GM Tyranius To Scale A Dragon (Sub-Tier 5-6) (Inactive)

Game Master Tyranius

Dot in Here

First to arrive is a kitsune, wearing leather armor that's as black as a moonless sky, covered in daggers, and two bandoliers crossed over his chest. He doesn't attempt to disguise his heritage, instead, his poofy auburn tail extends out from his blackened armor, and the snow white tip frequently flits around as the man-fox sniffs here and there and looks around.

He eventually takes a seat in the corner and starts going through items in his pack, stuffing some in his belt, some in his bandoliers, and some into pockets strategically hidden on his person.

Following the fox man into the room appointed for their latest briefing, there is the soft thud of something heavy moving down the corridor, reminiscent of a golem rather than some one in full harness. Instinctively ducking under the door frame the Aasimar looks around the study. White trousers cut off at the knee reveal bare feet and a sleeveless robe hangs over ahining silver armour emblazoned with the heraldry of the silver crusade. A foaming mug is tattooed onto one arm and a tien dragon on the other.

He too has no impulsion to hide his angelic heritage, white blonde hair flows free and his eyes are the blue of sapphires. His skin is the most eye catching feature however, as it appeara to be made from dark steel. He nods to the other rooms ocxupant before leaning against the wall to the left of the door. His voice is a deep rumble.

"Well met, I am Tomas, Warpriest of the Drunken Hero"

Behind those two comes a pale woman in light grey robes. Aside from a few splatters of blood, her outfit is pristine clean. Her expression is bright, and her constant smile never seems to fade. An emblem of a fly is painted on her buckler. (Knowledge (religion) DC 10 is enough to tell that she worships Urgathoa, the goddess of disease, gluttony, and undeath.)

"I came here running!" she says gleefully, with a slight Ustalavic accent. "Did you hear what that gnome said? Bones of a sage! Oh yes, I like the sound of this mission already!"

"My name is Dolores. Matters of life, death, and undeath are my specialty and greatest interest. A pleasure meeting you." She goes to stand near the window. When she does so, the curtains begin to flow abruptly, as if shaken by a chaotic breeze.

An ancient piece of Sarkorian pottery recovered on one of the Society's recent expeditions to the Worldwound sits on a stout pedestal near the door - but between Tomas's thunderous footsteps and the mischievous influence surrounding Dolores, it begins teetering perilously, and before anyone can reach it, it falls.

And a lithe Elven arm shoots out of the doorway just in time to catch it before it hits the hard floor.

The rest of the Elf - athletically-built, platinum-haired, turquoise-eyed, dressed in nothing heavier than elegant clothing but heavily armed with a quintessentially Elven-looking panoply of weapons and an elegant silver spellbook - follows it into the room.

"Right on time, as always." He says softly as he puts the artifact back in its place, then moves the whole thing a bit further from the doorway. "Zeno. Zeno Loxley," He says to the others after a moment.

Picking his nose with a clawed fingernail, an ugly tiefling wearing a chain shirt waltzes into the room and looks around at those assembled. Chuckling lightly to himself, he takes a seat while making sure not to sit on his alchemist kit.

Flicking whatever was at the end of his nail into the corner, he introduces himself, "Reavis. I hope they aren't sending me to the other side of Golarion again. Or into some woman's head. Or into that damned tapestry."

A cleric of Iomedae watches the others with a diligent eye. Sarephta's appearance is nearly human, though her hair is the color of bright untarnished silver. Exceptionally beautiful and taller than most human women, she is free of any human flaw or physical defect. The pupils of her eyes are the color of brilliant topaz.

The kitsune, who has been going through his lock picks and other tools of the trade, looks up at the gathered group of pathfinders, a line of copper wire in his teeth as he uses them to hold it taught as he wraps it around a steel piton. His words are slurred as a result, until he finishes up and places the piton back into a pouch with all his other tools.
Takkit Shinrou. They usually call me in when there's reports of excessive traps and locked doors. Or when they need something stabbed a whole lot. Pleased to meet you.

Looks like Subtier 5-6 it is.

Two weeks ago, Osprey showed up at the Grand Lodge in Absalom, his features shadowed by the long cowl of his heavy leather cloak, his unmistakable voice a sullen whisper of both mystery and urgency.

“A grim shadow creeps over Absalom, one that threatens all of us. We know not its source or even its purpose, and need answers to secrets only known to the dead. Your task is one of great importance and urgency. You must retrieve the bones of the ancient mystic Amao from his cairn and bring them to me so our seers can contact his spirit. We need to contact him before these dark forces track his spirit down in the worlds beyond and devour him. Take extra care on this mission, for the Aspis Consortium also dearly desires these bones and their secrets. Amao’s bones rest in a cairn atop a mountain. Go to Cania’s Drop, a small waystation high in the Fog Peaks along the border of Southern Galt. There you will meet with an ex-Pathfinder named Rysam Aklon who will provide you with equipment and directions to Amao’s cairn. You shall hear from me again once you complete your mission, but for now may the gods speed you on your way.”

Now, here in the foothills of a wintery southern Galt, bitter winds blister skin and numbness settles in to exposed extremities. While Absalom isn’t known for its sunshine, at least its foggy shores are more favorable than the bonebrittling cold of the Fog Peaks. Before you lies your destination, a mountain waystation run by exiles and recluses.

Everyone needs to make a high altitude Fort Save DC 15 or be Fatigued.

Cania’s Drop is one of several dozen waystations erected in the Fog Peaks highlands, a wild expanse of rock and glaciers that creates a craggy border between southern Galt and northern Taldor. Situated to provide aid to travelers and keep watch over the surrounding lands, these stations are manned by outcasts, exiles, former criminals, and others who simply seek isolation or penance. Some willfully volunteer for the position, but for others it serves as a punishment.

The group finds a small cabin at the waystation, just before sunset, after spotting a wisp of chimney smoke. Outside the cabin are rows of sleeping sled dogs, curled up together in the deep snow. The few strangers out in the cold eye the Pathfinders with a mixture of nervousness and naked fear. As the you approach the cabin, you are immediately approached by a burly man with a shock of wild curly black hair, with strong, rough features that jut through his scraggly, unshorn beard. With ebon eyes gleaming beneath a low-sloped brow, and a demeanor burning bitter as the highland winds, he introduces himself as Rysam Aklon.

fortitude: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Hiking through the mountains to find their ex-Pathfinder contact, the metallic Angelkin appears unfazed by the high altitude as they trek through the wintery mountain range. Once at the waystation, Tomas takes a swig from the aleskin kept at his belt and offers it to Rysam with a nod.

"So, what do you know, and what do you have for us?"

Takkit is locked and loaded.
Fortitude Save: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

As the group ascends the Fog Peaks, Takkit stays about thirty feet ahead. It's easy to tell the kitsune gets bored quickly, as he occasionally tosses one of his daggers from hand to hand, doing small tricks to keep himself entertained while simultaneously keeping an eyebl out for trouble. Once the group sees snow, he darts back and forth from snowdrift to snowdrift, excitedly.

As they arrive at the cabin, he gives the aasimar a sideways glance before smiling at the mountain man.
What my metal friend here means, is that we are the pathfinders sent here to find you for more information on our mission. I'm Takkit. Pleased to meet you!

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

Dolores purchases a cold-weather outfit before departing.
Fort: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

During their trip to the Fog Peaks, Dolores entertains the group by telling 'funny' anecdotes about her travels and encounters with undead creatures, most of which end in her trying to 'befriend' said undead monstrosity while other Pathfinders are desperately fighting it.

On reaching the destination, Dolores takes a moment to cast false life. 1d10 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

"Hi! So you're the person who knows where the bones are! Splendid! Thank you!"

Dolores purchases a cold-weather outfit before departing.

Good thinking. Me too.

Fortitude save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18

Zeno is slightly surprised to discover how little trouble he has with the altitude. He hangs at the back of the group, looking at the surroundings. The land has always interested him more than people.

"Huh, didn't think I'd need that thing so soon." Reavis mutters to himself as the group begins to move to a higher altitude. He reaches into his haversack and pulls out a small statue of a yeti cradling a child. Concentrating on the statuette for a moment, he unleashes some strange energy from within it. Afterwards, he appears completely unfazed by the temperature and altitude.

Once arriving at the waystation, he opts to stay quiet in the back to avoid saying something not helpful. Noticing Dolores cast a spell on herself, he eyes his extracts, but decides to hold off on drinking anything yet.

Thanks Reavis. Good to know. When I ask for additional Altitude checks you just skip them for now.

Rysam scowls. Right to business then. I still owe a few favors to th' Society, Osprey in particular. Don't like visitors much, but a clean slate's better than owin' a man like Osprey. I take it he knows what he's doin'. Don't much like sendin' men to their death, but if Osprey asks, not much point in arguing at all is there? The Cairn'll maybe take two, three days with me help. I have three sleds and three teams of dogs for ya. I figure ten rations between the five of ya will be enough to get you there. Osprey wanted furs for you. I'll e'en toss in a pick for ya. Help to dig up tha' bones. Rysam talks while leading the men into the cabin and hands each of you a set of furs and a single pick.

Once inside the cabin, Rysam passes each man a bowl of stew and points them to a table where Rysam unfurls a map on the table. This here's the Dragon. Some old folk call it the Qi-Oamatok Pass, which loosely translates to the Winding Serpent. Locals simply refer to it as the Dragon.

Then, almost as an afterthought, Rysam waves his hand in the air as if it is nothng. The Dragon bisects wild lands sacred to clans
of primitive beastmen that roam the high snowy peaks. We will leave at first light.

If yer interested I got some scrolls that might be of use to ya'.

He has 2 scrolls of calm animal and 4 scrolls of charm animal, both CL 5 (20 gp each)for sale.

Takkit sits and politely eats his stew, his bushy tail curled around his waist and laying across his lap, and lets the mountain man talk. Once he's finished, the kitsune speaks up.
Should we have brought more climbing gear? Are the beastmen so primitive that we may end up having to slay them? How effective would those scrolls be against them? Do humans grow beards like yours because you wish you had fur like animals, or are they just to keep your face from being cold?

The kitsune looks like he may have been itching to ask that last one since Rysam first appeared...

Tomas takes the bowl of stew with a nod of thanks and sits in silence as they eat. The Angelkin rolls their eyes at the Kitsune's string of endless questions to the man seeking solitude. He does mention the scrolls to the group however.

"Can anyone here use those scrolls? Purchasing them may be a good idea if we can"

Zeno looks them over and shakes his head.

Dolores examines the scrolls with interest, and hands Rysam a palmful of gold. "All I can afford at the moment is one scroll. Sorry!" She leans to Reavis and mutters, "Spent my last month's check on nothing but onyx. It's an expensive hobby!"
(Purchasing a scroll of charm animal. 20 gold for a 1st-level scroll, CL 5th is a budget price.)

"If anyone else wants to expend some gold but can't use these scrolls, I can use them for you. I'm no druid, but I think I can activate them with ease: you wouldn't believe how many scrolls you come across on Dark Archives inventory days!" (UMD +16 gets you far in life.)

"Fair enough. Here." Zeno chips in 100 more gold pieces for the lot.

100 gp spent and deducted - though I wouldn't object if someone else wanted to split that with me.

Reavis throws in 40gp for the other Calm Animal scroll and one of the Charm Animal scrolls, and hands both scrolls to Dolores, "Here you go, you know, in case you don't find anything to use your onyx on."

If Zeno would prefer to have the other calm animal scroll, Reavis will just buy two charm animals instead.

100 gold buys everything he has left, and I can't use them - so you're just sparing me 40. Thank ye kindly.

Takkit slips some gold into the pile as well.
When I was a kit, Ma always said that if you had money to spare, you should always chip in for dinner. You can't eat scrolls, but I think this is kind of the same thing, right? Sometimes I can read what's on scrolls and use them, too! Like the wands I have!

The kitsune grabs one of the wands from his bandoliers and waves it around like he's going to cast and spell, and then puts it back with dramatic gusto.
Oh! I almost forgot!

He scampers up to the mountain man and barrages him with questions again.
What are the dogs' names? How long did it take to train them? Where do you get them from? Did you build the sleds yourself? Do you chop down trees for firewood? Has a tree ever fell on you?

Takkit will contribute an additional 30gp, so that Zeno and I pay 30gp each. If you want to, Takkit can actually split the cost three ways so that we all pay the same amount.

The large burly ex-pathfinder chuckles at the kitsune. [b]So eager to die are ye'? Pray you don' havta meet any of tha' beastmen. He shivers as he mutters under his breath. Savages.....they be.

************************************************************

At first light Rysam introduces you to the dogs and issues you out a set of three sleds.

The rules presented for operating a dog sled are deliberately simple. They do not represent real world physics and are in no way an attempt to simulate the complexities of an actual dog sled race or combat. Instead, they provide a simple and easy way to determine the results of a few basic maneuvers. It is suggested that the GM keep this section visible throughout the adventure to make running dogsled encounters easier.

A dogsled contains a 6-foot-long, 18-inch-wide wooden basket suspended on a frame above two runners. They travel between 3 to 15 mph, with an average speed of about 5 mph. For combat purposes, distance traveled isn’t as much a factor as the relationship between the two moving vehicles. Determine their relative positions using a scale of 1 to 10 to represent their basic move increments, with 5 representing the average increment. If a sled’s speed increment drops to 0, it stops moving. Anyone thrown or bounced from a moving sled rolls for 1d4 x 10 feet taking 1d6 points of nonlethal damage for every 10 feet rolled.

In order to engage in any action with another moving sled (such as combat or exchanging gear or riders), the two sleds must be side by side. In combat, this usually means the attacking sled must overtake its target in order to pull along side. Of course, if the attacker’s sled is already in front of the target, he can make an attack as the target passes.

Driving a Sled
How a musher (the person steering the sled and driving the dogs) handles his pack of dogs determines the results of all actions. A musher has three basic actions: Mush, Break, or Maneuver.

Mush: Mush speeds up the sled as a move action. Handle Animal DC 12 increases the speed by +1 increment.

Break: Break slows the sled down as a move action. Handle Animal DC 12 decreases the speed by –1 increment. As a fullround action, the musher can also attempt a full stop with a successful DC 20 Handle Animal check. The sled still moves its maximum distance for that round, however at the end of the round the sled’s movement is 0.

Maneuver: Maneuver allows a musher to change the position of his sled. The basic maneuvers are listed below.

Turn: Turn allows a musher to alter the direction of the sled within about 60 degrees to either side of the direction it is traveling. The Handle Animal skill check DC is 10 + 1 per every 5 degrees turned. Sleds moving faster than 5 increments risk tipping over. If a driver attempting a high-speed-turn fails the Handle Animal check by more than 10, the dogs maneuver erratically, causing the sled to tip over. The results are detailed in the crash section.

Slam: An attacker whose sled is parallel to his target can drive his sled into his opponent’s as a slam attack. A DC 18 Strength check in order to muscle the sled into a quick, violent turn that deals 2d6 damage to the sled and knocks it off course, changing its direction by 30 degrees. The musher of the targeted sled must then make a Handle Animal check (DC 10 + damage to regain control of his sled) or he loses his next action. If a slam attack deals more than 10 points of damage, the targeted sled flips (see crash section.)

Grapple: Following a successful slam attack, riders within either sled can attempt to grapple the opponent’s sled, or individuals on the sled. This requires a melee touch attack, either against the sled (AC 8) or an individual within reach. All individuals in a moving sled are considered flat-footed. At the start of the next round, grappled sleds make opposed Handle Animal checks to see who controls the movement of both sleds. Individuals on either sled then attack as determined by initiative. They can attempt any partial combat maneuver they so desire (including a move action to climb into the other sled), provided they first make a successful DC 14 Balance check. Anyone failing the check is thrown from the sled. Regardless, the musher must remain at the reigns of the sled or the sled goes out of control, traveling in the direction it was before the loss of the musher for 1d4 rounds before tipping over and crashing.
Executing the Break maneuver during a grapple always causes one of the grappled sleds to flip, 50% chance for either (see crash below).

Out-of-Control
When a sled goes out–of-control, its musher is unable to perform any maneuvers until he regains control of his sled dogs with a successful DC 20 Handle Animal check. Anyone riding in an uncontrolled sled must make a DC 12 Strength check to hold fast and prevent from being bounced out of the sled. An out-of-control sled maintains its speed and direction, until control is regained or the sled crashes.

Crash: When a sled flips, all riders not strapped in are thrown from the sled. The dogs continue to drag the sled for 1d6 rounds dealing the sled 1d6 points of damage per round
dragged. Anyone unfortunate enough to be strapped in the sled also takes damage.

The cairn lies about 20 miles northeast of the waystation, a short but precarious journey through the icy mountain terrain. The second part of the journey follows the 8-mile long ancient pass shown in Rysam’s map labeled “The Dragon.” Travel is relatively uneventful, aside from spotting a few circling falcons and stray animal prints left by hares and wolves.

Drivers, please pick yourselves. There are only three sleds so you will need to double up. I need three drivers and who is with them. One for each sled. I will roll all checks for the dog sledding as it would take forever waiting on three people to roll on each check. (1 check per quarter mile = 32 checks per sled) So Drivers please let me know what your Handle animal check modifier is.

O_o That's a lot of text...

...I took the liberty of checking which of us have the highest Handle Animal skills. Turns out no one has put ranks in it (not that surprising, really), so the three mushers should be the ones with highest Charisma modifiers, right? That means me, Takkit, and Sarephta.

Then again we should also consider that DC 18 Strength check when attacking, which is very difficult for Dolores (10% success rate), and almost as difficult for Takkit (15% success rate). Sarephta has it much easier (35% success rate). That said, the other half of the party has negative Charisma modifiers, and it seems Handle Animal is going to be more important than Strength. Go figure...

I nominate Takkit, Sarephta, and Dolores as the three mushers.

fort save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Sareptha seems untroubled by the altitude or the cold thus far. She studies the "dragon," and the other landscape, and how it might impact their mission.

"Are there any hazards or creatures we should be on the lookout for?" she asks as they prepare to depart."[/b]

Thats fine by me, Tomas will go with whoever tbh. Also willing to throw gold into the pot and split it evenly.

I'm assuming he isn't with us, if he is disregard

Tomas thanks the ex-pathfinder with a firm handshake and bids hin farewell as they leave on their journey across the snow peaks on the dog sleds, enjoying the focus and exhilaration of the fast moving animals as they eat through the miles they need to travel.

Taking a break before reaching the Dragon, the Warpriest looks on in awe at the expanse of nature beyond and he is rendered speechless at the majesty of it, after a moments pondering he speaks.

"Well, I guess we go and find these bones, how shall we deal with the savages, try to reason with them or end them swiftly ?"

Dolores' suggestions about the mushers sound fine to me.

If given a choice, Reavis decides to ride in the sled with Dolores. Throughout the trip he is mostly blasé about all the snow and mountains.

Sled 1: Takkit + Tomas; Handle Animal +2
Sled 2: Sarephta + Zeno; Handle Animal +1
Sled 3: Dolores + Reavis; Handle Animal +6
Is this all right? (Reavis got the best seat, this is why you gotta act fast!)

Dolores mounts one of the sleds. "I must warn you, I dislike animals. They seem like me though, at least when I don't smell like the recently deceased! There was this one time with a pack of wolves- no wait, those were zombie wolves. Good times, Pathfinding is so much fun! Anyway, they fell in love with me at first sight-"

...Her story goes on for a while.

Reavis pretends to listen to Dolores' long story, "Uh huh.... Yeah, you don't say.... Really.... Wow...."

Takkit spends a ridiculously long time playing with the dogs, and when he finds out he gets to drive, he positively comes unglued.
I get to drive! This is my favorite assignment for the Pathfinders EVER!

He leaps into the driver's spot, and takes up the reigns, impatiently waiting for his passenger.

Tomas seems relieved he doesn't have to spend the trip listening to the strange necrophiliac and gives a resigned sigh as they join the sled with the Kitsune. Setting his feet and holding onto the side, the Angelkin mutters.

"Just don't stick that tail in my face"

Zeno looks at Sarephta dispassionately. "Shall we?"

"Well, I guess we go and find these bones, how shall we deal with the savages, try to reason with them or end them swiftly ?"

Rysam looks Tomas right in the eye. You run..... they hunt in large packs the size of a tribe.

************************************************************

You have a chance to heal up in between each one?

Sled 1: Takkit + Tomas; Handle Animal +2
Sled 2: Sarephta + Zeno; Handle Animal +1
Sled 3: Dolores + Reavis; Handle Animal +6

Gathering the sleds and dogs you begin you ascent up the Dragon.

1. The Tail: This section of the pass is flat, but rocky.

Every quarter-mile, all riders and mushers in sleds moving faster than half-speed must make a DC 12 Balance check to avoid becoming unbalanced.

2. The Haunches: This section of the pass has a steep incline but is otherwise uneventful.

Ascending sleds slow all movement by –1

3. The Spine: In this section, the pass runs through a sloping field of boulders.

Sleds entering the boulder field must make at least a 1 turn maneuver per quarter-mile or crash into a boulder.

Takkit Handle Animal DC 11: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
Rounds of Dragging: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Drag Damage (Takkit/Tomas): 3d6 ⇒ (2, 6, 5) = 13

Takkit Handle Animal DC 11: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
Takkit Handle Animal DC 11: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22

Sarephta Handle Animal DC 11: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
Rounds of Dragging: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Drag Damage (Sarephta/Zeno): 1d6 ⇒ 1

Sarephta Handle Animal DC 11: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
Sarephta Handle Animal DC 11: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
Rounds of Dragging: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Drag Damage (Sarephta/Zeno): 3d6 ⇒ (5, 3, 4) = 12

Dolores Handle Animal DC 11: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Dolores Handle Animal DC 11: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Dolores Handle Animal DC 11: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
Rounds of Dragging: 1d6 ⇒ 2
Drag Damage (Dolores/Reavis): 2d6 ⇒ (3, 4) = 7

Each of the drivers fails to avoid a boulder and crashes the sled. The dogs drag the contents of the sled behind them for a bit before stopping.

4. The Heart: In this location, a dangerously narrow bridge of solid ice spans a 15-foot-wide ravine that splits the pass. A weathered chain, secured to large boulders at either end of the bridge, hangs suspended about three feet above its surface. Travelers usually tie off to the chain when crossing and walk the sleds. Believing this to be a good idea. The group does just that to cross safely.

5. The Talons: Here the pass splits into adjacent routes, a higher path with a slow incline, and a wider steep path that plunges below it across a series of ice dunes.

Which route do you wish to take?

After being dragged, Reavis heals himself a bit with his wand of Cure Light Wounds. Afterwards, he decides his extract of False Life is in order after all. "Maybe it's safer to deal with the slow incline than the steep path over ice and snow." He offers with a shrug.

CLW wand: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
13 charges left on wand of Cure Light Wounds

False Life Temp HP: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Tomas picks himself up and wipes the snow and dirt from his clothes and armour before seeing to the bruises upon his steel skin, drawing his own wand the Warpriest activates the command word to seal the wounds.

"Next time, try not to be so careless eh? Good job the beastman weren't on our tail."he mutters petulantly at Takkit before offering to heal the Kitsune should he need the assistance.

"I agree with Reavis, I think we are too inexperienced with the dogs to lead them over a bridge like that."

cure light: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

cure lighy: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

(Oh no, I lost half my false life temporary health.)

"Sorry! How're you doing back there?"

"Slow incline it is! Giddy yep! Or whatever they say when they want to make them go faster. Or is that just for horses? Animals are all so alike. Like badgers and bears. This one time we were in-"

...Somehow, her story manages to derail to undead again.

As the group works their way through the difficult obstacles, Sarephta, as well as the others, is battered by the ordeal.

Once they have made it through a particularly difficult section, the cleric says "Gather close to me, and I will heal some of our wounds before we continue.

Once she has healed them, she says [b]"I agree the higher path sounds like the safest one."

Will go ahead and use a channel since so many had injuries.

channel: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 4) = 14

That being taken care of, Zeno decides now is a good time to fortify himself against the next mishap.

false life: 1d10 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15 *YES*

As soon as his passenger is in the sled, Takkit takes off, giving the reigns an overly exuberant snap. He immediately crashes into a rock. After the sled is down being drug through the snow, and everything comes to a halt, he stands up, his ears flat in embarrassment and apologetic nervousness.
I'm sorry! It's much harder than it looks! I'll be more careful this time!

True to his word, the kitsune takes his time and does a much better job at mushing.
High road for me as well.

5. The Talons: Here the pass splits into adjacent routes, a higher path with a slow incline, and a wider steep path that plunges below it across a series of ice dunes. The upper path sits between 10 to 40 feet above the lower path. It is only 10 feet wide, and usually ices over.

A sled moving faster than 3 risks sliding off the ledge onto the lower path taking appropriate damage

Takkit Dc 15 10': 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Takkit Dc 15 20': 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Takkit Dc 15 20': 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Takkit Dc 15 30': 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Takkit Dc 15 30': 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Takkit Dc 15 40': 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

Fall Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Drag Rounds: 2d6 ⇒ (1, 3) = 4
Drag Damage: 4d6 ⇒ (2, 6, 2, 1) = 11
Total Damage to Takkit / Tomas- 14 Damage

Sarephta Dc 15 10': 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16
Sarephta Dc 15 20': 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20
Sarephta Dc 15 20': 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Sarephta Dc 15 30': 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
Sarephta Dc 15 30': 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11
Sarephta Dc 15 40': 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Fall Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 5) = 9
Drag Rounds: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 6) = 12
Drag Damage: 12d6 ⇒ (1, 2, 1, 6, 2, 4, 6, 1, 6, 6, 4, 2) = 41
Total Damage to Sarephta / Zeno- 50 Damage

Dolores Dc 15 10': 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Dolores Dc 15 20': 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Dolores Dc 15 20': 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
Dolores Dc 15 30': 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Dolores Dc 15 30': 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Dolores Dc 15 40': 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

Dolores is able to keep her sled on the pass as she watches Takkit and Sarephta drive their dogs and sled right off of the pass onto the lower level. The dogs viciously drag the pair all about the jagged ice before coming to a rest.

Near the end of the Talon's the group notices a faint trail of frozen blood. a few hundred yards off the trail leads to three piles of fresh snow that poorly conceal bodies. Two of the piles hide the bodies of hideous beastmen, white-furred simians native to the peaks. The third holds a human, perhaps of Chelish descent, killed by a gaping bite wound between his neck and shoulder. Searching the man (DC 10) uncovers a small bronze coin, indicating membership in the Aspis Consortium. All of the Aspis agent’s gear has been removed, though he still wears thick furs.

Complimentary map of the Dragon at the top

Umm...is there some way Seraphta and I could have avoided that? Some alternate choice, maybe? I thought we were taking the route that didn't risk us falling onto ice dunes.

If I'm really stuck taking 50 damage, that means I'm 1 hit point away from DEAD.

Could I, for example, have cast levitate on myself while falling and keep from hitting the dunes?

If given the opportunity, Reavis rushes over with his wand to the dying Zeno and stabilizes him.

CLW on Zeno: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

12 charges left on Cure Light Wounds wand.

If you want to use spells or magical items to negate some or all of the damage you surely can. I had two people say to take the high slow incline. The lower path is the dunes which is what you fell onto. Just remember not all of the damage is at once. That is over the course of like a mile. You can heal up after the fall and after each drag. So plenty of chances to heal as you shouldn't come close to death.

In that case...

As Sarephta drives their sled straight off the path and onto thin air, Zeno takes advantage of the precious few seconds of free-fall to liberate himself from gravity's harsh demands. Upon landing gently next to the crashed sled, he once again grips his set of reins tightly, floats several feet back into the air, and spends the rest of the misadventure flying behind the sled like a kite.

That should keep me safe for this part, right?

"-and halfway through killing me, the ghoul finally fails to resist my command over undead. I mean I was still paralyzed by its allies, but it all turned out well!" Dolores's stops her blabbing to notice that the two other sleds fell. "Oh my god! We need to go help them."

---

Dolores hunches over the dead Aspis agent. "What should we ask him?"

"Oh, right," she says after seeing the confused looks on the others' faces, "you guys don't know. I can talk with dead things. And they talk back! I'm serious! Now, we only get to ask three questions, so any good ideas?"

"Oh, but he's an Aspis agent. He'll probably tell me to go suck something or stick something somewhere. I'll ask just two questions."

Tomas once more brushes himself off with a sigh and helps manhandle the sled to the porper location, once the dogs have stopped taking him for a ride. Rolling his shoulders, the Angelkin atands over the Aspis Agent with a small shrug before healing his wounds, Unless Saroheta offers to bring down the healing of her god.

"With a bronze coin, I doubt it knows much, but what about, 'does your organisation know the location of the seer's bones?'

Gotta say that whoever did this scenario made it way too brutal, in my opinion. 62 damage for falling off a sled into snow, or being drug across snow? Even over the course of a mile or two? Scratch being pulled by sled dogs off my bucket list! And say goodbye to my CLW wand!

After falling off probably the third time, I would probably just walk. :/

Sarephta, battered from the trip, looks frustrated with her failure to steer the sled better. Seeing the Aspis coin, she says "It appears we were beat here. We had best hurry."

CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
CLW: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

"Perhaps a humbler question, and one that might seem less valuable due to his fate, such as asking what his personal orders were, would both be more readily answered *and* potentially yield surprisingly rich information."

Zeno considers a moment longer.

"Asking not merely how he died, but what he might have done in hindsight to prevent his death, would also be a reasonable choice. Of course, he might also exploit that question to strike at us from Beyond by suggesting something he oughtn't have done. Shrewd phrasing could help prevent that."

"You might want to ask it how many people were in his group, so we have a rough idea of how many Aspis are left on the mountain. If you have a third question, I'd ask him how they got up here, there's gotta be a better way than dog sleds."