Dots away.
The Pathfinder Society has turned its attention to the Ruby Phoenix Tournament—a world-renowned fighting competition, held once every ten years in the city of Goka on the eastern continent of Tian Xia. More specifically, the Decemvirate is interested in the incredible prizes available to the tournament’s winner—a choice of treasure from the legendary vaults of Hao Jin, the Ruby Phoenix herself. As part of the preparations for the tournament, Pathfinder Society agents have been deployed across the Inner Sea and beyond to seek out forgotten lore, allies, and magical items to be used by the Society’s tournament representatives.
Venture-Captain Amara Li, leader of the Lantern Lodge and Goka native, has uncovered information about one such item hidden amid the reaches of the Wall of Heaven—an Iroran relic known as the Braid of a Hundred Masters. Organizing the search from her base in the Dragon Empires, she has gathered a party of Pathfinders to the high mountain range in search of the braid’s ancient home: the Clouded Path Monastery. The two-week-long journey to the mountains began in the cosmopolitan city of Goka, passed through the surrounding villages and farmlands, and led thousands of feet up into the tallest mountain range on Golarion; it has been a long journey, but now all that remains is the final day’s journey up from the base camp.
The base camp site is only a few hundred feet above the forest line that covers the lower reaches of the Wall of Heaven. It offers a panoramic view of the surrounding land, and far below you can make out half-flooded terraced farmlands that appear silver and mirrored in the late afternoon light.
In years past, the monks of Clouded Path Monastery used this campsite at the foot of the path to their mountainside retreat to meet with the local farming populace to procure the few items that the monks could not produce for themselves within the monastery grounds, and as a waypoint for pilgrims to rest before their final day of ascent to the monastery itself. Since the monastery fell into disuse, the camp has also lain barren and untended, and is now little more than a few empty wooden shacks around a central campfire ring. The remains of a corral that once housed horses belonging to pilgrims traveling up the mountain on foot lies in shambles off to one side of the camp.
You have been led to this point by two guides, named Xue Ho and Hai Xuan. They are locals from the farming villages below and experienced mountaineers familiar with this stretch of the Wall of Heaven. The two men, both well under 6 feet in height, have lean frames and skin prematurely aged through exposure to the mountain winds. The pair, though only capable of broken Common, have proven to be friendly and knowledgeable guides.
Regional Map of the Wall of Heaven
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a goat legged and horned man that smells of burning wood approaches the guides as he as done many time on this journey. His eyes twinkle and lips break a smile as he asks the guides.
"So.... I don't suppose you two know a good place to get my inner Calistra sated before we go, do you?"
Noticing that the guides are having a hard time understanding him, Klaidingo attempts to pantomime his question, thrusting his hips a bit too enthusiastically while winking and pointing.
"You know, the savored sting, the unquenchable fire."
He finally stops thrusting when he notices that Xue Ho and Hai Xuan just dont get it.
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Poking her head out from the other side of a boulder she is apparently using as pillow, a mixed parentage orc eyes the horned goat. "Not all of us savor Calistria's stings. Some do not like the unplanned company it brings."
"A rhyme? Yeah, that will make them take you seriously... That was sarcasm by the way. Are you even listening to me?"
Shush, I'm sketching. Curl back up on my shoulder and calm down.
"Fine."
She settles back into a comfortable position and returns to sketching the scenery in her journal. On her shoulder a hedgehog curls into a small spiny ball and attempts to doze.
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Gurau raises an eyebrow at the tiefling and examines him for a moment. She suddenly pulls out a small pouch, shakes it about, and dumps out its contents. A half dozen small knucklebones marked with obscure runes scatter across her upturned palm and fall in various orientations. The shaman examines them for a moment and then looks back up at the tiefling with a smirk.
"I have asked the spirits, oh wizard of wood. Their response came back, 'Outlook not so good.'"
"Wait, what? That's not what they said!"
My version was more amusing.
"That's not the point. Don't misquote the spirits."
My apologies, Little Thorn. However, 'Do not bother us with trivialities,' didn't sound nearly as impressive.
"Hmph. The rhyming thing is still stupid."
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"This climbing business would have been easier if I'd left my armor at home." Raul complains from the confines of his full plate.
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Long ago in this very same region of Tien, an Andoran caravan traveling through a small village, left behind a child. Found at the dam down by the river by a fisherman, he was raised as the village’s own.
Twenty-five years later,...
Quickened footstep through the woods, brings a portly barrelled chest young man dressed in ceremonial silks to the campsite. He is obviously not of the same stock as the normal Tien men, heavy build with light blonde hair and bright blue eyes. With a joyous and humble bellow, he introduces himself, "Hello - I am Barley, of clan Sokaei. My master, Pinché, has allowed me to assist you upon this quest. "
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Dressed in monk's robes and having said very little along the journey so far. Jonterra surveys the view from the party's current position. his skin is the color and texture of basalt, and when he speaks, his deep voice seems to well up from deep within. This country is enlightening. I do not see how one could not feel in touch with the spirits in a place such as this.
Nobody has seen the monks of the Clouded Path Monastery in years. In the past, the monastery often sent a small group of them to the mountain’s base camp to trade for the goods the monks could not produce for
themselves in the harsh mountain environment.
A demon of ice and snow made flesh, called Shang Xu by locals, prowls the mountains. Since the monks disappeared, it has come down to raid the farms and villages on several occasions.
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Barley greets everyone with undisguised excitement, while dutifully cleaning and washing down the stalls and huts, chattering on to anyone who'd listen about his first steps out of security and seclusion, "My master feels that I should taste the world, see what's out there and find my place-"
This country is enlightening. I do not see how one could not feel in touch with the spirits in a place such as this.
"Ah, yes. -Whoa. -I feel the same way brethren", Barley recognizes the monastic order but a little jolted by his earthy appearance. "It is peaceful and enlightening here. I find that a ninja should always come to a place like this to contemplate the ways of the woods"(?), not sure what he had just said, he switches subject, "From where in Tien do you come from?"
While some of your group prepares for the evening, Klaidingo jokes with your guides, mostly at their expense, and Chamius chats with a somewhat anti-social Gurau. Jonterra, Barley, and Raul enter the stables looking for a suitable place to the rest, both listening to the odd self-proclaimed "ninja" make idle conversation.
Gurau's sketch is coming along well, and would have been completed before the sun set on the horizon, but a sudden movement disrupts the peaceful scene and suddenly a snow leopard dashes from the undergrowth nearby and pounces on her. Clawing and biting viciously, she suffers a handful of wounds, and if it wasn't for the inherent toughness gained through ritual scarring she might have succumbed. Yet bloody, and holding a now torn and ruined sketch, she remains conscious.
PERCEPTION
I didn't roll for familiar because frankly the stealth DC is too high.
INITIATIVE
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Barley reacts to the sounds of distress and sprints out the front door. Seeing a woman down, rushes forth and tries to get in between the cat and Garau. ”I don’t want to hurt you kitty, so just go back and I'll bring you some food. -It would be bad omen to kill an innocent animal to start our journey on this sacred mountain! Try to scare it off! "
-Posted with Wayfinder
Raul, Barley, and Jonterra move out of the stables to see Gurau just barely fighting off a snow leopard. Nearby Klaidingo does something almost obscene and a wooden spear flies at the animal, but with Gurau in close proximity the magical weapon misses. Chamius rallies the party with words of courage while Gurau chants a spell, healing some of her more deadly wounds.
The leopard presses the attack, swiping a long gash into Gurau with a claw.
NOTE: I've bolded the text that somewhat applies to this situation, but you should read the whole thing if you plan to use charging often.
Charge
Charging is a special full-round action that allows you to move up to twice your speed and attack during the action. Charging, however, carries tight restrictions on how you can move.
Movement During a Charge: You must move before your attack, not after. You must move at least 10 feet (2 squares) and may move up to double your speed directly toward the designated opponent. If you move a distance equal to your speed or less, you can also draw a weapon during a charge attack if your base attack bonus is at least +1.
You must have a clear path toward the opponent, and nothing can hinder your movement (such as difficult terrain or obstacles). You must move to the closest space from which you can attack the opponent. If this space is occupied or otherwise blocked, you can't charge. If any line from your starting space to the ending space passes through a square that blocks movement, slows movement, or contains a creature (even an ally), you can't charge. Helpless creatures don't stop a charge.
If you don't have line of sight to the opponent at the start of your turn, you can't charge that opponent.
You can't take a 5-foot step in the same round as a charge.
If you are able to take only a standard action on your turn, you can still charge, but you are only allowed to move up to your speed (instead of up to double your speed) and you cannot draw a weapon unless you possess the Quick Draw feat. You can't use this option unless you are restricted to taking only a standard action on your turn.
Attacking on a Charge: After moving, you may make a single melee attack. You get a +2 bonus on the attack roll and take a –2 penalty to your AC until the start of your next turn.
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Raul steps up and swings hard at the leopard in an attempt to bring it down. "Sorry, I'm not that fond of nature!"
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Raul charges in with his greatsword and defeats the leopard with one powerful blow. It's blood stains the snow, mixing with Gurau's. Any chance of the animal surviving the wound is ended by a wooden spear through the heart, flung by Klaidingo.
A second later Barley bulls past, tripping over the carcass and flying head first into the underbrush.
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Raul draws his healing wand and evokes curing magic from it to revive the fallen companion.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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The magic closes the wounds, but still leaves scars as if healed naturally.
Gurau's eyes open to see the ruined sketch in the snow. Something wiggles and squeaks unhappily beneath her and jabs her in the ribs with its spines. "Ouch! I'm sorry, little one." She sits up and cradles the hedgehog in her hands. "For me that was much less fun." She can feel Little Thorn radiating both worry and annoyance in her hands.
Looking around at the group above her, "Sorry about getting attacked like that. I'm not normally one to pick up a stray cat." Standing up, she gives a bow of thanks to them all.
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"Shang Xu?!", Barley pops his head from the snow, little clumps cling on. Not hearing the rest of Chamius' words, he recovers and rushes over to the side of the leopard, poised in a defensive stance in case it comes back to life. "Ah, I see we have defeated one of Shang Xu's evil minions. Good work. We must be vigilant even here at this camp." He rushes off to unpack his armor and weapons.
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"Ah, yes. Much better", Barley comments on changing out of his ceremonial pajamas and wooden sandals and into his combat gear. Complete in his black and grey outfit, he looks like an over-yeasted dinner roll in a Lamellar casing. Paired swords at this sides and an array of other weapons in sleeves daggle about - kusarigama, nunchaku, sai, blowgun, grappling hook and line. He utters a half-remembered creed to those within earshot as he goes back to work, "A ninja is always...-at ...the ready", which happen to sound a lot like one of the junior Pathfinder mottos.