From Shore To Sea (Inactive)

Game Master Baerlie

Dot here if you are ready to start.

o

Bop!

I'm waitlisted, but I'm really excited to have a chance at this, so if anyone doesn't show up, I'd love to play. I've played with Pirate Rob and Tarondor before, so, fistbump to both of them even if I don't get into the game. Gonna go double-check that my character for this one is ready to go.

Okay, this is dien with my summoner, who is ready to go at level 6, if I make it into the game.

Reporting in.

Should be good to go!

Li Shuo (Tarondor) checking in, and returning Dien's fist-bump.

I hope you get to play, Dien!

Eshshah/Pirate Rob ready to go.

As a note I have played this several years ago and will be using a GM star to replay.

We had something like 3 level 5 characters and a pregen and did not get especially far.

Speaking of which, I see a couple of level 4 headers, Shore to Sea requires lvl 5-7.

Whoops, forgot to update Kiyomi to 5. She'll be ready to play in a jiffy. :)

EDIT: Correctly updated.

I see an old Friend.
Hey Clandelve!

I'm also fine to let Dien Play as I'll be using a GM Star to replay this one.
I'll make way for a first timer to play.

Dot.
Hi folks.

I'm also fine to let Dien Play as I'll be using a GM Star to replay this one. I'll make way for a first timer to play.

That's very kind of you. Thank you very much!

I don't mind having 7 players if it's ok for you. I never ran this before, but it seems to be challenging for some groups as far as I read the reviews, but I'm sure it depends on the party setup. The APL is at 5.8, slightly below the recommended level. The module description says it's for level 6 adventurers, it does not say how many, but modules are usually written for 4 players if I'm not mistaken.

Tarondor, is Li Shuo still level 4 or higher? The character sheet shows level 4.

7 players is fine but may take too long.

I'll bow out and let Dien take my spot. Will PM him the good news too.

This is a challenging module yes but I'm sure you all could do it.

I'm also fine to let Dien Play as I'll be using a GM Star to replay this one.

I'll make way for a first timer to play.

That IS kind. I don't want to push anyone out, but if you do vacate to leave me the spot, I'll have to bake you cookies, or something. Up to Baerlie if he wants to run with a table of 7.5 (mine's a summoner, after all).

This module is awesome for First timers.

I don't wish to spoil it but know that when I played this, I had to Pregen and came out pretty emptied of items. lol

Kalaron may be right, a module with 7 players may take too long. Once again, thank you very much for this generous act. I will try to make it as awesome as possible!

Kalaron, was looking forward to a reunion! You will be missed!

Is anyone else not seeing any of their normal messageboard tabs this morning? It's gonna be real difficult to keep track of my PbP games if they don't get it fixed quickly.

Database was down for awhile last night, site may still be recovering.

Eshshah (Eh-Shaw) is a short bronze skinned woman with flaming red hair, light armor and several kukris in leather scabbards on her belt. She seems to move with an unnatural swiftness and gracefullness.

"Greetings fellow Pathfinders, my name is Eshshah and it is my pleasure to meet you."

The slab-faced Tien man with the beautiful longbow acknowledges Eshah with a bowed head. "We will walk through this gate together," he says.

A small, red-and-white creature enters the establishment (bar?) behind another who obviously purposely opened the door to allow it to enter. The small creature strides up to the Pathfinders and barks. Around her neck, you can see a collar with a small, wooden symbol of the open road. There is a surprising amount of intelligence behind the fox's eyes.

Much thanks to Kalaron for graciously yielding me his spot.

"--no, you will stay outside until I call for your assistance. Stop testing my patience," says a man's voice, rather shortly, before the door is again opened. The man who steps inside is dressed in rich fabric cut in the fashion currently favored in high-society Egorian, basic black with a few touches of red and white at collar and cuffs. Closer inspection will reveal the subtle flourishes of the five-pointed Asmodean star stitched along the hems of his garments. The man himself is pale of skin, but with auburn hair pierced with a white streak. He looks to be in his forties. Dark, serious eyes dart briefly around those assembled.

"I hope I'm not late, fellow agents," he says with a small inclined bow. "There were some minor difficulties in my travel. Iason (Yay-son) Blaise, at your service in pursuit of our goals. Mistress Eshshah, a pleasure."

He looks over the Tien fellow with an assessing gaze, then turns another similarly weighing look onto the small fox. "Ah. I see. I cannot replicate that particular yipping noise, I fear, so if you wish to be addressed by name..."

Eshshah eyes Iason and his crimson stars suspiciously but holds her tongue for now.

Probably beats his servant when he opens the door, and beats his servant when he doesn't open the door, Eshshah thinks to herself.

Dien and I are friends IRL, and any nasty quips are purely in character.

Ok, thanks for the info :)

You are summoned by Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin to the Grand Lodge in Absalom. While you are waiting to get access to the meeting area you get to know each other. You already did that as I can see.

About 20 minutes after the meeting time the door to the meeting room finally opens and Ambrus Valsin waves you to enter. Once inside he immediately starts the briefing. "Welcome, Pathfinders. I summoned you to investigate a strange development in the village of Blackcove in Cheliax. You may know that the people of the town at the Hellmouth Gulf are the descendants of Azlanti survivors of Earthfall. The nearby ruined island of Nal-Kashel was once an Azlanti outpost. We got word that the people of Blackcove began to act more unfriendly to strangers than usual and the number of skums in this area increase while villagers disappear. We also have evidence that Blackcove was attacked from the sea recently. I want you to investigate, find out what's going on in Blackcove, and find a solution to any problems the village might have. Do you have any questions?" Valsin asks.

Kiyomi barks happily at Valsin, and wags her bushy tail. She has no questions, obviously.

Li Shuo speaks with quiet precision. "What is the interest of the Pathfinder Society in this remote village? And what is this evidence of attack?"

"The Pathfinder Society's interest in this remote village is the connection to the Azlant island, it was once the center of learning. A gillman sorcerer named Gerlach lives in Blackcove and he sends reports to the Society on regular base. He was the only contact we had in this area. The last report contained strange information, telling that he knows the truth and that villagers like him are doomed to eventually change into the true form of their disgusting heritage. He was seeking a cure for his people among the island’s ruins, but we never heard from him after that. I think he did not mean a cure like curing a sickness, he meant a cure to break a curse. We heard about a high-tide attack on the village lighthouse by a tentacled horror. I know that people are prone to exaggerations, but maybe there's more." Valsin answers.

A fine example of a dwarf, his facial hair lustrous and well-kempt, with elaborate braids and clasps, strokes his brown beard as he considers the mission. The hair on the top of his head is swept back, while the sides are shaved and tattooed with elaborate blue runes.

"Clandelve Hammerhand, at yer service," he says. "Sounds like we need ta find this Gerlach an' see what 'e can tell us. No doubt ye'll find me at tha front, wit' me 'ammer an' shield ready!" he says.

"But me uncle Jeb once 'ad a curse...brings fear ta me 'eart ta think of it! Magic is a scourge on all of us!" he spits.

"Per'aps tha pup needs ta step outside, nae?" he asks with a look at Kiyomi.

Dien and I are friends IRL, and any nasty quips are purely in character.

FOUL LIES. I WOULD NEVER SWEAR FRIENDSHIP WITH A SCURVY PIRATE.

"In Cheliax?" Iason echoes to the Venture-Captain's briefing, a slight smile gracing his dour face. "Well, that is welcome. Always delightful to be in one's homeland, isn't it?"

Does Iason know anything more about Blackcove, being Chelish himself? (Kn: Local): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 (No, no he does not.)

"So.... according to this Gerlach, the villagers are becoming skum? How... charmingly grotesque. I don't believe I've encountered skum outside of the pages of books."

Kn: Nature re: skum: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7 (He also knows nothing about skum.)

Iason muses to himself a moment with a frown, then looks to the others in the group. "If it's Azlanti ruins, no doubt there may be instances of Azlanti script. I confess I haven't studied the language myself. Have any of you?"

"But me uncle Jeb once 'ad a curse...brings fear ta me 'eart ta think of it! Magic is a scourge on all of us!" he spits.

"Oh, you are one of those sorts," Iason says brightly to the dwarf's words on magic. "I thank you for letting me know. I will be certain not to inflict any sort of scourge upon you in the course of our endeavor, out of respect for your sincerely held beliefs, Master Hammerhand. I am a firm believer in the 'cooperation' that the Society espouses, and I would not wish to offend you by inadvertently performing foul magics upon your person.

"On that note: I am, of course, a citizen-subject of Imperial Cheliax, were it not obvious. In the past, I have served with fellow agents who believed that traveling in Imperial Cheliax ethically obligated them to advocate rebellion against the legitimate authority of House Thrune, as well as to loudly denounce worship of the Prince of Law.

"Should your personal moral compass require such actions of you while within Cheliax, would you be so kind as to inform me that you'll be committing insurrection, so that I may leave in advance? I would prefer to not be present during any suicides-by-Hellknight. Politically unhealthy, you see."

"Per'aps tha pup needs ta step outside, nae?" he asks with a look at Kiyomi.

Iason arches a brow at Clandelve, looks back to the fox with the Open Road symbol on the collar, opens his mouth as if to say something, then seems to think better of it, simply raising his glass for another sip of wine before looking back to the Venture Captain.

"Will we be traveling directly by ship to Blackcove, sir?"

Eshshah rolls her eyes at Iason's comments before turning back to the venture captain.

"Gerlach, the Gillman sorcerer you said. Do we have any other contacts in the region? More details about the town, the mayor's name perhaps?"

Knowledge Local: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Kiyomi growls briefly at Clandelve at his referring to her as "pup". But then she barks happily at Ehshshah, indicating that she approves of Eshshah's question.

Clandelve sighs with exasperation at Iason's condescending words, as if the human could never understand.

"I've 'ad a wizard friend, an' e'en seen some beneficial things come from yer magic, 'tis true. I'm sure ye've some nice tricks ta 'elp us on our way. But in me view, from Earthfall to the Eye of Abendego to the World Wound, magic be causin' it. An' mark me words, the malady we be investigatin' will 'ave magic as the cause in the end. But you do yer thing, lad, an' I'll do mine, an I'll be 'avin no problem with ye."

As Clandelve realizes Kiyomi is not, in fact, an animal, he swallows and looks around uncomfortably.

"Errr...apologies. Vixen, is it?"

Loving the RP here! All in good fun! :)

Kiyomi grabs a fallen pencil in her mouth and deftly draws the word "Kiyomi" in small letters on a dropped piece of parchment. She then picks up the parchment and stands next to Clandelve, whining until he takes the parchment.

A skinny middle aged tiefling nods to the venture captain's words lost deep in though. He wears an impecable explorer's outfit with some accesories from cheliax's lastest fashion but not much in the way of weapons.
K. Local: Blackcove: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16
K. Nature: Skum: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15

"In Cheliax?" Iason echoes to the Venture-Captain's briefing, a slight smile gracing his dour face. "Well, that is welcome. Always delightful to be in one's homeland, isn't it?"

I suppose so. Mollok says unsure about his own feelings on the subject.

Kiyomi grabs a fallen pencil in her mouth and deftly draws the word "Kiyomi" in small letters on a dropped piece of parchment. She then picks up the parchment and stands next to Clandelve, whining until he takes the parchment.

A shapeshifter, how lovely! The tiefling says with an honest smile. I knew a gnoll in Katapesh once who was a master. Could never quite get the hang of it myself...

Clandelve finally takes the paper that the fox-like creature holds in its mouth and reads it out loud.

"Kiyomi? That be yer name?" the dwarf asks, perplex evident on his face. He holds out his hand in an offering of friendship, though he remains confused by the situation.

"An' mark me words, the malady we be investigatin' will 'ave magic as the cause in the end. But you do yer thing, lad, an' I'll do mine, an I'll be 'avin no problem with ye."[/b]

Iason briefly eyes the ceiling of the establishment. "Yes. Because we already know we are dealing with some sort of transformation of people. So it is indeed a great leap of logic to theorize that there will be magic involved. Anything of true significance, good or ill, tends to involve forces beyond the merely mundane."

Further 'debate' on the nature or value of magic is forestalled (on Iason's part, at least) by the tiefling speaking. The Chelish human gives the tiefling a long, assessing gaze before having another sip of his wine.

"As I've heard no assent to it, I take it none of you know the Azlant tongue, then."

Li Shuo remains impassive throughout. He is a man of few words and those to the point.

He shook his head slightly at Iason's question.

He was amused at the dwarf's perplexity over the kitsune, which though uncommon even in Quain, was plain enough to Li Shuo. He could solve this riddle with a few words, but he knew better than to meddle with a kami's fun. Let the fox spirit explain what she would in her own time.

Kiyomi places a delicate paw in Clandelve's hand and shakes, showing her much-more-than-animal Intelligence. She then starts jumping around impatiently, clearly ready to begin the adventure.

"We'll be gettin' along splendidly," Clandelve says to Iason. "Thanks fer explainin' things so well to th' simple folk who don't 'ave yer soarin' intellect."

The dwarf shakes Kiyomi's paw and also prepares to depart.

I've had a couple people in other games take RPing personally, so just to make sure everyone knows, I enjoy this kind of banter between party members and love what Iason's doing with his character...this all makes it much more fun for me! No offense intended (out of character, of course)! :)

It's all about expectations. Also if any of the banter does make anybody uncomfortable, please do speak up, or PM the GM and I'm sure changes can be made so that we all have a good time.

Eshshah responds "I speak all the elemental tongues, but not Azlanti. I have a scroll of comprehend languages for emergencies, but its utility is clearly limited."

Yeah, ditto all that. Iason is a bit of a smarmy git on the surface, but I mean it only as IC lolz. If anyone is bovvered, I can certainly tone it down.

"You're welcome," Iason says graciously.

To Ehshah's words, he nods fractionally. "Very well. I have a scroll of the same, but I think that before we depart Absalom, I will obtain a more potent translatory scroll."

(I'll purchase a scroll of Tongues before we depart, -375 GP.)

People need to take themselves a lot less seriously. We've become a society that collectively needs to get its panties untwisted about almost everything and just relax. Also, roleplaying is -why- we're here. All the numbers and combat should just be a support to the greater goal of playing a role and having fun.

Like I said, I personally enjoy it, and appreciate Iason making this fun...just a disclaimer is all.

RPing is totally fine with me, guys!

So lets depart?

"Aye," Clandelve nods. "I've 'ad enough socializin' fer a week."

"Yes indeed, lets get the show on the road, the sooner we get into Cheliax the sooner we can get out."

"Tsk," Iason says mildly to Eshshah's words on Cheliax. He glances back to the captain. "How many days we will be shipboard, assuming fair weather? I will need to be sure I have enough, ah... food."

Yep, ready once the GM is.

"Good question, yes a ship would be the fastest and easiest way to get there, or at least almost. You have to cross the Inner Sea to the west until you reach the sea gate at Corentyn. From there you will have to travel with a caravan along the coast, it is too dangerous to sail in these waters. The details about the town are no details. The people living there try to hide their heritage and don't want any contacts outside of Blackcove. Although they are no contacts to the Society, we know three other names of important people: Gervus Barhandin, the lighthouse keeper; Lira Saruven, the village pastor; and Nicolaius Gavendi, constable. And just in case you never heard about skums before, they are hunchbacked, green-skinned humanoid with a wide, frog-like head but a toothy fish mouth. Your journey will take about two weeks." Valsin answers.

Once you are ready and prepared to depart.
After a journey of about two and a half weeks you reach the Acradian Ocean and soon after you get to Hellmouth Gulf.

Ships and sailors avoid Hellmouth Gulf for good reason. Sharp rocks jut from the waves all along its inhospitable coastline, like the gaping maw of some foul beast. A rough road runs the length of the coast, providing a safer choice for those averse to traveling across the sea.

The Hellmouth Gulf ’s coast is a treacherous stretch of craggy cliffs, torn from the side of the continent by the cataclysmic tremors of Earthfall, 10,000 years ago. A coastal road follows the rugged coastline atop these cliffs; some stretches are hundreds of feet tall, and only occasionally do breaks in the cliff wall expose entrances to small coves and inlets. Dark sand and jagged rocks cover the coast’s small, spare beaches, and the incoming tide carries with it a sulfurous grime. It is along such a stretch of coastline that the adventure begins.

A low fog hangs along the shore, refusing to release its grip in the pervasive gloom of an overcast morning. The surf crashes against nearby cliffs, and the cold wind carries a spray of fine mist. But then a cry of distress rings out over the briny current! Shouts of pain echo as a fisherman in an old rowboat wields a single broken oar against an enormous crab. The man struggles to reach the rocks and the safety of a small inlet nearby.