"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!"
As the Flameford assault draws to a close and the mists of Gaius's spell scatter to the winds, the Sklar-Quah send up a cheer. The Shoanti are hardy folk, and your power in dealing with their enemies swiftly is obvious.
The people of Flameford come through the assault with relatively few casualties—certainly not enough to dull the sense of triumph. Your assimilation is complete. Ironically the assault meant to end you has only forged stronger allies. You are asked to share tales of your adventures with the Shoanti. Each of you is gladly accepted. Sacred tattoos are offered, food is prepared, now is the time to celebrate.
The party goes until dawn heroes. Well done.
When the Sun Shaman, Chief Ready-Klar, and the other Shoanti braves return to Flameford the next day, they find the camp in a shambles from the previous night’s battle and celebration. It takes some time for things to get back to normal in Flameford, but the Sun Shaman doesn’t wait. He invites you into his home to speak with you personally...
Respect Points Earned: 4
Fame Points Earned: 4
In the aftermath word of your heroics and bravery spreads quickly through the Cinderlands, and as the Shoanti realize that even tshamek can become heroes of their people, the concept of waging war against them starts to seem more and more ridiculous. Talk of war on Korvosa swiftly comes to a halt, and assuming that the trouble with Queen Ileosa can be resolved, a lasting peace between the two peoples might be closer than ever.
XP: 8,500 each
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Peace through superior firepower!!!
The ranger though not really talkative is in a very good mood after the fight. He always loves killing mantis assassins. And he is happy to have slain two new things, gargoyles and landsharks. Of course his short duel with the crimson warrior woman will probably be a highlight of his memories for many years to come.
Grym begins butchering one of the huge landsharks.
Survival take ten
He will talk and clasp forearms w/ any of the Shoanti, telling them they all fought well. We still stand while our foes lay w/ their blood soaking the sand...
Through a little bit of trial and error the ranger figures out the tastiest cuts of meat from the landshark. He slices off a hero's portion for anyone who wants it. Bucho lies nearby, belly a little distended from gorging on landshark. Though at a command the dog quickly pops up to a crouch w/ his jaws slightly opened and teeth bared. Thorgrym feels it is a good visual as he tells how his faithful dog fought at his side tasting the blood of many enemies.
The ranger does ponder how they were able to use the landsharks as mounts. Are they simply trained or could they have some sort of magical device that gives them control over the beasts?
Grym, taking 10 on your Handle Animal skill: Looks like these badboys were trained for being mounts, a feat that must have taken considerable skill and effort. Though there was no gear for riding, which means the effort was also matched in the riders' training.
(Translating the next piece into PFRPG from 3.5 I'll get on it ASAP.)
8 potions of Cat's Grace, 8 Potions of Cure Moderate Wounds, 4 Potions of Resist Fire, 8 masterwork saw-tooth sabres, 4 sets of studdent leather +1.
Potion of cure serious wounds, potion of haste, wand of hold person (17 charges), large scorpion venom (4 doses); +2 studded leather armor, two +1 sawtooth sabres, belt of physical might +2 (Dex, Con), headband of alluring charisma +2, ring of protection +1, mantis mask, elixir of shadewalking (2), potion of expeditious retreat, potion of cat's grace, potion of spider climb
Wand of cure moderate wounds (19 charges); Other Gear +2 mithral shirt, Vindicator (+1 human-bane repeating heavy crossbow) with 20 screaming bolts in four pre-loaded clips of five, masterwork handaxes (2), belt of physical might +2 (Dex, Con), pouch of 80 pp
The meeting with the Sun Shaman is eye-opening to say the least.
The wizened old man looks at you with a countenance of a man viewing the wrongly condemned. To take Queen Ileosa and her dark powers is likely your final fate.
The Sun Shaman’s tale is relatively short. He tells of how, hundreds of years ago, one of his own ancestors was called to join a righteous cause. A man named Mandraivus, a hero from a distant nation, was gathering a small group of warriors to aid in a fight against a despotic dragon named Kazavon, and the Sun Shaman’s ancestor joined this crusade. He was gone for months, and when he finally returned he was not the same man—his hands shook, his eyes carried a haunted stare, and he cried out in fear at night. He spoke little of what he saw while serving Mandraivus, but did say that they were successful in defeating Kazavon, and that the fortress of Scarwall was now under Mandraivus’s control. He was convinced it would remain impotent as long as the hero managed to maintain a hold on it.
While Kazavon had been defeated, his will to live was so immense that even the remains of his body twitched. The cabal had attempted to destroy the remains, but many fragments of the dragon’s skeleton resisted even their most destructive spells. Mandraivus tasked seven of his surviving followers (which the Sun Shaman’s ancestor counted himself among) each with claiming one of the bony relics of Kazavon’s body and ordered them taken from Scarwall. None of the seven would communicate where they were going to the others or to Mandraivus, and they were to ensure that their chosen relics would remain hidden and guarded for all time in order to prevent the dragon from returning to life.
The Sun Shaman’s ancestor told this story to his fellow shamans, and revealed that his chosen relic was the dragon’s fangs. The Shoanti took to calling them the Midnight Fangs, and they chose the ancient pyramid on the shores of Conquerer’s Bay as their reliquary. After hiding the fangs in a secret room deep inside the pyramid, they took to the task of ensuring that the fangs remained safe. For generations, they maintained their task—until Cheliax invaded and slaughtered the Shoanti. Those few who survived and knew the secret of the fangs were forced to flee with their kin into the Cinderlands. For the next three centuries the knowledge was passed from Sun Shaman to Sun Shaman, and they watched with fearful eyes as the city of Korvosa grew around their ancient reliquary.
That Queen Ileosa has discovered the Midnight Fangs and somehow tapped into their latent power troubles the Sun Shaman greatly, for he knows something of the Fangs’ power. During the time they were guarded, Shoanti shamans studied the fangs and communed with the spirit world about them. They discovered that a fragment of Kazavon’s soul remained lodged within the fangs. While this fragment alone wasn’t enough to work ill upon the world, it could certainly invade the dreams of those who touched them. The Sun Shamans were stubborn and willful, more than a match for the fangs’ temptations and promises, but a weaker mind—say, that of a petty young queen—would have no such defense.
The Sun Shaman goes on to explain that the fragments of Kazavon’s soul are like a plant—once they find suitable soil in which to grow, they can bloom into a mighty tree. This appears to be the case with Ileosa—her own cruelty and strength have been enhanced greatly by the fangs. Worse, she now possesses two souls—her own, and one grown from the fragment of Kazavon’s. Two souls in one body, the Sun Shaman muses, would grant her incredible power over her own mortality. When Trinia describes to him the events of the failed assassination, he merely nods grimly.
At this point, the Sun Shaman suggests that you take part in a ritual called the Blessing of the Ancestors. This is a rare ritual the Shoanti use only in times of great change—it calls upon a soul from the spirit world to seek guidance and advice on how to proceed. Typically, the Blessing of the Ancestors is used before making the decision to go to war on another tribe, or to abandon a long-held campsite in hopes of finding a better home, but this situation warrants the ritual as well. He says that you face a time of great potential here, but returning to Korvosa to confront an immortal enemy would only result in your deaths. Clearly, he says, advice is needed.
The Sun Shaman asks you if there is a particular spirit or ancestor with whom they have a particularly strong link—the stronger the link, the more exacting the advice granted by the Blessing of the Ancestors becomes....
The Sun Shaman awaits your reply.
The ranger whispers to Morkeleb, does he mean a spirit friendly to us like the Varisian woman who lives in your harrow deck?
LOTS of good gear there.
For successfully managing to secure the greatest possible help from the Shoanti... XP: 3,000 bonus to each PC
The ranger whispers to Morkeleb, does he mean a spirit friendly to us like the Varisian woman who lives in your harrow deck?
Morkeleb looks at Grym for a long moment, then gives a small smile and nod. He brings out the Harrow deck. Zaralla, come forth, I beseech you. Once the shade manifests, the wizard addresses the Shaman in Shoanti. do you think this would suffice?
"BY THE ANCESTORS! Truly you are fated for great and terrible things."
We will let the ceremony begin shortly....
Let's do loot before we do downtime.
I'll straighten out loot this evening
Oh man 5th level spells yo!!
Current Date:
6 Rova: Last date check, No longer Tshamek
7-9 Rova: Trial of Totems
10 Rova: Rest from trial
11 Rova: Flameford Assualt: The Battle of the Land Shark
15-28 Rova: Downtime (TBD)
29 Rova: The tale resumes….
Working on prepping the next one. Could be a little while. I have Rise of the Runelords and Pathfinder Society Alpha this week. I'm also wrapping up a Fiends trilogy on PbP this week.
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The ritual itself takes about two hours to prepare—to the outside observer, it looks like little more than a rhythmic droning chant by the acting Sun Shaman. Those who wish to partake in the blessing seat yourselves in a circle around the Sun Shaman and his focus fire (a small campfire) so that you are each touching another, forming an unbroken ring of flesh and bone. The ritual begins two hours before sunrise, so that it unfolds as dawn breaks. The Sun Shaman chooses the upper tier of Bolt Rock to perform the ritual, the entire Flameford tribe accompanies you to watch, silently and respectfully, as the ritual progresses.
The shaman begins by recounting the legends of the tribe and the heroics and wisdom of the ancestors in a sing-song voice, shifting after 10 minutes into wordless droning and rhythmic chanting. This continues for two hours, after which the Sun Shaman slumps and Zellara [url=https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1nDHSkaNjGRNh9DUZD2LqDyuy2krnRWlfypn6R8pKrmE/edit]rises from the smoke[/ur] of his focus fire to address the participants. She greets you each by name, and then says that she has a message for you about your goal. But before she delivers this message, she would like to perform a Harrowing for you...
At the stage of the Choosing, you each received a card of the Harrow:
1. Morkeleb. . .The Winged Serpent
2. DeGrog. . .Eclipse
3. Gaius. . .The Owl
4. Grym. . .The Mute Hag
5. Ferox. . .The Publican
6. Odric. . .The Carnival
7. Sandor. . . The Lost
You each gain 4 Harrow Points for this chapter.
Wisdom Rerolls: Spend a Harrow Point to reroll any one Wisdom-based skill check or Will saving throw. You must abide by the new result (although if you have additional Harrow Points remaining, you can use them to attempt additional rerolls).
Greater Channel: Spend a Harrow Point to infuse channeling of positive energy with +2d6. You may use this ability more than once on a single channeling.
Divine Wrath: Spend a Harrow Point to increase the
strength of a divine spell as it is cast. This spell gains a +2
bonus on its save DC, a +4 bonus on its caster level check
to overcome spell resistance, and a +2 bonus on any attack
rolls needed to strike the target.
Displayed before her were 9 cards, some cards of note cause her to grow grave with import:
The Keep in the Past. This must be Scarwall; A castle with a storied rise and horror-filled fall...
The Eclipse in the present. Before you stand a brotherhood. As the eclipse has the nature of light and dark, this brotherhood can bring weal, or woe.
The Betrayal in the Future. One of your allies will betray you before you reach your goal. Yet to abandon an ally one suspects will betray you could lead to an even greater peril.
As Zellara finishes the Harrowing, she looks to you again and says that she has a tale to tell you. Without further explanation, she begins to sing, her voice clear and haunting.
Zellara's Song:
Fate of steel—Serithtial
Her cage for years sustained
Four enthralled in lost Scarwall;
Undead to keep her chained.
A spirit first, red war his thirst
Still stands at post of old;
A second foe, infernal soul
Waits high in tower cold.
In kennel’s grime third bides his time
Then vents his killing breath.
And on a stone ’mid ash and bone,
The final dreams of death.
The spirits worn and battletorn
And locked in their damnation,
The chained one’s hold at last grows old
And ushers in salvation.
Yet hope remains amid the chains
When blade’s stone cage has crumbled,
Friends to dread and the death of the dead,
Keys to Kazavon humbled.
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As she finishes her song, Zellara smiles again, although this time her smile seems somewhat sad or bittersweet. Each of you feels a sudden upsurge in your souls as the spirits of the dead infuse you with energy to aid you—even hundreds of miles away, the cruelty and evil of the undead within Scarwall are a blot in the spirit world, and the spirits seek victory as much as you. The Shoanti stand amazed as the ritual ends and Zellara fades into darkness. Finally Chief Ready Klar breaks the awestruck silence. “Truly these Friends of the Sun are blessed by the ancestors. They walk with the spirits and bear their mark. They honor us with their presence and friendship. As they go forth to battle
the evil that has plagued these lands of ash for many-score generations, they go with the power of the Sklar-Quah. They shall go forth with the power of Father Sun in their hands.”
You EACH gain the following. Let me know your choice for the first benefit.
Infused Weapon and Armor: The spirit world infuses
one weapon, suit of armor, or shield owned by each of the
PCs (even if the item in question is not present at the
blessing). If the PC chooses a weapon, it gains the
undead bane weapon quality. If the PC chooses
armor or shield, the chosen protection gains the
ghost touch armor quality.
Infused Soul: The next time the PC fails a
saving throw against a death effect, that effect
is negated but the PC is stunned for one round
as the spiritual energies in his soul are burnt
away. This protection can save each PC only
once from a death effect.
Doric feels the power rush into him and focus on his left hip then disappear. He smiles as he looks at the Kegerator. He draws it out 6 inches and watches a wispy tracery of purplish magical luminescence as it plays along the exposed blade.
Doric feels the power rush into him
Cor-frickin-inthian.
Check in for readiness. You can also choose to spend more time prepping, if need be.
The ranger spends some time among the wilderness in the area, working on his survival skills and tracking. Bucho enjoys loping along.
Grym also spends time in sparring matches with his comrades. He also is happy to spar and learn from the locals.
Good point. I will post a map of your destination. I honestly don't know off the top of my head if there are cities on the way...
Morkeleb now knows teleport and has been to Kaer Maga. You're covered for selling/buying locations
"Morkeleb, can you teleport you and me to Korvosa and back here? I'd like to check on construction progress..."
"Morkeleb, can you teleport you and me to Korvosa and back here? I'd like to check on construction progress..."
(assuming the above is "yes")Yes, I could...but is it safe for us to go there?
Morkeleb now knows teleport and has been to Kaer Maga. You're covered for selling/buying locations
Thorgrym sells Belt of Giant Strength +2.
Purchases Belt of Giant Str +4 and Bracers of Armor +2
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Korvosa is most definitely NOT safe. A Disguise or stealth mission would be simple though
-Posted with Wayfinder
Odric would be willing to bet that visiting his childhood home would be safe enough. From there he could pass on instructions and receive first-hand reports on progress.
Are we ready?
Yes
Yup
Morkeleb is now officially "boss" with his staff which now glows on both ends; the typically green-glowing gem capping it, and now the other end is glowing with a fine white mist. He is also wearing a buckler crafted of mithral with a beautifully etched black dragon head, glowing with the ghostly magic granted by the Shoanti spirits.
READY!!
Curious... Odric's other end has a fine white mist too.
Gaius chooses Undead Bane on his Mithril Rapier +1.
He's ready to go and will update info as we proceed.
Take a look at the map. You guys are roughly 300 miles from Scarwall (with Korvosa roughly 300 miles south of you.)
How are you going to get there?
Curious... Odric's other end has a fine white mist too.
Grym and Bucho are always up for a nice hike.
Odric wistfully remarks, "Too bad we didn't realize it was so far away last week. I used to be quite good at flying."
What do we know about The Hold of Belzken? My only appropriate skill is Local, so I guess I'll focus on the people of The Hold.
Same question about Urglin.
Do you want to do this question by question, or do one check and see how much we know?
Knowledge: Local mod is +7
Anyone else? Geography or something else that may be helpful?
Geog, hist, nobility...tell me what to roll!! Brains is what I DO
Grym ponders the geographical situation...
Take ten
Knowledge/Geography
One roll works:
The predominantly orc city of Urglin (which means "Second Home" in the orcish language) is the only population center of any sort in the Cinderlands region of Varisia's Storval Plateau.
The Hold of Belkzen is a harsh land, and not just in environmental terms. The only thing more brutal than the landscape of this haphazard nation are its savage inhabitants
While orcs can be found throughout Golarion, nowhere else are they as plentiful or live in as densely populated settlements as in the Hold of Belkzen (pronounced BEHLK-zen). Belkzen is an unforgiving wasteland filled with shrub brush, steep mountains, and uneven badlands, where water is scarce and generally limited to the seasonal Flood Road.
After emerging on the surface of Golarion from the Darklands at the end of the Age of Darkness (-5102 AR), the orcs were driven back into the desolate regions of north-central Avistan by their ancient enemies, the dwarves. One particular orc warlord known as Belkzen counterattacked, vowing to reclaim lost holdings and drive the dwarves back underground. His determination and success rallied thousands of orcs to his banner of a black sun. The orc horde quickly reached and besieged the dwarven fortress of Koldukar in -3708 AR, one of the ten Sky Citadels. In the climactic finale known as the Battle of Nine Stones, the orcs captured Koldukar and put the population to the sword.
With the citadel in his power, Belkzen consolidated his position by fortifying Koldukar and renaming it Urgir (meaning "First Home" in orc); to this day it remains as a symbol of orc power. The unity of Belkzen's realm was short-lived and did not survive his death, immediately collapsing into dozens of squabbling tribes lusting for power.
Aside from this incident in the ancient past, the orcs became fractured for centuries to come, each tribe battling the other for wealth, land, and power. It was not until the arrival of the Whispering Tyrant in 3203 AR that the orcs unified once more. Under the banner of their new, undead lord, they assailed Ustalav, bolstering the Whispering Tyrant's undead army.
The blue dragon Kazavon also made an effort to reunite the tribes 4043 AR, and likely would have succeeded if not for his death at the hands of adventurers in his citadel, Scarwall
Oh this gets better and better. So what I'm hearing is no caravan or settlements for us between here and Scarwall. Just 300 miles of wall-to-wall Orcs.
Sounds like we're taking a hike, and relying on survival skills and magic to get us there.
Yeah. This is gonna be awesome.