teleport to Sandpoint and leave the Acadamae behind.
Most of this session went as I had planned, except for the big surprise at the ending. There really was over 125,000 gp as a reward for a couple of sessions' adventure if the PCs succeeded in the module. This was the second time in my gaming experience I had a hook to the module rejected, but I finally managed to run it a couple of months later for some of the players' back-up PCs--none of whom actually made an appearance in the main campaign.
Fresh from their brief sojourn to Korvosa, the adventurers return to Sandpoint to find that early morning grey skies are drizzling a light rain. The group walk directly to the sinkhole, where an astonished Jodar Provolost is surprised to see them since he never saw them come out after going in the day prior. Jodar says that the howling from inside the hole could be heard all night long, and he confesses that most in town think the members of the previous guard patrol are probably dead. The adventurers decide they’ll find out one way or another, and proceed down to the catacombs under the city.
They find the newly-revealed section much as it was when they abruptly teleported away. As before, whispering from a hidden figure asks them many questions, such as “where does the King of Varisia live?” and “what nation has the most powerful weapons of war?” Kang and Salma tell pieces of the truth, and in return are told that the secrets to Runeforge are hidden deeper in the tunnels. After proceeding through the shattered Lamashtan cathedral where they slew the glabrezu demon, the adventurers find a passageway to the south covered in blood and bits of flesh. Obviously, whatever happened here ended poorly for someone. The adventurers push on along a winding southward passage, but soon hear, quite nearby, the howling of some fearsome beasts! Kang and Yuzo are chilled to the bone and panic. Ava quickly uses a charm to suppress Kang’s terror, but Yuzo runs into the darkness and smashes straight into a pillar!
The whispering from the mysterious figure continues as the adventurers recover in the shattered cathedral, with the voice asking more information about the disposition of forces of the various city-states in Varisia. The group grow tired of the questioning and more and more reticent about answering, and start moving back towards the southern tunnels. “So the time for talk has come to an end, my sucklings?” taunts the hidden figure in ancient Thassilonian. “Then learn the true glories of Lamashtu!” Suddenly, three demons manifest around the lone figure left behind in the cathedral—Salma! Each of the demons looks like a horned human skeleton smothered with a bone-tight hide of slimy leather. Armed with longspears, they begin stabbing before the surprised fire mage can react, and in but an instant she crumples to the ground, dead! Ava teleports to Salma’s side and magically breathes life back into her lungs, only for the cruel demons to continue their stabbing of the now-prone figure! Bombs and the sound of battle echo through the ancient chambers as the demons teleport right next to the surprised adventurers before being slain and, oddly, disappearing instantly. Having seen enough, and hearing more arcane chanting from their unseen stalker, Ava shouts for everyone to assemble and then she teleports the group back to the front door of the Rusty Dragon.
Ava sobs as the adventurers walk to the Cathedral, concerned that Salma (like Nerissa before her) won’t be raised from the dead because her spirit will have chosen to move on. When they reach the building, a brusque Sister Arva allows the group use of a room. Ava prays to Sinashaskti and then draws upon a spark of his divine power to communicate directly with Salma’s spirit. But the only response to the question of whether spirit will return to flesh is cryptic: “the wood has burnt, the fire dies.” Ava becomes convinced that it means Salma’s spirit has moved on, and in her despair she blames Sinashakti for not helping. The others discuss the meaning of the cryptic words and what Salma indicated she wanted while she was alive, but they can’t find anything conclusive one way or the other. Ava decides only further prayer can clear her mind.
Kang returns to the sinkhole and tells Jodar what happened just minutes ago. Jodar says the situation is dire, and notes that Daviren Hosk still hasn’t returned from following the trail of whatever emerged from the hole a couple of nights back. Kang decides to take up matters directly with Sheriff Hemlock. Hemlock says he’ll double the guards around the perimeter of the hole, and look into arranging for cartloads of rock and gravel to fill it in. When Kang asks who in town might be an authority on Thassilon, Hemlock recommends Brodert Quink down by Old Light. Kang finds the somewhat cantankerous old man quite enthusiastic about anything to do with the empire that ruled Varisia millennia ago. Quink shares his theory that Old Light was never a lighthouse, but actually a powerful weapon of war capable of hurling balls of fire miles into the sky. He explains that Sandpoint sits on the border between two parts of the ancient empire of Thassilon: Shalast, to the east, once ruled by the Runelord of Greed, and Barakhan, to the west, once ruled by the Runelord of Wrath. In his excitement at finding a willing listener, Quink goes on to talk about how Thassilon enslaved giants to build the massive monuments that still dot the landscape, such as the Irespan in Magnimar, Skull’s Crossing in central Varisia, and the Cyphergate in Riddleport. However, Quink seems confused to hear that there’s a temple to Lamashtu underneath Sandpoint, and admits he doesn’t know much about the religious leanings of the Thassilonians apart from their reverence towards something called the “Peacock Spirit.” When Kang reveals the adventurers’ discovery of an ancient library under Jorgenfist, Quink literally trembles with excitement and wrangles a promise form the alchemist to take him there.
Back at the Cathedral, after hours of prayer, Ava announces that she knows what must be done: Salma must be laid to rest, and she must help the grippli consecrate their shrine to Sinashakti. Upon hearing that his former adventuring companion won’t be brought back to life, Jinkatsyu raises the matter of Salma’s possessions. Yuzo says he doesn’t want anything from the corpse of an ally, but the others show no such compunction.
That afternoon, the surviving adventurers meet over drinks at the Rusty Dragon to talk about their next steps. Kang shares about his conversation with Brodert Quink, and concludes that perhaps the old man isn’t as crazy as most people think. Jinkatsyu suggests returning to Jorgenfist to collect and sell the treasures accumulated there so that they can purchase new equipment for a return engagement against the mysterious whispering figure. Kang worries that could take time they don’t have. Consensus is reached to return to the tunnels in the morning. In the remaining hours of daylight, Ava asks Kang if he can obtain some rare herbs for her so that she can atone for her blasphemous words against Sinashakti. Kang is able to find what Ava needs at the Pillbug’s Pantry, and also uses the opportunity to make a hefty profit by discreetly selling the proprietor some vials of drow poison. Hoping to find out if anyone in town knew Salma personally, the others are directed to Cracktooth’s Tavern, where the proprietor tells them that Salma was a regular some years prior but hadn’t been around in months. Yuzo takes the opportunity to entertain the clientele with a raucous story.
The adventurers meet up at the Cathedral and see Father Zantus comforting a sobbing teen—the son of missing guardsman Bosk Hartigan.
This session was a good demonstration of how the Scribbler had important information to drive the rest of the chapter, and how he could be pretty dangerous if he could stay hiding. The sudden attack by the babau demons was one of those unfortunate reminders that the presence of powerful martials won't be enough to save the "squishies" when enemies can start to appear anywhere. The Scribbler wasn't much of a threat in direct combat, but definitely had some tricks up his sleeve.
I think it was after this session that I had to just be frank with the whole group that they needed to make PCs who wanted to live, and would, under normal circumstances, come back from the dead if an opportunity presented itself. The issue was that turning down being raised from the dead was becoming something of a trend, and that then both dramatically increased overall party wealth (because the other PCs rarely showed qualms about taking the dead PC's stuff and new PCs often came in with more wealth than the other PCs had) and because it was hard to get any consistency in party coherency when having a new shiny character seemed all advantages and no drawbacks.
Brodert Quink really starts to get involved in the storyline with this episode. I like how naturally it occurred while fitting in exactly with what the AP expected--that the PCs would turn to Quink for help in figuring out where Runeforge is. I think I role-played him less cantankerously than previously, but I wanted to emphasize just how excited he was to be brought in on something involving real locations dating to Thassilon.
[10 Calistril 4708 continued]
In Sandpoint, a trio of heroes reach the Cathedral and see Father Zanthus consoling the son of Bosk Hartigan, the guardsman who is presumed deceased. The boy takes his grief out on the adventurers, blaming them for not rescuing his father. Jinkatsyu stills the tirade when he mentions that they’ve lost one of their own—the fire mage Salma.
After speaking with Father Zantus about the makeshift shrine to Sinashakti (being erected in a spare room), Ava begins hours of prayer to try to restore her damaged connection with her god. She eventually realizes that she’s been blaming herself so much for what’s gone wrong that it’s as if she believed she had control over everything—and thus were presuming too much power and responsibility over the fates of the mortals in her care. The revelation leads her into a deeper connection with Sinashakti, and she emerges, hours later, stronger for the crisis.
Meanwhile, Jinkatsyu and Kang walk to Cracktooth’s Tavern, where Yuzo is still telling stories—including one about wrestling a crocodile that has everyone rapt! The three talk about what to do, with Yuzo bemoaning the fact that he left his collapsible bathtub in Jorgenfist and may have to sleep in the river. Around dinner time, Brodert Quink comes into the tavern, having searched everywhere for the adventurers; his bag is packed, and he’s ready to go on the grand adventure to explore Thassilonian ruins that (to his mind) Kang promised him! Brodert introduces his grand-nephew (his sister’s grandson from Magnimar), whom he says is quite a worldly fellow with a fondness for a pecular contraption invented in faraway Alkenstar. The young man, whose name is Erik Armos, is one of the rare heaven-blooded mortals known as aasimar. Kang recognizes the “peculiar contraption” as a firearm, and says he once knew a goblin who carried one twice as large! Erik talks with the others, and they agree his skills could be useful; but Brodert’s presence remains a concern and leads to much debate. Eventually, Brodert negotiates a deal: if they take him to the ancient library of the Therassic Monastery, he’ll “lend” the adventurers Erik’s aid in securing the tunnels below Sandpoint.
Later that evening, the adventurers return to the Cathedral to find Ava praying over Salma’s body. They fill her in on the plan, and she agrees. While there, Kang and Jinkatsyu notice a startling fact: Salma’s body is smouldering despite no source of accelerant or flame in the room! When the body suddenly bursts into flames, Ava uses her magick to suppress the effect. Elsewhere, far beyond the ken of mortals, Salma’s spirit refuses a surprising offer.
[11 Calistril 4708]
In the early hours of morning, while most of Sandpoint slumbers, Erik stays awake, crouching on the roof of the Cathedral like an angelic gargoyle. He notices a lanky Varisian male carrying a small, clinking bag headed toward the north part of town. Erik is suspicious, but the figure realizes he’s being watched and disappears into the shadows.
Dawn breaks. Jinkatsyu, who had slept on a hard stone pew in the Cathedral, is awakened by Sister Giulia, who enlists his help in making a breakfast far larger than the two of them could possibly eat. At the Rusty Dragon, Kang tries to help Yuzo, who has become sickened after spending the night out of water, something inimical to his gillman ancestry. Erik, from his vantage point on the roof, sees a contingent of grippli approach from the north, singing a mournful song and carrying a bundle wrapped in a sheet; when asked, they say a great sadness has come upon them and they need to see the Light of Sinaskahti. In the shrine, Ava finds them unwrapping the body of Elder Chief Cragpawmpum. The grippli explain to her that he died in his sleep overnight—not a surprise given his advanced age, but still a sadness for the tribe. Sister Giulia arrives with words of comfort and the food that somehow she knew to prepare in advance.
Knowing that the grippli will spend a full day and night taking turns to be in the presence of the elder’s body, Ava tells the others that she knows she can’t be distracted from the adventurers’ quest to discover what evil lurks in the tunnels below. Following through on the plan agreed to the previous night, Kang is left behind as she teleports the others (including Brodert Quink) to Jorgenfist. The staging ground for Mokmurian’s planned invasion of Varisia is now silent as a tomb, as the stone giants have withdrawn completely. The journey to the subterranean ancient library is uneventful, save for Brodert recognizing the massive cauldron in a chamber near it as a legendary “Runeslave Cauldron” used to turn the corpses of giants into the thralls of the masters of ancient Thassilon. When asked about the magic of the empire, Brodert explains that each of the seven schools of magic it recognized (divination was deemed unworthy) was understood not through the type of magical energy it manifested as but, instead, in the context of the sin that often drove it. Eventually, each of the seven Runelords identified personally with one aspect of so-called “sin magic” and ruled one part of the empire that often warred with the others. Thus, Sandpoint stood on the border between the domain of the Runelord of Wrath (exemplified by evocation magic) and the domain of the Runelord of Greed (exemplified by transmutation).
Once inside the library, Brodert is boggled by the site of so many thousands of tomes and scrolls untouched by human eyes in millennia. The others provide him with food for six days and ask him to start by looking for information about the tunnels underneath Sandpoint, anything about this “Runeforge” that was written on the walls therein, and, finally, about Karzoug, who apparently spoke to the adventurers after Mokmurian’s defeat. Erik says goodbye to his great-uncle, promising to return before long, and then accompanies the others back to the old hide-out in the “deathweb cave.” After a brief magical conversation with Kang confirms that all is well, the adventurers prepare to teleport to Magnimar to sell their accumulated spoils of war.
This was mostly a sort of "in-between" session to set up the next big part of the campaign (Runeforge). I started one of the last subplots of the game here, with the sudden and surprising death of the senior Grippli in Sandpoint. Was it really natural causes or perhaps . . . murder!?
[11 Calistril 4708 continued]
Having seen Brodert Quink safely to the Therassic Library, the Heroes of Varisia (sans Kang) teleport to Magnimar with their magical sacks full of treasure. They spend almost a whole day selling their wares and accumulate over 6,000 platinum pieces for their trouble. Word is starting to spread in Magnimar that the giants no longer pose a threat, and the preparations for war have thus slowed. Meanwhile, back in Sandpoint, Kang reverse-engineers the “revivification fluid” that Nisk Tander is spruiking and discovers it’s simply sugar water!
[12 Calistril 4708]
When the adventurers return to Sandpoint and the Rusty Dragon, they find Kang in his room with a mysterious goop dripping down the walls—he explains that he’s invented a new alchemical formula to stick his enemies to the ground! After spending the morning dividing up wealth, the adventurers make preparations for a return journey to the tunnels beneath Sandpoint. Jinkatsyu heads out to buy something of a magical nature and finds himself in the cramped, exotic-smelling shop of Vorvashali Voon. The enthusiastic arcanist is able to supply some of what the kitsune needs, but also shares some terrible news: sometime before dawn, just hours ago, there was an attack at the sinkhole! Jodar Provolost’s throat was slit, and the other guard on duty simply fled. When tracked down later, the guard said a filthy woman with matted hair killed Jodar with a single swipe of a sharpened fingernail! Apparently the town leaders (sans Titus Scarnetti, who has decamped to Magnimar) have agreed to have the hole immediately filled in with rock and gravel.
When Jinkatsyu returns to tell the others the news, they decide to hurry to get into the sinkhole before it’s filled in. Their journey downward proceeds as before, but this time there is no webbing in the stairwell, the secret door is open, and Yuzo finds muddy footprints on the stone floor of the antechamber. The adventurers decide to explore a corridor that leads southward from the complex’s temple; thick fog fills the corridor, but Ava’s magicks are strong enough that she’s able to remove it on the second try. Yuzo scouts ahead until she sees a pebble go skittering along the floor of the narrow corridor—something invisible is moving right towards him! It becomes visible just as it stabs a cruel, serrated blade into her stomach. The figure whispers something in a tongue that Yuzo can’t understand, and the gillman decides to beat a hasty retreat to the safety of the others. But the masked figure, obviously the one that had communicated with Kang and Salma previously, disappears only to reappear behind the party—right next to Ava! The grippli shaman teleports herself away, and Kang reacts quickly, gluing the attacker to the floor with one of his new concoctions. Erik rushes into battle for the first time with the adventurers, but his unreliable contraption almost blows up in his hand!
But with the mysterious figure now behind the party, a new threat rushes in from the other side in a coordinated maneuver: a nearly naked elf with sharp, grimy nails and an unholy symbol of Lamashtu around her neck. A terrible curse erupts from her lips and for the briefest instant, Jinkatsyu takes the form of a fish before reverting to normal! But the foul witch picked the wrong target in Jinkatsyu: the swordsman’s undramatic but steady attacks make short work of her. Meanwhile, Yuzo has chased the first attacker in a running battle and bested him to the point where he has to use his uncanny magicks to disappear again.
With one enemy vanquished and other gone to ground, the adventurers regroup and decide to press on. Eventually they reach an area where three once-separate chambers have become one, joined by collapsed walls. Bloodstained fragments of equipment lie strewn about haphazardly, and the culprits are clearly visible: a half-dozen large black dogs with stingers at the end of their, ratlike tails are flying around the room in circles! Once the adventurers appear, the hounds bay in unison and their keening turns the stoutest hearts to shame. Kang and Yuzo are filled with supernatural terror and run for it. Ava’s able to remove Yuzo’s fear and then gives chase to Kang, while the others do battle against the monstrous hounds and emerge victorious.
With a new danger seemingly around every corner, can even the Heroes of Varisia put an end to the threats that lurk underneath Sandpoint?
I always liked role-playing Vorvashali Voon as an excited and enthusiastic salesmen. I sometimes managed to persuade the PCs to buy magical gear they really didn't need!
The mysterious elven priestess of Lamashtu isn't in the AP but comes from the back matter of the first collected volume of the comics. Issandra is a witchpriest of Lamashtu who maintains a shrine hidden deep in Mosswood, and I thought it would make sense that after reviving the Scribbler, Lamashtu would send visions to her nearby priestess to make contact. It's also this shrine that Daviren Hosk went to investigate and never (so far!) returned from. The PCs didn't follow this trail, however.
The mobility and tricks of the Scribbler kept him a viable enemy longer than I would initially expected.
Dotting for future interest. I've never seen the Scribbler survive his first meeting with PCs.
Following their battle against the mysterious masked figure who has come to be known as the Scribbler, the adventurers find their ranks temporarily thinned: Kang has run off while in a state of supernatural fear, and Yuzo has fallen into unconsciousness from his wounds. Ava, Erik, and Jinkatsyu decide to continue their exploration but even more cautiously than before. As they proceed through the tunnels (some of which distort perception), Erik’s ability to cast a minor array of spells comes in quite handy: he’s able to locate and translate particular Thassilonian stanzas of a poem related to Runeforge. When all the stanzas are placed together, the poem reads:
If magic bright is your desire, to old Runeforge must you retire!
For only there does wizards’ art receive its due and proper start.
On eastern shores of steaming mirror, at end of day when dusk is nearer,
Where seven faces silent wait encircled guards at Runeforge gate.
Each stone the grace of seven lords, one part of key each ruler hoards;
If offered spells and proper prayer, take seven keys and climb the stair.
On frozen mountain Xin awaits, his regal voice the yawning gates
Eyes turn twice in Sihedron-occulted Runeforge waits within.
And now you’ve come and joined the forge upon rare lore your mind can gorge—
And when you slough the mortal way in Runeforge long your work shall stay.
Before long, the trio reach a door locked with powerful magicks. Erik blasts through the lock with his pistol, revealing a corridor beyond. But when they advance into it, a magical trap triggers and Erik and Jinkatsyu are suddenly convinced, separately, that the others are secretly worshippers of Lamashtu who plan to capture and sacrifice them! Erik backs up and holds the door shut against Jinkatsyu’s pounding, while Ava sobs to see the two men angry and threatening violence against each other. Drawing upon the powers granted her by Sinashakti, Ava is able to remove the delusions from Jinkatsyu’s mind. But with Erik threatening to shoot if either of them come through the door, the two are forced to hatch a desperate scheme. They dimension door right behind Erik and Ava magically removes his delusions just instants before he is able to open fire. Ava collapses with relief, and Erik thanks her with a hug.
The trio realize there is likely another secret door at the far end of the corridor, but they decide they’ve faced enough danger this day. They return to the surface, carrying Yuzo with them. At the Rusty Dragon, acrid purple smoke can be seen pouring forth from Kang’s room, proof that the alchemist made his way back and is hard at work on another formula. With Kang busy and Yuzo resting, the other three spend the rest of the afternoon running some errands in Sandpoint. At one point, Ava realizes that her fellow gripplis are packing up their possessions as if preparing for a journey. They explain that a note found under Elder Chief Cragpawmpum’s bed at The White Deer Inn instructed his people to leave the town upon his death. Ava looks at the letter and is puzzled to see that it’s written in common household ink (rather than the more exotic concoctions favoured by swamp gripplis) and that it’s written in Taldan rather than the native grippli tongue. She and the other adventurers suspect something strange is going on, and she asks her fellow tribe members to halt their departure until an investigation can be made.
When the trio are alone again, Jinkatsyu expresses his concern that perhaps the tribal elder didn’t die of natural causes! Erik tells the others about seeing a lanky Varisian in the early morning hours just before the elder was found dead, and Ava says she bets the Scarnettis are behind it! Sheriff Hemlock is brought in on the group’s suspicions, and he says that a routine investigation of Elder Chief Cragpawmpum’s death was conducted by Sir Jasper Korvaski. A review of Korvaski’s report shows no obvious signs of a struggle or foul play; four empty glass vials were found under the bed, along with the grippli’s clothes and staff. The trio decide that Kang should have a look at the vials to rule out poison, and head back to the Rusty Dragon to bring him into the picture.
Once again Ava’s quick thinking and skilful spellcasting have prevented the party from being torn asunder by threats both real and imagined. But with the Scribbler below Sandpoint and a potential assassin loose on the streets above, can she continue to handle the stress?
The best part of this session was when Jinkatsyu and Erik were fell prey to the Scribbler's magical suggestion trap. The offensive capabilities of most PCs at this level is enormous, and if they turn that power against one another, death would happen very quickly. It was a tense, exciting situation aided by excellent (and non-metagaming) role-playing by the players.
Returning from their investigation into the grippli chief’s suspicious death, Ava, Jinkatsyu, and Erik go to check on their companions. Yuzo is starting to awaken from his ordeal in the tunnels below Sandpoint, while Kang seems to have recovered from the supernatural fear that sent him fleeing (while tearing off all his clothes!). Discussion is had about the strange magical effect that made Jinkatsyu and Erik almost turn on each other, and how there is still more of the catacombs to explore. But first, the adventurers decide to continue looking into Elder Chief Cragpawmpum’s death. Kang examines the four vials found under the deceased’s bed, and the tiefling reports to the others that it’s definitely some kind of poison but that he can’t pinpoint its precise nature. The group decide that they’ll share their findings with Sheriff Hemlock in the morning, after the dawn funeral for Salma.
[13 Calistril 4708]
Salma’s funeral is attended by several notable residents of Sandpoint who felt a debt for her aid in defense of the town. Father Zantus speaks about her heroism, while Cracktooth gives a eulogy about her enigmatic but friendly nature. The adventurers take turns delivering a few words, with the highlight being Ava’s heartfelt remembrance of travelling with Salma before the two met the others. When the ceremony is over, the adventurers update Sheriff Hemlock and Mayor Deverin on their suspicions about the elder’s death. All agree that the matter merits further investigation, but no obvious leads remain.
Later that morning, the Heroes of Varisia re-enter the underground catacombs (choosing one of the distant entrances, since the sinkhole has been completely filled in). On the way, Erik and Kang talk about the stanzas of the poem they’ve found hidden in the scribblings of the walls and agree that it must provide cryptic directions to Runeforge. Exploration of the complex’s unvisited rooms reveals a shallow pool of water that glows softly in a chamber carved with large runes; Ava identifies it as a birthing pool dedicated to Lamashtu. Other chambers are largely empty, filled with rubble, or otherwise of unknown purpose, and exploration of them only leads to Yuzo growing increasingly despondent that she’s not strong enough to bash down their doors.
Ava, Jinkatsyu, and Erik start leading the other two adventurers to the location where they ended their previous expedition. But as they traverse a fog-filled corridor, a summoned demon appears at the rear of the party and claws Kang in the back! Jinkatsyu rushes into the fray, and after Kang’s bomb of magical force knocks the demon to the ground, the swashbuckler is able to kill it. The Scribbler emerges to skirmish with the adventurers, but they stand united and he’s forced to teleport away again.
Having defeated him twice, but failing to capture or kill their foe, can the heroes emerge victorious in round three?
This is one of the very few times I can remembering in gaming of an actual funeral for a fallen PC!
Somehow, the Scribbler survived again--he turned out to be a better foe that I expected.
[13 Calistril 4708 continued]
The adventurers continue the hunt for the Scribbler. Breaking down a concealed door, they find his inner sanctum. With no place to run, he fights furiously but is no match for Jinkatsyu’s superior swordplay and falls quickly. Kang reads the scribbling on the walls of the room and sees several mentions of Runeforge and runeforged weapons, something that the Scribbler believed would be quite useful against the Runelords and their allies. Interestingly, Kang realizes that the Scribbler was, millennia ago, a sort of triple agent: ostensibly devoted to the Runelord of Wrath, but secretly reporting to the Runelord of Greed, while retaining true loyalty to Lamashtu! The adventurers are also able to retrieve Bosk Hartigan’s body, which had been preserved by a gentle repose spell (presumably, for divinatory purposes). Returning to the surface, the adventurers leave the body at the Cathedral for interment.
The adventurers teleport to Jorgenfist to check on Brodert Quink in the Therassic Library. They find him doing well and excited about what he’s learned so far. He reports that his research indicates that Runeforge was created as a place where agents of the seven Runelords could gather to study magic; complex wards were woven around it that barred entrance to the Runelords and saboteurs, and magical enhancements sustained those within without the need to eat or even sleep. Brodert concludes by saying he found speculation that the Runelords had separately tasked their minions with developing ways to survive what they felt was the imminent end of Thassilon—but whether any or all of the various answers were successful, no one knows.
Returning via magic to Sandpoint, the adventurers continue lodging at the Rusty Dragon while they plan their next steps. With rumors spreading that Mayor Deverin has been recalled to Magnimar on urgent business for several weeks and that Titus Scarnetti will be in charge during her absence, Ava is torn about whether she should advise her fellow gripplis to stay or go. After much prayer and discussion with her friends, she concludes that Sandpoint is just too dangerous for them. She anoints Mudwillow as their new Chief and watches sadly as they hop out of town and back toward the swamp.
[14 Calistril 4708]
Strong winds and snow blanket the streets of Sandpoint. Yuzo, noticing that Jinkatsyu isn’t around and didn’t sleep in his room last night, grows concerned that he may have been kidnapped by the group’s various enemies! Yuzo asks around the inn and discovers that Jinkatsyu was seen in the presence of Sister Celia (the acolyte of Shelyn) the night previous. Venturing out into the blizzard, Yuzo enlists Father Zantus’ and Sister Erica’s help, conveying his fears that perhaps both Celia and Jinkatsyu met with the same fate. The three rush over to Sister Celia’s house and Yuzo puts his shoulder to the front door, shattering it open! But inside are the two “kidnap” victims enjoying a cup of tea. Yuzo apologises profusely for the mistake.
That night, the adventurers visit Veznutt Parooh for help in interpreting some of the Scribbler’s rhymes relating to Runeforge. The gnome cartographer is delighted to help, and puts his knowledge of Varisian geography to great effect, identifying the second stanza’s reference to the eastern shores of a “steaming mirror” as a reference to Lake Stormunder in northern Varisia, a body of water known for its plentiful hot springs and geysers. The “seven faces silent wait” are identified by Parooh as the mysterious circle of seven stone heads that stand on a hilltop near Lake Stormunder, just at the base of the western slopes of Rimeskull Mountain. Ava is excited to have so much information, and thinks she may be able to teleport the group there even though they’ve never been there before. Veznutt extracts a promise to be the first to map whatever the adventurers find (once it’s safe).
The next step on this epic quest to save Varisia has become clear: to Runeforge!
The final battle against the Scribbler was probably anticlimactic, but I wasn't really surprised. He's not intended as a stand-up fighter, and when he can't do hit-and-run attacks he goes down pretty fast.
This session gets the PCs headed towards Runeforge, which is the bulk of Chapter Five. I liked how useful Veznutt Parooh was here. PCs often neglect skills like Knowledge: Geography despite how crucial it can be in the right circumstance!
This session pretty much wraps up the "grippli in Sandpoint" subplot. The bits with Yuzo interrupting Jinks and Sister Celia were some silly fun.
After their successful visit with Veznutt Parooh (who helped them discover the location of Runeforge), the adventurers return to the Rusty Dragon. They talk about the next step in their preparations, and agree to go to Magnimar for supplies and bring Brodert Quink home from the Therassic Library just in case anything goes wrong in the next stage of their quest.
[15 Calistril 4708]
Yuzo volunteers to stay behind in Sandpoint while the others teleport to Magnimar. The foursome arrive in front of the Black Shield and spend the day buying and selling a variety of equipment. Kang decides it’s time to sell the Sihedron-shaped medallion he had worn for months, and finds a shrine dedicated to Arqueros where the keeper is willing to pay Kang to part with the amulet so it can be destroyed. Other artifacts dedicated to Lamashtu are sold for destruction as well.
After the long, wearisome day of trudging through the snowy streets, the adventurers decide to stay in Magnimar for the night and return to Sandpoint in the morning. Unfortunately, they didn’t recognise a surprise twist of fate: the shrine-keeper that purchased the Sihedron medallion and other items dedicated to dark causes has alerted the authorities, convinced that the fiend-touched Kang is actually in league with the source of those very items! In the middle of the night, the adventurers are awakened by a team of Arvensoar-trained battle mages who roust them from their rooms at the Black Shield and arrest them. Initially, Erik refuses, shouting his loathing for chains of all stripes, but several magic missiles persuade him to submit. As the adventurers are led away in manacles, the proprietor of the Black Shield spits in their general direction.
[16 Calistril 4708]
Detained separately and questioned intensively about their activities, the four adventurers must rely on their own wits and personal charm to convince the authorities that they pose no threat. Jinkatsyu references his time in Sandpoint and role in helping stop the stone giant takeover of Varisia to leverage his freedom, but Kang’s bluster, Ava’s sobbing, and Erik’s stoic silence keep them in detention for another night.
[17 Calistril 4708]
Jinkatsyu uses his freedom wisely, lobbying for Ava’s release. Eventually, the guards take pity on the grippli and deem her no threat, and she’s set free as well. No longer welcome at the Black Shield, the two take up rooms at an inn in Dockway District called the Nag’s Gull. Ava sends a magical communication to Yuzo to let him know why they haven’t returned to Sandpoint, and he’s understandably concerned.
[18 Calistril 4708]
Kang and Erik spend yet another day in detention. Kang starts to make friends with his fellow inmates, while Erik still refuses to speak.
[19 Calistril 4708]
Ava teleports to Sandpoint to collect Yuzo and bring him to Magnimar. Unfortunately, he associates the city with a dark time in his past and, despite his best efforts, is barely able to control his rising panic. Later that day, Ava receives a visit from a greasy man with a wart on his nose who implies that he’s a “fellow worshipper of the Mother of Monsters.” Ava is horrified that is word is spreading that the adventurers are in league with evil cults!
[20 Calistril 4708]
Kang sees daylight for the first time in almost a week, having talked his way out by cleverly passing along some juicy information gleaned from a jailhouse snitch.
[21 Calistril 4708]
The adventurers continue pressing for Erik’s freedom, but to no avail.
[22 Calistril 4708]
Kang’s birthday starts with his announcing it to everyone in the inn’s common room. He celebrates the occasion by imbibing a single alcoholic beverage.
[23 Calistril 4708]
Unable to pierce the man’s silence, the authorities finally give up and reluctantly let Erik free. He promptly turns around and tries to press legal charges for wrongful imprisonment, but his efforts are not taken seriously. When Erik rejoins the others, all but Jinkatsyu hastily teleport to Jorgenfist, concerned that Brodert Quink is probably out of food by this point. In the Therassic Library, they find him lying face down on the ground, seemingly comatose! Fortunately, Ava is able to magically awaken Brodert, who seems none the worse for wear. Kang examines the book in the old man’s outstretched hands and sees it’s titled Whispers from Leng: A Guide to the Beyond. The book implies that the legendary mountain Mhar Massif (said to be the site of Xin-Shalast, capital city of the Empire of Greed) was rumored to serve as a bridge to a strange realm beyond Golarion known as Leng—a place riven from nightmares! Ava teleports the group to Sandpoint and see Brodert safely to his house. Meanwhile, back in Magnimar, Jinkatsyu explains what happened to the proprietor of the Black Shield and persuades him to give the group another chance. Later that day, Ava collects him and the group is reunited in Sandpoint.
The afternoon goes by quickly with the Heroes of Varisia performing various errands and then getting ready for an evening meal planned with Brodert Quink and Veznutt Parooh to thank them for all of their assistance.
I didn't realise it at the time this session was played, but the picture I showed the players of the Sihedron medallion was a real product for sale. In the campaign's final session (about 30 recaps from now!), I gave one to each of the two players who had been in it since the very first session.
The bit with the PCs arrested and jailed was complete improv on my part. I think I wanted to see how well they could talk (instead of fight) their way out of trouble. I didn't expect it to take up most of the session, but it ended up being really fun. I have to give props to Kang's player, as he drew on all sorts of prison movie clichés to describe the character's life (week) behind bars.
When the group goes to collect Veznutt Parooh, we get the first reference to Leng, which is a fairly important subplot in Chapter Six. I feel like I did some good work with this element of the endgame at first, but then sorta dropped the ball (too much juggling!) at the end. A bit of a shame given my love for Call of Cthulhu.
When Erik goes to collect Veznutt Parooh and Brodert Quink for a dinner out at the Rusty Dragon, he can tell that the two oldsters are pleased about having hatched some sort of secret plan. It all comes out when the adventurers find a surprise party waiting for them, with several of the townsfolk of Sandpoint ready to give testimonials about how they’ve been helped by the group and their predecessors in the months since the Swallowtail Festival. Having heard that the adventurers will be departing on a trip to the far north, the town’s residents use the opportunity to express their gratitude and wish the adventurers well on the next stage of their quest. The night passes quickly in feasting and general merriment.
[24 Calistril 4708]
In the morning, as the adventurers prepare for their departure to Runeforge in hopes of finding powerful weapons against the coming of the Runelords, they realize that Yuzo is nowhere to be found. As he was last seen in the company of Sister Celia at the Rusty Dragon the night prior, the others decide they can come back for him when he’s ready to depart. Ava’s teleportation spell to the the area works flawlessly thanks to the descriptions gleaned from the Scribbler’s riddle and Veznutt’s interpretation of it. They arrive on the western slopes of Rimeskull Mountain, the peak of which rises thousands of feet into the chilly air. The ground is rugged and mountainous between the mountain and the shores of Lake Stormunder further to the west, but in between the two the land levels off to create a circular hill. Amongst the rocks and tenacious shrubs that poke through the scattered clumps of snow on the hilltop are seven stone heads, each ten feet tall, their faces angled inward at each other. Each statue seems perfectly preserved and each is distinct from the others, but the adventurers aren’t able to determine exactly who or what they were supposed to represent. Yet another ancient face leers at them as well: about two hundred feet above ground level, on the side of Rimeskull, the carving of a gaping mouth forms a cave entrance reachable by a stairway of stone.
The Heroes of Varisia decide to seek Runeforge inside the cave, noting that a sihedron has been etched above its entrance. The steps are slippery in places, but prove no major obstacle to ascent. However, once they reach the landing in front of the cave’s entrance, the adventurers are startled by two massive creatures of dirt and stone that somehow glide out of the rock! The behemoth earth elementals are almost forty feet tall, and a single blow from one’s mighty fist is enough to knock Jinkatsyu off the landing to plummet into the snow at the base of the mountain! Erik opens fire and gets knocked off the cliff as well, but the wings that form part of his angel-touched heritage allow him to avoid falling. The battle is a hard fought one, but Kang’s bombs prove incredibly effective, and Ava’s skilled channelling of divine healing magicks keeps anyone from perishing. Down below, Jinkatsyu is even able to get to his feet, badly hurt but still alive. He grumbles that the experience was just like when he fell from Hook Mountain several weeks prior!
The intrepid explorers continue through the cave entrance to see a long tunnel gradually descending hundreds of feet into the mountain. Past another pair of statues, the tunnel becomes quite icy and slippery. Jinkatsyu loses his footing and almost suffers another terrible fall, but Kang sprouts his dragonfly wings quickly and manages to catch up to the kitsune and halt his slide. The others find a nearly invisible ledge above the floor of the tunnel that seems safer to walk on, and the group’s progress continues. Eventually the slope ends at the edge of a gaping chasm of darkness, with huge icicles hanging from the ceiling and coils of mist rising up from below. The hidden ledge winds around the side of the chasm like a ramp. The adventurers continue their descent into the darkness until suddenly they hear the sound of a massive bulk shifting amidst the clinking of metal. A terrible voice booms up from below: “Who dares intrude upon my domain?” Erik drops a coin imbued with magical light into the chasm, and the source of the voice becomes clear: a massive white dragon resting atop his hoard! Before anyone can react, Ava activates her teleportation magic to whisk everyone back to Sandpoint.
But in her panic, something goes wrong with the spell. The adventurers arrive in front of a tavern, but it’s not the Rusty Dragon—and if the town is Sandpoint, it’s like no Sandpoint they’ve ever seen before . . .
Yuzo's player missed the session. It was around this point, if I remember correctly, that she started missing a lot of sessions. And then she dropped out completely, with absolutely no notice! Real life happens and players come and go, but I do find it annoying when players can't even send a note.
The arrival at an unfamiliar place was caused by Ava rolling extremely poorly with the teleport spell. It happened right at the end of the session, giving me a week to think of exactly how I wanted to portray it.
[25 Calistril 4708 continued]
In their hurry to teleport away from the white dragon they awakened slumbering within Rimeskull, something has clearly gone wrong for the adventurers! The inn they’ve appeared next to isn’t the Rusty Dragon, but an establishment called “Greediness is Godliness.” Instead of early morning on a cold winter’s day, it’s twilight on a warm summer’s day. And although the town poses a passing resemblance to Sandpoint, what explains the massive stone fortress where the modest garrison once stood, the tower glowing with arcane fire at the site of Old Light, and the giants trundling about casually? The situation becomes even more uncanny when Gorvi, Sandpoint’s janitor, emerges from the tavern wearing a uniform with a badge naming him an “Enforcer Captain.” The half-orc demands to see the adventurers’ “identity papers,” and when they demur, he starts leading them in the direction of the massive fortress, stating that “District Commander Scarnetti” will enjoy having a word with them. Just as the massive steel gates of the fortress begin to open, Ava decides it’s time for another quick exit, and she teleports everyone away again!
The effect is wrenching on both the adventurers’ minds and their bodies. Instead of suddenly reappearing elsewhere, the journey has a sickening, twisting duration—and when they appear outside the Black Shield tavern in Magnimar, Jinkatsyu’s leg is severed! He passes out from the pain and sudden loss of blood, but the others recover quickly enough to save him (and his leg) by rushing him to a nearby temple of Abadar where the magical rites to reattach the severed limb can be performed. The kitsune will have a terrible scar around his thigh, but he’ll live.
With the immediate crisis dealt with, the adventurers imbibe a much needed drink at the Black Shield and speculate about what they just experienced—Erik says it may have been an illusion, while Kang suspects another plane of existence! A very professionally-dressed group of “troubleshooters” sits at a nearby table in matching uniforms, leading Ava to opine that maybe the Heroes of Varisia should become more disciplined and organised. Kang persuades her to wait on such a discussion until Yuzo rejoins the group, which reminds the cleric to send the warrior a magical message saying they’ll be returning to Sandpoint upon the morrow to pick him up. The reply, however, indicates that Yuzo is mysteriously “indisposed” for the time being.
The adventurers decide to make the most of their time in Magnimar by researching the best way to deal with white dragons. Ava and Jinkatsyu ask around the neighbourhood to see if there are any adventurers (retired or otherwise) who have had personal experience, but end up having most of their time wasted by a nice, harmless, and quite delusional old lady who tells them a crazy tale about dragons bursting out of privies. Kang and Erik, however, have much better luck. The Founder’s Archive in the Capital District specialises in research on magic, and the two are able to find several tomes detailing the magical abilities and weaknesses of white dragons. When the four adventurers reunite, they discuss tactics but don’t settle on anything definite.
[26 Calistril 4708]
In the morning, the adventurers descend from their rooms on the second floor of the Black Shield to see that the proprietor is under arrest and all of the tavern’s stock is being loaded into crates. It seems that years of buying smuggled-in casks of ale to avoid paying tariffs finally caught up to the owner. But it matters little to the adventurers, as they have bigger fish to fry: a dragon!
With a shout of “For Varisia!”, the heroes teleport directly back to the dragon’s cave and begin their assault. They find that the wily creature has frozen its hoard into a thick block of ice and is hiding down one of the side tunnels leading off of the main cavern, but in instants the battle is joined in full. The adventurers’ first wave of attacks wound the dragon severely, but it has tricks up its sleeve. It uses magic to disappear down a corridor and then re-emerges surrounded by a moving blizzard that it can see through but that the adventurers cannot! This time the dragon has the advantage, and it uses its surprise to full effect, catching Kang before the tiefling can escape and nearly killing him with a flurry of vicious attacks! Only Kang’s mutagenic healing abilities allows him to barely survive. Erik finds himself the next target of the badly-hurt dragon’s wrath and, unable to escape, the angel-blooded gunslinger decides to go out in a blaze of glory—but his pistol misfires and he gets bitten almost in half! Somehow Ava is able to save him from dying. Assuming its point has been made, the dragon is content to let the adventurers teleport away like before—but when they don’t, it continues the assault and finally engages Jinkatsyu in hand-to-hand combat. The swashbuckling kitsune somehow parries every bite and claw, expertly riposting with his enchanted rapier until the dragon keels over in its death throes.
Through force, fortune, and fate, the way to Runeforge now stands clear . . .
The little side-trek into an alternative (future?) version of Sandpoint was intended to dramatize for the PCs what could happen if they failed to stop Karzoug. I think it was an interesting idea, but probably not as successful as I hoped.
The battle against the dragon was very exciting!
In the aftermath of the epic battle against the white dragon Arkrhyst, Ava uses healing magicks on her companions while Kang begins examining the dragon’s hoard. The massive collection of coins, jewels, weapons, and other objects have been frozen in a block of ice, and all the adventurers can do is to begin slowly and laboriously hacking items free. When everyone is exhausted, with much of the hoard still frozen, Ava teleports the adventurers back to Sandpoint.
When they arrive, people in the street run away from them in panic. Erik thinks it was simply their sudden arrival out of thin air, while Jinkatsyu suspects it’s the dragon blood covering their clothing. But inside the Rusty Dragon, a sudden silence falls on the common room, broken only by whispers that “the dead walk.” The confused adventurers hear a crash coming from above and race to Yuzo’s room only to find that the gillman has jumped out of the window and is hobbling away on a sprained ankle! Kang and Erik give chase, and when they corner their ally, Yuzo babbles that they’re dead—everyone saw their ghostly remnants just days ago! Erik puts two and two together and realises that the timeframe Yuzo described is the same day their errant teleport took them to a Sandpoint that was clearly . . . off-kilter from reality.
Erik and Kang do their best to calm Yuzo down as they escort him back to the Rusty Dragon, but the incident seems to have triggered a deep-seated paranoia within the gillman: a terror that mysterious creatures of the deep oceans are after him and are taking over people’s minds to get him. When everyone has reassembled, Ava tries to reason with him, but Yuzo’s paranoia is out of control. Yuzo insists in hiding in his room, so Ava keeps an eye on him while the others go about various errands in the town. That evening, Jinkatsyu returns with an invitation for Yuzo to go to Sister Celia’s house with him for dinner. But Yuzo’s paranoia has grown even worse in the past few hours, and he jumps out of the window again! Erik tracks the fleeing warrior across the stream, where he’s taken refuge up a tree. Erik tries his best to calm and persuade Yuzo that there’s no danger, but eventually he’s forced to give up. When he reports back to his companions, they agree the situation has grown dire: if Yuzo can’t bring himself to go to dinner, how will he accompany them to the dangers of Rimeskull and beyond?
[27 Calistril 4708]
In the morning, Erik knows the group is close to giving up on Yuzo. He makes another effort to return him to the fold, using everything from rational persuasion to bribery to reverse psychology, but isn’t able to reach a breakthrough. His companions find their own plans frustrated, as a windstorm makes it difficult to carry out the simplest of errands. The consensus is to hunker down and wait it out.
[28 Calistril 4708]
A group meeting is called in the morning. Throughout their months of adventuring, Ava has become known for her flights of excitement and sadness at equal turn. Although never one to conceal her emotions, on this day the Heroes of Varisia see a new side of their cleric: a serious, determined one capable of making hard choices. Ava is frank with Yuzo: if the gillman can’t get himself together, he’s going to have to be left behind. Ava says it’s too risky to take someone with them who is going to fall apart, run away, or get needlessly killed. There’s simply too much at stake. Much discussion follows, in which Jinkatsyu and Kang back Ava’s declaration. Erik works hard to reach out to Yuzo. For his own part, the gillman wavers back and forth among various paranoid theories of how “they” (the undersea monsters) are out to get him and how he can never return to Sandpoint or anywhere near the coast. Ava is staunch in her position that Sandpoint is their home and can’t be abandoned, and that wherever their quest takes them, Yuzo has to be prepared to follow. Yuzo comes within a hair’s breadth of being expelled from the group, but eventually manages to come around and control his fears long enough to agree to the others’ conditions.
Due to the limitations of her magic, Kang is left behind for a day while Ava teleports herself and the others back to Arkhyst’s cave deep in Rimeskull.
The inter-personal dynamics of gaming groups are fascinating, and something a sociologist should study!
[28 Calistril 4708]
Having returned to the cavern deep within Rimeskull that served as the lair of the white dragon Arkhryst, the adventurers decide to secure the area. They explore various tunnels branching off of the main cavern, but find all of them empty—doubtless due to the fact that no other creatures would wish to live so close to a dragon! Back in the cavern, Erik carefully examines the ice-encrusted pillars. He notices that seven of the pillars surround an eighth pillar twice the size of the others, and that these surrounding pillars are marked with hundreds of Thassilonian runes describing the different arcane schools of magic as conceptualised by that ancient empire. In addition, he spies a small keyhole hidden on the side of each pillar that faces the central one. Yuzo tries using a key taken from Mokmurian’s body, but it doesn’t fit. The adventurers speculate about where the keys are, and Erik reminds them of the verses they discovered in the Scribbler’s domain:
On eastern shores of steaming mirror,
At end of day when dusk is nearer
Where seven faces silent wait
Encircled guards at Runeforge’s gate.
Each stone the grace of seven lords,
One part of key each ruler hoards;
If offered spells and proper prayer,
Take seven keys and climb the stair.
The adventurers pass the next few hours until dusk by chipping away at the frozen dragon hoard (finding a huge pile of silver coins in the process) before making a magically-aided journey up the ice-covered ramps to the surface. They return to the nearby hilltop where the seven stone heads can be found. With some experimentation, they realize that casting a spell that matches the school of magic exemplified by the Runelord symbolized by the statue causes the statue to glow, emanate a piercing shrill, and manifest a golden key in its mouth! The adventurers are able to collect two such keys before exhausting their prepared spells of the needed schools. They decide to teleport back to Sandpoint and the Rusty Dragon in order to spend the night in comfortable beds. There, they find Kang increasingly frustrated by his inability to duplicate that “hack” Nisk Tander’s elixir of the peaks. The master alchemist’s best guess is that the formulae involves an unknown herb whose essence can’t be artificially synthesized.
[1 Pharast 4708]
The Heroes of Varisia pass the day at leisure, having decided they need to wait until dusk in order to get the rest of the keys from the statues. When dusk arrives, they teleport directly to the hill (with Kang staying behind, obsessed with his latest research). They’re mildly frustrated to realize that the two keys they obtained yesterday have vanished from their packs, but they’ve come prepared with the right array of spells and methodically determine how to get a full set. They return to the dragon’s cavern inside Rimeskull (with Yuzo carelessly plunging down the icy tunnel for a hard fall at the bottom!) and begin using the keys on the rune-marked pillars. When a key is turned, the corresponding pillar begins to hum and glow softly and the key vanishes! Once all seven pillars are glowing, the central pillar begins glowing as well and then ripples with a vortex of light. A vertically aligned whirlpool opens into a seven-foot-wide circular portal through which can faintly be seen a long tunnel. With Yuzo taking the lead, the explorers bravely venture forward.
The tunnel continues for about fifty feet before reaching a domed chamber nearly a hundred feet across. A large pool of bubbling prismatic liquid occupies a raised dais in the middle of the chamber, while around the edges of the chamber are finely detailed statues of seven imperious figures, each twenty-five feet tall and wielding a polearm of some sort. Behind each statue is an archway leading into another tunnel, while on the marble floor the characteristic spiky flanges of the Sihedron is visible.
Yuzo dips his sword into the bubbling pool and finds it alternatively freezing cold and burning hot to the touch! Jinkatsyu and Ava examine the statues, comprised of:
· A towering man with gems set in his forehead and hands, dressed in robes and wielding a burning glaive.
· A short smiling man with a hooked nose and beady eyes, wearing robes and wielding a spear.
· A heavyset woman with a sneering visage and an imperious stance, dressed in a flowing dress and wielding a halberd.
· A voluptuous woman with a seductive look, large eyes, and long flowing hair; this statue is nude and wields a double-headed guisarme.
· A strikingly handsome man adorned with a close-cropped beard and a charming expression; his form is dressed in extravagant clothes and wields a Lucerne hammer.
· A gothic beauty of wild hair and a somewhat insane expression, this woman wears a long flowing dress and wields a thorny ranseur.
· An obese man, his flesh rotten in places so that the bones show through, wearing a ragged robe and wielding a scythe.
Jinkatsyu finds himself feeling strangely drawn to the first statue, and even tries to pry the gems out of its forehead (only to find that they vanish and the statue looks completely undamaged!). Ava feels uncomfortable around all of the statues, with the beautiful, insane woman causing particular distress. Just to make sure the adventurers have an escape route, Ava tests teleporting back to the dragon’s cave. The spell fails, but the portal remains visible in the distance.
With seven tunnels to choose from, the choice is made to explore the only one whose terminus can be clearly seen from the central hub. The tunnel corresponds to the statue of the sneering, heavyset woman. Once the adventurers get several feet into the tunnel, a disembodied human mouth suddenly appears across the ceiling, its voice booming “Stop! These are the Abjurant Halls of Eager Striving. Know that your powers will be crushed and you shall die! You are not worthy!” Yuzo and Jinkatsyu have encountered far worse than a mere magic mouth, and levy a barrage of humorous insults at it in return. A wide stone staircase descends into a large, partially caved-in chamber. It’s clear that terrible violence was done here, as sooty humanoid bones are scattered throughout, and the decorative murals on the walls have been blasted and fractured from powerful magicks. Strangely, a silver rod protrudes from the floor in the center of the room, sparking with electrical discharges. Keeping his distance, Erik tries to discern what it is, but he’s never seen the like. Yuzo moves closer to investigate, and just a few seconds later the rod pulses with energy that coruscates through the room. Yuzo’s enchanted falchion suddenly crumbles into dust! Angered, he swings at the rod with his warhammer. The rod cracks but doesn’t break, and another disjunctive pulse sweeps the room, destroying several of the gillman’s potions and an enchanted hatchet! With a final rage-fueled swing, Yuzo breaks the rod. It’s a pyrrhic victory, alas, since even those items not destroyed by the pulses have had their magic suppressed—whether temporarily or permanently, no one can say.
Continuing on, the four adventurers find a room lit by decorative lanterns. Although otherwise bare, it features a tiled path of granite flagstones leading down to a small pool filled with a silvery liquid; quicksilver? The liquid doesn’t detect as magical, and the foursome decide to leave it for now until they can return with Kang to investigate it. The final chamber in this wing also contains a pool, but of a much more disgusting nature. Thick sheets of ooze lie in pools along the floor, and the air carries the overwhelming stench of eye-watering mustard and vinegar. Yuzo realizes with just a moment’s warning that the surface of the pool is rippling. The gillman takes a defensive stance and calls out to his companions as a yellowish-brown amoeba nearly ten feet in diameter creeps along the floor towards the group. Suddenly a pseudopod covered in viscous slime lashes out and grabs Yuzo around the waist. A poisonous gas seems to emanate from the slime, slowing his reactions. Jinkatsyu steps in to attack, but his rapier seems to have little effect. Ava darts in and casts a spell to get Yuzo free, but now the creature can strike at her too!
Their first foray into the mysterious Runeforge complex has resulted in Yuzo being almost completely stripped of his magical armory, and now the party faces a creature they’re ill-equipped to fight. Will things go from bad to worse?
The PCs reach Runeforge in this session, a multi-wing dungeon that takes up the rest of Chapter Five. In the reviews and forums of Rise of the Runelords, this chapter of the adventure path comes under pretty heavy criticism as a relentless slog of encounters, and a lot of GMs insert alternatives. I played it straight, however, and my group and I found it really enjoyable. A key thing to remember is that the PCs definitely don't have to visit every wing in order to succeed at their goals. As a group, we were also cooking with gas when it came to players understanding their characters' abilities and our ability to handle high-level encounters with speed and clarity. In fact, Runeforge presented the second of only two times in the campaign where I had to scramble to stay ahead of the PCs (the other was when they by-passed the Graul farm back in Chapter 3).
The mage's disjunction trap took a lot of advance work on my part. Essentially, I had to have every player send me a list of their character's magic items in advance, calculate the saving throw mod for each, and then roll to see if there were any natural 1s (which resulted in the item being destroyed) or failures (which resulted in the item being negated). Actually calculating everything at the table would have been a nightmare considering the "Christmas tree" of magic items that the PCs have by that point. Most of my PCs actually emerged relatively unscathed, but there were a few magical items destroyed. Pathfinder players are notorious for being more worried about their equipment being destroyed or lost then their characters being slain, and I think mine were probably no different.
Amidst the blasted rubble of the Abjurant Halls in the mysterious demiplane known as Runeforge, the Heroes of Varisia continue their battle against the noxious mustard jelly. Although it gives them a run for their money and Yuzo is badly hurt, they eventually triumph. Returning to the pools of ooze from where the creature emerged, the adventurers search the room. They find a hidden panel in the northern wall, behind which is a lever and several potions. They take the potions, but decide to leave the lever alone for now. The explorers return to Runeforge’s central hub and decide they’ve had enough for this first, tentative expedition. Less then an hour after having entered, they walk back through the portal and then teleport back to Sandpoint. There’s a commotion at the Rusty Dragon, as a small fire seems to have somehow broken out in Kang’s room. Although a strong patron of adventurers, at this point even Ameiko has had enough and informs the alchemist that she’s made arrangements for him to spend future nights over at the White Deer. On a more positive side, Yuzo realizes that most of his magical items only had their energies temporarily suppressed.
[2 Pharast 4708]
Ava tries to teleport the group back to Rimeskull, but something goes awry and they end up on a snow-covered plain. The adventurers decide to play it safe, given the limitations on how often Ava can draw upon such magicks, and teleport back to Sandpoint for another day’s rest.
[3 Pharast 4708]
Ava successfully ferries everyone to the dragon’s cave inside Rimeskull. Seeing that the portal has closed, the adventurers reenact the ritual outside to obtain the keys necessary to open it again. Once through the portal, Kang sees the central hub of Runeforge for the first time. He seems particularly enamoured with the statute of the strikingly handsome, smirking man wearing extravagant clothing and holding a lucerne hammer. Yuzo draws everyone’s attention, however, by acting on a dare to actually drink some of the liquid in the central prismatic pool! His stomach churns and he collapses to the ground, spasming as strange visions of metal men, doppelgangers, naked winged women, and more rush through his mind. He recovers from the experience, but swears never to go through it again!
Kang suggests exploring the archway behind the statue of the well-dressed charmer, but the others talk him into finishing the exploration of the wing they ventured into the day before yesterday. They show Kang the pool of what appears to be quicksilver, but he’s astonished to realize it’s actually a chemical substance he’s only heard obliquely referenced in far-fetched tomes: ethillion! The rare substance actually leeches away magic from any object it touches, and, once “charged,” can be used to dramatically speed up the creation of magical items. Kang fills up several empty flasks, draining the pool. Meanwhile, Erik is intrigued by the mysterious lever they found behind the secret panel earlier. When the others are ready, he pulls the lever . . . but nothing happens.
After returning to the hub, the adventurers debate which archway to proceed down next. With Yuzo’s support, Kang persuades the others to follow him down the tunnel he originally suggested. The tunnel becomes a brightly lit corridor lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, giving the dizzying impression that the corridor opens up to each side, extending infinitely into the distance. Before long, a T-junction can be seen ahead. Jinkatsyu and Yuzo enter it side-by-side, only to find reflections of themselves somehow step out of the mirrors down the passageways to the left and right. But these are not mere illusions of glamer and shadow: they have substance, and charge into battle! Jinkatsyu enters into a duel of master bladecraft with his double, finally getting the upper hand with the aid of Kang’s bombs. But Yuzo is overwhelmed by his enemy’s fury. “I’m the real Yuzo!” shouts the doppelganger, before knocking the real one to the ground and stabbing him through the sternum so hard the blade digs into the stone floor. The others rush into battle and dispatch the double, but, even with Ava’s magic, Yuzo is too far gone to save and breathes his last.
Kang's player was away the previous session, so it was great to have him back here. He was always game for improv role-playing, like getting kicked out of the Rusty Dragon, which is something I always appreciated. As the GM, I think it's always good to shake up the status quo occasionally. Speaking of Kang, he was the clearest example of a PC that fit into the concept of Runeforge by being associated with one of the seven Thassilonian sins (specifically, pride). I magnified the benefits and drawbacks of being in a wing of a PC's associated sin, though I don't think the theme really popped as well as I would have liked. There's a lot going on in that place, and it's not fair to expect players to always get the meta-implications.
I love a lever that doesn't do anything (in this case, because the mechanism behind the wall was broken)--it's hilarious to see how much time some groups will spend on such a thing, and the theories that they'll propose.
I've probably said it before, but the biggest thing PCs need to fear in Pathfinder is fighting each other or themselves. This session was another good example, as faux-Yuzo wrecked real-Yuzo!