DM Panic's The Goblinblood Dead (Inactive)

Game Master wakedown

Early access to lob your dirty dots against this clean wall.

Dot.

The quiet knock on the door to your small room in The Quadrangle becomes louder, soon too loud to ignore.

As you look through the open window into the clear night sky, the moon is just past it's zenith.

It's easily 2AM.

A meek voice calls out from beyond.

"Sir? Maam? Captain Dreng wishes to speak with you."

The voice hesitates a moment.

"Now..."

You are welcome to post all the way through to arriving to Dreng's small waiting room. Use your imagination for its furnishings and comforts. :)

"It is 'ma'am.' You may enter."

Should the meak voice enter, they would see a woman sitting in a lotus position on the floor, a katana balanced across her lap. She is turned away from the door, gazing at the moonlight falling through the open window. Her black hair is cut short in a pageboy style, and her exposed arms show weathered, lean muscles.

"I must perform my daily meditations upon my inevitable death. I shall meet with the Venture-Captain shortly."

She speaks with a calm gravity, the rhythm of a slight Tien-Min accent flowing through her words.

A broad shouldered northerner is sitting in the lodge bar drinking mead and telling crude stories of his last society mission, obviously embellishing his part in the affair when given the word that he is summoned. This northerner is equipped with a variety of weapons but the one that catches the eye is the dwarven war-axe which is odd since this pathfinder is a human, an Ulfen at that.

Upon hearing the summons to see the venture captain, the Ulfen downs his last mug of mead and then walks into the office, ignoring his future companions as he enters...

The voice calls out again and a gruff voice responds. "One moment!"

Some shuffling can be heard and the door creaks open to show an aged man with black coal dust caught in the wrinkles of his eyes. "Is this the summons of the Pathfinder Society?"

"Yes sir." it responds.

"We will be there shortly." says the grim man as he closes the door. The voice can hear a few words echo through the room as the man yells at some other person. "Get up and put your clothes on!"

---

The door to the office creaks open and it appears that no one has arrived, or at least no one is in the waiting room.

The gruff man from before enters, nearly dragging a younger looking version of himself behind him. The man looks pleased as his apparent son stands there sheepishly.

"Well don't just stand there! Check-in with him!" he bellows, pointing to Dreng's assistant.

"Hello, I'm the new recruit. Sam *cough* Smith *cough cough* of the Smithville Smiths." says the twenty-something man meekly. His bulging muscles and tall stature stands at odds with his voice.

From behind, the man berates his son. "Dammit, Sam. Stop coughing, speak up, and stand up straight!"

The man turns and looks pleadingly with his father. "But, you know I've got the black lung, pop! *cough cough*"

"For Torag's sake, you've been down there for a year. Talk to me in thirty years!" responds the gruff, older man.

An extremely tall woman--well over six feet--wearing steel lamellar enters the briefing room. She holds her kabuto helmet in the crook of her arm and wears a finely-crafted katana at her hip. She bears numerous healed scars on her cheeks, and her mouth appears to naturally hang in a disappointed frown. Her Tien-Min eyes glow with a golden radiance. She always turns her gaze slightly downward to spare others their radiance.

Her profile picture is a VERY good likeness of her, minus her eyes

She gives a formal Tien-Min style bow to the Venture-Captain.

"My name is Ayo Midai. My master gave me the name Ayo of the Radiant Eyes. She

[b]"Do not worry. Those that have given themselves to the service of a master must live as though they are already dead. The inevitable destruction of your body is unimportant."

She gives no nod of regard to the gruff older man. The side of her mouth turns up slightly as she sees him berate his son.

'awww great... a goody-two shoes warrior... just what I need on this mission...' the Ulfen thinks to himself as the female strides in...he gives her a curt nod with his head as he waits for the venture captain to speak...

Ah damn, f~*&ed up that post formatting :/

What I get for trying to rush out a post

dot

"If you knock on that door one more time, by Gorum I'll skin you alive!" Serana barks at the messenger, only bothering to throw a timber wolf pelt about her shoulders before stepping out into the light of the waning moon. Thanks to her impressive musculature, the furs do little to hide her powerful form and the thin linen shift that clings to it, but she seems to hardly notice the evening cold. The sagas had promised ample treasure, fierce battle and rousing tales in the southlands. They said nothing of all this waiting.

Slamming the door behind her, Sera folds her arms in front of her uncovered form. She snarls at her fellow Pathfinders. "This had better be good."

The small aide flinches at Serana's arrival, gives her an apologetic smile and opens the interior door when Dreng's voice can be heard through it.

"Let them in!"

Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng’s appearance in the middle of the night is surprising only due to his unfamiliar accomplice, a burly man dressed in full Isgeri military trappings.

“Pardon the intrusion,” Drandle says as he juggles the numerous scrolls and writing materials precariously balanced in his arms, “but I have a request that is of utmost importance to ask of all you. I’m afraid we have something of a situation on our hands."

“It is well known that trade is vital to our organization as we rely heavily on both overland and sea routes to get important documents, treasures, and personnel from central Avistan to the Inner Sea. When such materials are of particular import, we are also known to use more illicit modes of transportation, such as caravans operated by the Sczarni organized crime syndicate."

The man next to him appears to shift his weight slightly as the mention of crime syndicates. Picture.

“It appears that a number of such Sczarni caravans have recently begun to go missing along discreet trade route that runs through the Chitterwood in Isger. I have agreed to work with the local Sczarni leader, Guaril Karela, in order to reclaim the caravan route through Isger’s Chitterwood."

Dreng squints at the notes before him, some appearing to be records on each of you before him. He then gestures at you all.

"Now, that’s where you come in. I have made all the arrangements necessary to ship you to Isger in the morning, where you’ll meet the caravan you are tasked with escorting through the goblinoid-infested woods. Guaril Karela should be available and can answer any questions you have about the caravan you’ll be guarding - I believe he is currently stationed, or... sleeping down at his shop in the Docks district.” "

He then gestures to the man next to him.

"As you can see, I've also summoned the honored Isgeri war hero Gaspar Desime to help answer any questions you might have about your upcoming visit to the Chitterwood."

Gaspar looks as if he's considering rubbing his eyes, but instead straightens to his full height and gives you all a curt nod.

Oddr looks over the war hero and the look on the Ulfen mans face is one of not impressed...
"Who will we be fighting? Who is doing this?" he asks.

As they are briefed, Ayo kneels down on the floor and pulls out a piece of paper, a vial of ink, and an inkbrush, laying them out delicately in front of her.

With fluid, dancing brushstrokes, she begins writing:

Profession (poet): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

No trade through Isger
His caravan is missing
He sleeps in the Docks

She then follows the process in reverse, returning the inkbrush and the ink to her person and standing up. She holds the paper for it to dry. She looks to her fellow adventurers.

"Should this mission be that which provides my inevitable death, I have just now prepared a death poem to be returned to my master. Please see that she is given it."

Ayo finally turns to Gaspar, taking a rigid stance and bowing before addressing him.

"Greetings, great warrior. This woman of no importance asks kindly for you to share any knowledge of this area that may be useful to the completion of our mission."

Cartwheeling through the door past the startled aide and coming to an abrupt stop stands a halfling, her face covered in what looks like hastily applied theatrical makeup.

She gives the room a wide, beaming smile, the expression lopsided due to the slightly smeared powder, rouge and lipgrease. Throwing her arms wide in a theatrical gesture and striking a pose, she gestures to back to the doorway with a flourish.

The tufts of fur on her bare feet have been dyed to match her hair, black with streaks of scarlet and white, though roots of brown show that is has been some time since they were last done.

The halfling's outfit, a loose-fitting stage dress in similar colors, is a bit frayed around the edges. It also seems too big for her, hanging down nearly to her knees, as if it were originally made for someone a fair bit taller.

"Ladees an' gentl'men, children of alllll ages, allow me ta intraduse...fresh offa his tour a' distant lands ta sold-out venues...tha one...tha only...THA GREAT ZARRRRTANNNN, TA-DAHHHHH!"

Eyes wide, smile plastered across her face, she holds the pose for a number of seconds, beaming at the assembly.

Staying stock-still, her eyes glance sidelong for just a moment.

"I SAID...THA GREAT ZARRRRTANNN, TA-DAHHHHHHHH!"

Her eyes dart back to the assembled group, back to the door, then back to the group. Her fixed smile never wavers, her flourishing pose held. After a few moments, she hisses toward the door under her breath in a quite-audible stage whisper.

"Pssssst....Mistah Zee! Mistah Zee, you're on!"

Sam and his father look quizzically at the weird halfling yelling.

*cough cough*

"Alright son. You've seen this lot and yer a Pathfinder now. Don't disappoint me. Also, stay away from the poet and whatever that was that just interrupted the mission. They'll likely get washed out. Stick with the tall, quiet one. I bet he knows how to handle a sword." remarks Sam's father as he lectures the young man on how to be a Pathfinder.

"cough*

"Yessir." Sam says meekly.

After saying his goodbye, the older man takes his leave, leaving the son in his wake. Sam stands up and bows to Gaspar. "Thank you for your aid. I have no questions sir." he says as he maintains the bow, his voice starting to become louder.

Ayo turns to the halfling, shooting a deep scowl.

"We are in the middle of a briefing for an important mission. You will need to take your street performance elsewhere."

Ayo cranes her neck to look for anyone else in the hallway.

"We await the rest of our company. The Master of Scrolls might know what to do with you. You should see him."

"What in the blazes of the abyss is going on with these people..." Oddr mutters to himself after observing the antics of his forming party...

Gaspar shifts nervously and looks to Drendle Dreng.

"Is this some kind of...?"

The old Pathfinder raises a hand.

"No, Gaspar. This group has been hand-picked by my superiors for this specific mission, bringing just the right mix of skills. I assure you we weren't shaking new recruits out of trees just this week or anything ridiculous like that..."

Clearing his throat, Dreng does add, for the benefit of all present.

"Miss Quint here was selected for her... err, particular skill when it comes to engaging her adversaries in close combat. And her, err, companion..."

He too, clears his throat, and glances at the door.

Nearly interrupting Dreng's speech, an ornately, however somewhat shabbily dressed, human man sweeps into the room.

He has the appearance of a flower that has begun to whither. The lace at his cuffs has yellowed and begun to fray and there are stains from some dark, sticky substance down the front of his brightly colored clothing.

Never the less, he is handsome...and even Gaspar seems to be intrigued, rather than startled by his late appearance.

"Drandle...Drandle... Now, we both know that Haffley was selected purely because she is my assistant!

Zartan absentmindedly pats Haffley's rather disheveled head. "Shhhh, love."

"Ah! Well, you already know me! Great Zartan, as you know! ..and this is Haffley Quint, my assistant. Small, clever..." Zartan's voice drops to a murmur as he continues, "Very good at disappearing when needed."

He claps his hands suddenly and beams around the room with fervor. His grin managing to look only half as maniacal as the Halfling's.

"What is it exactly that we're doing? My sight has informed me that I have arrived exactly on time!"

"Are you all daft is that what the problem is? I can deal with the holy-poly lady over here...at least she is serious about this mission..I am not so sure I like the thought of one of you two watching my back as if this is all some sort of joke." the broad shouldered Ulfen says.

Dreng holds up his hands in an attempt to pacify Oddr.

"Now, now... Oddr. It says here..."

The old man taps his stack of papers.

"You're a man of Trudd, which means defense and protection of your kin... and these..."

He gestures towards Zartan and Haffley.

"Are, well, pretty much examples of the typical sorts of Pathfinders you'll be needing to protect these days should things turn ill!"

Gaspar clears his throat and jumps in.

"Isger is besieged by numerous threats - undead roam the land to the north and south, bandits prey on the weak and the Chitterwood itself is home to the remains of goblin armies from the Goblinblood Wars."

Gaspar leans forward.

"One does not simply walk into the Chitterwood..."

Dreng claps his hands together, clearly uninterested in hearing anything further on his skills at selecting agents.

"This is an excellent team for the tasks ahead!"

He gestures to the two rugged warriors.

"Oddr and Serana shall see to the safety of all present..."

He then gestures towards Ayo and Sam.

"You both will do your master and father proud..."

And he finally gestures towards Zartan and Haffley.

"And you both will keep up the spirits of all traveling, providing a guise to lure out the bandits to what they may see as an easy ambush! They may have even heard of your merry band already!"

Dreng smiles broadly, the smile of an old, bastard mastermind in such matters.

Ayo closes her eyes and takes a long, deep breath while Dreng speaks. She rouses at his mention of their "band." She folds her arms and turns her stern gaze down upon the crooked, ancient Dreng.

"I am not merry."

Haffley's smile begins to crumble under the scrutiny of the assembly as the moments pass without any sign of the Great Zartan. Her bottom lip begins to quiver slightly as she looks from person to person.

Thankfully, the Great Zartan makes his entrance, causing the halfling to light up with a radiant grin.

Haffley blushes under the pat from Zartan, then starts, as if an idea has occurred to her.

"We got a gig! I'll go get tha bags, Mistah Zee," she exclaims, beginning to dart out of the room, "You jus' wait right here, puddin'!"

*cough*

"Ser Desime, I can assure you *cough* that I have not fallen from a tree today." says the young man seriously after Dreng's unconvincing words.

"I am ready to *cough* proceed if everyone else is." says Sam.

"Are you two done jibber-jabbering? Can we get down to business? Any questions before we depart? And I swear to Cayden if you start making a performance out of this meeting not even 'Merry' Ayo will protect you from me knocking some sense into your noggin." Oddr says to the two fancy pants..."Are you going to make it?" he also asks of the coughing boy..

"I'm fine *cough*." Sam says as checks his warhammer and heavy pick. "I think these should *cough* be good for our mission."

Ayo's brow furrows at the mention of her name, and her scowl deepens.

"Why would I prevent you from knocking sense into them."

Ayo makes no attempt to lower her voice. She shakes her head as Oddr mentions the boy, a grave yet respectful expression on her face.

"The boy will not survive. He will die in-service to his family and his masters at the Pathfinder Society. No end is more worthy."

Ayo once more kneels down on the floor and retrieves her writing materials one-by-one.

Profession (poet): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Consumed by black lungs
Sam Smith of the Smithville Smiths
Died in Dreng's service

She once again reverses the steps, packing everything away with practiced precision, except this time, she presents the paper to Sam.

"A haiku in recognition of your inevitable death. When your lifeless body lies upon the field of battle, draped in the glory of hopeless victory, I shall retrieve it and present it to your father."

"You are *cough* very strange, however, I'm sure my father *cough* would be proud." the young man says with a smile.

** Drendle Dreng's Office **

Dreng looks to Gaspar, who looks back to Dreng.

Yawning, the decorated soldier fetches and glances into his locket wistfully once before returning it to his pocket.

"Well, looks like I've done all I can."

Dreng shrugs and motions for you all to depart.

"You'll find Guaril in his store... the Picked Imp. Good luck!"

With a brief window to catch a few extra hours of sleep or make purchases, you all soon regroup in Absalom's seedy docks district.

** The Pickled Imp **

Karela’s curio store seems dark and cramped, regardless of the time of day. The dirty windows block most outside light, leaving the inside of the store permanently encased in shadow. Rows upon rows of shelves filled with knickknacks, baubles, and trinkets—all of varying levels of quality and authenticity— run the length of the store, leaving little room for people to move about.

As you enter, Karela, apparently acting as shopkeeper at the moment, gestures and greets you all.

"Heya! Good ta' meetcha!"

He moves swiftly ahead and spins the sign to CLOSED before returning deeper into the shop's interior.

"So, yous all gonna 'scort this caravan through tha' Chitta'wood n' see what's up with them goin' missin', eh?"

Ayo noticeably does not bow to the Sczarni boss. She scans the knick-knacks around the room, avoiding eye contact with Karela.

"This so-and-so that has appeared before you has been sent here at the behest of the Pathfinder Society." The way that her tone shifts when she says "Pathfinder Society" strongly implies the added message of "I work for them, not you." Still, she speaks with utter sincerity, suggesting that this extreme self-effacement is typical. Translated samurai pronouns, yo.

"It is not the place of this humble, unworthy, clumsy fool to speak for the others gathered here."

Serena's frown deepens at Dreng's appearance, however the man seems oblivious to her displeasure. She opens her mouth to berate him, but stops herself. Oh, hang me. What's the point?

She claps Oddr on the back. "Don't worry kinsman, two northmen is more enough to escort a few merchants." she barks. "If that's all, I'm off to bed... daft old codger probably couldn't see the moon if it were full..."

__________________________

Sera emerges in the morning, stout shield, armored, and bristling with axes, knives and all manner of instruments of death. She sneers at Karela, having little respect for merchants, no matter their place in the Society. These city dwellers are all soft. "Speak for me all you like, woman. Spread word of my deeds all the way to your homeland. You can even write me one of your poems if you like... all the better to increase my legend." she says, ignoring the merchant for some time before turning back to him. "That's us, alright. Seems the society were out of Dragons to slay."

Haffley stands near the Great Zartan, bouncing slightly from foot to foot, a wide smile creasing her face.

Her garish stage makeup has been fastidiously reapplied, though the effect from up-close gives her eyes a wide fever-bright appearance, her smile wreathed in bright red lip-grease. Looped at her hip is what appears to be a worn cudgel of some sort, a slightly rusted joining spike driven through the end of the weapon. A small pack rests across her shoulders, the only other difference in her previous attire.

She cocks her head slightly, listening to Guaril Karela, her fixed smile wavering slightly at his words.

She looks up at the Great Zartan, as if for reassurance...

Picture of Guaril

Guaril blinks a few times, uneasily keeping an eye on Serena.

"Yea... no dragons 'dis week I guess."

Leaning forward on the counter, he maintains his easy smile while he awaits a question, finally sighing when none immediately presents itself.

"Look, you's all gonna need to know where the caravan yer 'scorting starts at. You'll be meetin' some of my brothers and sisters just a few miles outsidda Logas. I'm having my bestest of pals Kazrin meetchoo 'dere."

Guaril unrolls a map and points at a few smudged places on it.

"From 'dere, it's a simple trek through da' Chitta'wood. Only one wagon led by 'dis guy named Jandri. 'da journey should take like... I dunno, a week or somethin'? Do yer best to figga' out what's ambushin' caravans... I dunno, try n' get ambushed yourselves if you want? If you's goin' that route, try 'ta look like easy prey."

Guaril lets his gaze linger on various members of the group at this last point.

Then, rolling the map back up, you observe as Guaril debates some on who to hand it to before finally settling on Ayo.

"'Dere, now yer worthy. Am I right?"

Guaril then removes the bright red scarf he's wearing and passes it over.

"And, uh... wear 'dis too. It'll help Kazrin spot'chas."

He finally straightens himself up.

"Now if you got no 'utta questions, 'den yous best be getting up 'ta Logos. You gotta long journey ahead!"

It's going to take several weeks to get from Absalom to Isger by sea and land before you get to the outskirts of Logas.

Ayo receives the map and carefully places it within her pack. She grabs Karela's hand before he can place the scarf on her.

"I am a samurai. I do not 'accessorize.'"

She snatches the scarf from Karela's hand. She considers the piece of cloth for a moment. She whispers under her breath:

"...though, perhaps Master would like it...she does like red...."

Sam nods along, not daring to speak to someone of Guaril's station.

*cough*

He bows and scrapes out the door as the Venture-Captain urges the group to hurry to Logos.

"cough cough*

Oddr preps his gear, restocks items and then spends his time on the journey trying not to be bothered by the antics of his team and not getting coughed on by sick boy.

The journey between Absalom and Isger takes several weeks, first by sea and then by land, until finally ending in front of the gates of the Isgeri city of Logas. The Goblinblood Wars may be over, but the goblinoid threat still lingers, as is made apparent by the rows of fresh goblinoid corpses that hang from pikes along the city’s walls.

Every now and then, seemingly at random, a trebuchet from behind the city walls hurls a huge boulder into the forest.

As you mull about watching some of the daytime markets set up outside the city, a man waves his hand and closes, recognizing Guaril's red scarf.

"Hail, good friends! I am Kazrin!"

He takes a swig from his wineskin and offers it to each of you.

"And you... you must be Mister Karela's friends!"

He holds out his hand, shaking everyone's who is willing (although looking at Sickly Sam somewhat nervously as that results in several coughs) and ushers you over to meet the rest of the caravan.

As Kazrin takes you over to the caravan, you recognize it is a single large covered wagon pulled by a single horse.

Kazrin begins to introduce you to the rest of the crew:

* Alik, the only other guard besides Kazrin, is the youngest. She eyes you all somewhat suspiciously and says little as introductions are made.

* Camon, a halfling, bears indications of being a former slave. He seems friendly enough and makes some comments about seeking his future fortune in Androan or Druma.

* Jandri, the driver, is a sullen middle-aged woman. She seems to be particularly fond of her horse, and during introductions spares little more than a single word... "Yep", "nope", "sure".

Lots of faction missions used to live here. I'll pause so you all can RP as desired, interact with some of the crew or make preparations for the overland trip. The city is only a few hundred feet away so almost any purchases can still be made. The weather looks fine.

Gesturing to the trebuchet Oddr asks "What are you aiming t hit with the warmachine?" shaking his hand in a friendly gesture.

The trebuchet would be from inside the town, but Kazrin fields the question with a smile.

"The what? Oh, those?"

He smiles and gestures at the forest line.

"Probably a goblin. Or hobgoblin. Or maybe a pack of 'em. Some of the siege engineers have itchy trigger fingers when they see shadows jumping."

He gestures to the road ahead.

"Don't worry, they won't hit us along the road... just don't dress up like a pack of goblins and traipse through the woods though."

Earlier

Ayo looks at Kazrin's hand, then turns her gaze back towards him, her eyes shooting a harsh light straight into his.

"I am not his friend."
-----------------------------

Now

Ayo and Jandri have a short conversation that consists entirely of one-word sentences. They then, for the remainder of the journey, the two of them appear to have a silent contest to see who can appear the most sullen and unapproachable.

Despite her general demeanor, Ayo does approach the young girl.

"This poor so-and-so that you see before you was once also a poor young girl guarding other people's riches. For my survival, I looked upon every person with suspicion."

Ayo briefly turns her scowl towards Kazrin.

"I still do."

Her scowl softens into a neutral line, and the intensity of her eyes lowers to a soft glow.

"Do you look upon this humble, unworthy, clumsy fool with suspicion for the same reasons she once did? Or is there another matter upon your mind?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

Alik just kind of stares through Ayo out into the tree line.

"You are..."

She bites her lip.

"Nevermind. Let's just guard the wagon."

As you begin to make your trek, Alik does drift to march along near Zartan and Haffley, standing slightly closer to Zartan than anyone else.

Anyone besides Ayo can roll and pop this if they make/beat the DC.

"Hello. *cough*" the young man says as he avoids shaking hands. "I'm not contagious. I just have a miner's sickness." he reassures everyone as he hold a kerchief to his face.

*cough cough*

"Perhaps we should hide the number *cough* of our forces?" Sam asks the rest of the group.

"Seems like a simple enough task! What could possibly go wrong, right, Haffley?" Zartan beams at Haffley and acknowledges Alik with a nod and a smile.

"I'm sure you're glad to have The Great Zartan and his faithful assistant Haffley Quint on the job! You knew we were coming I'm sure. Heard of me...? The end of the last sentence is spoken with a slight inflection, almost sounding like a question. "What exactly is in the wagon, dear girl?"

Haffley appears quite bored, shuffling her feet and taking the occasional glance at her surroundings.

At the question from Zartan, she brightens considerably, smiling up at him.

"Right, Mistah Zee!"

As the conversation turns back to the contents of the wagon, she once again cast her eyes downward, boredom obviously again taking hold.

"Are we there yet?"

Ayo gives the tense young girl an accepting nod, but the stern woman never lets her gaze stray far from the mysteriously suspicious girl. Mysteries tend to be dangerous.

Ayo, never taking her eyes from the copy of Hagakure she is reading, shakes her head at the halfling's boredom.

"If we were there already, we would have stopped the wagon and disembarked."

Oddr stays in the back of the group formation still wondering if some of them are actually pathfinders or some lost performance troop or even a misguided patient...

Kazrin fields Zartan's question about what's in the wagon.

"Oh my good fellow, mostly goods we will sell to the merchants of Druma once they get there, including bolts of expensive cloth, a collection of antique longswords, a dozen bottles of aged brandy, and numerous bags of spices..."

He leans a little closer to Zartan, conspiratorially and whispers.

The trek eventually begins...

There is evidence of the war everywhere—discarded and rusted armor and weaponry, numerous displaced trebuchet-hurled boulders, and occasionally the remains of a hunter’s trap, only recently triggered by an unfortunate forest animal.

Even in the light of day, the blackened trunks of the Chitterwood trees, still bearing the scars of the great fire that marked the end of the Goblinblood Wars, loom menacingly over the narrow forest path.

Eventually, the thud and crash of boulders launched from Logas can no longer be heard. Even the sun struggles to penetrate through the canopy at times, leaving dark pools of shadow stretched across the path.

And then... the Pathfinders find themselves beset upon by the inevitable ambush.

Skeletons come rushing out of the dense foliage, working to rip the flesh from your skin with their wicked claws. A larger skeleton, presumably a bugbear brute in its original life, trudges forward to meet Oddr at the caravan's lead.

Map link is in the header

Round 1
25 Skeleton 1: Shambles out and scratches Zartan for 3
25 Skeleton 2: Shambles out and scratches Ayo for 3
25 Skeleton 3: Shambles out and scratches Sam for 5
25 Bugbear Skeleton: Moves quickly up to Oddr and strikes for 7
22 Sickly Sam :
17 Haffley :
11 Oddr :
6 Serana :
3 Ayo :

Now Up: Everyone!

More than a decade has passed since the Goblinblood Wars left the nation of Isger in shambles, and the Pathfinder Society uses the many abandoned roads through the county's interior to smuggle valuable relics. But when a series of attacks on the Varisian caravans carrying the illicit cargo puts the route in jeopardy, it falls to the PCs to investigate and rid the region of the threat to the Society's operations.

**

Discussion begins!

Eventually as PCs are selected, I'll need the usual:

PFS #
Day Job Roll
Initiative
Perception

Hello darlings!

Pinging the thread for great justice!

I have a level 2 shaman or a level 1 inquisitor I could bring

Dot.

I should know later this morning about the remaining invitations, then I'll throw open remaining slots to Flaxseed folks.

sure
Lamontia and I are in

That's 4.

I have a 5th who likely won't confirm until much later today (and I'm not opposed to running with just 4, which is kind of optimal for older scenarios).

Why don't you guys start selecting PCs and I'll fire up the introduction shortly. I don't expect to roll any initiatives until next week.

what levels are we looking at?

thanks for the PM GM panic

I think folks are playing 1-2s for various reasons this outing.

LAMONTIUS AND LAMONTIA?! W00t

EDIT: I think I'm going to go with Ayo. Just need to finish finalizing stats/purchases and put her up

I'm in! I've been making a game of playing all of the pregens, but it's probably high time I started levelling a new character. We'll see what time/inspiration permits.

Character Name= Oddr Otkilson
PFS#= 114768-23
Day Job Roll= lazy bum he drinks mead when not pathfindering...
Initiative= +6
Perception= +6

Sickly Sam Smith of the Smithville Smiths

PFS # - 73433-23
Day Job Roll - Take 10 for a 16 - Profession (Miner) [Still debating Male Model]
Initiative - +3
Perception - +2

You all can feel free to roleplay in the lobby outside Drendle Dreng's office while others finish selecting characters and check in. Unless everyone surprises me and checks in today, we'll officially start rolling out a briefing on Monday.

PFS#: 99807-21
Day Job: None
Initiative: +1
Perception: +6

Still on the drawing board for concepts but with only one active PC I'd like to create some new characters I can get excited about, but nothing has quite stuck yet. If nothing does, I'll check in on Monday with Harsk. My indecisive streak has kicked in hard, and an afternoons workshopping and three notepad files later I'm still not 100% decided.

Apologies if I'm holding things up!

PFS#: 66021-15
Day Job: None
Initiative: +3
Perception: +7

PFS#: # 84608-4
Day Job: unsure as of yet
Init: +2
Perception: -1

Trying out something a little unorthodox, and going out of my comfort zone by playing a character of another gender (until a month ago, I'd never done so, but where better than PFS?)

Still have skills and equipment to figure out, but as it's near 2AM, tommorrow is Australia Day, and the school term starts the following day, I'll just have to pick at it throughout the week. I'll see to it that Serana is ready by the first combat.

I think we're just due a Lamontius check-in. Dreng can start his briefing and Lamontius can step in, having a little harder time to rise than the others in the middle of the night...

Lamontius already checked in
Lamontia has not yet but is working on it

Apologies all! My net has cut off for three last two days, am looking to get reconnected.

I work in learning support, and I got surprised with a job offer early last week, a full time position from what had been monthly casual shifts. We have to build a support unit from the ground up with limited resources, so things have been pretty wild. Couple that with the fact that Serana's stats arestill in limbo and I haven't got quite a grasp on her character yet, and the postmonster eating a demoralizing amount of drafts (posting from mobile can be horribly unforgiving).

I apologise for the roleplay I've missed so far! I'll keep up with the combat and hope to redeem myself later in the module. :)

As a side note, Ayo is spectacularly entertaining and I will continue to favorite all of her posts.

Aww, you're sweet :)

And don't worry about it! Real life comes first, and getting a full-time job is nothing to apologize for!

Just an FYI

my build is mainly about Aid Another, providing flanks and generally debuffing the enemies

be careful if you are going to post out of turn

Serana, your post missed flanking, aid provided by Zartan, etc that you did not count at all, from us who are going ahead of you in the init order

Thanks for the heads up! :)

Oh, I forgot I actually have a day job.

Profession (poet): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

Also, I can give everyone continual flame with my SLA as well. It isn't heightened, but it's good enough to counter normal darkness for the time being.

I'm sorry folks. This has been a week or two coming but it's probably time I withdraw from this game. This job came as a surprise and six posts is all I've been able to manage so far. That's not the kind of standard I'd like to hold myself to as a PbP gamer, and it wouldn't sit right with me taking credit for a scenario I've hardly been able to participate in. Each time I get on top of my other games I've slipped further behind here, and I fear I won't be able to keep up with the pace of PFS play until six weeks from now in the school holidays.

I really hope we do get a chance to play with each other then, however. I've really enjoyed this game, even as a spectator. All the best for the rest of this scenario!

I've actually handwaved that Serana engaged the other hobgoblin who moved around behind to attack the group's rear.

You'll get some credit for the scenario since you did play the earlier part. I'll need to brush up on exactly how much, but I suspect it will be 1xp 1pp even with you bowing out early.

On this:

The shaken condition lasts one round, which means it ends at the beginning of the hobgoblin's turn.

I might've been playing it wrong all these years, but my operating assumption is that the priestess's spell's effect began at "initiative 11" (since the effect begins at the end of her action, not at the beginning of her initiative).

This is how a level 1 caster could use ill omen (duration of 1 round) and then follow it up in the following round with any spell they choose, since the ill omen actually lasts until the beginning of the initiative of the first round when the effect is active (which is to say the initiative immediately following the caster's). Or how you'd draw, then use a wand of vanish and at least have the invisibility effect for your next round (since the spell began on the initiative after your round, and would then end at the beginning of that initiative in a subsequent round).

I can see some fudge to lean either way.. although leaning towards it actually ends "slightly less than 1 round" - aka at the instant before the standard action was taken to cast it, nerfs the effectiveness of a lot of 1 round duration effects that seem to be intended as a pre-spell cast before an actual spell.

I know we have a handful of GMs here... how do the rest of you run this?

Last sentence of the paragraph at the end of "The Combat Round" section. "Effects that last a certain number of rounds end just before the same initiative count that they began on."

So, for example, if a witch uses evil eye on someone and they make the save, if she does not cackle immediately, then the hex will be gone by her next turn.

Yeah I know that exact text as it's come up dozens of times and the general following debate is "it can go either way".

So, it's just a question of reading "initiative count they began on".

Interpretation A

Round 1, Init 11
Witch moves
Witch uses misfortune, effect happens at the end of this standard action, aka...

Round 1, Init 10 (misfortune at beginning of this init)
Some guy does something

Round 2, Init 11
Witch cackles, to extend misfortune hex

Round 2, Init 10 (misfortune 1 round would have ended as this init count began)

--

Interpretation B

Round 1, Init 11
Witch moves
Witch uses misfortune, effect happens at the end of this standard action, so it counts as Init 11

Round 1, Init 10
Some guy does something

Round 2, Init 11 (misfortune ends before witch can do anything)
Witch shakes fist

--

To further compound interpretation, you'd actually rule it began on the witch's turn if they do *anything* after the spell's casting completes (take a free action, swift action, or move). But if the witch does absolutely nothing after the casting, the question is "what's the initiative count that the effect began on?". The argument I've heard is that the text says "initiative count that the effect began on" vs "initiative count of the action taken to cause the effect" (thus the CL1 wand favorable ruling).

Generally, I've taken Interpretation A, since it favors the players with the wands of vanish, ill omen and witches (and rarely does it favor enemies, this being I think the first time that I can think of where it would).

Your reading essentially makes all 1 round duration effects 2 rounds, as the affected party has had to take two turns under the effect, which I definitely think is both against RAI and RAW. I dont have much sympathy for witch hexes, as they are already quite powerful, and--as mentioned--they can cackle on the turn they apply the effect.

Hmm, no. Maybe you're reading me wrong on Interpretation A if you see the effect is in play for 2 full rounds (in fact it's never in play for a 2nd time for any single initiative count).

Interpretation A could also be read as "every initiative actor gets 1 round with the effect up".

An afflicted PC, monster, etc, only has 1 turn (of their own) in which they experience the effect.

Interpretation B is 1 full round minus a turn.

I don't see it as against RAW or RAI to read someone who draws and uses a wand of vanish on Round 1, Init 11 to be allowed to be considered invisible starting Round 1, Init 10 and - as long as they don't attack - remain invisible until Round 2, Init 10 begins (aka, 1 full round of the effect being in play).

In other words, the effect lasts a round (not 2), ending at the beginning of the initiative count they began on. However, had that wand popped out from a wrist sheathe, been used, and then the invisible creature moves on Round 1, Init 11 (thus meaning the effect began in the middle of Round 1, Init 11), it would end at the beginning of Round 2, Init 11. The reading here is that "you, the caster, get some benefit from the spell, if you haven't had any yet, and if you've gotten some benefit in a round, then you don't get benefit the next round".

I think this is both RAI and RAW (and consented as such when this position was made to me ages ago as I didn't have a horse in the race at that time to really analyze it deeply).

As for witch hexes.. maybe. If the witch had to move before the hex, that would prevent them from ever experiencing even a fractional-round in which they see the effect/benefit of a 1-round hex. It would be like the 1-round duration was clipped by 1 turn.

I have always played my PFS witch under "Interpretation B".

So if I use Evil Eye to reduce an enemy's saves and the target makes their Will Save, I know I have to immediately Cackle in order to keep that effect up so that it is active during my next turn, when I want to follow up with say a Slumber and take advantage of the reduced save.

This is why an item like the Cackling Hag's Blouse is so valuable to witches, for allowing a couple Cackles on Swift Actions for those "oh crap" moments when the baddie made their Will save and you have to Cackle, but still really need that Move Action for something else.

I do not really have much more to add to this than that.

Panic, I really dont see how you are making the jump to say that somehow the beginning of the effect changes depending on how people act after. If I misfortune you and stand still or if I run past and take an AoO, either way misfortune began at the same time. If a tree falls in a forest and nobody hears it, it still made a sound.

I dont see why wands of vanish have to be effective. Many spells dont work well as wands. I've never even seen someone use one, as far as I can remember.

This is the key text:

"initiative count that they began on."

The game's based on initiative counts.

There's this infinitesimal blip of non-time between "End of Round 1, Init 11" and "Start of Round 1, Init 10". In essence this is an instantaneous moment.

If a warrior uses Dazzling Display as their action on Round 1, Init 11, when do we consider the initiative count that the effect began on? It's clear the warrior began taking the action to cause the effect on Round 1, Init 11. He completed the action at the end of Round 1, Init 11. Did the effect begin at "the end of Round 1, Init 11"? That's instantaneous with "the start of Round 2, Init 10". GMs get to make a call here - which initiative count do I want to say the effect began in for the purpose of that single sentence that describes 1 round duration effects.

The question is, does the warrior ever experience a turn when they can actually see the effect of the action they took?

Interpretation A is almost identical to Interpretation B, except it allows the effect to be present for 1 round (vs 1 round minus 1 turn), where it's including that very last turn of experience for the actor who caused the effect to come into play at the end of their prior round/initiative count (which is interpreted as instantaneous with the beginning of the initiative count that immediately followed it).

If an effect comes into play during the middle of a round/initiative count, then it counts as in play for that particular round/initiative count, thus in the ruling of 1 round effects, it's over at the instantaneous moment before the next round's same initiative count.

Consider how you run Dazzling Display used as a full round action. If it causes a 1-round duration of shaken, can the warrior who waved his sword around get to ever attack his shaken foe?

(I run with Interpretation A, for the last few years, as it was pointed out to me that adventures written by the developers have tactics where BBEGs apply a 1-round duration effect and then utilize the fact their opponent has that effect applied in the following round for some sort of "combo").

A person's turn doesnt end when they do dazzling display, though. They still can take free and swift actions. They could activate arcane strike, drop their weapon, blow a raspberry, etc.... A rogue could use dazzling display while prone, then use their Stand Up talent to stand up as a free action (which still provokes because of the wording), and use the shaken condition as a way to make themselves harder to hit. A person's turn ends when they decide to stop attempting actions, which is a distinct beat in initiative from GM calls the next player, afaic. I dont need to have a full turn with dazzling display in-effect to "see the effects on the game world." This is a cooperative game. My ally could color spray to take advantage of the reduced saves, or run past and risk provoking because the enemy attacks are penalized, or any number of things.

You can read it that way if you want, but developers dont always read the rules correctly either. I can point you to any number of tactics blocks that include outright errors. I could also make the argument that allowing characters and NPCs to pull off such combos on their own disincentivizes players from comboing with other players. One of my favorite moments in the last PFS special was when the oracle cast Fear, the monster saved, and I used Improved Dirge of Doom to make it frightened. Doing that combo yourself is a million times less fun, speaking from experience.

I will accept your ruling as GM, and because I dont feel it particularly matters right now anyways (I mainly have just wanted to get the subject resolved since I know it will come up again). I still dont find your argument compelling in the slightest. I do not agree at all with your assessment of which initiative count is referred to in "before the initiative count that they began on." We will just have to agree to disagree.

It doesn't matter in the slightest for Goblinblood Dead, so it's purely an academic discussion.

FWIW, I argued the point, years ago, the same position you have, and was talked into the other interpretation.

Historically, typical games (outside of organized play, going way back to 1e) usually featured the stereotypes though - fighter, rogue, wizard, cleric. The "1 round" duration goes that far back. So the rules were less intended for synergy, but were usually a way for a caster to apply a condition for a follow-up. The older the adventure, the more you see the "lone BBEG" trope too. It's really the late 3.5e era and Pathfinder where a more precise definition here is a topic.

The original intention of turn-based combat was that it's trying to mirror everything happening in a round was happening in the game world simultaneously. In actual practice, it's sequential. But in spirit, the rules work (not elegantly) to approximate this.

Round 1
Warrior hits orc, Wizard casts spell, Cleric heals warrior, Orc bites warrior

(all the above is meant to happen in your mind at once)

Round 2
Warrior hits orc, Wizard casts another spell, Cleric heals wizard, Orc bites warrior

(and the same, it's meant to simulate it all happening at once)

Now the question arises, if the wizard's spell in round 1 came into play at the end of that round - it seems to imply that if it's a 1-round effect, it would be up for Round 2.

Technically RAW (Pathinder and 3.5e alike) don't actually have initiative ties result in the actors going on different initiative counts. They both maintain the same initiative count, and then as you "go into that count", you resolve the tie by modifiers and roll-offs. This technically (for a RAW lawyer) would mean if you had say a warrior at count 11 and a wizard at count 11 (where the warrior's init bonus was higher than the wizard's so he swings his sword prior to a spell), that their spell would end at the beginning of their shared init count (and thus the warrior never experienced a game moment in which the spell was active and they were able to take their turn).

It's one of the vague areas of the rules, and I see those areas are up to GMs discretion. What's not vague is that the effect ends at the init count in which the effect began. What's vague is: "in which init count does an effect begin?" If a wizard's turn ends with completion of a spell or a warrior's turn ends with their dazzling display, did the effect begin in their initiative count, or the next initiative count?

I honestly don't know the "right" answer. I just know what most players have lobbied for, and didn't have a particular reason to strongly argue against that in the light of monsters/BBEGs/adventures that seem to employ similar 1-2 combo tactics. Thus, my default position leans towards what the players want, and what adventures seem to indicate is intended.

As a heads up, I will be taking the Illinois Bar Exam on Tuesday and Wednesday and travelling to Chicago on Monday. I am aiming to still get posts up, but I cannot promise that it will happen.

good luck... try not to cough when taking the exam...

Juggling work today so wanted to get everyone's chronicles out quickly, which means I'll be trusting you all to fill in your day job results.

The Chronicle Sheet

Thank you, Panic!