Once Upon a Time in Golarion (Inactive)

Game Master vayelan

"It's had mixed reviews," the Vixen admits, "but the series is me guilty pleasure. I think I've committed the synopsis to memory."

She thinks a moment. "Yeah... The Bellflower Innuendo. Um...

"Ilsa Femming, young trophy wife o' James Q. Femming—who's such a dick! ...anyway, he hires a maid by the name o' Belle de Fleur." The way the Vixen says Belle's name suggests she's a bigger fan of the character than she is of the author. "The spy—nope, maid—ye don't find out she's a spy until the third book. So the maid—that's Belle—teaches Ilsa Femming Sylvan while the husband's away. 'But that's not the only romance language I can teach ye,' the maid offers. And so begins additional lessons on the use o' the tongue..."

The Vixen's emerald eyes flex giddily behind the mask. "The book's got everything! Action! Romance! Sex! And it's like... Jane just puts a few words on the page, and yer imagination's overtaken by this world that makes not a lick o' sense, but ye're ecstatic to be lost in it! Y'know...?"

Her dreamy smile abruptly melts into mild frustration. "She best finish Book Six before her number one fangirl becomes a fan-old-lady."

((If this doesn't deter Harmond from wanting to borrow the book, I actually have a PM that describes the contents of the book in five paragraphs.))

"Sorry to interrupt," Vekkel speaks up, pausing to spit into the dirt beside his wooden leg. "It'd be best to go after that spider first. It's lair is out on the plains, on the way towards the forest and the marshes."

Between the directions the hunter provides and Wonky's cartography of the region, it should be a simple matter to track the spider's lair.

The Vixen is almost relieved to not keep talking about her trashy novels, which she knows are not everyone's cup of tea.

"Don't forget yer calligraphy brush, Harmond. 'Cause ye're about to add Monster Hunter to yer resume."

Harmond nods to Wonky

"Less formal, yes of course. I'm actually from Brevoy. House Orlovsky is a very prominent noble house. I'm surprised you haven't Miss Prong."

Harmond listens to her description of the book, blushing furiously when she mentions sex. Yes, I think I would he very interested 8n reading that book. Anyways, shall we set out?

Harmond follows whoever leads to the destination.

The Vixen mounts her saddle, and waits patiently for anyone but her to make the first move.

((Assuming someone does...))

Once VV is pretty sure she can speak without spooking or falling off her horse, she recites a poem in Sylvan.

"That's from the book. One o' the parts where Belle gives a Sylvan lesson."

A half day's ride across the plains rolling south from the trading post leads you to the proscribed region. You find and follow a game trail that winds west, towards the forest, and this brings you to the shallow dell where the beast lairs.

The ground is littered with a graveyard's worth of bones. The erudite Wonky and Harmond can both readily identify most of the skeletons as belonging to elk, boars, and even bears. However, you worryingly espy a few human skulls and femurs scattered about the grass, as well.

The Vixen dismounts and lets her bow slide off her shoulder. She removes an arrow from her quiver. She says nothing.

Except to her horse: "Uh... stay."

Seeing all the bones Harmond visibly pales.

I...don't think all of those are animal bones...

It had been a long, long ride. Eunomia was used to short patrols, with a few longer expeditions to clear out nearby bandit camps. She hadn't traveled this far since she was a child.

Along the way she listened for more rumors, trying to make sure she'd actually recognize these people when she found them. Some she dismissed outright. (A 20-foot giant? Preposterous.) Still most agreed that the group included two men, a gnome, and (most recently) a red-haired woman.

Which sounds suspiciously similar to the group of nearby travelers cresting the hill. Particularly the gnome; she can't imagine there are that many running around the Stolen Lands.

Keeping a hand on her crossbow just in case, she starts to ride closer. Then stops. Are those...bones? What is this place?

Glancing again at the nearby party, she completely forgets her carefully-memorized speech. "Do you know why this place is covered with bones?"

Have they been dumping bodies here?! No, wait, for them to have decomposed entirely they would have had to be here far longer than this group has been operating.

Harmond, being the new guy in the group lets the other speak. Instead he reaches into his backpack and pulls out a stuffed animal of what looks like a small black bird. He kisses it on the forehead and whispers.

Wake up Laury. I need your assistance.

The doll springs to life and begins flapping its wings, taking flight, and perching on Harmond's shoulder.

"I could send Laury in to scout if you think it would be wise?"

Spending 1 point from my necromancy focus to use Soulbound Puppet to create a Raven Familiar for the next 40 minutes.

Ahto turns to the newcomer and gives a respectful nod of the head.

"It is the nest of a giant spider. We have been charged with the responsibility of killing it. It is too great a threat to passersby to be left unchecked."

He pauses a moment then says, "I am Ahto Ulrych, of the Church of Abadar. What is your name?"

He watches the woman intently, looking for signs in her body language and expressions of her intentions.

Right. Giant spider. That makes sense. It's a good sign that they're focused on clearing out these sort of threats too, rather than simply avoiding them. It also confirms that these are the people I'm looking for; the cleric of Abadar was mentioned a few times.

Puzzle solved, Eunomia returns to the original plan. Straightening up in her saddle, she says, "Greetings. I am Eunomia Verto of Liberthane. Rumors of your efforts to bring civilization to the Stolen Lands have reached the ears of Lord Achille Parsall. He requested that I assist you in this noble endeavor. Will you accept my aid?"

The speech is very clearly memorized. Once delivered, Eunomia waits for an answer while continuing to sit ramrod-straight. If she were standing she'd be at attention.

I know Ahto isn't a cleric, but I'm assuming a few things got muddled in the rumor mill.

"Rumors?" The Vixen's lips narrow into a smug crescent. "Well, if Lords and Ladies're chatting about me o'er crumpets and tea, I best start rehearsing introductions meself."

She strikes a pensive pose, and is silent for almost a second.

"I'm... the Vermilion Vixen! That's with one L, not like the number million. Had to consult the dictionary. Not proud... nah, that intro sucks.

"Yes to aid." VV signals Eunomia to come closer. "Can I've a do-o'er on me intro?"

Ahto gives the woman a look as if to size up her abilities.

"If it is the wish of you and your lord to aid us, you are welcome, so long as you strive for the same goals: Law, order, commerce, and prosperity," Ahto replies.

"But for now, a more pressing matter: baiting the beast from its lair without adding our own bones to this pile."

The Vixen assures Eunomia, "The bait ain't you, so ye best get close. Preferably behind me since I'm a mediocre archer at best. Can't hit the broad side of a wyvern. Believe me—I tried!"

As for what should be used as bait...

"Any chance one o' ye magicians can summon an expendable beast? I mean... if summoning bait's not an unethically treacherous thing to do. Maybe summon a beast that's a chance o' getting away?"

She asks Harmond, "Can Laury get away? Ye're on a first-name basis, so I trust I'm to protect her same as I'd protect Wonky's dog."

Harmond clears his throat.

" I could send Laury in. He's mostly a figment of my imagination and a great little spy. Very smart too."

The stuffed crow caws in an inexplicably upper crust accent, like a well trained butler "CAW! Very smart indeed CAW!"

"Alternately I could summon a wolf to help us fight and send it in to scout, but it would be a normal dumb wolf and not able to report back anything. Oh! Before I forget.

Harmond fumbles with device strapped to his wrist for a few seconds before a wand shoots out and falls to the ground. He bends over and picks it up before tapping it against himself and Laury.

"Stupid thing is supposed to make it easier to draw the wand, not harder. Does anyone else want some? It's an armor spell.

Mage Armor on himself and Laury, 1 hour duration If no one objects Harmond will send Laury in with instructions to lure the spider out.

Eunomia's thrown by the Vixen's friendliness, not to mention the intro. "I don't think Commander Parsall eats crumpets. We talked about your group while on patrol around the city, not over tea." A second later it hits that the Vixen probably wasn't being literal, and she flushes.

Grateful for the chance to focus on something she's used to (killing monsters) rather than something she's not (making small talk with strangers), she turns her attention to the matter of the spider.

"I don't know any spells for summoning monsters. I could create some illusory sounds though; maybe make it sound like there's prey nearby? That might lure it out, and would keep, uh, Laury safe from possibly being eaten." She pauses. "Although if it hasn't been lured out by us talking, it might not hunt by sound at all."

"Regardless, armor is a good idea. She concentrates for a second, then a shimmering force seems to surround her.

Eunomia casts Mage Armor on herself. Duration is 4 hours.

A small giggle escapes the Vixen's lips when the bird talks about how smart she is. "Oh... ye're brilliant!"

Regarding armor, VV thumps her breast with her fist. "Mithril undergarment. I'm good."

It's after she says that that the Vixen notices the pink tint in Eunomia's cheeks. She offers a friendly (but not overly-friendly) smile, but spares her any further banter... for now.

As for the lure, "Smart bird, dumb wolf... whatever gets us a dead spider."

She readies an arrow for where the spider will come out.

Readied Shot - Attack: 1d20 + 2 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 2 + 1 + 4 = 22
Readied Shot - Damage: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

"The bird may be too small for the spider to take an interest. Also, it seems likely that the creature senses its prey through the ground. I doubt the bird weighs enough to trigger a reaction, even if it landed," Ahto remarks.

"Sending a summoned animal, such as the wolf you mentioned, into the area around its hole is much more likely to bring it out. If we are all ready to shoot when it emerges, we might be able to kill it."

Harmond nods with excitement.

"Yes sir Mr Ulrych."

Harmond performs a series of arcane gestures, drawing power from his fine silk cloak and gesturing towards the cave. Suddenly a wolf appears at the entrance, growling towards the depths.

Spending the only point of Mental Focus in my cloak to use Servitor to summon a wolf. Functions as Summon Monster 2 as a Standard Action with a 1 minute duration. If we are more than 35 feet from the entrance I (we?) will move up that far so it is in range.

The summoned wolf trots forward, sniffing the ground. Its ears angle back sharply as it senses something, but before it can react, the ground erupts about fifteen feet ahead of the summoned animal.

The spider that leaps out of a concealed lair is even larger than Vekkel's description. Comparable in size to a draft horse, the furry, eight-legged monster bounds forward and sinks its fangs into the wolf, which offers a pained and terrified yelp. Before the spider can drag its prey back into its lair, the Vixen looses her readied shot - and the arrow sinks deeply into its thick exoskeleton.

Rebuffed by the arrow, the beast skitters back and retreats back into its lair.

I've updated the Encounter Map. The orange circle signifies the trap-door spider's nest.

"Ye can't just bite the new guy's wolf and f@!+ off! Get back here," the Vixen shouts in frustration. "I'll kick all eight o' yer crotches!"

She makes no move to kick anything, knowing there are cooler and more knowledgeable heads among her peers. (She does grab another arrow, though, just in case...)

"If we encircle the entrance to its lair, about 3 or 4 paces apart," Ahto suggests, "when it emerges to attack one of us, the others can move to flank it. I am the largest, and carry the most weight. It will likely react to me. When it does, the rest of you strike at it in whatever manner best suits your abilities."

Ahto grasps the Iron Key about his neck and whispers a prayer to the Master of the First Vault.

(Casting shield of faith, +2 to AC)

He then draws his great sword and moves cautiously towards the mouth of the spider's lair.

"Remember, spread out, encircle it. It can only attack one of us at a time. Keep back and attack from range if you are able."

Current AC is 18.

The Vixen shoulders her bow, then removes a bottle from her purse. She shows Ahto the label.

"If were to outweigh ye by eight or nine hundred pounds, near a sure bet Spidey'll come after me."

The Vixen gives Ahto a should-I? look as she hesitates to open the bottle.

Ahto nods, making it clear he has no objection to The Vixen using the potion, if she chooses to do so.

Current AC 18.

The Vixen shudders a little at the thought of what she's about to do.

She opens the potion, brings the strange liquid to her nose, as if the smell will have any weight on her decision.

"Oh, hell," she says, wincing as she gulps down the potion—

—and the world suddenly sinks away, and Ahto's not so big any more. Wonky's note just cute as s button—she's the size of one. Laury may as well be a stuffed fly. The eleven-foot-tall Vixen tromps forward in eight-inch heels.

"This is so weird," she bellows remorsefully.
((AC down to 14))

Heading to bed so I'll post my action even though it happens after Wonky. Don't want to hold people up waiting for me.

"I'll try and flush it out."

Harmond points his wand in the direction of the spider hole and chants a brief incantation, causing an orb of fire to appear on the side of the hole opposite of Ahto and roll down the hole.

Flaming sphere, DC: 18 Ref Negates. Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 3) = 15

The wolf readies his action to bite the spider if it comes in range

Wolf Hit if needed: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Heading to bed so I'll post my action even though it happens after Wonky. Don't want to hold people up waiting for me.

What I have listed on the Encounter Map under "Initiative" isn't the actual order since we haven't actually rolled initiative yet. I will take care of that now.

The rolling orb of flame almost instantly burns through the woven brush covering atop the sunken nest, and it sinks into the creature's lair. With many steaming pops and cracks, the detritus within the hole ignites. The spider itself scrambles out of its nest, the hairy filaments coating its body all burning.

The fire also flushes out from the hole what at first seems to be a rolling black carpet. However, your eyes soon recognize it as a swarm of tiny spiders fleeing the burning warren. Whether angry or merely panicked, the swarm begins to approach Ahto.

Wonky can still take her turn for this round.

slight flashback

Wonky blinks at Harmond's response. "Ah, Brevoy. That name does ring a bell now that you mention it. Noble houses are not one of my areas of acumen. Well met, nonetheless!"

end slight flashback

Wonky takes careful and inspired aim and fires a vial of alchemist's fire at the swarm.

Ranged Attack, Inspiration: 1d20 + 6 + 1d6 ⇒ (9) + 6 + (1) = 161d6 ⇒ 1

Wow. Wonderful rolls.

@DM, can you move VV 30' toward the spider hole? In my post, I had VV drink the enlarge potion (standard) and "tromp forward." (move)
_
VV moves SE, occupies square West of wolf, able to reach over wolf to full attack if spider attacks wolf from East side
_
Note: I play by phone, and am unable to edit the Google Slide myself.

Seeing the giant spider emerge from its lair, Eunomia braces herself. Time to show what I can do!

Two bolts stream from her hands, racing unerringly towards the creature.

2d4 + 2 ⇒ (4, 3) + 2 = 9

Mindful of Ahto's suggestion to surround the creature, she then starts to move southeast.

Casting Magic Missile at the giant spider. MM does not require an attack roll; it automatically hits anything with less than total concealment.

Hammond rushes up while chanting the words of his next spell. A fan of flames emerges from his outstretched hands catching the swarm of spiders in his blast.

Cast Burning Hands at the swarm. DC: 17 Reflex Half.

4d4 ⇒ (1, 3, 3, 1) = 8

The Vixen shifts forward—

• Swift: 5' SE to get within reach.
• Full attack: two kicks!

—and unleashes a sidekick in excellent form!

Kick: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

The Vixen imagines she must look like a fashionably adorned goddess as her massive leg strikes with more power than ever before!

But as she whirls around for a second kick, she finds it so surreal to see all the tiny men and ladies around her; so disorienting—

Kick, Left Foot: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 (Miss)

—that her follow-up is like the kick from a blind mule, striking nothing but the wind.

Alterantive: if I can't make the 5 ft step because of the wolf:
• Move 5' south of spider.
• Standard: kick once. Atk:25 / Dmg:15

Spider Swarm Reflex Save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

The fire that shoots out from Harmond's hands engulfs the horde of tiny spiders. They sizzle and pop, perhaps hundreds of them at once reduced to cinders. The rest quickly disperse, fleeing the heat and flames.

Swarms take 50% extra damage from area-effect spells, so the Burning Hands deals 12 damage and defeats the spider swarm.

Wonky's alchemist's fire explodes upon the giant spider, feeding more fire to the creature's already burning hide. Eunomia's bolts of magic strike the spider, causing the burning monster to shudder in pain. Finally, the first kick that the Vixen delivers stomps out the spider once and for all.

The newly reassembled party has won its first battle! Congrats!

The Vixen stares in disbelief as the spider is stomped unconscious by her giant boot. She gives a lethal kick to finish the job.

((Take 'Em Alive contributed to my atk/dmg, so I'm assuming the spider was KO'd, not dead.))

She then says, "Yes! That's one down and one to..."—but clams up upon the realization that she's probably talking really really loud.

"Okay," she whispers. "I'm just gonna wait until I'm normal again before I start woo-hooing. Eunomia, would ye mind telling me about those rumors ye mentioned so I stop thinking about me gigantic thighs?"

The Vixen awkwardly towers over her little teammates, praying for the potion's effect to hurry up and wear off.

The giantess sits on her knees and removes her mask, seemingly staring in disbelief as the mask shrinks on the ground the moment it leaves her hand. Unmasked, the Vixen seems to have no personality at all. Her emerald eyes face the now-normal-sized mask, but her dilating pupils may be watching something that only the redhead sees. No word or expression escapes her pursed lips...

((VV's persona switch takes a full minute, so by the time the Addison persona is responsive, the enlarge-person effect will have worn off.))

Wonky peers at the newcomer.

Knowledge Planes, Inspiration: 1d20 + 5 + 1d6 ⇒ (11) + 5 + (2) = 18
Knowledge Geography, Inspiration: 1d20 + 12 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 12 + (3) = 19

"Are you an aasimar?" Wonky suggests, not completely sure of her analysis. "I am Wonky Prong, Jr. I have heard of Liberthane; it is a very small kingdom within these lands, is it not? Your help was most welcome."

A bulldog woofs half-heartedly at the gnome's side.

"Yes, and this is Sprocket. He is not as vicious as he is slobbery. You have been warned."

Ahto sheathes his sword and gives a nod of acknowledgment.

”Well done,” he says to the group. ”Now that the threat is eradicated, perhaps we should look for clues as to whose bones lie here.”

He approaches the trapdoor and kneels to look into the spider’s lair.

Spider dead, Eunomia blinks at the Vixen. "Well, seeing you now explains quite a few of them. I was convinced people were exaggerating when they insisted there was a giant among you." When the Vixen doesn't respond, instead removing her mask and growing very still, Eunomia starts to worry. "Is everything okay? Are you injured?"

"Are you an aasimar?"

Eunomia had nearly forgotten the gnome was there, so the question catches her by surprise. "Um, maybe? It would explain a few things about my powers, and there are rumors of celestial heritage in my family tree, but it's not like there's an easy way to prove it one way or another." A little worried now, she adds, "I'm certainly not capable of miracles or anything."

I've heard of Aasimars persecuted by people asking for miracles they couldn't provide. It never happened in Liberthane, but best to make that clear now.

Leaping at the change of topic, she continues. "Yes, Liberthane is very small. We never had outside support from anyone, and it's hard to build a nation from nothing. That's part of why Commander Parsall asked me to come here; he knows how hard it can be and wanted to provide what little assistance he could."

She smiles at Sprocket. "Hello Sprocket. I promise I won't mind if you slobber on me."

The redhead watches the world get bigger, as if watching a dream. The angel-faced newcomer says something about miracles. And to me...

She rises... slowly, but with the poise of a seasoned fashionista. She approaches Eunomia, her confidence returning along with a refreshing air of Social Grace.

"Sweet o' ye to ask," she says gently. "I believe we all made it unscathed." She turns to Harmond, "Rolling a miniature sun into the lair certainly helped. Brilliant, Harmond!"

Turning back to Eunomia, she says, "Ye showing up's miracle enough. In the interest o' separating fact from fiction, I know no magic—not yet. Someday I'll pull off me uncle's coin trick. But it's Wonky's 'Make Bigger Juice' that made me... well... bigger. A parting gift from the man who'd a taste for the juice. I've never drank it before meself."

She thinks a bit before adding, "Lane's me family name, by the way. Addison Lane. It means 'awesome warrior,' but I'm not sure how me parents'd feel about me risky behavior. But it's as ye said... making the world safe's hard. I believe it's worth the trouble. Seems ye share the belief, as does this Achilles gent."

Ahto discovers that the flaming sphere, its sulfurous smell still haunting the trapdoor lair, burned away much of the detritus littering the burrow. Few bones lie within, suggesting the spider regularly cleaned out its lair. However, one of its more recent kills still sits at the bottom, where it was shielded from the brunt of the flames. The corpse of a man, clad in blood and mud-caked leathers, is sprawled below.

”Miss Lane,” Ahto says to his currently unmasked deputy. ”Could you utilize your temporary enhancement to assist me?” He gestures towards the body at the bottom of the hole. ”Let’s see if we can bring the remains out into the light.”

Harmond seems energized by the fight.

"That was incredible! Is it always that.....thrilling? This is .... I want to do it again!

((Flashback — Ahto would have given the order before the minute was up.))

Addy/Vixen obeys Ahto like a humorless giant. Without a word, she reaches into the lair and pulls out the dead body with one hand, as if picking up the carcass of a raccoon.

((400 lbs = Light while Addy/VV is enlarged.))

When Addy comes to, she barely remembers carrying out the morbid task.

”Thank you,” Ahto says to Addison, then turns his attention to the body. ”May the Gray Lady judge your soul justly,” he says softly over the corpse, pausing for a moment of reverence. His manner then turns businesslike, and begins searching through pouches and pockets for some evidence of its identity.

(Take 20 on Perception check)

Ahto Heal Check: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

Examining the retrieved body, Ahto determines that this man died roughly a week ago. An iron short sword of common make, with a notched blade, is still clutched in his rigor mortis-tightened knuckles. Large bite marks implicate the late spider's venom as the cause of death. However, the body also bears an unhealed arrow wound.

During the examination, Ahto finds a silver stag skull amulet around the man's neck, tucked within the torn leather coat. This marks him as one of the bandits once loyal to the Stag Lord. It quickly becomes evident, based on the time frame, that this was likely one of the bandits who fled when the siege against the trading post was broken. Unlike his luckier compatriots, this man fell prey to the spider during his flight.

Lastly, Ahto discovers a scrap of paper, rolled up and creased, tucked within the dead man's left boot. It bears a simple drawing of a claw-shaped dead tree atop an otherwise barren hill, with a red “X” scrawled by the tree’s roots.

The bandit's armor is damaged beyond usefulness. The short sword is still serviceable, and the silver amulet is worth about 20gp.
The most interesting item, of course, is this seeming treasure map.

Addy responds to Harmond while Ahto is examining the body.

"Battle can be exciting, but sometimes ye lose a loved one..."

Not wanting to tell a soul-crushing sob-story to a man clearly energized by his victory, Addy quickly redirects herself, continuing—

"...and sometimes ye gain a loved one, like when a wyvern attacked the post and I got between the beast and a soldier—me sweet, lovely Ash!"

Her eyes flutter dreamily as she mentions the name, but she doesn't go on, perhaps distracted by the paper with the red X on it.

"I will do my best to analyse that," Wonky says with enthusiasm as the map is produced. She raises her glasses so that she may stare extremely closely at the map, her nose almost touching the paper.

Knowledge Geography, (Free) Inspiration: 1d20 + 12 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + 12 + (1) = 20