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You are able to glean a little bit about the Serpentfolk's faith, both from studying the ritual room and also from looking at the two tablets you are able to acquire. From what you can understand with such a quick study, it seems that the Serpentfolk revere their single deity Ydersius, and as a culture, do not put faith in any other. They claim that Ydersius personally chose them to be his followers, teaching them to be both domineering and brutal, but also espousing a high degree of intrigue and sophistication at the same time. It's odd, as there seems to be different perspectives of just what the deity wishes from the Serpentfolk, with some being much closer to what you might expect from an Ogre or Giant, pushing to take with force all that you want, striking hard, and dominating or destroying all others in your path, while others seem to talk about infiltrating other nations and faiths, slowly poisoning and corrupting their beliefs to be more in line with the iconic serpent's deception and mindset.
They seem to hold no regard whatsoever for the needs or lives of anyone else, even other reptilian beings that do not meet some sort of undescribed standard, but you do get the hint that Ydersius spoke to his followers through their dreams or through visions rather than directly, even before he was maimed.
Deep within the temple lies a truly unholy site: a pinprick in reality where Ydersius once reached through reality to sire a demigod thousands of years earlier. Here, the temple’s high priest and Ydersius’s blessed descendants gather to pray and make sacrifices to their god.
Some heavy presence within this massive, domed chamber claws at the chest and weighs the air itself down. Strange glows emanate from the cardinal points of this massive, circular chamber. In the center of the room, an elevated, spiraling staircase entwines a column of stone, atop which sits an altar. At the top, nearly 40ft above ground level, you spot a Serpentfolk priest whispering prayers over a bound human on the alter. You are not certain if he smells you, or otherwise has some sort of alarm activated, but the second you walk into the area, he is obviously alerted to your presence.
Making sure that the prisoner is bound tight, the Serpentfolk glares down upon you, then suddenly a pair of demonic-looking wings shoot up from his back, and he takes to the air, flying down the staircase to get closer to you while taking a potion to his lips and drinking it.
===========================
ROUND 1
Serpentfolk ()
Valeros ()
Varuna ()
Kyra ()
Thoril ()
Zadim ()
Kyra uses the wand of cure light on Thoril. "Good job all. I still think this is sheer foolishness, but are getting some good research for the Society. If we survive this."
She reaches out and touches Thoril casting Bull Strength on him. "Dawnflower give you strength."
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A crack of thunder and the tang of ozone cut through the complex. The figures before you, and indeed the walls, the floor, even the air itself seem to crumble and fall away like glittering sands through an hourglass. Unfamiliar figures—their heavy, hooded robes embroidered with the symbol of a winged eye—stand about the field, their hands crackling with lightning. Dozens of Pathfinder spellcasters lie dead at their feet. A gargantuan image of a woman appears and shimmers like a desert mirage. She has a regal bearing, but her features are lined as if by years of endless duty.
”Arrogant Pathfinders! Your ridiculous Society spends fortunes and lives to reassemble a treasure that turns time itself like the pages of a book—a key that could undo all the misery and suffering our world now knows—and you use it for this? Poking at snakes and playing at heroism? Golarion knew a true hero once! Our Lord Aroden—who raised the Starstone from the sea and imprisoned the undead tyrant Tar-Baphon—could already walk the world again were it not for your petty games and delays. Every death in your hours of playtime now hangs as a weight around your collective necks, you spoiled children.
“I am Lady Arodeth, and on behalf of the Harbingers of Fate and the God of Mankind himself, I have seized your Sky Key. Its defenders threw their lives away trying to stop compassion and destiny from returning to this world. I advise you not to throw your own lives away attempting to do the same.
“Behold the return of the Last Azlanti! Behold Aroden!”
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As the large image appears, the Serpentfolk moves to give chase, and after a short battle, you find it is far too much for you to handle, turning to flee as it seems that some of the magic that had transported you here is beginning to fade. The Serpentfolk gives chase through the remainder of the temple, hot on your tails, leaving you unsure just what the fate of his sacrificial captive will be. . .
As you flee through the temple, running as fast as you are able, the disruption in the Sky Key's magic begins to transition you through the time stream, resulting in much of the location itself beginning to collapse or fall to entropy of time.
A crack of thunder and the tang of ozone cut through the complex. The figures before you, and indeed the walls, the floor, even the air itself seem to crumble and fall away like glittering sands through an hourglass. Unfamiliar figures—their heavy, hooded robes embroidered with the symbol of a winged eye—stand about the field, their hands crackling with lightning. Dozens of Pathfinder spellcasters lie dead at their feet. A gargantuan image of a woman appears and shimmers like a desert mirage. She has a regal bearing, but her features are lined as if by years of endless duty.
”Arrogant Pathfinders! Your ridiculous Society spends fortunes and lives to reassemble a treasure that turns time itself like the pages of a book—a key that could undo all the misery and suffering our world now knows—and you use it for this? Poking at snakes and playing at heroism? Golarion knew a true hero once! Our Lord Aroden—who raised the Starstone from the sea and imprisoned the undead tyrant Tar-Baphon—could already walk the world again were it not for your petty games and delays. Every death in your hours of playtime now hangs as a weight around your collective necks, you spoiled children."
“I am , and on behalf of the Harbingers of Fate and the God of Mankind himself, I have seized your Sky Key. Its defenders threw their lives away trying to stop compassion and destiny from returning to this world. I advise you not to throw your own lives away attempting to do the same. . . Behold the return of the Last Azlanti! Behold Aroden!”
As you flee, still receiving the message from the massive image of the woman that seems to follow you,
The robed Heralds begin casting, and arcs of lightning leap to the rods made of skymetal. A deep thrum from somewhere below reverberates with chest-tightening force, then the earth begins to heave and quake. Emerald green miasma lashes out, snaking back along the arcs of arcane lightning and infecting hooded casters throughout the crowd. Your body—or perhaps the whole world—crumbles to dust and you hear a distant scream of “She’s overloaded it!”
And just as swiftly, the world is whole again, but in place of a flower-speckled field stands the sprawling marketplace of a small city. Ivory-white buildings and columns feature reliefs and endless statuary all depicting physically perfect human specimens in poses of glory over serpentfolk. A chiton-clad crowd of gawkers stares, both at you and at the roiling dome of green light that encompasses nearly a square mile of territory, beyond which this strange city stretches on.
Robed Heralds panic as they sprint beyond the edges of the glistening dome, only to collapse just beyond its border. There they scream and writhe, their bones cracking as flesh and sinew age to dust in mere moments. Meanwhile, those unfortunates consumed by the green miasma scream and stagger, their features warping and bloating as if the power seeking refuge within them were too big for mere flesh to contain. And high overhead, a looming stone glows with a light visible even in the growing light of dawn.
Looking up at the sky, you see the more present danger. A massive comet is coming, heading directly at Golarion, in whatever time you are in. Earthfall has come, and the Pathfinder Society no longer has control of the Sky Key to save nearly THE ENTIRE PATHFINDER SOCIETY from being present as the comet, a planet-killer strikes Golarion, wiping out all life on the surface of the planet and nearly all below as well. . .
• Recover one or more spells or spell slots whose total
levels are equal to your character level.
• Regain one daily use of a class feature. If you would
normally be able to use the feature five or more times
in one day, instead regain two uses.
• Heal 1d2 points of damage to all ability scores.
• Heal 1d8 hit points. Add your character level to the
number of hit points recovered.
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In the midst of all the chaos, and these strange very more-human-than-human crowd looking upon you, suddenly a small tin Pathfinder Coin drops at your proverbial feet. . .
Knowing without knowing, any one of you can call upon latent powers within the coin, but once, for any of the following:
* Aid Another: A Pathfinder agent helps the PCs solve a puzzle, disable a trap, or accomplish some other task as if performing the aid another action for a PC.
* Allied Offensive: A Pathfinder agent strikes a creature at the same time as the PC, increasing the damage dealt by one attack by 1d8 points. In addition, after the attack, anyone attacking the target is considered to be flanking it until the beginning of the attacker’s next turn.
* Burst of Healing: A Pathfinder agent heals all of the PCs of 1d6 points of damage.
* Spellcasting Synergy: A Pathfinder agent casts a spell at the same time as the PC, increasing the save DC and caster level of the PC’s spell by 1.
* Timely Inspiration: A Pathfinder agent provides the effects of a bard’s inspire courage bardic performance for 3 rounds. In Subtiers 1–2 and 3–4, the competence bonus is +1
Kyra quickly uses the wand on Thoril. Everyone should be healed up. This is very bad.
"She wants to bring back Aroden? That cannot happen it would change everything."
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Raise Aroden? Just before Earthfall? Retard cultists...and this crowd seems to know nothing about that komet approaching. What are we to do then and where are all other pathfinders?
Valeros looks around searching for the other part of Pathfinder Society, especially commanding part of it, trying to get answers from their behavior in such situation.
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The Pathfinders do not arrive unnoticed. The Harbingers’temporal bubble delivered them to the Azlanti city of Lacsuhnollo, a sizable colony city in the region that will one day become the Isle of Kortos. The Azlanti citizens here have endured a long conflict with the aboleth and
their ulat-kini minions, yet for the past several hours, they have fearfully watched a star in the sky grow brighter and more ominous.
All of you know what this entails, as it is one of the most pivotal moments in Golarion history. In only a short time, perhaps less than an hour or two, the asteroid, what will one day be risen from the depths by the then mortal hero Aroden and become the artifact known as the Starstone, above will crash into Golarion and plunges the world into a thousand years of darkness.
Looking about you, you see the town is filled with humans. You do not spot a single Dwarf, Halfling, Elf, etc. . . among the crowd, but there is something a little bit different about the crowd. Something you can't immediately place. The architecture seems different as well. Nothing you have ever seen before, though it does bear a certain likeness to some of the most ancient ruins you may have explored.
Interspersed through the crowd of natives, you can see all of the other Pathfinders that had partaken of this experiment through time also "popping" into existence here as well, but also these "Harbingers of Fate", having taken and then lost control of the Sky Key. Arcane Temporal energy has lashed out at some of the Harbinger's, cloaked figures throughout the crowd, causing them to glow a strange greenish color and the emerald lighting to discharge across their bodies. Some of them freak out, running in terror, and as soon as they cross the threshold of the temporal barrier, the globe surrounding the town, the instantly crumble to dust with agonized screams cut short in death, but it is a death beyond the River of Souls, leaving the fate of their souls, and even the ability for them to be returned,. . . uncertain.
More immediately a threat, the crowd of what seems to be "perfect" humans stares at you uncomfortably, as if they have never seen your like before, and are not certain just what you are. Thoril and Varuna in particularly seem to stick out, and cause their caution to give way to fear, possibly leading to violence.
If you do not act quickly, they may attack.
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"These people staring. I not like staring"
Thoril says. You can defiantly tell he is uncomfortable about the situation. He grasps his axe without drawing it but is ready to
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Kyra moves between Thoril and Varuna and the staring humans. She tries to smile and show a sense of friendliness and interest, and not a sens of hostility. She pantomimes her concern for the Starstone falling to the earth.I hope it helps that I'm a cleric even a cleric of a god they do not know.
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Varuna tries to hide behind Kyra and Valros without appearing to hide, offering a friendly and harmless a face as he can muster, but it's clear that his heritage plays against him to those who have never seen a Shadow Fey, and likely the closest thing that they can relate him to is some sort of demon creature.
Thoril, however, seems to be the worst, as, from what you can readily guess, he is some sort of small abomination from one of their worst enemies, the Serpentfolk Empire, or perhaps even another half breed concocted by the Aboleth secret masters, the same creatures that called down the Starstone to eradicate all life above the depths.
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The True Azlanti, a race now extinct in the world since the death or disappearance of Aroden, seem to calm under Kyra's warming voice and familiar gestures, seeing her religious adornment and while not familiar with this later incarnation, do know of and follow the Dawnflower. They do not advance, but do at the least, refrain from attacking.
A familiar figure limps out from between two buildings. The weight of years seems to hang over Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s illustrious Master of Scrolls, his face more deeply lined than it was this morning. “My apologies for not reaching you more quickly, but I have been quite distracted,” he pants. To the left and right across the ancient marketplace, other versions of Kreighton Shaine are speaking to other, equally bewildered Pathfinders. “It seems redundant to say so at this point, but the Harbingers of Fate have seized control of the Sky Key, and we all appear to be trapped in what the Isle of Kortos used to be eons ago. The same sort of temporal bubble that brought the serpentfolk city of Sessegishoss to us now keeps our forces pinned down here."
“We are attempting to uncover the Sky Key Vault now. While the vault itself seems to be here in this time period, our entrance to it wasn’t projected back, and we’ve lost our bearings relative to its location in this new landscape. What’s more, I worry simply reclaiming the Sky Key will not be enough to allow our escape—,. . . that green surge we all witnessed seems to have invested many of the Harbingers with enough of the Sky Key’s energy to maintain our chronological exile.”
Shaine looks worriedly up at the sky. “We will need to work together to uncover the vault and cut the tethers that anchor this time period to the Harbingers’ spellcasters. We must do both so we can use the Sky Key to escape.” A crack of thunder sounds overhead as the dome of green light twists and arcs down to the surface with a thunderous crash, and strange, hairy beasts stride where it struck. “And we would be wise to move quickly, but I can possibly spare a few seconds if there any questions.”
Realizing that time is short Kyra quickly asks, "Any suggestions on how to cut the tethers? What would the vault entrance look like? Which would you like us to go for first?" She looks very concerned as she sees the beasts appearing.
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"Hmmph, leads on vault location? These Harbingers, what's their goal? Get rid of Society, hmpph?"
Realizing that time is short Kyra quickly asks, "Any suggestions on how to cut the tethers? What would the vault entrance look like? Which would you like us to go for first?" She looks very concerned as she sees the beasts appearing.
About the Vault: "Divine providence? I’m not sure, as it’s made of steel and sky metals, but also buried approximately 30 feet beneath the earth, which shields it from most of our available divinations. I remain
open to suggestions.”About the Tethers: “That’s the lovely part: I’m not completely sure. Advanced magical theory was always more Aram’s bag. But then, it does seem to be a sort of magic, so anything you have to shut down magical effects should do the trick. And if it is a magical effect, it will certainly expire upon their deaths—tragic, certainly, but better than all of us dying here. Then again, these Harbinger spellcasters must be of some relative skill based on the spells they performed. You may be able to coax them into dismissing the effects themselves, though their temporal investitures seem to have made them a bit… erratic.”
"Here, take these. It's all I was able to muster at such short notice, but hopefully you will not even need them", as he hands each of you a marked potion of Cure Moderate Wounds.
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Before you even have a chance to act or look about, Kreighton Shaine calls you back, "Forget about the Vault. I've just been informed it's been located."
Looking about, you can see a total of five free ranging members of the Harbingers near you that are clearly infected with the green temporal energies. Four of them seem to block your way towards getting to the fifth, the same woman that had appeared to you as the massive woman. You can still see a memory of her as the enormous being, but a normal sized version of her stands there, at the base, as well. Each seems to be suffering minor physical effects, but at the same time some clearly more severe mental effects of the greenish energies around them.
One of them appears to be a celestial street performer (orange), another a Taldan noblewoman (purple), a mercenary warrior mage (red), and the last a half-blooded Varisian Harrower (blue).
"Let's go speak to the Taldon woman first. She's away from the rest. Maybe we can convince her to stop fighting us."
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As you approach the woman with heavy Taldan features, she looks at you without really seeming to notice you as her gaze once again returns to the heavens, clearly terrified, knowing what is coming. She speaks to you, without really looking, "Why did you Pathfinders have to come here to our home? Why did you bring this terror upon us?"
Listening to her words, it seems clear that her mind has cracked, and she seems to believe she is one of the local Azlanti. Already overcome with a deep fear, she seems easier to influence through a position o strength, but, you also suspect that reminding her of Taldor's glory and strength might help her to snap out of it.
"We did not do this. You know that this is a part of our history. If you help us we all may be able to get back to our current time and survive this. We cannot help the people whose are part of this time. A proud Taldon like yourself should not fear this, but should help us figure out how to get home."
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"If you know that we are Pathfinders you can't call this time your home for Pathfinder Society hasn't even existed yet here."
Valeros draws his Longsword and points it at her.
"Now stop fooling around and realize that it is you who brought fear and despare to local people! You have 2 choices: stop this madness or die."
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While both Thoril and Varuna, stand back, Kyra and Valeros take a few moments to work with the Harbinger, eventually convincing her to set aside her delusion that she is one of the true Azlanti, and remember her true self. With that done, she is convinced to release the green temporal energies within her, and as it falls away and rejoins the shield around the city, she thanks you, and walks away.
There are three others around you that seem to have similar, though different forms of insanities or delusions, likely caused by, or at least partially amplified by the green mystical powers of the Sky Key's repeated misuse. Perhaps, if you move quickly, you can get them to release their powers as well, and finally go speak to the woman who seems to be in charge of this whole thing.
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Varuna approaches the Harrower, thinking he may be able to cleverly switch his cards around so as to cause a different reading.
With Gad, he tries talking to him about Aroden and other religions of his time.
Varuna tries to convince Romnus that his true enemy is the women in charge, and that she is out to steal all the treasure for herself.
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Valeros tries to distract the harrower to give Varuna a few moments to switch the cards.
"Hey, fellow countryman, let's go and have some drinks as an old Varisian tradition says!"
For Gad Valeros uses the same arguments as for mad woman.
"How could you be an Aroden's avatar if he hasn't become a god, yet? Don't you believe me? Then where is the starstone that you've raised from the sea? I'll tell you where it is...just look above"
Valeros plays along Varuna.
"Not just treasure, but the whole city with its citizens with all their possessing, including yours!
"I am interested in your readings. Will you do one for me? I'm sure mine won't be as dark as these. Come on friend tell me my future."
Kyra walks up to Gad. "My friend. Let's talk about Arodan and his relationship to the Dawnflower. Come chat with me. I'm sure we can find some new revelations about how they can work together. This green stuff is poisoning you, and Arodan would not like that."
Kyra works with Valeros and Varuna to convince Rommus that the woman in charge wants his hoard, and that she knows the location of quite a large cache of gold and jewels.
[dice=Diplomacy1d20+9[/dice]
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Gad seems to be a benevolent Avatar, and takes to you readily. It doesn't seem to take too much to convince him that something about his belief is wrong, and seeing how harmful the odd green energy is, and how it has affected him, he agrees to release it, opening his mouth and looking to the heaves, a sudden burst of light, the ghostly green light held within him is released in a stream from his mouth and eyes. It bursts free, returning to join the temporal wall around the city.
Unfortunately, you have less luck with Binui, who you simply can not seem to break from his madness. Instead, he pulls Kyra down with him, hastily forcing a reading upon her, and commenting on the doom that is sure to come, and how she and the Pathfinders throughout the small city will all fail, bringing ruin to the world.
This only leaves the final, and most difficult of the our Anchor hosts remaining, who, unfortunately, you simply can not seem to convince that the light glowing green temporal energies are affecting him harmfully. In fact, he seems to be enjoying their corrupting influence. Just as you make one last effort, suddenly a dark green lightning bolt arcs off from the sphered wall around the city, and as it strikes the ground near you, it forms a small tornado. It lasts but for a moment, but while it storms, you can see within the whirlwind glimpses of another time, something from an even deeper past than the one you are currently experiencing. Something from that other side of time, literally, oozes through, pulling itself into your time just before the lightning, the storm, and the tornado themselves vanish.
A seemingly mundane puddle, patch of moist stone, or glistening rock is suddenly revealed to be more as a terrible pseudopod lashes out.
===========================
This odd, primordial ooze seems to startle Romnus just as much as you, and he is unsure how to react, unsure if it will attack him or you.
ROUND 1
Varuna ()
Thoril ()
Valeros ()
Kyra ()
Romnus ()
Ooze ()
Kyra calls to Romus, "Help us kill it. Otherwise it will attack you too."
Then Kyra casts Bless.
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Thoril will take the longer way around and ready an attack for when valeros is flanking
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Varuna calls out a short description before sending an arrow flying. It hits the nearly translucent globe of goo, but seems to harm the arrow itself more than the ooze it hits, as it is quickly dissolved into nothingness. Thoril and Valeros move up to attack it in unison, but don't seem to affect it much either, pulling both their weapons back with a strange sizzling sound coming from the blades, and what seems to be a noxious steam coming off of their weapon's blades.
Kyra calls on divine aid to help the party, while the draconic appearing Romnus remains unharmed, and unsure of just what is going on, he suddenly drops to his knees, clutching his stomach, and begins vomiting. But rather than foodstuffs, he seems to be expelling the strange greenish energies, which take the form of not one, but two beings made of living lightning, who quickly seem to take on a life of their own and move in to a very aggressive stance.
The Ooze seems to have a taste for reptilian meat, and goes after Thoril, as a small, fist-like appendage appears out of the semi-shapeable pile of goo to punch at him. It both hits, and seems to swoop Thoril up, slamming the Naga-blooded into it's own body where it begins to quickly begin to dissolve him and his gear.
ROUND 2
Varuna ()
Thoril (Grappled, -9)
Valeros ()
Kyra ()
Romnus ()
Living Lightning Purple ()
Living Lightning Yellow ()
Ooze (-37)
She takes one step back from the lightening. "Thoril! We need to get him out of there." Kyra casts Spiritual weapon. A glowing scimitar appears in mid air next to the ooze, and swings.
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Varuna moves towards one of the living lightningbolts, drawing his blade and striking. It's similar to striking ai, but it seems to wound the creature a little. Kyra advances and cuts into the ooze as well, but seems to suffer a similar problem as her friends Thoril and Valeros as when she draws back her blade, it is covered in a thin layer of clear goop, but can be heard sizzling.
ROUND 2
Varuna ()
Thoril (Grappled, -9) Your Armor also takes 5 Acid Damage unless you make a Refl Save
Valeros ()
Kyra ()
Romnus ()
Living Lightning Purple ()
Living Lightning Yellow (-6)
Ooze (-40)