Gameplay thread.
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A missive arrives at your table, delivered by a nervous-looking young Pathfinder-in-training who looks like he's probably been doing the job for about three days, tops. It's written on a dog-eared scrap of parchment in messy scrawling letters, with a thumbprint in ink accidentally scored to the top-right corner.
Yeah, sorry. Stuff came up. Be there soon.
--Sigrun Wolfrunner
... how very informative. Who is this 'Sigrun' person anyway...?
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"My name is Druthane. I'm a Pathfinder by happenstance. My mentor was a Pathfinder who has been missing for some time. In my travels I have kept an eye out for him. I have been all over the world, and I feel as if I am close. In my travels I have picked up blade and spell both. I am also a gifted researcher. In fact, while waiting for our missive, I'd love to hear an account of one of your missions."
You two, both being magi, should also look into possibly exchanging spells! here
It's been several days since the Pathfinder Society helped the desperate defenders of Nerosyan fight back the demonic assault, and Venture-Captain Jorsal has asked you to remain at the Starrise Spire, the local Society lodge, for a few days while he investigates the wreckage of Kenabres to the north. You expect to get word of a mission from him soon, but there's plenty of time to make a few purchases in town or copy over a few spells.
A large half-orc gently pulls out a chair at the center of the table and extends a gauntleted hand to Druthane Pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm Torca, Paladin of Sarenrae and Pathfinder for creatures great and small. Flashig a winning, tusked smile at the Tiefling [b] Good to see you again, Trifle! Have you truly abandoned midwifery then? An associate of mine is close to their time and could use a special hand accostumed to us non-traditionals.
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The door to the lodge slams open unceremoniously as a tall, wild-haired Ulfen woman stomps her way inside. Heavily armed and armoured, with weapon hilts poking out of every viable surface on her back and belt, she seems well prepared for the warzone that the Diamond City had become mere days before. The wooden shield strapped to her back is decorated with a painted white howling wolf head, and seems to have been recently burned but never quite repaired.
After glancing this way and that, she spies the gathering group and makes her way over, steel jangling obnoxiously loudly as she goes. Weapons are roughly unclipped from her belt and dumped on the floor alongside her backpack before she takes a seat, the chair squeaking under her weight, and she offers the group a toothy grin. "Hey," she says simply, roughly cleaning off her hands on the bottom of her tunic before extending it to each in turn. "Name's Sigrun. Boss of the Wolfrunner trade consortium," she snickers a little - an inside joke, perhaps? "and your regular ol' Pathfinder through an' through. Good to be workin' with ya'. ... And good to be pullin' this thorn outta the Society's backside, too," she adds, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
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"My name is Druthane. I'm a Pathfinder by happenstance. My mentor was a Pathfinder who has been missing for some time. In my travels I have kept an eye out for him. I have been all over the world, and I feel as if I am close. In my travels I have picked up blade and spell both. I am also a gifted researcher. In fact, while waiting for our missive, I'd love to hear an account of one of your missions."
"Well met, Druthane! I've actually just returned from a long trek that was first thought to be just a simple rescue, but turned into more politics than I personally like to muck about with, even if it was in a land I care for...anyway, all's well that ends well, for the daughter we set out to rescue is alive and well."
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A large half-orc gently pulls out a chair at the center of the table and extends a gauntleted hand to Druthane Pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm Torca, Paladin of Sarenrae and Pathfinder for creatures great and small. Flashig a winning, tusked smile at the Tiefling Good to see you again, Trifle! Have you truly abandoned midwifery then? An associate of mine is close to their time and could use a special hand accostumed to us non-traditionals.
Trifle turns to the half-orc. [b] "So good to see you again, my friend! We went on so many adventures together...alas, I have abandoned the birthing in exchange for building. I had the right muscles for it!" With that, Trifle laughs.
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After glancing this way and that, she spies the gathering group and makes her way over, steel jangling obnoxiously loudly as she goes. Weapons are roughly unclipped from her belt and dumped on the floor alongside her backpack before she takes a seat, the chair squeaking under her weight, and she offers the group a toothy grin. "Hey," she says simply, roughly cleaning off her hands on the bottom of her tunic before extending it to each in turn. "Name's Sigrun. Boss of the Wolfrunner trade consortium," she snickers a little - an inside joke, perhaps? "and your regular ol' Pathfinder through an' through. Good to be workin' with ya'. ... And good to be pullin' this thorn outta the Society's backside, too," she adds, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"And Sigrun, good to be meetin' ye. It's always good to meet another Pathfinder who loves her weaponry! Where did your most recent travels take you?"
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The door opens, once again. This time, a medium-sized man enters. His fists, balled, are heavily worn, and it's hard to believe they're not made of rock. They relax when he sees the party. He exhales loudly, relieved. Shirtless and appearing to carry no weapons, he looks entirely out of place.
"Am I late? Do we have a mission yet? Got lost on the way here. Sorry." He scans the group, sees faces he doesn't recognize. Before anyone can answer his question, he continues, "Guess I better introduce myself. I'm Munk. Sailor, defender of freedom, fellow Pathfinder, yadda yadda. Happy to be here."
He takes a seat.
1. If you haven't already done so, attend to the list in the discussion tab here.
2. If anyone wants to help Druthane out with his special boon, you can regale him of one of your prior adventures (without spoilers and in character please!). Let him know the name of the scenario and your PFS number.
This game of Mao begins now.
It has been weeks since the siege of Nerosyan, when demonic hordes from the Abyss surged forth from the region known as the Worldwound to assault the capital city of the crusader nation of Mendev. Brave Pathfinders stood side-by-side with the city’s defenders, managing to push back the attackers and ensure Nerosyan did not fall to the demons.
Venture-Captain Jorsal, the Society’s principle representative in Nerosyan, took charge of the Pathfinder defenders and since the siege has deployed numerous groups on missions throughout the region. Having left Nerosyan to survey the devastation of Kenabres, which fell to the demonic offensive, Jorsal requested that some of his most trusted agents—including you—remain behind in Nerosyan to guard the Starrise Spire, the local lodge.
As you all get acquainted in the Spire's warm common room, a messenger arrives bearing a fresh missive from Jorsal, signaling that more work remains to be done. It reads:
I trust this letter reaches you without incident. I remain in Kenabres, assessing the damage dealt by the demonic offensive that struck all along Mendev’s western border. Although the city is devastated, the fiends lost momentum and failed to maintain their advantage, and several particularly brave crusaders have rallied the scattered forces for a counterattack.
Since the siege of Nerosyan, I have mulled over a most troubling discovery. I received reports from Pathfinders involved in the siege implicating Thurl, Nerosyan’s other venture-captain, of knowing that the demons would attack and when. What little evidence I have goes so far as to suggest that Thurl assisted the demons in planning the assault against us.
Following the attack, I sent several Pathfinders to investigate Thurl’s lodge, and though the ground floor was bare of any further incriminating evidence, the lower level were inaccessible. Thurl left many magical wards to keep out intruders, and until we could investigate further and confirm whether or not my dwarven colleague had engaged in dire mischief, the Decemvirate has ordered that I not publicize my suspicions. I received word only an hour ago that those wards appear to have faded.
I have kept you at Starrise Spire not for mundane guard duty but because I can trust you to finish the investigation of Thurl’s lodge. Go there, enter its basement, and find what evidence you can that implicates Thurl in activities against the Society. Once you have explored his lodge thoroughly, report back to Starrise Spire and await my return.
The Pathfinder Society must know for certain whether Thurl has betrayed us and to what extent our trek to Jormurdun—to say nothing of the Mendevian Crusade—has been compromised. Our efforts shall mean nothing if sabotaged by a traitor, and the sooner we know, the less damage he can inflict.
Inheritor guide your hand,
Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury
Jorsal of Lauterbury officially oversees Pathfinder Society operations in the area, but there is a second venture-captain who operates his own lodge. This is a dwarf named Thurl who has a no-nonsense attitude and sports a dizzying array of tattoos, scars, and piercings. Some agents suspect that Thurl has not been entirely honest when dealing with the Decemvirate. Agents who work for him tend to have short life expectancies due to the dangerous work of exploring the Worldwound at his behest. Venture-Captain Thurl is perhaps the most dedicated scholar of demonic anatomy that the Society has, and several times in his career he has discovered a physiological or psychological weakness of the fiends that granted the crusaders a small advantage. A group of Pathfinders who finished a mission in Numeria was later assigned to review Thurl’s work and notebooks, but those agents have not been heard from for several months. Some Pathfinders who took part in the recent siege of Nerosyan and searched for Thurl claim to have found evidence that directly incriminates the dwarf. They found letters that indicate a link between Thurl and a known demonologist and enemy of the Society, Tancred Desimire. Such a link would no doubt mean that Thurl has powerful demonic allies and is somehow important to Tancred’s future plans against the Society.
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Trifle looks grimly at the others after reading the letter. "I hate to hear of corruption or turncoats among pathfinders, but in a venture captain? Unbelievable. I wonder if there are others around him who support his foul path...."
Trifle will ask around cautiously about any friends of Thurl's who might be upset at our snooping.
Can you tell us any more details about the reports that implicated Thurl?
T'Orca: Before heading out to question the townsfolk, T'Orca happens to muse her questions aloud and Sigrun precludes her investigation by filling her in: Jorsal of Lauterbury officially oversees Pathfinder Society operations in the area, but there is a second venture-captain who operates his own lodge. This is a dwarf named Thurl who has a no-nonsense attitude and sports a dizzying array of tattoos, scars, and piercings. Some agents suspect that Thurl has not been entirely honest when dealing with the Decemvirate. Agents who work for him tend to have short life expectancies due to the dangerous work of exploring the Worldwound at his behest. Venture-Captain Thurl is perhaps the most dedicated scholar of demonic anatomy that the Society has, and several times in his career he has discovered a physiological or psychological weakness of the fiends that granted the crusaders a small advantage. A group of Pathfinders who finished a mission in Numeria was later assigned to review Thurl’s work and notebooks, but those agents have not been heard from for several months. Some Pathfinders who took part in the recent siege of Nerosyan and searched for Thurl claim to have found evidence that directly incriminates the dwarf. They found letters that indicate a link between Thurl and a known demonologist and enemy of the Society, Tancred Desimire. Such a link would no doubt mean that Thurl has powerful demonic allies and is somehow important to Tancred’s future plans against the Society. As for why Thurl might collaborate with demonic forces, that is anyone's guess. Your task is to find out.
Druthane: You know that reports have Thurl leaving unexpectedly shortly before the demons suddenly struck Nerosyan. His lodge is a converted mercenary recruitment building sandwiched between a blacksmith and a brewery in the Egelsee District. The upper levels have been scoured by Lauterbury's Pathfinders in recent days and are pretty standard fare; however, there is a basement level where Thurl spent much of his time and that is completely unexplored. That's where you come in.
Trifle: Based on your local knowledge, you think the possibility of other collaborators is low. This is a nation teeming with paladins, inquisitors, and other crusaderly folk. As for other Pathfinders, Thurl's companions always did seem to meet their ends rather early...
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"And Sigrun, good to be meetin' ye. It's always good to meet another Pathfinder who loves her weaponry! Where did your most recent travels take you?"
"They're good kids, this lot," Sigrun chuckles, gently patting the hilt of her axe with a fond expression. "Been through thick and thin with 'em. Glad to see someone else that appreciates good steel."
"As for my travels... well, here, actually!" Sigrun proceeds to expound upon the events that had transpired here in Nerosyan a few days previous--how she had come here to trade with the dwarven populace, and wound up getting caught up with a demonic invasion of the city. "We wondered why we kept being caught up at every turn--we had a rat in the system, and it was my team that found his mousehole. I've gotta pay him back for blasting my face with cold magic, and of course for being a traitorous conniving wretch!"
Sigrun takes a moment to calm her temper, waiting until her tightly clenched fist is no longer pale around the knuckles. "He's probably tangled up with the cult of Baphomet somehow, I reckon. Heard tell that they're corrupting the ranks of crusaders an' whatnot, so it wouldn't surprise me to hear they've infected the Society as well. A bloody rot that needs to be cut off right off the bat, in my opinion."
"As for what he gains? What does anyone gain for consortin' with demons? Power! All at the cost of their soul for the Abyss. Pah!" Sigrun spits on the floor. It's clear that she's gravely offended by the contents of their mission today.
"But yeah. We got bothered by a few traps on the upper level of his lodge last time, so we need to be careful for that."
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Ober was late, but when wasn't he. His brother Liam, often chastised him about his dawdling, but Liam was a Venture Captain, with a longsword wedged firmly up his backside—always droning on about duty this and duty that.
Still, he was late and his lateness was a discourtesy to his companions. So as he entered he smiled broadly and apologized.
"I beg your forgiveness," He said with a short bow. "I was caught up in some Society business that just cleared up. I won't keep us waiting, by asking for a debrief, I'm sure my companions can bring me up to speed."
He turns to Trifle.
"Good to see you again Trifle, as for the rest of you, I'm Ober L'Outre, younger, funner, brother of Venture Captain Liam L'Outre, champion of Iomedae."
Ober turns toward Sigurn.
"The allure of demonic power is much more attractive than many believe. Though the price is terrible, those obsessed with gaining power can be lured to it. Let us not forget some of our own companions, come from lands were their leaders have made dark pacts with Fiends, perhaps a more civilized form of evil, but evil none-the-less."
When you arrive at the traitor's lodge in the Egelsee district, you encounter a few other Pathfinders loading the last of the ground floor's library into a cart for transport back to the Spire and later analysis.
One of this group greets you and introduces himself as Fornook Gibberdon. "Ah, well met Pathfinders! You mus' be the team Jorsal is sendin' below. We're jus' 'bout done here, so we'll be off soon to give you space t' work." He smiles a toothy, cheeky grin. "Oh! And Jorsal was expectin' t' send a team down, so he asked me t' round up a few useful things for ya." Gibberdon retrieves a small satchel from the cart and tosses it to the party.
"That there door--"he points to a heavy iron door, otherwise nondescript, centered in the back wall of the lodge's main room,"--will take you where you need t' go, we believe. 'Til yesterday it practically glowed w' Abyssal runes! Now jus' looks like a door. Good luck!"
One potion of cure moderate wounds
One scroll of perceive cues
One elixir of vision
One antitoxin
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"The scroll would be useful, but it's a spell style I'm not used to. I really ought to learn to use different magical devices one of these days. It keeps coming up. I suggest we use this stuff sooner, rather than later. Do we know how BIG this place is supposed to be? It's tempting to imbibe now if the place is small. If not, we should use it as soon as we find something of a main office."
Druthane flexes and stretches for a bit before drawing Naishinto. He approaches the door and casts Detect Magic.
You have absolutely no idea how big the place is. Behind that door may lie a simple broom closet, a staircase leading to a city-wide maze of tunnels, or a broom closet containing a portal to Narnia the Abyssal Plane. Or anything in between.
Your inspection of the door does reveal something, however. Just barely detectable is the faint lingering aura of powerful abjuration magic.
Druthane opens the door aaaaaaand...
A long set of dusty wooden stairs leads down into the dark. At the bottom, an open door leads into an untidy archive of tall shelves populated by crates, bins, and tomes. A handful of folios lay scattered about the room, concentrated most heavily near a large table that stands only about two feet tall.
The room appears to be a dead end. However, you quickly notice that the back side of the door through which you came is disguised to mimic the wall around it when closed.
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T'Orca assists Munk in his search of the room and the book, and also inspects the desk. T'Orca focuses on the concealed door and the area behind it for a few minutes using detect evil and then does the same with the desk.
Ho, Munk. I know a little about religions, but when it comes to demonology all I've got for you is E&ES -- Extra and Extra Smite!
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Druthane's entrance into the room is abruptly cut short, as his essence is unexpectedly sucked into the disguised door. The anthropomorphized entry-way is now the rooted resting place of Druthane's consciousness for the remainder of the scenario.
Druthane, Munk, and T'Orca begin poring over the walls and the tomes, without finding much. The texts are in a wide variety of languages, mostly Common and (Druthane identifies) Abyssal, as well as a dozen lesser-known languages. A bit more time an effort is needed to get a general sense of the library's contents, however.
The search for another concealed door is even less fruitful.
As the party begins tapping on the walls, something odd happens. One of the bookshelves gives a cautious stir and a soft voice ventures "Hello, Pathfinders." As you turn towards the source of the noise, you see a creature of terrifying visage step from its hiding place into the light. A pair of mismatched horns are the first to leave the shadows, followed shortly by a patchwork, stitched-together face of both human and Abyssal skin. The vivisected half-human, half-demon creature shuffles towards the party on uneven legs.
As Druthane reaches for Naishinto and Munk's leathery hands curl into fists, the creature offers an unexpected salutation. "I am relieved that the Decemvirate has finally sent loyal agents to my Lodge. I am Venture-Captain Valais Durant." Suddenly, the voice changes from a soft, timid, female voice to a deep, resonating baritone, uttering a short phrase in Abyssal.
While you all exchange confused looks, the former voice returns and continues. "The traitor Thurl built a hidden workplace past this room, and that’s where he performed his most vile experiments. If the Society is to understand just how--"the confident baritone returns briefly for a single word"--FOOLISH he is, someone must uncover his terrible schemes. That’s where you come in, Pathfinders. There is a hidden door against that wall.” She waves a crimson claw toward the south-west corner. “Beyond you shall find his lair. ANY QUESTIONS?"
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Ho, Munk. I know a little about religions, but when it comes to demonology all I've got for you is E&ES -- Extra and Extra Smite!
"You might even say E&ES will help us save the world, eh?"
ANY QUESTIONS?
Munk's fists relax, though the rest of his body remains tense. He glances at her crimson claw, a little nervously. He doesn't know what to expect from the half-human, half-demon Venture-Captain. But he walks up to her, anyway.
"Appreciate the help, Venture-Captain Valais. You seem knowledgeable. What should we expect when we talk through that hidden door? And can you tell us what you know about Thurl's experiments?"
She hasn't said anything threatening to the Pathfinders, so Munk tries to be as diplomatic as possible. Still, he wonders: is Valais hiding something? Has she always looked like that? Could she have been subject to one of Thurl's "most vile" experiments? As he listens to her response, he tries to sense her motives.
Valais stares agape at Munk for a moment, seemingly terrified by his last question. "I... He--I... I don't know. My investigation was... cut short." Her voices changes suddenly again, this time to a new third voice, a slippery, quiet, hissing voice positively dripping with anger. "Cut short by that vile, treasonous dwarf, yes!" And just as suddenly, the old voice returns. "Thurl was working with demons, and was trying to harness their powers in strange ways. How exactly, I was not able to figure out, but it... it is clear he has no moral boundaries in his research."
Her face contorts in fear for a moment before she continues, her voice again changing seemingly at random. "He... did things... to me. TO US. Yes... Thurl turned on me when he realized that the Decemvirate had me investigating his operation. When one of his PATHETIC MINIONS turned me in, he surprised me and knocked me unconscious. I awoke in one of the chambers below, and made my way here. And here I wait, in the shadows..."
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Ober circles the Venture Captain, investigating him as he speaks.
"I apologize for my apparent rudeness, it's just, I've never seen anything like you before."
Taking the man in thoroughly he stops.
"My apologies, again, I am Ober L'Outre and these are my friends, we are as you say, loyal pathfinders here to undo the trouble caused by Thurl. Is there anything you can share with us, such as what happened to you?"
"My apologies, again, I am Ober L'Outre and these are my friends, we are as you say, loyal pathfinders here to undo the trouble caused by Thurl. Is there anything you can share with us, such as what happened to you?"
"As I said, I was BETRAYED BY THAT MISERABLE WRETCH. Then... then..." She stops, her face a montage of remembered pain.
Eventually, her expression clears and she looks up, as though suddenly remembering that you are here and who you are. "YOU WILL LEARN TO FEAR THE POWER CONTAINED BELOW! Sadly, I don't know much of what was happening in the lower levels, as I escaped just after I woke up. I've waited here since, expecting the Decemvirate to send me FRESH MINIONS. I knew the Society wouldn't abandon me! Also, just in case Thurl returned I wanted to be ready to stab him in the back, then skin him alive..."
She gestures again to the south-west corner, this time with her purple claw. "Beyond that door is a large area that Thurl used as some kind of dumping ground. A small shrine conceals a secret passage to a second level below, but that shouldn't be a problem to get past WITH ME AROUND."
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Trifle studies the venture captain and speaks a few sympathetic words in Abyssal.
"Who are you? How did you become trapped inside this human?"
Trifle hopes that her own mixed heritage will lend her credence with the poor venture captain's other half. As the granddaughter of a fiend, at times different parts of her are at war with one another ... though perhaps less directly than in this creature.
Valais stares, uncomprehending, at Trifle. Only one voice makes an appearance this time: "I... I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean," she replies in Taldane.
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Like Trifle, T'Orca also has a certain sympathy for creatures of odd heritages. Still, to be safe, T'Orca uses detect evil
Venture Captain T'Orca] salutes and bows I'm sorry for what Thurl has done to you. I do not understand it, but you have my sword in service of bringing Thurl to justice. Will you help us search the lower levels? We would be grateful for your expertise.
Valais does NOT detect as evil. "Why yes of course! I am happy to accompany MY MINIONS. Venture-Captains should be more active, after all. Do you accept the mission then, O Pathfinders?"
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"Why yes of course! I am happy to accompany MY MINIONS. Venture-Captains should be more active, after all. Do you accept the mission then, O Pathfinders?"
Valais is unstable, to say the least. Munk recognizes her multiple personalities could make her dangerous to the party. In particular, he doesn't like the part of Valais that sees the party as "fresh minions."
But Munk was born in Andoran, and he is a freedom fighter through and through. He can't shake the feeling that it's his destined duty, as a monk, to liberate Valais from the multiple demonic personalities that inhabit her body. Although he's worried about asking Valais to accompany the party further into Thurl's lab, he sees securing her freedom as more important.
Plus, he believes the party may learn more from her, yet.
"Yes, Venture-Captain. We will investigate Thurl's lair to uncover what incriminating evidence we can find. And we'd love your assistance." He turns to look at the rest of the party, hoping they're on the same page. "Now, will you show us the hidden door?"
"Of course! It is here, in the corner. I shall--rip it from its hinges!--open it for you." Stepping unevenly on her mismatched limbs towards the corner, Valais reaches out a claw toward a seemingly undistinguished bit of wall and pulls gently on a crack in the masonry. A door swings wide amid the stone; beyond lies a narrow hallway.
The party follows Ober down the passageway, which soon ends abruptly in a truly massive subterranean chamber.
This room stretches ahead and to either side as far as the eye can see. Wall segments stretch from floor to ceiling, as much resembling overgrown stalactites as architectural features, and chunks of shattered masonry and other rubble litter the otherwise even floor. Long since expired torches rest in sconces affixed intermittently to the remaining walls.
From the looks of it, this room was once an extremely large and elaborate labyrinth. Most of the walls have been destroyed, however, and lines of rubble differentiate a former wall from a former passageway. The room is fairly navigable thanks to the destroyed walls; nevertheless it is difficult to see beyond your light source(s) and periodic walls prevent you from seeing more than about 50 feet in any particular direction (except behind you, of course).
It will take some time to thoroughly explore the shattered maze.
The dancing lights don't reveal anything especially thrilling at the moment, but Druthane does note a stick poking out of a pile of rubble that seems out of place. Ober, helpfully, identifies another near the cavern's outer wall.