Nazard's So You Want to be a Hero

Game Master Nazard

"Well, he certainly knows how to dodge. Felix pats Everard on his shoulder while grinning and chuckling to himself. "And didn't those books say that a good adventurer fights with their head as well as their strength? Then it looks like he'll be a fine adventurer."

"Ayup," Everard agrees, chuckling as well. "But soon or late, you need to deal a couple of whacks, too, or you risk ending up in the dirt. We'll look Kaspar up later. Let's go see the castle, then come back here and finish exploring town. Sound okay to you guys?"

You head towards the town gates. The sheriff, sitting on the porch of his office, nods to you as you go by. You pass through the gates and out of town.

The breeze is cool, but you feel a shiver deeper than just the cold. You are on your own in a very dangerous place.

Turning north, you walk along the town wall towards a cozy cottage. The bright smell of fresh herbs mingles with the aroma of wood smoke as you near the hut by the side of the road. A tall oak tree grows across the lane from the hut, where a small winged lizard has built itself a nest on one of the tree's thick limbs. The road continues onwards towards the castle in the distance.

Everard inclines his head towards the cottage and gives the others a questioning look.

"Sure." Agrees Felix.

You head over to the cottage and try the door, but it seems to be barred from the inside. You knock, and a familiar voice calls out, "One moment!"

A few seconds later, you hear the bar lift and the door opens to reveal the Healer. She smiles pleasantly at you, then gestures for you to come inside. The fragrances of herbs mingle with some rather unpleasant odours as you step inside the healer's hut.

The interior of the hut is cramped but cheery. A central fire pit churns out a good deal of heat (and a pot over the fire churns out the unpleasant odours). Three small cots line one wall, presumably for tending the sick. Various herbs and dried plants hang from every possible place. A ladder leads up to a loft space (presumably the healer's personal residence, though you have a hard time imagining this rotund woman ever squeezing through that opening). Perched on one of the exposed rafters is another of those small flying lizards, which watches you carefully as you enter.

"Good morning, come on in. Zayla, my dear. How are you feeling? So good to see you out of that bed. Now what can I do for you all today? I can sell you potions if you like. I also buy spell components if you are interested in gathering some for me."

"I'm doing a lot better, thanks," Zayla responds. "We were actually just on our way to the castle and happened to notice your place so thought we'd find out who lives here. I don't think I can afford any potions right now, but it's good to know you sell them."

Felix introduces himself. "You said you needed spell components. What sort of components would you need?"

"I will pay you two gold coins for each claw of a cheetaur, two healing potions for the beard of a troll, five gold coins per pound of magic mushrooms, and 1 gold coin for a flask of flowers from Erana's Peace."

"If you should wish to purchase potions or healing services from me in the future, I charge five gold coins to provide long term care here in my home per day. You can also purchase healing potions for 20 gold, vigor potions for 5 gold, undead unguent for 40 gold, and power potions for 40 gold. My power potions are of the weakest variety, unfortunately, but they will restore the magical energy consumed by a single first level spell. I believe Zara sells second strength potions at her shop in town if you have need of them."

Zayla would know about these potions, so before she asks, power potions are essentially consumable pearls of power. Drinking the potion gives you back a single first-level spell. Yo have to have already cast at least one for it to work (you can't drink a bunch to bank up extra spells). Second strength potions would do 2 spell levels, divided however you wish. They're an item from the game, and I would be very leary introducing them into a standard Pathfinder game, but in such a low magic setting as this, they shouldn't be game-breaking. You'll also notice that potion prices are much lower than standard. That's on purpose, but you'll also get a lot less treasure than standard. All part and parcel of the setting. I see folks on the boards talking about "sword and sorcery" settings, as opposed to "high fantasy". Is this kind of what they mean?

"Undead unguent?" Everard repeats, a little startled. "What uh, what does that do? And who is this Zara you mentioned?"

"Undead unguent is a magical cream you can apply to your body which, for a short period of time, will protect you from the dead that walk at night, at least the weaker kinds: zombies, skeletons, and floating spirits. I don't think we have zombies or skeletons here in Spielburg Valley -too damp, I suppose- but floating spirits have been reported around the graveyard at night. I'm not sure why anybody would ever want to go near such things, but if you should have need of it, one dose of my unguent will protect a person for five minutes - give or take."

I have converted undead unguent into an oil of hide from undead, but with a reduced duration.

"Zara is the proprietor of the magic shop in town. Her shop is located next to the adventurer's guild hall. I'm surprised you missed it...her shop is quite eye-catching."

The Healer giggles, as if at a joke of some kind.

Undead unguent never bloody worked -- not for me, anyway. :(

"Well, we haven't seen all of town as of yet," Everard admits. "We've scouted the north side, and today we're off to the castle to collect a bounty on this spear we took off a Brigand who won't be needing it anymore.

So.... What is a cheetaur? Where in this valley can we find magic mushrooms? And what is 'Erana's Peace'?"

Felix nods in agreement with Everard's questions.

"A cheetaur is like a centaur, only with the upper body of a jaguar. I'm not sure why thy aren't called jaguataurs, but what can you do. Their hybrid nature makes their claws powerful components in various restorative cures. They are very dangerous though, so you should avoid fighting one until you are very experienced."

"Magic mushrooms grow where fairy magic is strong. Their ring is far towards the western edge of the valley, and I haven't had any for many years. Erana's Peace is a magical meadow due north of here, hidden among the foothills. It is said to be a meadow of beauty and peace, with great restorative properties - flowers and fruit are said to always be in season. The flowers keep some of the magic of the place, even when they're dried."

Zayla listens intently to the Healer's descriptions, trying to commit them to memory. "Erana's Peace sounds wonderful," she says. "We'll be sure to keep an eye out for these things for you."

She looks to Everard and Felix. "Do either of you want to buy anything right now? I don't really have the money."

"I've still got some money, but let's hold off until we're ready to head out into the forest," Everard suggests. "With all due respect, ma'am. Money's a bit limited right now."

"Of course. Since money is tight, I do have a reward currently for the return of my lost ring. It just went missing several months back and I've searched this cottage thoroughly. If you see a gold ring fashioned in two athelas branches intertwined, its mine. It was a present for graduating from the Healer's Academy. I'm offering 60 gold coins and five healing potions for its return. I don't know where it could have gotten to...I hardly ever take it off!"

Felix perks up at that. "We'll keep a sharp eye out. You can be sure of that."

"That we will," Everard promises. "Just out of curiosity; where might this Healer's Academy be located? Do forgive me, but I'm from a backwoods little town. I'm learning all sorts of things about the world!"

Everard glances at the little lizard, and adds: "And uh, what - or should I say who, is.... that?"

"The Healing Academy is located in Silmaria to the south."

"Who?---" the Healer asks, following Everard's gaze. "Oh, that's my pet pterosaur, Pterry. His girlfriend Pteresa has a nest in the oak tree outside. He's harmless, except for a tendancy to steal dried herbs for Pteresa's nest."

Converting pterosaurs as pseudodragons, because why not.

"Quite the gentleman, then, our Mr. Pterry," Everard says, smiling at the Healer. "Well, thank you kindly, ma'am. Shall we go, guys?"

You head back outside the hut. Onwards to the castle or back to town?

Onwards to the castle, I suspect. Unless the others don't want their reward anymore. :)

"Yes, thank you," Zayla says to the Healer. "Especially for tending me while I was hurt. I'm sure we'll see each other again." She waves at the pterosaur. "Bye, Pterry!"

Pterry squawks at you as you leave.

Turning north, you pass through an area of farmland, all lying fallow. Farmhouses and outbuildings dot the landscape, showing obvious signs of neglect. To the west, you catch a glimpse of greener pastures beyond the desolation.

Soon enough, you stand before the main gates of Spielburg castle, it's portcullis lowered. The castle consists of an outer wall with a single keep inside. A lone, balding guard patrols the rampart above the gate. Though he can't help but to have seen you approach, he continues to walk back and forth in a rather lacklustre display of regimentalism.

Before we head north towards the castle....

Outside the Healer's house, Everard stands and stares at Pteresa's nest. He then turns to the others.

"Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?" he asks.

Zayla looks over at Pteresa's nest and then back at Everard. "Well...uh..." she begins. "Actually, I have no idea what you're thinking." She shrugs.

"Well that depends on what you're thinking."

"Pterry steals his mistress' dried herbs for his girlfriend's nest. What if he decided to steal her something shiny?"

"I suppose that's possible." Felix looks up at the nest.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

Felix doesn't see anything unusual about the nest, though he can see bundles of dried plants in the structure of the nest.

"I don't know," Zayla says. "I'd feel kind of bad taking one of her gifts. I think we should just leave her be."

"There's nothing wrong with looking though. Right?" Felix goes over to the tree and starts to climb to the nest.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (19) + 6 = 25
Perception 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

That would be a climb check, and that roll just barely fails the DC of scaling the trunk of the tree (no branches down here). He can take 20 to just beat the DC if you like.

My mistake. Jumping is now under Acrobatics. Sure, Felix takes 20 on a Climb check. I also forgot to use the rope that I purchased to help with that climb.

Being up in the branch, Felix can indeed see something shiny in the pterosaur's nest. Pteresa squawks at you testily and limbers up her wings.

"Easy now, girl. Your boyfriend took something that wasn't his. I'm just here to get it back. I know. You've heard that one before, but this time its actually true. Calm down. Easy. Easy." Felix inches out to the nest to retrieve the shiny bauble.

Still using rope to help. I'll try to loop it around a higher branch to help climb or maintain balance as I approach the nest.
Acrobatics 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14
Climb 1d20 ⇒ 7
Handle Animal 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 1 = 17

Pteresa squawks as Felix approaches, then splays out her wings and takes off. She flits around his head a few times before swooping over to land on the hut's roof, where she gives him a piece of her mind.

In the nest, Felix sees a golden ring. He picks it up and climbs back down.

"Oh! It's the Healer's missing ring!" Zayla exclaims. "That makes sense."

Gotta remember to think in computer game puzzles.

"Well then," Everard says. Smiling, he reaches out to knock on the Healer's door.

"One moment," the Healer calls from inside and you soon hear the bar lifting and the door opens.

"Sonething you forgot?" she asks, and then she sees Felix holding up her ring.

"You found it!! Where was it? It couldn't have been far."

She takes the ring from Felix, grabs his hair in her pudgy but iron grip, and plants a massive kiss right on the lips!!

"Let me get you your other reward," she says slyly.

The Healer gives you 60 gold coins and five healing potions.

Reeling from her kiss, Felix manages to get out "Thanks." He is sure to be just behind Everard when she returns with the 'other' reward.

There is a suspicious twinkle in Everard's eye when he smiles at Felix.
"Well, brother! You're the first to receive a token of a lady's favour in reward for your heroics. Congratulations!"
Slightly more serious, he continues: "These potions won't go amiss. Two for each of you and one for me? I've got the better armour, after all. As for the money.... Felix did most of the work on this one, so thirty to him, fifteen to Zayla and me?"

Zayla grimaces slightly at the kiss. As Felix positions himself behind Everard, she leans over to him and comments, "She's very hands-on, and doesn't give any warning."

"That seems more than reasonable," she says in response to Everard's suggestion. "It's not like I did anything at all, really." As she takes her share of the reward, she smiles. "At last, some money!"

The healing potions restore 1d8+1 points, half vigor, half wound. Any left over vigor heals wound points and vice versa.

Then I assume we can resume back at the scene in front of the castle gates.

Is the gate open?

Edit: Never mind. Just noticed you already stated that. :)

Zayla walks up to the closed gate and peers in. "Hello?" she calls out.

"Oh, hello there," a man's voice calls down from above. "How can I help you?"

"Yes, hello," Zayla responds, looking up towards the voice. "We're here to collect...that is, these two people with me are here to collect on a reward for stopping bandits. We have a spear!" She points at whoever of Felix and Everard is holding the spear.

"An even split. I insist. Either we're a team or we're not." Felix gives each of them 5 more gold. "Besides, I did get that kiss. That's got to account for something."

Felix holds up the spear for the guard to see.