Lords of Themselves: A Kingmaker Adventure Path.

Game Master Red Ramage

maaaaaaaybe!

Dangit, with an answer like that I really want my kobolds. Why in the world would paid guards be a better choice? I have my doubts that they would want their silver back and I want to pay Mikmek another visit soon anyway. I think we ought to take out the undead and then drop in on our sootscaley pals on the way to Olegs.

Seraphina works beside Bara for a time, helping carry the bodies and pack the horses with as much valuable gear as they could carry.
"I feel strangely unsatisfied by all this. I still believe the Stag Lord needed to be brought down, but it seems like for justice to have truly been done, someone should have done something years ago. I feel like I've arrived a day late and a silver short." She shook her head sadly.

"But I suppose that as I have not died avenging my family's deaths, my true purpose stands yet to be revealed. Do you feel that way as well? I look at Maja and see the certainty in her eyes, that steadfastness of faith that will not be shaken, no matter her circumstance. She is purpose embodied. I thought I was too as long as I was focused on this task, but now things are different. I feel afloat." She smiled briefly, thinking she might just like the new freedom, but she expected it would be fleeting all the same.

"What is it that you want out of this life, Bara? We all had different reasons for coming to the stolen lands, but our goals have all meshed fairly well all the same. What is it that you would like to work toward?"

After that conversation is over and they are packed and ready to go, Sera asks the others, "What would be the best way to locate or trigger the undead. We don't want to to just walk up the hill and fall in a pit full of zombies and or skeletons. Maja, can you find them with your evil detecting ability?"

We could just split the party. Auchs, Maja, Kivan, and Idris all go back to tell Oleg the good news and get carts ready. Seraphina, Pretty, and Bara all stay and guard the fort while we get ready. Yes I know that splitting the party is a bad idea, but in this case it might be useful.

If the stuff gets taken, that's just another adventure! If we need wagons to take the stuff, then so does whomever else wants to pilfer it. We can just take all the magical equipment and coins. I advise against splitting the party mostly because it could be boring for one or the other side.

"I can sense evil, but I have to be pretty close. By Erastil's grace, I can also hide us from undead if we want to be sneaky or get surrounded." Preapred Hide from Undead today. Can cast it twice with the Pearl of Power, so that's 8 people all hidden.

"I think Maja's plan is a good one. I also think we should send two people back to Oleg's to tell him the good news and and get some carts ready. I think we need to have more people guard the fort than go back. "

"Well, I suppose we can decide that once we've eliminated the undead. Auchs, do you know anything about dead men that rise up from the hill?"

Provided no one objects, Sera gathers everyone on the road carrying the largest chunk of rubble she can support with mage hand. She sets the stone down and points her finger and lifts it into the air. She moves it to the top of the hill and then drops it from a height to see if she can stir up the restless dead. The stone strikes the ground and rolls down the hill. She repeats this several times or until she succeeds at locating the trap.

I'm iffy about separating the party, but if we did, I think Sera and/or Kivan and Pretty would probably be the best to travel quickly with the best chance to evade or run if we hit a random encounter. I guess I'm fine with just leaving the stuff if that's what most prefer to do.

We can actually dig part of the crumbled tunnels, hid the stuff covering it with dirt. Then we dig it up later. I also think we still got a lot of unexplored squares which we should deal with before settling down. Including hunting the personal enemy of half the party. As for the undead Pretty does not object any of the strategy, but of course we should go when the sun is high in the sky.
Those are my opinions ^_^

Seraphina and Bara

Bara takes in Seraphina's soliloquy as they undertake the hard labor of clearing the fort of bodies, her sentences clipped in between bouts of exertion as she hefts limp and bloody bandits. "I kill things. It's what I do, what I'm good at. What I've always been good at. Learned it early on - had to. Never was much one for pottery. Plenty of things need killing in this corner of the world. Purpose? Not really. Stay alive, I guess. Tomorrow's as good a purpose as any." Bara pauses, leaning back with her hands on her hips to stretch her back. "Gimme a hand with the fat one." You get the feeling that she's reluctant to talk about soft things like hopes and dreams. She's doing a pretty good job covering any awkwardness by laboring, but the facade cracks now and again.

As the last of the dead go tumbling into the pit you've dug, Bara does open up a little bit to you. "I am grateful you spared me, back there in the forest. Tomorrow tastes sweeter when it perhaps could not come." Quickly, the mask is back on. "I am filthy and drenched in blood. I'm going to the lake to bathe."

Don't think I've forgotten you, Idris. You'll get your 1v1 with Bara a little later

Finding the zombie trap
Seraphina's experiments prove fruitless at provoking the appearance of the restless dead. "Nah, I don't like dead people," Auchs comments. He seems to like this game, picking up chunks of masonry from the fort's rubble and hurling them down the hillside. He visibly considers throwing a chunk at Jegred, but eyes Sicarius and thinks better of it. He scowls and hurls it violently down the hill instead. It rolls for a good long while, shedding fragments like a disintegrating meteor until slamming into the bottom of the hill with a cloud of dust. It seems that mere physical insult to the grounds surrounding the fort doesn't trigger any kind of response. Perhaps some other stimulus is needed.

General

I'm presuming you're keeping a lookout in the watch tower while the day's events unfold, with the exception of triggering the zombie trap.

As the day wears on, the progression of lookouts all keep a sharp eye to the east coast of the lake, in the direction of the fire you saw at night. No cause is seen throughout the day.

Seraphina and Bara
Sera grinned when she succeeded at getting Bara to open up, even it it was only a smidgen. "Oh pishposh! You saved yourself, by being invaluable. A quality I expect you frequently demonstrate. You are a skillful killer, to be sure, but I refuse to believe it is the only thing that makes you happy. And I would see you happy, if I may. I expect it may do wonders for my life expectancy." She said with a wink, nudging the half-orc's shoulder and chuckling when they had finished moving Fat Norry.
"Give it some thought, anyway." She called after her as she left to bathe, relying on her prestidigitation again to cleanse herself.

Finding the zombie trap
She finally huffed with frustration after carrying on for a while with the stones, indulging Auchs a bit with the game by setting up little stacks of rocks for him to knock down with the big rock he tossed to roll down the hill.

"Well, I suppose there's nothing for it but to advance up the hill slowly and carefully and see what happens. If it's too many for us to handle, then we might need your hide from undead spell then." She turned to Idris, Maja and Pretty, clearly hoping to not lead the way herself.

Can we estimate the distance we saw the fire? Maybe me and someone else should make a quick inspection over the site.

"I don't think those undeads will cause us too much trouble Sera. Let's just walk around and eliminate them. If they were powerful enough to be intelligent they would have come for us already, but they didn't. The dead Stag let them be because they probably were a mean of defense, but we don't want undeads around us, right?"

She walks up front, a dagger in one hand, and she has Auchs' club on her belt, just in case.

Throughout the conversation, Jegred kept noticing the rank smell of the dead corpses nearby. Normally he had a keen sense of smell, but these new smells were far more powerful than anything he had ever experienced before. The normal surge of adrenaline he felt before every battle was replaced with a keen bloodlust, an overpowering need to bite and maim.

Jegred started following Pretty, as he was casting barkskin, but for some reason he had a tremondous amount of trouble concentrating on his spell as the overwhelming need to hunt coursed through his veins. He managed to finish the incantation before stumbling.

As he started to fall, he felt his face elongating, his previous black armor transforming into equally dark scales that covered him. He felt a new sort of strength surge up. Jegred tried calling out for help, unsure of what was happening, but when he tried saying something, he was surprised to hear a roar instead of his normal voice, and as he looked down he noticed two massive talons on his now saurian feet.

Casts barkskin, then wild shapes into a Deinychuous

Walking ahead with her sword out, Idris turns her head as she hears Jegred stumble, and gasps as he transforms into a beast. "Jegred? Are you alright? Can you understand me?" She moves into a defensive stance, in case their new friend is about to attack them.

For what it's worth, most paleontologists these days think Deinonychus had a coat of feathers. But we can always say it's different on Golarion!

For some reason, a song comes into Pretty's mind while she also takes a defensive position aside from Idris. "These secret side of me, I never let you see, I keep it caged but I can't control it!

All of Kivan's speculations confirmed!

Maja looks on with shock at their transformed ally. Or was he an ally? She draws her bow just in case. "Nod your head if you can understand."

Kivan begins laughing when Jegred transforms into a beast.

I was correct! They can change forms like I can change clothes. It appears that this isn't only humans, but tieflings as well. Maybe this is due to their human blood?

Kivan pulls out his journal and begins writing.

I have recently discovered that not only was I right with my hypothesis about Humans being part animal but Tieflings are also affected. Maybe this shows how their human blood calls out to them? This seems to be the first time Jegred has changed, but Idris and the others could change beforehand, and at a younger age. Maybe the blood of demons and devils can slow down the effects of human corruption? Maybe having a blood transfusion with a demon, or devil might stop the humans ability to change.

Knowledge(Arcana): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28 (I think that covers druid magic? If not I will retcon.)
Seraphina stared slack-jawed at the druid's transformation for a moment until Kivan begins laughing and scribbling away in his journal again and then she snaps her fingers in realization. "Ah! Be at ease, my friends, I think I know what this is! My own powers sometimes manifest suddenly like this and I have heard tales of druids in the great Gronzi Forest who can change their shape into powerful beast forms like bears and wolves. Jegred must be able to take a saurian form!"

She walked up to the black scaled creature, her hand extended.
"I'm sure he can still understand us, though he may not be able to speak. Do you need my armoring spell, Jegred?"

Does he lose the bonus from his armor when shifted? Have a Mage Armor if need be. Sera will then also cast Mage Armor on herself and follow up the hill.

encounter map updated. Please place yourselves wherever you'd be for undead investigating. You may position bara and auchs too. Each green line represents a 5 foot change in elevation, increasing in height as you get closer to the fort (the top of the hill)

Jegred nods his head at Sera.

Seraphina smiles to see she was correct about things and lays her hand on the bridge of his long snout and casts Mage Armor. (+4 armor bonus to AC for 4 hours)

"There you go! Shall we follow you and Sicarius as you sniff out the undead? Auchs, you stay here for now. I'll call if we need you."

Sera will wait until we actually find enemies before she casts the strength buff.

Pretty returns to search for undead where I've put her, and following that direction.

"Auchs, come up here in the front. Use that club if you see any dead people." I've placed Idris on the map.

Maja is constantly detecting evil.

As it turns out, there's not a lot of guessing to be done as to sources of evil. As soon as Pretty steps off the path, the ground in front of her starts to churn and writhe. In the time it takes for the tiefling to dance backwards, six skeletal warriors clad in archaic armor claw their way free of the dirt. Harsh rattles creak out of their dry skulls as they draw ornate greatswords and advance in formation, clumps of soil crumbling from their joints and dusting the hillside beneath them. From behind the skeletons, a ghostly female form rises effortlessly from the hillside, leaving no trace of her passage. She's ivory-pale with exaggerated eyeshadow cloaking jaundiced eyes. Clad in a simple black smock, her sole belongings appear to be the manacles closed around each wrist. The manacles are rusted and corroded, and the tarnished chains dangling from each wrist clink dully as she moves. The chain binding one manacle to another has been snapped, leaving her full arm mobility. Her entire body is slightly transparent, and you can see the terrain behind her if you focus slightly. She waves one arm grandiosely.

"Boys, give these fools a taste of Gyronna's regard!"

Party wins initiative, followed by bads and then allied NPCs. Map is updated, party up!

Round 1

I just realized Maja has another second level spell. So she's changing her action.

Maja calls on Erastil to protect her allies from evil! Cast Protection From Evil, Communal. Unfortunately she can only touch Idris, Pretty, Sera and herself based on her movement. But can she touch Sicarus and Jegred as they pass by?

knowledge (religion) untrained: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
power attack two handed with charge: 1d20 + 9 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (9) + 9 + 2 - 1 = 19
damage if that hits: 1d8 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Idris charges at the nearest skeleton, her lust for battle making her not realize that her mace might be the better weapon.

After striking, she drops into her preferred stance, watching the skeleton in front of her but also the shade giving it orders. Idris will not use snake style to dodge an attack from the skeleton unless the shadow has already attacked someone else.

sense motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14 Not that it matters with that roll. Even her touch AC is better.

AoO if the skeleton misses her: 1d20 + 7 - 1 ⇒ (3) + 7 - 1 = 9 Miss.

Edit:updated status line to reflect protection from evil deflection bonus

Seraphina hefts her light crossbow and extends her arcane strike to the bolt and fires on the skeletal creature closest to her.

Attack with Crossbow: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23 Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
Crit Confirm: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22 Crit Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 = 9

Knowledge-Religion(untrained): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13 (That only gets me the DC-10 one, right?)

K. religion: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

"Hit the skeletons with clubs and maces! Also don't let that woman touch you she is a shadow, and she steals strength."

Kivan then uses the wand of magic missile to strike the incorporeal woman.

Magic missile damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (4, 4) + 2 = 10

14 charges left.

K.Religion: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Pretty does not care about the woman or its reasons. This is an undead being, and although the first time they met one that could speak was not so bad, this one was clearly beyond redemption.

While her tail swiftly brought another dagger to her hands, she stepped forward and looked for joints in both the skeletons in front of her, striking first at the western one, but changing targets as soon as that one dies.
Dagger 1: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21! Damage: 1d4 + 1 + 2d8 ⇒ (1) + 1 + (2, 4) = 8
Dagger 2: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27! Damage: 1d4 + 1 + 2d8 ⇒ (2) + 1 + (2, 6) = 11
Confirmation: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10! Extra Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Jegred lets out a snarl as he leaps towards the closest skeleton, his powerful haunches propelling him incredibly swiftly through the battlefield, before biting at the beast. Sicarius lets out a simultaneous roar and charges into battle next to his master, his powerful charges crunching through undead bone.

Sicarius charges, and Jegred bites the same target if it is still up, otherwise, he continues moving to the other skeleton and bites him. For reference, Bites do B/P/S, Claws do B/S, and Talons do S.

Jegred Bite: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21Damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Sicarius Bite: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8Damage: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

I'm ok with Jegred and Sicarius getting the touch from Maja in passing

To Idris' dismay, the skeletal warrior facing her brings its greatsword up in an arcing parry that bats her slender blade aside. No mere animated pile of bones, this - that move took skill. The skeleton's sword slides down Idris' blade and bites into her arm.

skeletal warrior vs Idris: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (5, 3) + 4 = 12

the two closest skeletons to Seraphina are equidistant, rolling to see which one you shot unless you care strongly. yes, untrained = max 10 on the result
1d2 ⇒ 2

Seraphina has better luck with her shot, which sends a quarrel straight through the forehead of a skeleton. The bolt punches out the other side in a spray of bone shards - a lethal hit for a living being, but mere structural damage for the undead. A blunted bolt probably would have done more damage.

Kivan's magic missiles streak unerringly through the air to impact the spectral figure. Despite her incorporeal nature, the force attack blasts bits of her essence away.

Pretty lays into the skeleton that just hit Idris, cracking bone with a flurry of dagger blows. Despite her efforts, the skeleton remains standing. Pretty's daggers excel at slicing flesh, but the hardened bone is less pliable.

Sicarius slips on the hillside and misses his bite as he scrabbles for balance, powerful talons raking the dirt. Jegred is more successful, catching a mouthful of bones with his maw and crunching down hard and finishing the job Seraphina started.

The shadow cackles maniacally and commands her troops forward with a wave of her arm, clinking with broken chain. As her skeletons engage you, she glides forward and reaches towards Jegred with a hungry look in her eyes. Fortunately, he is able to dodge aside, spitting bone shards.

shadow vs jegred, incorporeal touch: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Idris recovers from her injury quickly enough to beat aside the swinging sword of another skeleton that moves to engage her!

skeleton vs Idris: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

Pretty is likewise attacked, but proves to be too elusive a target! By the time the skeleton's sword is there, she's not.

skeleton vs Pretty: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

The flank of the skeletons' line folds in and Sicarius finds himself under attack by two of the undead creatures. One connects, but Sicarius' scales flash alabaster white and crackle with spell energy as Maja's blessing deflects the blow.

skeleton vs Sicarius: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
skeleton vs Sicarius: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Auchs scowls as the undead rise and make battle. "Boo! Bad deads go away!" Not getting the results he wants from his command, Auchs grabs a rock from the ground and hurls it at a skeleton, badly. It goes sailing past the undead to crash to the bottom of the hill with all the previously thrown stones.

auchs vs skeleton: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Seeing the melee unfold in front of her, Bara charges the closest skeleton to prevent your flank from being enveloped. She curses in orc as she runs, knowing full well that her falchion is a substandard tool for this job. She nevertheless takes her place on the line of battle, striking a glancing blow against her target.

Bara vs skeleton: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 7 + 2 = 24
damage: 2d4 + 3 ⇒ (4, 1) + 3 = 8

party up

Maja presents the bow of Old Deadeye before the undead. "By Erastil's might, return to the ground from whence you came." A glow emanates from Maja, harming the undead. Channel Energy: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 6) = 10 Will DC 12 for half damage.

Hearing Kivan's shout, Idris draws her mace, and twirls around to smash the skeleton in its grinning face. Same skeleton Pretty attacked.

Attack, no power attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Edited my status line with damage. Looks like these guys are skeletal champions or something, eh?

Idris watches the attacks of the skeletons and the shadow carefully. It's harder to read these creatures, but she notices faint glints of light in their empty eye sockets, and is able to see their intent as they attack. Hoping at least one of the skeletons attacks Idris. Snake Style/fang to dodge and riposte.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27
AoO on a missed attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
confirmation: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
unarmed critical damage: 2d6 + 4 ⇒ (5, 4) + 4 = 13

Now would be a really good time for Smite and the +1 flaming arrows, Maja. Jegred and Sicarus can't hurt the Shadow at all, and Idris is the only other one with a magic weapon that I know of. If Idris gets a move action to spare, she'll pull out her +1 bow and drop it for Maja to grab.

Seraphina finally spots a worthy line-up of foes and drops her crossbow (marked on map with an down arrow) as she sprints to a spot between Sicarius and Bara. She activates the wand of burning hands, targeting the shadowy woman and the skeletons on either side of her.

Burning Hands Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 4) = 6
Not sure about the appropriate DC, caster level of the wand is 2.

Pretty drops her masterwork daggers and attempts to move through the Skeletons, ending up behind them and flanking one with Jegred, and the other with Idris, holding the +1 Club and attacking the skeleton to her left (or the other one in case its dead)!
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16

Club!: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 3 + 2 = 24! Damage: 1d6 + 2d4 ⇒ (4) + (3, 1) = 8

Kivan waits to see if any of the undead go down. If the shadow remains standing he will fire the wand once again at the creature. If the shadow is not still up then he will fire at the nearest remaining skeleton.

Magic missile damage: 2d4 + 2 ⇒ (2, 4) + 2 = 8
13 charges left if any are still standing.

The damage from channeling should have full effect on the shadow, so hopefully it'll be enough.

Seeing the skeleton fall Jegred diverts his full fury to the other skeleton next to him.

Bite: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23Damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Foreclaws: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10Damage: 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Talon: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23Damage: 1d8 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8
Talon: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28Damage: 1d8 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Sicarius lets out a roar of frustration at missing his original target before quickly turning his attention at his next.

Bite: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22Damage: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Claw: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13Damage: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Claw: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18Damage: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Saves from item-cast spells are taken as if cast by the lowest level possible caster with the least possible ability score. Burning hands is a 1st level spell that requires a 12 in the casting ability to cast, so the DC from the wand is 12

skeleton vs Idris: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Seraphina's fire and Maja's holy light wash over the line of skeletal warriors, searing them from both the physical and spiritual planes of existence. The shadow's eyes burn out in gouts of holy light, and her high pitched keening assails your ears as the foul being writhes and dissolves in holy power.

Pretty leaps past the guard of a skeleton, springing up from a roll to crack the undead guardian on the back of its neck with her club. It falls to the ground in a rain of bones as its animating force fails.

Jegred and Sicarius savage another skeleton between them, reducing it to tiny slivers of bone shards.

Kivan's magic missiles blast the chest of yet another skeleton, punching smoldering holes through its ribs.

The last skeleton takes a swing at Idris, who sees the attack coming from a mile away. Stepping out of the way of the sword, Idris punches the skeleton with a savage uppercut, and finishes the job by closing her gloved hand around the warrior's neck and snapping it clean off.

And just like that, the battle is over. Searching through the remnants of the undead, you find only their weapons - pitted and corroded greatswords - and tattered burial clothes.

Auchs claps.

"Is that all?"
Pretty begins walking farther from the trail after retrieving her dagger.

"I know what you mean! Where's some more of those?" Idris grins, her adrenaline pumping.

"Nicely done," agrees Maja.

careful what you wish for!

The midday sun shines upon you. The day is yet full of possibility.

Maja checks out the ground where the skeletons came from to see if it would be a suitable place to hide the supplies.

The party walks around the fort, searching the hill for any more threats.

Idris is looking for any signs of danger. When they break for lunch, she'll go swimming in the river.

Seraphina retrieved her crossbow, looking at the pointed tip and wondering if the fort had blunted bolts that would work better against such creatures. Check the armory for blunted bolts while I'm thinking about it.

Once they had combed the hill and not located anymore undead, she makes a final sweep of the fort and makes sure to collect any books from the Stag Lords quarters that might shed further light on his plans.
Before leaving the fort, she looked one last time for signs of whomever lit a campfire the night before.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

On the way back to Oleg's, she reminds the others that she wanted to stop and speak to the Sootscales. She can detour and catch up later if need be, I think Idris arranged the trading with Oleg, so maybe she would like to come along, at least.

When they reach the area where she knows they are likely hiding and watching, she dismounts and steps forward, spreading her arms with claws on display and gleefully proclaiming in (slightly halting) Draconic.

She shot a grin at her tiefling tutor, (provided she is present) clearly proud of herself for her progress with the language.

I suppose if Maja is there, the news may be fairly obvious if she is wearing the helmet. XD
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Going to the Sootscales today seem fine to me - they're very close.

I am okay with that too.

at the fort

No more threats present themselves as you investigate the hillside. There doesn't seem to be a space where the undead came from - they clawed their way out of the hill, true, but left no cavity behind in which they had been resting. It seems like whatever force was animating them could spawn the undead wherever they were required to face off against intruders.

The armory does not contain any blunted bolts. Bara confirms your suspicions that the bandits didn't intend on fighting the undead, but were content to let them be a security and early warning system.

With a little heavy hauling and creative dirt shoveling, you all conceal your fairly-earned haul of ill-gotten gains in the basement. Auchs whimpers when he sees the corpse of the worst father ever, but once Nugreh's body is disposed of the giant lummox calms down and schleps crates around with good cheer.

You set out for Oleg's Trading Post by way of the Sootscales. Your last look from the watchtower reveals no trace of whomever lit that fire. The fire-maker must either be supremely foolish to build such a beacon on so flat and open a plain, or confident enough to handle anything which might take note.

On the move

It's a fine day for riding, much warmer and sunnier than anything you've experienced in your explorations so far. It almost seems like the land has brightened in response to your culling of the evil that festered upon it. Poetic flights of fancy aside, it is quite an enjoyable fifteen mile ride to the environs of the Sootscale tribe.

It is Nakpik, the young kobold guard who was on duty during your first visit to the Sootscales, who first greets you. He stands up from under a hide concealed by camouflage netting and waves, his spear across his back. As he covers the forty feet or so between your position and his, you see him retrieve his flute and play a succession of silent (except to Seraphina) notes upon it to signal the all-clear.

Draconic "Greetings, self-lords!" the diminutive lizard chirps, "Yatpank is far afield and Mikmek consumed by very important work! The Master Builder labors in his workshop. Shall I take you to see him?"

Social Contract

Style and Etiquette
The general mood of play will be serious, but not exclusively so. I would like to keep focus on the adventure and the task at hand. Excursions and tangents are certainly fine, but, if necessary, I will direct players to spoiler "sidebar" actions so that we can continue with the story. It is perfectly acceptable to have conflict between characters, as long as both players are comfortable with the direction of the interaction. However, conflict between players will be arbitrated as quickly as possible, with the GM having the final word.

Characters
Let it be known now, before we start, that your character may die. I will not fudge rolls. There are enemies out there that can wipe the floor with you. You are always allowed to run away. I will do my very best to have the enemies behave in a way that is accurate to their level of intelligence and tactics, keeping all circumstances in mind. As such, there should be no accusations of unfair play upon character death. Upon character death, you will be welcome to submit and incorporate a new character immediately. But, don't get the wrong idea in your mind. I'm not a calloused killer. You'll be able to tell if you're getting in over your head. I don't like killing characters for no reason, but I also don't like completely caution-free games.

Posting Frequency
Everyone is expected to post at least one time per day. If you will be unable to post, please give as much advance notice as possible, barring extreme circumstances. If a player is not heard from in 24 hours, their character will be eligible to be run by the GM until the player returns. If a player is not heard from 72 hours, their character will be removed from the game in any way appropriate including death. My personal email address is jakedecourcey@gmail.com. Feel free to contact me for any reason. Also, if you choose to do so, I will have an additional way to contact you in case the need arises.

Posting Conventions
Admittedly, I am lifting this wholesale from another GM. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

In character content including Dialogue and internal monologue.

_______________
Out of Character commentary pertinent to the action above.
Dice Rolls: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16
Move action i.e., Move to E15 or move 3 spaces N, 2 spaces E.
Standard Action or anything else

Combat

Other Bits and Pieces
I'm pretty flexible when it comes to gameplay. Not that I fudge rolls, but rather that I give you, the players, a lot of power. Here's a little example. Let's say we're fighting two guards in a bedroom. It's safe to say that there are sheets in the bedroom, even though I may not specifically mention it. So, your turn may look like this: Kevin grabs the top sheet and slings it in the nearest guard's face, following it up with an jab from his spear. Now, I, the GM, say that the guard gets a reflex save. He fails, so now he's blind and entangled. It's not in the rules anywhere, but it's cool and it makes sense. Hopefully that was a good example.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Clear as mud? If everyone is comfortable with these guidelines, we're good to go. The last thing you should know is that I'm a reasonable guy, and I'm extremely attached to what I consider the number one rule of table top RPGs: "My fun is your fun and your fun is my fun." So speak up. We're all in this to have fun, be creative, learn, and pass time together. If there are ever any problems, we all want to deal. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I want to.

I pretty much have the same GM style so all this sounds gold to me

Sounds good! Looking forward to beginning -- I've never played a sandbox style AP before.

This would also be a great time to sort out exactly how you all came to be involved in this expedition. You will begin your adventure at Oleg's Trading Post, which is intended to serve as a sort of jumping-off point for your exploration and charting of the Stolen Lands.

Where is Oleg's trading post? What city?

All things checked and ready to go. Not sure where Oleg's Trading Post is, but I could be there recovering from my injury (if that works).

Sound's great to me. I hope to be up to the expectation.
But I need some help, as I mentioned before, my background is vague about specific places, mainly cause the Kingmaker players' guide doesn't have a word about the geography of Brevoy. Aside from a map with location's names, of course. SO, should i wikipedia each of them or is there a pdf i could buy to read about those places and finish our interactions?

Google-maps style Inner sea atlas

Pathfinderwiki page on Brevoy

You could also buy the Inner sea world guide PDF for $10 at paizo or the inner sea primer for $8.

Thanks Idris, will be ready tomorrow morning.

Indeed, I didn't check to see how much information the Player's Guide gave you. The following is all common knowledge for anyone who is familiar with the area. Essentially, you all signed up for this expedition to map and explore the stolen lands. The primary motivation for these expeditions, of which you are not the only one, is that the bandits in the area are becoming more organized and are threatening some of the trading posts and trade routes.

If you look at the map in the Player's Guide, you will see a City called Restov. Restov, which is the capital of Rostland, lies on the southern border of Brevoy, a nation of eternal political scheming, and The River Kingdoms, which is a large collection of petty kingdoms all trying to obtain more land and power at the expense of the others. The Stolen lands are an area that has not yet been able to be claimed by any noble. Restov has decided to try to claim the stolen lands for whatever reason, and they have hired adventurers to clear out the more threatening bandits and to establish trade routes.

Here's a quote from the Adventure Path itself:

The adventure begins with the PCs, each bearing a charter
from the Lord Mayor of Restov granting license to explore and
map the section of the Stolen Lands known as the Greenbelt,
arriving at a small, remote trading post at the southern edge
of rural Rostland.

So, you are on the Southern border of Rostland, deep in rural Restov, and you will be expected to chart and clear out the area directly to the south of that location. You will begin the adventure by reporting to Oleg's Trading Post, which lies at the far north edge of the area you will be adventuring in.

I think I have probably been a bit repetitive, but I hope that settles up any outstanding questions about why you're where you are.

All right! That's pretty good Jacob.
Restov does seem to be a nice town, an according to the reference i would be welcome if i could adapt myself to it. I'm a smart girl, i can do that!
But New Stetven looks better for business purposes, and it's still near. I guess New Stetven could even have one or maybe more Tielflings without them calling too much attention. So it seems the background would adjust, in large view, to at least two options:

1) I'm from the Rogarvia family, and my birth city is New Stetven (unless i would have disappeared with the nobles - that was 12 years ago, right?). Since the noble's disappearances i came back to town, reestablishing my profession. Restov is where I spent most of my life, so I have friends there and connections. But I did travel throughout the region and kept refreshing my information on the Rogarvia family. Once they disappeared I went back to New Stetven, but it seem business were not so good and the Surtova family occupied well my "family-I-hate" spot, with their ancient tradition and hard ruling. Thanks god I'm not being chase anymore, but as business are not doing good (probably because have never been the same since the confront with the family) I am looking for new opportunities, and managed to get the chart with my (maybe friend) mayor, to explore the southern region with a temporary group. Well, the fact is that in such a misterious disappearance my fiendish heritage might give everyone clues of what the family has done in a distant past (or maybe in the recent one ^^). Run, Pretty! Run!

2) I'm from the Surtova family, and Port Ice is my home town, from which i ran 20 years ago, when my mother passed out and all the scandal took place. I've been in New Stetven for most of the first 10 years, but once the Rogarvia family disappeared and the Surtova moved in, I found the place was no longer safe and moved to Restov where i had more connections. But the uneasy feeling never passed, so maybe a region farther away would be nice.

So, if anyone wants to give opinion about it please feel free, and after that we will check interactions. I do know that the first option have MAY be unavailable if I would vanish with the other nobles, but it's said once that "most of the members" vanished, while in Inner Sea World they say that "every member of House Rogarvia vanished without a trace". So i believe it's up to you, Jacob, to deny the first option if you think inappropriate, leaving me with the second or even a third we could reach.

Cassius learned of an expedition gathering in Restov while he was in New Stetven. Considering he had Brotherhood members on his tail, leaving the country would be a good idea.

* Sera and Idris - How about we all met in New Stetven and decided to travel together to Restov together since we all planned on joining this expedition?

Makes sense, and maybe Idris remembers Pretty from when she had a shop in New Stetven. I like the second option better, Pretty, it just seems a little more natural. What kind of a shop was it? I can't see you put that in the background.

Pretty...I think we're technically cousins? Since i am also from the Surtova family and i'm from Port Ice. However since you ran away we would never have met in Port Ice. But now that we are together we can be somewhat family? (At least thats if you pick the second option)

Hello Discussion thread!

I also use the same posting style. GM, do you prefer we spoiler dice rolls? Also, what are your guidelines regarding ooc discussion? Are PC's allowed to discuss battle plans ooc or would you prefer we limit that to in character speech?

I liked this site when I was looking for info on the noble families, it gives a summary of diplomatic relations between families too.
Medvyen wiki page

I'll be finishing up Sera's gear and work out her segue into adventure and get it posted today! [/excited!]

Just checking in! I'll get a segue posted later today.

Hmm. I'm seeing a pretty consistent theme in the backstories of the characters...

Maja is a Rostland native, but a country girl, so she's still rather intimidated by going into Restov and meeting the Mayor. After claiming her charter, she will return home to say her farewells. Then she will travel to Oleg's Trading Post, journeying with her friend Devon on one of his patrols for a little ways before splitting off.

@Sera, you can make dice rolls out in the open, but I'd prefer it if you put them below the line so that the descriptive text isn't cluttered up. You are welcome to discuss tactics out of character as long as it doesn't hamper the speed of the game, much like in real life.

Ok, I see Cassius, Idris, and Sera arriving together, Maja on her own, Pretty on her own, and Kivan already at Oleg's for one day. That all works by me, so if you'd like to make any changes, now's your chance. I'm going to post the opening in the gameplay thread, but I'll let you introduce yourselves.

I'm putting my final touches on Sera's background and character sheet. Made some changes to her appearance and linked a visual reference portrait. Wanted to double check on a couple of things before I post the final version.

1)Is the Leadership feat legal for play in this game?
2)What all is available for purchase in terms of scrolls and special substances?

Well, I'm going with number 2, then. Thanks to Cassius and Idris for the help. I do find option 1 much more thrilling, but I guess it would take us out of the adventure's path. Se 2 it is.

Leadership is legal and extremely valuable in this campaign. You can start the game with anything you can afford, but you're going to be out in the wilderness for some time, so pickings might me more limited.

So I quite arbitrarily created a half-orc that reportedly played a role in the death of Maja's husband. Any chance we can make them one and the same as Kivan's enemy? I'm fine giving him Kivan's chosen name.

I noticed that Cassius's Wisdom will make him unable to cast Ranger spells. Any thoughts about taking the Skirmisher archetype as an alternative? (Maybe you were already thinking of doing that.)

I have no problem with the Orc connection.

Good catch on the ranger WIS. It would actually be worth noting that the urban ranger's skill set isn't great for Kingmaker in general. Kingmaker takes place largely in the wild. Skirmisher would be a worthwhile consideration.

I dont mind switching it up

@ Pretty- Yeah when i wrote this it was at like 1-2am and I was rushing to submit it on time :P i went through and changed it though. Also i think its a Surtova thing maybe? Cause i don't plan on telling anyone who i really am either. For now most will only know that i'm working and hope to eventually have my sister and mother come and stay with me once i'm settled.

Either Trapper or Skirmisher would be good ideas. Trapper gets us trapfinding, which Pretty doesn't have due to her archtype, and lets you set traps yourself.

I have it as Skrimisher right now, but if people want the arch type to be tracker lemme know

Do what seems right for your character. There are always ways around traps.

In all fairness, I wouldn't give any weight to trapfinding. There aren't a ton in this path. I'm more into thinking through traps logically instead of rolling for them anyway.

Pretty -- What do you think about taking the Outflank teamwork feat with Idris at a future point?

@Idris: a Must-have. But that would be lvl 7 for me in the minimum, as my BAB is 3/4. We will surely be doing it all the time.

@kivan: Since we're doing some metagame here, you'd maybe want to change the reactionary trait, once we're doing group init with the highest modifier, and i believe that will be Cassius (+9 not);

If you guys are okay I will switch that now knowing this, or not if that isn't okay.

If you would like to change initiative-based qualities regarding your character at this time, feel free to do so.

The trait is not valuable enough if we're rolling group ini, but it's up to Jacob. I think he would allow that.

Yeah, switch it up. I like to do group init on PbP because it's a pain to have to wait for one single person to post. Feel free to pick something more valuable.

Are you fine with this?

So are you going to roll my init? or would you like me to roll it? Just to confirm

I'll roll, Cassius. For the most part, I'll just take initiative based on common sense. If you get the jump on someone, you go first, etc. It's usually pretty obvious who goes first. I think the only situation where initiative will be rolled is if there is a surprise round, in which case I'll roll to see who goes first in normal rounds.

And yes, Kivan, that's good.

May I drop Mage Armor and pick up Enlarge Person instead? I couldn't see going 3 levels without it, but Kivan has it and that is a safe bet for a wizard to prepare.

Enlarge person is a good spell in general, but it wouldn't be much of a buff for Idris, at least, since she's a finesse fighter. Pretty looks like she's going that route too.

Yeah, everyone can make any changes up until 2nd level. I trust you to not abuse the privilege. ;)

That's a good point, Idris... *goes to peruse character sheets*

"Say Maja, How'd you like to be 10ft tall?" Seraphina winks mischievously at the woman with the cut biceps, holding a vicious looking longspear.

That's gonna be some nice reach! This is a fun campaign. XD Thank you so much, GM!

Maja is a little startled at the offer. She's definitely not in the village any longer. "I've always wondered what it's like to be a giant," she says, smiling wistfully.

I should warn you that Maja is intended to become an archer herself someday. But that'll probably be around level 3 or 4.

I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I am, too. I think as the game progresses, we'll be a bit more action-oriented just to keep things moving, but it's good to establish some personality and dynamics early on.

Enlarge person is a good spell in general, but it wouldn't be much of a buff for Pretty, at least, since she's a finesse fighter. Idris looks like she's going that route too.

GM Jacob, I won't be changing my spells any more, (well, I don't think... but a woman reserves the right to change her mind, lol!) but could I perhaps plan to get this one later?

Corrosive Touch from Ultimate Magic

That's like a shocking grasp, isn't it? What's the big deal Sera?

I think that GM said that pretty much any Paizo is up for grabs. Certain the core books (CRB, APG, UM, UC, UE) could be considered good unless he says specifically otherwise.

Yeah, if it's on the online reference document, it's fair game.