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Ustalav it is. Now that we've established a destination and a map, now we have to establish the encounter arc, the themed nature of the foes. You can roll for this or you can decide as GM, based on what you have and haven't played or thrown at a party before. If you run this a lot, you will want to explore each theme.
There are:
1 - Orc Troop
2 - Dragon!
3 - Raiders
4 - Undead Crusader
= Raiders!
Okay, now we need to determine our major and linked threat. This is the big boss and the boss's minions(as well as a strange addition that will throw a little randomness into the mix) the PCs will encounter. (The scenario's Appendix 1 covers all this.)
I'm going to keep the results secret, but if you have the Scenario, you can follow along. So now, I have the Major threat, I need the Linked threat Okay, I have it. (If I roll the same result, reroll until you have two distinct threats.)
Now I need to roll twice to determine Additional Threats.
Alright, now I have my cast of characters, my map and my MacGuffin. The last step is populating the dungeon. Different GMs have differing views, but I like to place my Big Boss relatively deep inside the dungeon and place the sealed threat (our LInked Threat) in a wayward spot. I like to have an additional monster right near the entrance to kick things off and then salt the remaining threat somewhere in the middle. You may have different ideas; it's up to you. (Also keep in mind that monsters or threats need not be static unless they're actually traps or immobile. Feel free to have monsters wander in to investigate loud noises or unstealthy parties.)
Lastly, there are treasures to place. You can place these anywhere, but it might be helpful to place them near the major threat or an additional threat, depending on your preference. For example, the sword of a dead crusader would logically be found near the crusader's body, unless someone else got there first and looted it!
Now that we have all this, we can begin in earnest!
Flavor text from the Scenario, formatted for PbP:
Loud and raucous conversation filters through the door from the common room of the Uscalin Lodge, which doubles as the Ace of Dreams gambling house. “I know it’s here. I had it just a moment ago.” Venture-Captain Shevar Besnik lifts piles of papers and numerous boxes off of his desk, stacking them on various side tables and chairs in his clean but overly cluttered office. The tall, Varisian man’s face parts in a toothy grin as he lifts up a solid oak box. “Found it!” As if to punctuate his discovery, a crowd of players in the gambling hall erupts in cheers. Distracted for a moment, Besnik stares at the closed office door that leads to the common room. “Desna laughs. Well, she laughs at me, but she smiles on them.” The venture captain shrugs. “All they have is gold; what I have in here is far more valuable.”
Besnik opens the box’s lid painstakingly slowly, careful to keep the contents out of sight. With reverence, he lifts a large tome from the box and gently sets it on the table. “Careful, the binding hasn’t held up well. This is one of the few Tomes of Righteous Repose left in the world. I’m pretty sure there’s one in the library of the Sancta Iomedaea in Vigil, but I’m—well, let’s just say I’m no longer welcome there. That’s a story for another time.
“Up until today, I’ve only skimmed the pages. I didn’t want to damage it, but now that you’re here, I can’t wait any longer. Care to plumb the depths of this most ancient and wonderful storybook? Oh, the marvelous adventures we will soon read! This tome is a collection of tales describing how various crusaders died gloriously and honorably. I’m hoping to find some clues in the text that will lead us to an as-of-yet undiscovered site or relic. Maybe we can trade a bit of what we find with the Knights of Ozem and earn ourselves some goodwill. After what happened last time, we need it.
“Care to peruse the pages with me?”
As he slowly and reverently turns the pages, you have time to ask him questions.
Besnik smiles. "I couldn't say; every time I open this book it seems to offer me new and exciting leads!"
A rather stocky woman sheaths her blade and eyes those present sternly. "Hello there, I am called Seelah. Through the blessings of Iomedae, I have been summoned to help in this matter. Let us pray for a righteous experience."
Listening to the man share the information, she nods. "I have heard of your...exploits in the library." she quips. "I would be honored to aid with the potential discoveries within."
The old woman raises her head in time with the cheering from outside; a perceptive viewer could swear that she'd been dozing. "Are you sure this Tome is all that special? I could be playing bridge out there, you know. Maybe go home with some of your gold instead of some foo-foo quest."
She sits up straighter in her chair, holding her shawl in her lap with both hands. She fusses with it as she talks, pulling along an edge with one hand as the feels the cloth drag through the other hand, absent-mindedly. "So where are we supposed to go, then? This how the Society does things now, open an atlas to a page at random and just go there, see what you find?"
"The Decemvirate is getting lazy...."
Suddenly the Venture-Captain jolts upright. “Minkai art! Let’s see, the Minkai Empire was founded in 3619, and the empire’s first explorers didn’t reach the west coast of the continent until at least 3691 ar, which leaves only sixty years before the beginning of the Shining Crusade itself. These women could have been among the first Minkai citizens to reach the Inner Sea! Let’s see, what secrets does the poem on this page hold?”
The poem reads:
The Whisp’ring Tyrant lurks below,
Feeding on peasants’ fear and woe.
The god’s faithful set a border,
Shielding with their knightly order.
Hidden beneath Gydular’s snow
[illegible] shining glow
[illegible] darkness he would sow,
[illegible] Minkai warder.
Still the Tyrant lurks below.
Only few, the location know,
In case Tar-Baphon’s power grow
And find [illegible]
Trusted few knew [illegible]
But they were [illegible]
Still the Tyrant lurks below
He reverently peers at the page and smiles reassuringly. “We may not be able to read every word of this poem, but what we can read is more than enough to tell us that we need to investigate this site. What is clear to me is that the poem references some sort of protection against the Whispering Tyrant. The Knights of Ozem have always been secretive about the many and varied ways they keep that old lich locked away in Gallowspire, even among themselves. It’s possible that they have no idea this particular protection exists. Whatever Gydular is, it must be important.”
Wall of Skill Checks time:
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A Tien woman dressed in what looks like a cross of Ulfen breeches and a Minkaian kimono, suppresses a small giggle watching the old woman who'd almost been dosing off pop up with the unexpected cheering. Her face then turns a little flat when she hears what the lady says. "And would choosing a page at random really be a problem? I'm sure any place we could go would have something to learn about or from if we looked hard enough..."
Hiko does however give a start when the Venture-Captain bolts up. "Minkai!... art? You startled me there, mind if I take a look?"
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Now, I need a Knowledge (geography) check, Survival check, or other relevant skill check to analyze the poem to figure out the location of this 'Gydular'.
Daedin recalls that Gydular’s Point was once a famous peak in the Hungry Mountains, as the view if provided of the surrounding area was both majestic and militarily strategic. In 4187 ar, a powerful earthquake crumbled the peak, leaving massive slabs of jagged rock that locals renamed the Greyshards.
Seeing that you already know your destination, Venture Captain Bresnik gives you a traveler’s any-tool, a wand of cure moderate wounds (5 charges), and a wand of protection from evil (7 charges) that he has squirreled away for this trip. In addition, since he wasn't forced to hire a scholar to study the poem, he also offers you six flasks of holy water and one soul stimulant.
With your destination in mind, you leave with Bresnik's blessing. As you travel through the lifeless Hungry Mountains in Virlych toward your destination, a drizzle transforms into an ever more aggressive snowstorm, as if the weather itself were keeping you away, and strange whispers fill the air. As a small consolation, the tedious climb is shallow enough you are not exposed to the dangers of altitude sickness. Eventually, you find a toppled obelisk on a peak marking the entrance to the underground fortress. A staircase descends 30 feet into the mountainside.
"Oh, hello there. You're just in time for us to leave. We're looking for some lost art in the 'Hungry Mountains'. Come along now."
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In the tavern Hiko picks up the two wands. "I can readily use these and would be glad to hold on to them unless someone else wants them." She also picks up one of the holy waters, and puts it away in her pack.
As the group packs up to leave, Hiko moves over to the Taldan newcomer and asks, "Have you seen much Minakain art? My family is from there, but I've never been... The name is Hiko, by the way. And you are?"
Hiko cheerfully wanders up the slope in her thin outfit, seemingly fine with the cold, the rain, and, eventually, the snow. She spends most of the trek next to Estra, interested in the old woman's experiences and travels. "So what made you want to join the pathfinders? How long have you been in the society? Don't tell me you joined when you were young...er?"
"Nah, it hasn't been that long." Estra responds. "Shortly after my husband came back. Coupla years? Probably longer... time keeps getting faster, missy."
"Figured if Honaire was gonna stick around, it could only be for good, and the Society was as good a place to do that as any. Least it would be if the Venture Captains had any clue what they were doing."
She looks the young Tien up and down, getting a good look at her. "What made a young pretty girl like you join up? Lots of ways to spend a life that'd be easier and simpler than this mess, and you got a lot of life to live."
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Hiko acts slightly abashed at having her own question turned back at her. I guess I should have expected that...
"It's one of the best professions in Golarion for travelling and also a good way of learning new things and bettering onesself. It also has the added benifit of being a job my parents condsider 'acceptable.'" Hiko gives a slight smile at the last bit. She takes a moment to flick soem of the snow from her hair before asking the question that had been puzzling her. "If you don't mind me asking, where is your husband? Joining the pathfinders after him coming back almsot makes it sound like you..."
Realizing she's probably tripped over a line of conversation that would be decidedly 'not good' to continue down. Hiko turns and pulls Daedin into the convesation . "Uh, Daedin, you've been pretty quiet over there, what made you join the pathfinders?"
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Daedin pulls in most of Hiko's attention when he starts talking about his consort's death. "My that sounds like a story! I'd love to hear about it in more detail if your willing to share!"
When Aric brings out the wine and glasses, Hiko gladly takes one, but she ends up sighing over the nobleman's choice of toast, before taking a moment an d thinking of a response. "Pardon my sighing, but 'trying' also rhymes with 'flying.'" She takes a sip of the wine, before draining the glass. Handing it back to Aric, she comments, "As far as I can tell it's a nice wine, but you wouldn't happen to have something stronger, would you? Almost everyone back home would laugh if they heard I was drinking something this weak..."
Hiko gives a clap at Bock's rhyme. "I like that message a lot better! Hmm, Bock, is it? What drew you to the Pathfinders?"
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"Me? Well.. after my parents were exiled into the River Kingdoms, I was enamoured by honor and standing of the Aldori swordlords, their skill with a blade, superb!
"I responded to this.. song from the blades themselves, I figured the fastest way to git good at the Aldori style was by not dying at the wrong end of one. So I started adventuring, and eventually found myself working for Lady Gloriana Morilla every now and then. Hoping that maybe one day I can help my home country to finally find peace.
"What about you Aric? Or did you join the Pathfinders to find better wine?"
"Might good reasons I suppose. Good enough as any that is. For me? It was the call of the gods that brought me into the fold." offers Seelah.
"Though, one shouldn't turn down a good wine. Thank you for sharing." she adds, taking a drink.
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As it slowly dawns on Hiko that Alric might be flirting with her she blushes deeply and starts trying to stammer out something for a bit before taking a second to stop and re-center herself. After a few deep breathing exercises, she looks Alric in the eye and very calmly says, "I might need a second glass of that after all..."
A maze of sprung traps obstructs this large entrance hall. Blades, spikes, blast marks, and bones litter the ground. Carved holy symbols of Aroden, Sarenrae, and Pharasma cover the walls, but many of them have been vandalized.
A large hall stretches before you, and a smell of unwashed bodies and human execrement assails your nose, while also from far away you can hear the sounds of voices too faint to distinguish words.