GM Ladile's TL;DR: A Pathfinder Society Campaign

Game Master Lady Ladile

Maria smiles, "Oh excellent! That is a useful spell. And doubly so with the sponge. I will take one. I will need to adjust my elixirs, but fortunately I don't do such a thing until after mission briefings."

She will happily take the runed ball (unless someone adamantly claims it). She is sure no consequence at all will come of it being shoved in an extradimensional space.

The elf has a theory, "Okay, so hear me out. I expect the water temple was taken out by a rival monastery. Maybe from jealousy, or to win the tournament, or to cover up a theft of some crazy thing. But that said, I also fully expect the temple is up and running, underwater. It makes the most sense. If someone tried to kill me, I would happily let them think they succeeded and stay in hiding. So, in addition to the usual dangers, we need to keep an eye out for anyone following us from the other groups. And also be prepared to deal with active monks of the order trying to keep us out. So put on your negotiation hats if we run across other sentients."

"Eh, I will take the water breathing potion, yes. One for Polly too, yes, if she is going to come along." The colourful bird of prey squawks assent, nodding her head.

"I can change my shape, yes, but still there are some things it's much harder to do as an octopus! And I am well supplied for healing, though more is no bad thing, yes.

Eh, speaking of which: you take these wands, Doctor? I used to be able to work them, but my privileges were revoked. I don't know why, I swear, yes."

Mal used to be a Bloodrager before the Lore Warden nerf forced a rebuild ;)

Malachi hands Dr O two wands. "The one that looks like a burned briar branch, that's a devil wand, yes. Mends wounds, but slowly. Not to everyone's taste, eh, but I don't complain." Malachi rubs his finger and thumb together in a universal gesture denoting cash money. "The crystal one makes a Shield spell, yes. You can use it to charge my ioun stone. And, eh, any of my new friends can use either of them as they wish, yes. In fact, I got lots of presents for you all, courtesy of my very good friend Aaqir al'Hakam, yes. We dine together often."

Malachi presents boxes of oils and exotic spell components. "For sharpening blades and empowering spells. Best you can get, yes. Only for my good friends, eh." Malachi's "Unparalleled Supplies".

"Oh yes, plenty for your critter friends too," Melipdra answers cheerfully as she begins handing out the potions, as well as the potion sponges that will make using them underwater possible.

Since it doesn't outright *say* that you guys can't have one of each...have one of each!

"I was going to suggest that you hire someone in town to captain your ship, but it sounds like Malachi and Polly have plenty of experience doing just that! And since you've, ah, lived an interesting life on the seas, I suspect you might be more skilled than most of the sailors that pass through Niswan," she adds.
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Ignoring the strangeness of her having arranged a ship that (apparently) has no captain, you have the option of hiring a captain in town if no one in the group happens to have Profession: Sailor as a trained skill. But with Malachi you're good (and his skill is better anyway).

"Eh, yes, yes! Captain Malachi will take this ship, yes!" Mal doffs his tricorne and bows again - again causing Polly to take flight.

"It has guns, yes?"

Maria tips her cap to Mal, ”Captain, I have served on several sailing ships, I’d be happy to assist with the daily tasks.” She glances at the other elf on the floor before adding, ”I would be surprised if Tahl had not also done the same, though it is sort of random when she remembers such things. Which of course is one of the reasons we like her so much.”

Doc nods in agreement with Maria's hypothesis. He begins to add his own thoughts, but is cut off by the discussion of potions, wands and sailing expertise. Which is probably for the best, anyway....

"Ah, yes, this one ... I can use," he says tucking the "devil wand" into his belt. "Healing is healing. I, too, have no ... problem with it."

He examines the one with the crystal in it and holds Malachi's ioun stone in the other hand. "Hmmm... the spell is ... unfamiliar to me. But perhaps..."

"Hogo, if you ... please." Hogo wiggles in assent and pricks Doc's thumb gently, letting the blessing of Pharasma flow from them.

UMD, Guidance : 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 14 + 1 = 23

"Ahh, there you ... go." He says happily and hands the charged ioun stone back to Malachi. "But perhaps it would be ... easier for the young lady ... to use it." He then drops the shield wand next to the prostrate Hep. "Young" being relative, of course. When you've lived a hundred lifetimes, even an ancient elf is still just a kid.

"Well, it seems as though you're mostly set," Venture-Captain Melipdra nods approvingly. "The ship you'll be looking for tomorrow is the Flawless Diamond. Until then, I recommend you go out and enjoy the sights of Niswan and make any last-minute purchases you might be thinking about. Better to be safe than sorry, after all!"
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Since you'll be setting sail the next morning you've got time in-game to make purchases and arrange your spells as desired. I'll look to move us along proper after I get home from work in a few hours. Until then, I'll leave you with the following spoiler regarding underwater combat for this scenario:

I've also posted this information under a spoiler at the top of the campaign page as well, for easy reference.

By the next morning, Maria has completed her purchases and is ready to go.

Underwater Crossbow and 20 bolts, 72g. Another Potion Sponge with Touch of the Sea, 52g. She bought a few water related things after the last session so that should be all she needs, hopefully.

The Doctor and Hogo head into the marketplace in search of a scroll or two. Finding just the right spell, plus one other they think might be useful someday, they retire to their lodgings for the evening.

Doctor O'Mayga sits at the small table in their room with the two scrolls, a small dagger, and a bowl. Hogo lies in a coil on the table, their tail vibrating eagerly in anticipation of a new treat.

The samsaran cuts his pinkie and squeezes a few drops of blood into the bowl. With a snap of his middle finger, he sets the first scroll ablaze and carefully directs the ashes into the bowl. He slowly mixes the ashes together with the blood and focuses on what the spell would allow him to accomplish. Hogo squirms across the table and practically climbs into the bowl quickly lapping up the blood and ash mixture through their hollow thorns. As the essence of the new spell settles into their being, Hogo coils back up onto the table to await their second treat.

The Doctor repeats the process with the other scroll, and when they are finished, the pair of very strange beings go to bed early.

Spellcraft DC 16: Comprehend Languages : 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (5) + 14 = 19
Spellcraft DC 16: Marid's Mastery : 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (16) + 14 = 30

In the morning, they join the others in the common room, ready for an adventure upon the sea.

Adding Comprehend Languages and Marid's Mastery to his familiar from scrolls, cost = 50gp. Swapping out a couple spells prepared, and updated Profile page.

Zithembe, in a new suit of sterling armor, having taken the more serious portion of Holan-Ji's advice to heart, nods to O'mayga. "Someone my own age," he comments in a dry dead pan.

"Thank you," he says to the Venture-Captain. "Though I am made of metal and stone, I do still breathe air."

He speaks with the quartermaster at the lodge and receives a coral wand after he finishes. He then heads to the library to meet with another member of the Dark Archive.

What does Unparalleled Supplies get us?

"Unparalleled Supplier" is an Exchange faction card boon. The exact wording is: Your access to superior resources makes your team deadlier. You can reroll a total number of your or your allies' weapon or spell damage dice per day equal to your number of goals completed [7]; you must use the new result. So it's a little better than I remembered, being reusable each day. I'm always happy for team members to use this boon whenever they wish, no need to ask.

Malachi almost squawks at the sight of Zithembe. "Eh! A golem, yes!" The Captain's hand goes to his adamantine hammer, but seeing nobody else prepare for violence Malachi stays his hand. "Eh, it's with us, yes? Okaaay. Someone's spending a lot of gold, yes."

"Someone long dead did spend a large sum to create me," Zithembe says with a hint of sadness in his voice. "However, I am fully my own self thanks to the yamaraj and centuries of self exploration." He smiles in an effort to put the tengu at ease.

Doc ignores the conversation about golems. Golems are not alive, so they don't die, so they're of no interest or use to him.

Nor does he even realize who it is that they're actually talking about.

But when Zithembe speaks of his creation, he does look up. "Yes, my friend... Thank you again for the ... wonderful conversation on the ... ship coming here. About your ... creation and your ... insight into the realms ... beyond life. It was very ... enlightening, and I've added it to my ... research notes."

"Eh? Yes ... I did, Hogo... You know what ... I mean.... Ah, but they do not.... Of course."

He returns to addressing those assembled for breakfast.

"My apologies. Hogo has asked me to ... inform you that they are the ... repository of my notes. I do not ... keep paper. They wrote out the ... entirety of my ... last research paper in ... blood-ink for submission to ... Lepidstadt University."

He strokes one of the vine's thorns. "Thank you again, ... Hogo, my friend."

Do you smell that?

Hepsubia puts her hand near Maria's nose

I tried to be cautious, and take precautions before rushing into dangers head first this time. I bought some shark repellent soap from a vendor, and even if I had my doubts, I admit it work so far: I haven't met a shark since last week. Do you think we should work on our own formula?
Something that could both repel sharks and .. I don't know... baby dinosaurs? Someone with you alchemical skills can probably do that!

Maria sniffs, ”Smells like clove and… jasmine? It might just be a perfume. But I do have some vermin repellent here. We could easily adapt it to other creatures. But would need to make it waterproof to work against sharks… but then how could they smell it? Interesting conundrum!”

"If you are not bitten ... did the repellent work? ... Or were the sharks just ... not hungry?"

The Grandfrogger opens his mouth as if to say something, reconsiders, closes his mouth, and instead pours himself another cup of tea.

"Eh, a leshy friend of mine swears by 'vegetarian repellent', but I'm not so sure it's good for sharks, yes. Sharks very fine predators, yes, but much too friendly with sahuagin, Besmara take the lot of 'em!"

The morning brings with it clear skies, warm temperatures, and a light breeze - practically perfect sailing weather. After a hearty breakfast and one last check of your gear and other equipment, you make your way down to the docks for your date with the Flawless Diamond.

When you arrive, everything is in order and the ship is ready for departure at the group's leisure. It's now that you know you need to decide two very important things - who will captain the ship and who will attempt to navigate using the mysterious sphere? The answer to the first seems fairly obvious, but the second one might be a little less clear.
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As you set out, one person needs to captain the ship using either Profession: Sailor or Survival; using Survival is the more challenging option of the two.

Another person needs to hold on to the sphere and try to determine which direction it's wanting to go. For this, you may use Kn. Arcana *or* Spellcraft to sense the direction of the magical energy or Sleight of Hand *or* Dexterity to feel the direction the sphere is pulling in. The difficulty here is the same no matter which skill is chosen.

The rest of you may Aid Another on one of these tasks, but not both. But you don't all have to pick the same person to help; for example there are six of you so you could have two people aid the captain and two aid the navigator or three aid the navigator and one aid the captain or however you'd like to split it.

Maria has a great Arcana skill, but is also one of the few that can try to aid a profession: sailor check. If someone else can handle the orb decently she would probably prefer to help sail.

The Grandfrogger and Cherry-Blossom-Tender could help with the orb using Spellcraft, but I doubt either would be our best choice for a primary roller (+9 and +7 respectively). That being said, do we need to Aid with the same skill as the primary roller @GM?

The Grandfrogger dips a hand into the harbor and holds it there for a moment before ascending the gangplank onto the ship with wet, skwelching footsteps.

That being said, do we need to Aid with the same skill as the primary roller @GM?

Generally yes, though I'll entertain different skills based on reasoning and/or good roleplay, as always!

My gut feeling here (and after checking a couple pc skills) is that Dread Pirate Malarchy Sails with Hep and Maria aiding and that Doc spellcrafts with Grandfrogger, CBT & Zith aiding.

Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Without anyone noticing, Hepsubia is already looking at the sphere, making it turn on the tip of one finger

So, do you have a favorite place to go?

You could hope that she knows what she is doing-which is quite unlikely, but at least she does it with style.

The fearsome pirate respectable fruits and vegetables merchant steps aboard the Flawless Diamond with great pride.

"Eh, your Captain has arrived, yes! Time to get to work, me trumps, yes! You! Swab the decks! You, you, and you, make sail! Who tied those knots, yes? I knew tengu back in Minkai barely out of their eggs who'd do a better job! To work, yes! To work!"

Malachi wastes no time in setting the crew to their jobs. "What's the orb doing, yes?" Malachi glances at the elf who seems to do the opposite of whatever her comrades expect at every opportunity.

profession (sailor), Polly: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 8 + 1 = 21

I typically assume it's ok for Polly to Guidance any out-of-combat skill check that Malachi makes, since she can cast it at will.

Maria purchases a tricorne hat on the way and positions it so her ears still poke up above the edges. She steps up the gangplank and salutes Malachi, "Permission to step aboard, Cap'n?" She glances at the rest of the 'crew' and leans in to whisper, "I'd suggest taking me on as First Mate, these landlubbers, sans the grippli, probably don't even know which knot to use."

Profession: Sailor + Inspiration Aid DC 10: 1d20 + 2 + 1d6 ⇒ (11) + 2 + (4) = 17

"Permission granted, sailor, yes!" Malachi touches the tip of his own tricorne in acknowledgement. "Eh, nice hat!"

"I see you know the ropes, yes! A fine First Mate you'll be then, me trump!"

Doc watches in awe as the stone ball spins atop Hep's thin finger. Carefully and slowly so as to not disrupt her concentration, he moves his hands in an orbit around the ball while Hogo chitters encouragingly.

Spellcraft, guidance : 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 14 + 1 = 32

Yep, no problem with the familiars using Guidance to help out.

Impulsive as always, Hepsubia balances the mysterious sphere on the tip of her finger and watches with fascination as it spins slowly around and around. As it begins to try and roll as it did earlier she allows it to move across the top of her left hand...and then the right one...and then the left one again, alternating back and forth. Careful to not break Hepsubia's concentration, Dr. O'mayga weaves his own energies around the elf and the sphere, slowing the latter's movement enough to keep it from rolling out of the elf's grasp.

After a few moments of this, both of them are confident that the sphere is pulling in a southerly direction.

With a course set, sort of, Malachi wastes no time in putting everyone else to work as he takes the helm and sets about guiding the ship due west out of the harbor. Once the course is set Maria, having smoothly stepped up as First Mate, takes the helm while Malachi hands down orders to the rest of the crew.

Success on both checks!

The sun shines brightly, and a steady wind fills the sails as you travel along. You follow the orb's pull, heading along Jalmeray's coast until you round the island's westernmost point towards the south. The ship continues to cut through the cerulean waves until, eventually, a small island comes into view on the horizon. Hepsubia and Dr. O'mayga notice that the orb's pull seems to be growing stronger - so you're certainly on the right track.

As your ship draws within a mile or so of the island, the runes on the sphere suddenly light up! Everyone can feel a powerful pulse of energy emanate outward from the sphere and wash over the area. The sea begins to roil tumultuously, as though responding to a large earthquake!
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Another round of checks to steer the ship & sense the sphere's direction of travel, please! This time things are more challenging due to the environmental conditions *but* you do get a +2 bonus on this set since you successfully passed the first set.

Maria rushes off to take control of the sails while leaving the more experienced Captain in charge of the rudder, "Helm is yours Cap'n, see us through."

Profession: Sailor + Inspiration + Bonus: 1d20 + 2 + 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 + (6) + 2 = 13

Zithembe holds tightly to a line as the seas thrash around them. He concentrates upon the orb in order to assist the Samsaran in sensing its movements.

Spellcraft, Aid O'mayga: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

"Eh, we're heading into rough waters, yes! Batten the hatches! Mind the coamings! I've got the wheel, shipmates, yes!"

Polly flaps about, settling on the Captain's pauldron as far as she may.

prof.sailor, polly, first mate, early success: 1d20 + 8 + 1 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 8 + 1 + 2 + 2 = 31

Captain Malarkey is evidently enjoying himself in command of ship and crew.

"Hogo, hang on..." Doc blurts out surprisingly quickly as the wave of energy pulses outward and the seas roil. He's not sure what's going on, exactly, but he knows it's, well, "not good" is probably an understatement.

He refocuses on the spinning, pulsing, glowing ball while Hogo takes a firm grasp of his hair.

Spellcraft, guidance, Aided : 1d20 + 14 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 14 + 1 + 2 = 26

The Grandfrogger says nothing, watching the orb’s subtle movements with unblinking eyes. Every so often he reaches out a hand to help stabilize the waves of energy flowing from the artifact.

Spellcraft to Aid vs DC 10: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

Cherry-Blossom-Tender, on the other hand, spouts an unceasing torrent of observations. “Okaynowit’sgoingthiswaywhichdirectionisthatIthinkit’sleftyesleftwaitnowit’ sgoingrightwaitnotheotherrightbutnotleft…”

Spellcraft to Aid vs DC 10: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Looks like I left off the +2 extra from our previous successes, and obviously another +2 Aid from the GF. So total at this point should be 30

Does someone need some Helpsubia?

Aid another, Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 8 + 2 = 15

Everyone rallies together to keep the ship on course, proving that even hazardous weather conditions are no match for Pathfinder teamwork! With some effort, you're able to keep focused on the sphere's directional pull and keep the ship moving forward. After a few tense minutes you manage to clear the worst of it, gliding into calmer, clearer waters once more.

But your troubles aren't over just yet. Something quite large approaches from underneath the water off the ship's starboard beam! It's difficult to tell exactly what it is, but it looks like it might be some sort of giant turtle!

Note: A completely submerged creature has total cover against opponents on land unless those opponents have freedom of movement effects. Magical effects are unaffected except for those that require attack rolls (which are treated like any other effects) and fire effects per page 432 of the CRB.
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Round 1

Maria
Zithembe
The Grandfrogger
Malachi
Hepsubia
Dr. O’mayga
==============
Very Big Turtle (Underwater)

Active Conditions: None

Environmental Conditions: Calm Water

Everyone may act!

The Open Sea

Optional Battle Music

Knowledge: Arcana + Inspiration: 1d20 + 11 + 1d6 ⇒ (20) + 11 + (2) = 33

Resistances, Weaknesses, Special Attacks

”Dragon Turtle! A big bugger. If it wants this ship to sink, it might be big enough to do it. So now would be a good time to figure out how to swim and breath under water.”

She slams back an elixir and pulls out her potion of water breathing.

Elixir of Touch of the Sea

Even submerged, Maria can tell that this creature is surely a dragon turtle. She recalls that even though dragon turtles actually *are* classified as dragons, they don't have any particular weaknesses or resistances. On the other hand, they *do* possess the ability to breathe scalding hot steam both above and below the surface of the water and she also recalls that dragon turtles often capsize ships that enter their territory without offering tribute in the form of gold and magic items.

On the bright side, the Flawless Diamond is larger than the dragon turtle so capsizing it will be more difficult.

Still, it's a chance that Maria isn't willing to take as she gulps down an elixir. Her feet shift into flippers and webbing grows between each of her fingers.
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Round 1

Maria (Touch of the Sea)
Zithembe
The Grandfrogger
Malachi
Hepsubia
Dr. O’mayga
==============
Dragon Turtle (Underwater)

Active Conditions: None

Environmental Conditions:

Zithembe, The Grandfrogger, Malachi, Hepsubia, Dr. O’mayga are UP!

The Open Sea

Optional Battle Music

The Grandfrogger likewise drinks from a similar bottle, red eyes narrowing at the taste.

Move action to retrieve potion of water breathing, standard action to drink it.

The Grandfrogger grimly follows Maria's lead, pulling out his potion of Water Breathing and drinking it down.
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Round 1

Maria (Touch of the Sea)
Zithembe
The Grandfrogger (Water Breathing)
Malachi
Hepsubia
Dr. O’mayga
==============
Dragon Turtle (Underwater)

Active Conditions: None

Environmental Conditions:

Zithembe, Malachi, Hepsubia, Dr. O’mayga are UP!

The Open Sea

Optional Battle Music

Maria also steps back and away from the railing, "Maybe we can talk to it, maybe not. But it might do well to spread out a bit in case it decides to just cook us."

"Indeed," Zithembe says and moves across the deck of the ship toward the bow, drawing a coral wand as he does. He gestures with the wand.

Spellcraft, Magical Tinkerer: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (7) + 21 = 28

Move, Cast touch of the sea from wand

"Eh, you take the wheel, yes!" Malachi orders one of the sailors as he heads towards the stern.

"You'll not get this ship, by Besmara's Bloody Bones!" the Captain shouts over the side. "I invoke the power of the Kraken, ruler of the depths and servant of the Queen of Strife!"

Suddenly, three thick tentacles burst forth from Malachi's chest and shoulders!

Wild Shape. Duration 70 mins.

Meanwhile, Polly bestows Besmara's Guidance upon the Captain before flying off out of harm's way, high above the ship.

With a fly speed of 60, she'll get 30' up at least after using her Guidance ability first.

Arcana : 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16

Doc seems confused about the creature. Is it a dragon or a turtle? Perhaps it's like one of those hermit crabs, but it's a dragon inside a turtle's shell. Yes, that must be it.

Either way, he's guessing it speaks Dragon, which he learned six ... no, seven ... lives ago. He steps to the railing to hail it.

"Hello there, ... mighty ... one." He resorts at the last second to something generic, lest he offend it by calling it a dragon or a turtle or a crab. "May we ... what do the pirates say? ... parlay?" he calls out in the speech of Dragons.

But lest it be simply an animal, or in fact a turtle that does not speak Draconic, or just too mad to care, he too uses the potion sponge in case he ends up in the water.

Zithembe readies himself to potentially go for a swim as well while Malachi quickly passes the helm off to one of the crew before shifting into a form more suited to aquatic shenanigans! Polly offers her ally one last little bit of guidance before taking to the air.

Reasoning that if it looks kinda like a dragon, then it probably speaks dragon, Dr. O'mayga steps closer to the rail and calls out to the incoming creature...before readying his potion sponge. Just in case.

Waiting until the turtle's turn comes up before responding to Dr. O'mayga's query.
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Round 1

Maria (Touch of the Sea)
Zithembe (Touch of the Sea)
The Grandfrogger (Water Breathing)
Malachi (Guidance, Wild Shape’d)
>Polly
Hepsubia
Dr. O’mayga
==============
Dragon Turtle (Underwater)

Active Conditions: None

Environmental Conditions: None

Hepsubia is UP!

The Open Sea

Optional Battle Music

In Draconic

Beware, Turtle! For I possess a mighty artefact that shall spell your doom if I so do wish! Behold the fabled "Shell Shocked:Fifty recipes of Turtle soups and meat" , by the bard Ramsay Gordon and swim away, never to be seen again!

Bluff: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

For those still on the boat, and close to the elf, you notice it's just her alchemical tome. But turtles aren't known for their keen sight, so that was worth a try!

Hepsubia also calls out in Draconic, holding up her alchemical tome and threatening doom and digestion upon the turtle if it doesn't scram. Of course it's just a ruse, but the dragon turtle doesn't know that...or does it?

The creature charges forward underneath the water and broadsides the Flawless Diamond with a loud *WHOMP* and a crunching of wood! The entire ship shakes and shudders, but it thankfully doesn't capsize.

"Little elf-thing, you aren't the first to bluster and bloviate to me," the dragon turtle roars as it raises its head above the water. "The blue one called for a parley? Very well - give me the orb and I will leave your pitiful ship afloat!"
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Round 2

Maria (Touch of the Sea)
Zithembe (Touch of the Sea)
The Grandfrogger (Water Breathing)
Malachi (Guidance, Wild Shape’d)
>Polly
Hepsubia
Dr. O’mayga
==============
Dragon Turtle (Underwater)

Active Conditions: None

Environmental Conditions: None

Everyone may act!

The Open Sea

Optional Battle Music