Gameplay thread for Master of the Fallen Fortress! If you have been recruited by me for this game, please feel free to "dot and delete" and then check-in on the Discussion page! Thanks!
The adventure begins in Skyreach, the majestic, white, five-towered palace on the campus of the Grand Lodge in Absalom.
You are led through the Great Hall of Skyreach past a large table with a shifting illusionary Inner Sea map on its massive surface. Standing around the Hall are dozens of pathfinders of various races exchanging stories of their exploits. You are directed towards a smaller meeting room, past an ornate fountain with crystal clear water. You can feel the chill from the cascading droplets as some splash you on their descent to the pool.
The placard before the room reads, “The Pipeweed Nook”. Opening the door you see a long table, chairs, and an imposing looking man sitting before a fireplace. He taps the ashes from his mahogany pipe into his palm and then throws them onto the flames. He smiles.
“Welcome initiates,“ he says in a friendly, laid-back manner. “I am pleased you could come so soon. I am Venture Captain Adril Hestram, and I have a task for you. Recently an earthquake struck the city, costing countless gold in damages as you can imagine. But it also caused a sealed siege tower from one of Absalom’s many, past, would-be-conquerors, to crack open like an egg.”
“Word on the street is that no one has yet searched ‘the Fallen Fortress’, as the locals are calling it. However, against my commands, a young Pathfinder like yourselves, named Balenar Forsend, set off to explore the ruins alone. Now he is missing.”
“While I applaud Balenar’s intentions, by going off against my words, he has violated the Pathfinder Oath, to explore, cooperate, and report. Hopefully he is still alive to fulfill the last part of that oath.”
He clears his throat and stands, handing over a map of the Cairnlands marked with the location of this ‘Fallen Fortress’.
“Don’t forget initiates, during your explorations, keep your eyes peeled for anything that could be of interest to the society, especially historical or religious artifacts. Do you have any questions before you go?”
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An energetic kitsune with silky fur and two fluffly tails listens to the mission details with an enigmatic grin. She wears a comfortable silken shirt in the Minkaian style, with loose sleeves that reach her elbows, stretchy black knee length shorts and glossy lamellar cuirass armour. There’s a fine rapier at her hip, and a crossbow on her back. She wears a single braided bracelet on her left wrist.
"Ruin, treasure, kid." the kitsune repeats. Her blue eyes sparkle with amusement. Her maw is curled up into a wily grin, revealing the sharp tips of her white teeth. "Short and sweet, Valsin! I like it!"
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A swarthy olive-skinned man with long dark hair sits quietly through the briefing with no expression, his violet eyes never leaving Hestram's face. He wears a red silk vest with green tassels, grey cotton trousers and an orange sash. His arms are covered in Varisian tattoos, with a large tattoo of a flying dinosaur prominently displayed on his neck.
"This should be fun. I've spent the last few years travelling with my sister's caravan and it will be nice to experience something a bit different. Don't worry we'll get the kid back to you."
Valsin considers the Kitsune's brief summary of his explanation and adds clarification, rubbing his chin thoughtfully while trying to recall details about the captive.
"No, I would not call Balenor a 'kid'. As a Pathfinder he has a handful more missions than you under his belt. At his level of expertise he would still take missions of complexity and danger that are similar to what I expect all of you to handle The problem is that he went alone." You detect a particular emphasis on the last word.
Valsin regards the varisian with a nod. "I appreciate those that have some experience traveling different lands before they come to the society. They're usually a bit more ready to encounter the unknown. In our missions it's best to expect the unexpected."
To the elf, "Indeed. This is why it's best not to go it alone when exploring for the Society. It is why we emphasize cooperation."
A puff of smoke releases from his pipe. It's oddly satisfying to some of you.
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A grey-skinned half orc enters the room. He sets his glaive against the wall. His armor is a long chain jacket, styled from the far east. He nods to those gathered as he takes his seat. Well, I'll be damned! A real fox-man. Shelyn knows I've never seen one up close.
He listens to the briefing, but offers nothing to the conversation.
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Looking at the other agents as they introduce themselves, the kitsune rolls her eyes. With a dramatic sigh she leaps to her feet. She begins to talk in a strange language, while waving her arms around dramatically.
She performs a cheeky bow. With a toothy grin, she looks up and finishes in common, "But you can call me Hoshi."
Then she crosses her arms and leans against the doorframe. "We gonna talk all day, or are we gonna get to work?"
The Venture Captain gives fairly simple instructions for following well-worn paths to your destination. Once you leave the city gates of Absolom proper it’s only a few hours hike before you reach your destination in the Cairnlands.
The ruined siege castle now being called the Fallen Fortress rises out of the churned earth of the Cairnlands. No doors or windows mar the otherwise smooth expanse of the tower’s walls. The tower is quatrefoil in plan; its eastern wing has largely collapsed, exposing the interior doors to the open air. Only the topmost level seems whole, though its eastern portion hangs precariously over the mountain of rubble left by the collapse. At ground level, the rubble frames a gaping hole in the side of the building that provides access to the tower’s darkened interior.
No sooner do you get close enough to note these details than you hear the sound of vicious, persistent barking from the direction of the fortress. You spot them soon after - a pack of starving wild dogs is running towards your party!
Hoshi
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Wild Dogs
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Bakko
Ehrenfried
Gil
Korum
Endir
Hoshi
Eiche
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Wild Dogs
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Bakko
Gil
Korum
Endir
** spoiler omitted **
Magma prepares to attack.
[Dice=Attack if necessary]1d20+5; 1d10+4
Hoshi draws her blade and prepares for the quickly approaching dogs. Similarly, Magma turns toward them and waits with claws spread wide open, awaiting a victim.
The dogs race directly at the party. As they hit the rubble their paws begin to slip. One of them falls flat on its stomach before it gets back up and more carefully approaches. They arrive right in front of the party, snarling viciously in their hostile stance but not yet attacking.
As soon as they arrive, Hoshi's rapier flashes forward and stings the dog directly in front of her. It lets out a yelp and afterwards staggers a bit on its legs as it holds its position, sizing her up.
Hoshi
Eiche
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Red
Blue (-5)
Green
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Bakko
Gil
Korum
Endir
Endir sprints out to the side to get a straight shot at one of the dogs. Soon after he releases his arrow the targeted dog whimpers briefly before dropping to the ground, dead.
The dog in front of Hoshi continues to focus squarely on threatening her when suddenly she steps slightly to the side, revealing a pole-arm waiting to lunge past her into the already limping dog. It drops dead.
Larisa Stronwell is a short, slender woman with brown hair and freckles who works in a small shipping office on the Woodsedge docks. The organized but dusty office consists of a front room for visitors and a back room with several desks and dozens of shelves and filing cabinets where three other people are working. When the PCs arrive, Larisa is sitting behind a desk in the front room, working through a stack of papers. She greets you brusquely without looking up from her work.
"What can I do for you?"
Bakko lunges at the final dog baring his claws...
The dog darts away from the first claw, but stops right where the second one comes down directly on top of him. It catches his throat, spilling blood into the grass as it drops to the ground.
As you approach the ruins you note that due to the fully destroyed East wing, entry can be gained via what used to be interior doors into the North and South wings. It’s apparent that the South wing is entirely filled with rubble, making passage prohibitively difficult. Before you enter the North wing the team looks through the doorway. Hoshi is keeping a sharp eye out for traps.
The northern wing of the tower seems to have escaped the worst effects of the collapse, but rubble still litters the floor and everything is covered in a thick layer of stone dust. Thick cobwebs cloak the ceiling and hang down the walls like gossamer tapestries. A single archway stands open in the southwest wall.
(assuming he has his familar nearby, correct me if wrong)