Lords of Themselves: A Kingmaker Adventure Path.

Game Master Red Ramage

"If we insist that everyone's equal and the nobles have no right to rule, and responsibilities to go along with that, where does that lead?" Idris gestures vaguely to the southeast. The implication is clear: Galt, and its bloody, endless revolution, with thousands dead to the Final Blades.

Oleg's, night of the 19th.

Sera nodded solemnly, "Yes, I will remember what you have said, Lord Garess. Good night and fair watch."

"I understand what you mean, Pretty. Titles of nobility are nothing more than a privilege that was granted by some ruling power in the past. Every generation thereafter is born into this privilege with the expectation that they devote themselves to improving the family's reputation, power, wealth, etc. Some respect the position and honor the responsibility to protect and guide the common folk and some look on them as a resource to be harnessed or consumed. The hope is that the noble family continues to exhort their ideals and favored attributes to their offspring and pass down that which was deemed 'noble' about them. But as we all know, this is not always the case."

She stood, feeling her road weary limbs cry out for rest, as her firmly held expression threatened to give way to hurt she felt over Kesten's unknown slight against her.
"I think I will retire, as well. Mustn't waste a chance to sleep soundly in one of these lovely indoor beds."

But sleep did not come so easily as it should. She sought Maja out and wept some, taking comfort in her friend, feeling both wronged and wrong. When she finally did sleep, her dreams were dark.
She walked in the garden with Kol Garess, trying not to look as bored and off-put as she really was by yet another poorly written sonnet. He took her hand and Sera felt the itching sensation that seemed to precede her claws appearing. Acid green claws ripped through the pale flesh as shining red scales erupted all up her arm like a wave of transformation that soon enveloped her completely. Kol watched in slack-jawed horror as she raised her frilled, horned head. She opened her mouth to speak, to tell him she was still herself, no matter what she looked like, but all that escaped her razor-toothed maw was a spout of flame. He danced back with a scream, and she heard the distinct 'clink' of a crossbow being loaded. She turned to see Kesten Garess lining up his shot at her scaly breast. He spoke around the cigar in his mouth,
"See there, little brother, I told you she can't change her scales. I'm mistrustful of all drangonkind, but these red ones... them you kill on sight." He pulled the trigger and the bolt sped toward her.
Fearing for her life she wrenched her consciousness from the nightmare, waking with a strangled yelp.

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Forest Clearing

Seraphina barked a sudden laugh of surprise and relief when the bear trap is sprung.

"Yatpank, you sly old wyrm! You scared us half to death!" She shook her head wryly, chuckling over how they must have looked to the wily kobold, panicked as they were.
"How do you mean to get such a big carcass home to the sootscales? Float him down the river?"

Oleg's
Sorry I missed your earlier post, Sera!

"Don't worry, it's okay," comforts Maja, taking Sera into her arms. She wasn't sure why Sera was so upset, but she (wrongly) thought it might have been Pretty's words. "You know, Pretty is just very bitter against nobles, for some reason. Might be she had some bad times in the past. But you're a warm and good-hearted person, and a wonderful Lady. I know that. Our group knows it. Even Pretty has to admit it. You are noble in the best meaning of the word."

Maja tries to change the subject. "You know, I overheard Kesten chatting during the night watch. Seems the poor man thought he might've upset you. One of his men said that "lady-killer Kesten" had lost his touch - but it seemed like Kesten wanted to make sure you were treated proper, m'Lady."

________________

At the forest clearing

"Wait, what? Ooh..." Once Maja finally understands what's going on, she lets out a sigh of relief. "Well done, Yatpank. You performed so well, you had us all fooled there. Glad we didn't spoil the hunt!"

At Oleg's, Idris doesn't wake up when the others are awake. She's just snoring away. She really wouldn't have the emotional sensitivity to deal with it anyway.

Idris looks down at the bear in the trap. Is it dead?

"That's going to be a massive amount of meat for your people. Did you make those metal traps, or did you find them, perhaps once used by trappers or something?"

Forest clearing

Kivan slowly rides up to the kobold.

"Smart plan and well executed. Congratulations on a successful hunt."

Yatpank seems pleased by deceiving you. "Yatpank tricky! Yee-hee! Yes, take down river. Yatpank make small boat, take stupid bear home. Yatpank have to come far to get bear - bear has fur! Warm, soft on scales! Meat ok but fur good!" Yatpank rubs his face appreciatively against the dead bear's back. "Come this far, get radish too! Good trip. Yatpank find snap-traps that way," he answers Idris, pointing to the northwest. "Many snap-traps, very hid! Sneaky! Ware! Not put by kobold. Strong, good for hide to snap legs. Clever kobold do much things with strong snap-trap."

As he speaks, Yatpank draws a flint knife and starts field-dressing the unfortunate ursine. "Stag-lady," he says, addressing Maja and pointing southwest, "You find stag-place that way. Big bear there, but no chase Yatpank so no snap-trap." Yatpank digs out Idris' arrow and whistles appreciatively at the damage it caused. "Yee-ow! Yatpank see you do this from longway. Fierce-self-lord! You want stupid bear meat? Much meat to carry for Yatpank!"

I don't suppose the arrow is recoverable?

"Some meat would be good to have. I've heard bears taste good if they've been eating lots of berries and honey. Would you like to join us for a meal, Yatpank?"

"We should take a look at the place they found the traps. We'll have to be very careful not to catch our own legs in them!"

"Stag place? Do you mean like a temple for worship? How far away is it?"

"I've never had bear before, but we shouldn't let this go to waste. Maybe we could get a fire started? I'll start gathering some wood, if we're interested." Unless there are objections, Maja will go ahead and do thisl

"I believe I've never had bear. Interesting. Yatpank, do you usually hunt this far from the tribe?"

"So are you thinking about going northwest before heading south again, folks? This place with the traps is probably some miles away from here, we will lose another day, although we will make the job easy later."

unfortunately, all ammunition is destroyed on a hit.

Yatpank willingly joins your camp for the evening, enjoying your company and sharing bear meat. Truth be told, the spit-roasted chunks of bear aren't bad eating at all. Throughout the evening, Yatpank makes small talk in his chirpy pidgin common. It seems that he and a few others make a regular trip to the moon radish patch, and that sometimes Yatpank ventures a little farther in hopes of scoring prey that doesn't live near the Sootscale burrow. With the aid of the Draconic-speaking party members, a conversion is worked out between miles and 'hundred-tails' that allows you to plot the bear-trapped area about fifteen miles to the northwest. Yatpank describes the 'stag-place' as a big cave with a stone carved like Maja's holy symbol, guarded by an immense bear that wouldn't pursue the wiley kobold and was thus immune to being led through traps. This is placed about eight miles to the southwest.

Yatpank doesn't stand a watch this night, but he does retrieve the bear traps and set them at strategic points just beyond your firelight. The night passes uneventfully.

In the morning, Yatpank makes his farewells and rolls the gutted bear onto a wicker skid, which he drags into the river and stands atop it, using his walking stick as a steering pole as the current takes him away downstream.

Where to?

"Actually, now that I think of it, it might work better if we were to ask Yatpank here to show us exactly where they are, so we don't stumble into one by mistake. And of course, you'll be occupied by returning the bear to your people for a while, Yatpank, so we'll have to do it another day. Hmm. Isn't the bandit camp we destroyed southwest of here?"

The thorn river bandit camp was to the southeast of this hex before you destroyed it.

"Wait, before you go Yatpank, can you tell us how we can spot these bear traps to the northeast? Anything you can tell us would be very helpful. Or maybe you could even come and show us?"

"Err, I mean southeast."

Thought I ought spoiler it while we finish our little conversation, since we're mostly in the present again.
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"We could cut walking sticks and probe with them before we step when we feel we've found the area." Sera suggested, sure that Maja would want to look into a disturbance if it was associated with Erastil.

"I would say southeast is better. Whoever is laying traps in the northeast is not an imminent threat, since they are away from the main road, and also will not be happy when he finds out we know who stole his traps. Pretty would leave that for later if she could choose." She shows a childish smile when speaking in the third person like Yatpank. "Pretty smart!"

Retcon Yatpank

"Snap-traps hid smart! Dig small pit, put snap-trap. Put dirt on pit, put plant on dirt! Many snap-traps, Yatpank find few. Yatpank find snap-trap, Yatpank take. Must go home, bring stupid bear to kobolds! Need fur for nest, meat for keep. Hope for many hatchlings this two moons. Sootscales get big!"

Need a direction, s'il vous plait. I'll default to what Maja wants to do if there's not a consensus.

"Well he seems to have enough on his plate bringing that back, so let us be off. Good luck to you Yatpank and may your tribe have many hatchlings this two moons."

Kivan gets ready to start traveling again eager to get back on the road and exploring.

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In the morning, Maja bids farewell to the kobold. "Safe travels, Yatpank! And thanks for all the advice!"

Once Yatpank departs, Maja is eager to discuss their next destination. "I know our plan had us going southeast along the river. But now that I know about a temple of Erastil to the southwest, I just have to see it for myself. This could be my way of earning the respect of my fellow clergymen."

"Alright, Maja, you're the wilderness leader, so southwest it is!"

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Pretty is happy as long as we go south instead of North ^_^

Location: Hex Q4 (forest, Temple of the Elk)
Date: 22 Gozran, 4710 Absalom Reckoning
Temperature: 51° F
Weather conditions: Clear, Light Wind (4 mph from the south)
Food: 24 days' supply (did not decrease due to bear)

Leaving the Thorn River behind, you turn southwest and follow Yatpank's directions towards the 'stag-place'. As you push through the forest, you find the undergrowth getting more and more choked with brambles, even in this early season. After spending several hours exploring the area, you come across a massive patch of briar-crusted trees. On its outskirts is an ancient, weathered statue.

Illustration

Pushing through the thick clump of thorny growth, you break into a large clearing in the woods, its border partially defined by ruined stone pillars. The western face of the clearing is dominated by a looming, upthrust ridge of rock, nearly 300 feet across and rising to a moss-topped height of 100 feet at the center. The side of this towering boulder facing the clearing has been carved in the likeness of an immense elk, its antlers drooping down from its weathered face to frame a 50-foot wide cave entrance. A flight of stone steps leads up to this cave entrance from the forest clearing — both the steps and elk face feel quite old and are thickly encrusted with layers of moss. A 50-foot-long oval pool sits in the middle of the clearing, its waters thick with algae.

The ruins are not all that this clearing contains, however! As Yatpank had warned you, a massive bear emerges from the cave at a fast lope, roaring its displeasure at your intrusion from slavering jaws. The bear is massive and grey, and thick slabs of muscle ripple under its mangy fur.

Initiative order: Kivan, Seraphina, Bear, Pretty, Idris, Maja. Encounter map updated.

Kivan moves closer and pulls out his wand.

"Do we need to do this? We can leave it be, can't we?"
Anyway, she moves closer opening the attack line and draws a dagger.

"A bit late for that, hon!" Idris tries to keep her horse calm as she watches the bear approach rapidly.

With the obstacles in its way, it won't be able to charge. Pretty, you could Darkness a pebble or something in a position where the radius of it will cover the location you will attack the bear from, but not where we'll be. Might require some careful positioning.

Darkness lowers the light in only one level. So we're in bright light, it would go to normal light, making no real difference, but thanks. Were not for that, if I threw that pebble wrong we would all be screwed. Let's just swarm-flank it at the right time and kill the poor thing. Pretty finds it pretty weird, tough, that the bear would not leave this place...

I somehow thought it was evening. Nevermind. I think the bear is probably special in some way.

An old temple would make a great place for a bear to make its cave, so not that weird.

Seraphina blanches at the sight of the massive bear lumbering toward them,
"It doesn't look like it means to leave us be! Pretty, here!"
She reached out and grasped the tiefling's hand and waved the other as if throwing a cloak over her. Then she moves closer, sheltering behind a large rock.

Cast Vanish on Pretty (good for 2 rounds) and move up beside Kivan behind the boulder.

The bear sniffs at the air as it thunders towards your group. It locks its eyes on Maja and heads straight for her. Luckily, it has to dodge around the ruins, spoiling a straight run. The bear seems to be totally ignoring the rest of you, including the tasty-looking elf.

Initiative order: Kivan, Seraphina, Bear, Pretty, Idris, Maja

Forgive me from moving before. I swear I did not see the bear in the initiative line. I'll move now, then.

Invisible Pretty moves forward, knowing she still have time before the invisibility runs off. She position herself between the Bear and Maja, hoping to call its attention by stabbing it when it comes closer.
Prepared Attack: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 6 + 1 + 2 = 18! Damage: 1d4 + 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + (5) + 1 = 9 +2 Bonus from being invisible included.

No problem! bolding your name wasn't to scold you, I was just indicating who's turn it was :)

Maja is surprised that the bear is so fixated on her, the cleric of Erastil. Given their location, she wonders if the bear has a different intention than merely eating her. Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14

She steps forward in front of Kivan. Though it seems silly, she tries speaking to the bear, not really wanting to kill it. "Yield, or we will destroy you!" She readies her spear against an assault by the bear.

Brace for charge.

Idris moves 30ft forward while drawing her trusty blade. Moving to 2 squares north of Maja. Please move me as I can't from my phone.

As the bear charges, Idris readies an attack as soon as it comes within 5ft.

Two-handed Aldori sword, power attack : 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13
Damage if that hits: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

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I moved you Idris. I think we need to move Pretty as well, but not entirely sure, so I didn't do it. Or perhaps I screwed things up by moving Maja to the wrong place.

Round 2 begins. I think Pretty is in the correct spot, her intention was to intercept the bear as it went at Maja. Maja has since moved, so Pretty's just kind of hanging out.

The bear is not responsive to Maja's demands. It remains focused upon her as it lumbers forward. Sharp claws grate on ruined stone, and the look in its eye is almost intelligent - and hateful.

Initiative order: Kivan, Seraphina, Bear, Pretty, Idris, Maja

Kivan unleashes the wand once again to help deal with the bear.

Damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (4, 1) + 2 = 7

Sera moved beside Maja and prepared to cast at the great beast.
Ready action to cast Colorspray on the bear when it draws close enough.

Color Spray DC:15 (Will)

Rolls for first effect in rounds on creatures with 2HD or less: 2d4 ⇒ (4, 3) = 7
unconscious, blinded, and stunned duration

Roll for second effect in rounds on creatures with 2HD or less: 1d4 ⇒ 2
blinded and stunned duration.

Then stunned for one round.
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Roll for first effect in rounds for creatures with 3 or 4 HD: 1d4 ⇒ 1
blinded and stunned duration.

Then stunned for one round.
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If 5 HD then stunned for one round.

It should be noted that 5 or more HD gives the stunned for one round condition, since this bear could easily have more than 5 HD.

bear will save: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16

Maja AoO: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

The bear charges right through Seraphina's Color Spray. It roars in anger as the seizure-inducing patterns assault its mind, but it just keeps coming, despite taking a pair of force missiles from Kivan. Idris' attack glances alongside the side of the beast, repelled by thick hide. The bear brushes past Maja's spear and attacks!

bite, charging: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 7 + 2 = 13

Maja is able to interpose her spear haft between her and the crazed ursine, and is blasted with hot, foul breath as its slavering maw seeks her tender flesh.

Initiative order: Kivan, Seraphina, Bear, Pretty, Idris, Maja

I think Pretty already posted an action above.

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I think Maja should also get a readied attack. Though I know not all GMs would agree.

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That was for the first round, but we don't need to go in order, folks. Creature, then all of us, Me, Idris and Maja acting on round 2, and Kivan and Sera acting already on round 3... Ramage?

The invisible Pretty moves around the monster, although the party does not realize it until she strikes the beast's haunch from behind it!
Dagger Flanking Invisible: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 6 + 1 + 2 = 18! Damage+Sneak: 1d4 + 1 + 1d8 ⇒ (3) + 1 + (5) = 9

Idris presses the attack against the bear, yelling a battlecry at it to try to draw its attention.

Two-handed aldori sword power attack, flanking with Pretty: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 6 + 2 = 26

Damage if it hits, including one-time whetstone sharpening bonus: 1d8 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 6 + 1 = 13

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I didn't think you had readied an attack, Maja, you just said brace for charge. Go ahead and take an attack! Yes, Pretty, you don't have to go in order.

Yay! Thanks! I'll be clearer next time about that; sorry.

Maja felt an eerily familiar feeling as yet another animal charges against her spear!
Round 1 attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22; Damage, with Brace: 2d8 + 6 ⇒ (7, 7) + 6 = 20

As her allies press the assault, Maja takes a step back and stabs again with her spear! Delay until after Kivan, then step back into the space he vacated and attack.
Round 2 attack, flanking: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 3 + 2 = 15; Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Round 3

Kivan moves around the bear and casts a spell causing the ground beneath the bear to become slick.

Casting Grease right under the bear it has to make a DC 16 reflex save or else fall prone.

bear reflex save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Pretty's dagger strikes true, sinking deeply into the bear's flank. Idris' strike likewise slams home, piercing the tough hide and drawing blood. The bear sees Kivan's grease and seems to recognize what it is, but cannot change its course in time and goes down hard on the bloody, oily stone. Seeing its vulnerability, Maja steps forward and drives her spear firmly into the bear's chest, inflicting a mortal wound! The bear howls in its death agonies as Maja runs it through.

A warm breeze begins to blow through the clearing. The bear, thrashing its life out on Maja's spear, begins to... melt? Chunks of bloody fur and thickened flesh slough off of the beast, dissolving into thin smoke as they hit the ground. The bear's form melts away, revealing the frame of a thin, wizened human man. Still impaled on Maja's spear, he pulls himself up the haft until he's close enough to speak.

"D-D..Do not... Think.." he rasps out, coughing blood through stained teeth, "That you will... s-s-succeed.. where I have... failed!"

With a groan, the old man's eyes roll back in his head and he slumps down, lifeless.

The wind increases in intensity, uncomfortably warm. Light blooms within the clearing, and you are forced to shield your eyes. The wind stops abruptly, and when you recover from the dazzle the clearing has changed. The thick tangle of brambles that hid it has receded back to the level of growth normal for the area, and the pool in front of the temple now holds sparkling, crystal clear water where moments ago was stagnant, algea-choked depths.

"Huh! So it was a madman in the form of a bear! How strange."

Idris examines the dead man. Is he naked or wearing clothing? In either case, is there anything of note; tattoos, markings, scars, items, etc?

The dead man is wearing simple, scruffy linen clothes that have seen much better days. He has a few scars, and a hand that looks to have been broken and healed slightly crooked, but nothing that really stands out. He is carrying no items save his clothing.