[PFS 8-16] GM Chie's House of Harmonious Wisdom [Tier 1-2] (Inactive)

Game Master Korolan

Chie stands up from the table, and smiles at the assembled team. "Well met Pathfinders! My name is Chie Fujioka, and I'm here to help! Amara Li sent me to gather you, and transport you to the small town of Ashima in Shokuro. She should have further details when you arrive! The trip shouldn't be very long, but should give you all some time to get comfortable with each other before starting out on the missions. We should arrive by tomorrow!"

Here is a good opportunity to introduce your character, as you travel to the Land of Tian Xia!

A pompous looking halfling joins you on this voyage. He has a monocle and is wearing a chain shirt and rapier by his side. He slings a backpack around his shoulder but doesn't strap it on the other shoulder. Upon boarding the boat, he immediately heads to the edge, sets down his backpack, and looks at the sea. After about half a minute gazing at the sea seemingly mesmerized by the beauty of the moving waters, he turns to the others boarded.

"Why, hello everyone. I assume you also heeded this call - or order for some I suppose - to Tian Xia? Very well, we will learn to work with one another in due time." He straightens his monocle.

"I'm Yidric. I guess I need to say a little about myself? I like reading about nobility and royal lineage, as well as trying to perfect the refined art of fencing. None of you would happen to be of noble blood would you?" Yidric pays attention to those who answer yes, but pays little attention to others. Clearly, his head is in the clouds when others are speaking unless they chime in with something that interests him, such as wealth or royal lineage.

A reserved half-elf, in a dark green hooded cloak, nods at the Lady's words. Looking over the other Pathfinders who answered the summons, he ponders for a moment.

"Greetings. My name is Myth...I look forward to seeing where this journey will lead."

He then quietly leans back against the railing of the ship...and observes...

A second halfling boards the ship thought with a very different way of carrying himself then Yidric. Albot is wearing clothing more appropriate for working a forge then adventuring which is a stark contract to the spell book he carries.

Dropping his pack with a thud.

"Afternoon everyone. I'm Albot. No. No noble blood I am afraid, my dad is a blacksmith so no. Not much of a sword man either I am sad to say, I mean, well I can make them."

"This is really my first adventure, my mentor wants me to see the world so.. here I am."

Your first thought when you see Boolar is "Ow my eyes." Boolar is wearing well made clothes that happen to be a mix of bright colors and patterns. But they are the wrong colors and ugly patterns.

I'm Boolar. Some day I want to make clothes for the rich and famous. But since I'm not of noble birth I have to get rich and famous the hard way, adventuring. Then making contacts should be a cinch."

Boolar reveals that while he has practiced a few spells he really likes Magic Missile and has a real talent for casting the spell.

"Magic Missle, interesting. I tend to work with the earth personal. It;s probably because my father taught me to work metal by hand when I was young. I have been told the missiles never miss, is that true? That could be useful."

"It never misses. Though some spells and items can block it. Like the Shield spell. Earth? Sounds... dull. But to each their own."

Thankfully, the ride to Tian Xia is uneventful. Upon docking in Goka, a large metropolis full of Markets and Tradition, Chie excuses herself for a quick moment to head to the Lantern Lodge.

I short while later, Chie returns with a small map, and travel instructions leading to the small town of Ashima, to meet with a woman named Mai Chun.

After a day or so of travel, you arrive in Ashima. Following the map leads you to an unassuming house tucked into a small dirt road. The screen door clacks open, to reveal an elderly woman of regal bearing with a lopsided grin. Long white hair meets her waist over colorful robes that looked familiar to ones in the finer salons in Goka.

"What fates and fickle winds bring blooming lilies to our forest island.
With such winds does history ebb and flow" Her voice is like silk from the finest caravans, but her eyes show the wisdom of age.

With that, she bows, and grins again. "Oh yes, You will do just fine. I do hope that you are fond of bears though."

Stepping aside, with a sweep of her arm to hold the screen open, she gestures inside. "Come along then! Quickly! And off with your shoes!"

Myth looks at the other Pathfinders, slowly removes his boots, and enters...

A little uneasy from being in a land so different from his own, as he steps inside, he surveys his new surroundings...

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

I'll removes my shoes and enter.

"Bear hides don't make for good clothes. Though some of the ones from cold lands have double layers of fur making them adequate for cold weather gear."

"Their dung is used in some spells. So fond of them? No. But they have uses."

Abolt plops down on the floor to unlace his boots, unsure of a more refined way to get them off.

"Never been close enough to a bear to get to know one. Jamison can turn into a bear but that is different. My thought had never been to give them a fond embrace though."

On the journey, a friendly, somewhat socially inept gnome introduces himself as Skaf. "My daddy raised me in the woods to be a proper gnome. I'm ever so thrilled to be joining you all on this remarkable adventure!"

To Abolt he says, "I specialize in the power of air myself. I really know nothing of the earth. Perhaps you will teach me some of what you know?"

When they arrive at Ashima, he graciously removes his boots and wriggles his gnome toes. "I have learned long ago to avoid bears at all costs. Beautiful creatures though!"

Bears? How barbaric.

Yidric finds such traditions as the removal of shoes odd, although he can appreciate a load off of his strapped boots. He heads instead without saying much until he knows who the person is giving the mission.

I have some questions but I want to talk to the one in charge.

Inside the small building, there are papers and books stacked perilously high. Scrolls and parchments lean against overstuffed shelves, as weapons and shields are displayed on every wall. Sitting in the only uncluttered area are six cushions placed concentrically around a large chalkboard.
"Welcome to my humble home! My name is Mai Chun, and I sent to Amara Li for your aid. About a mile from here, there is an old estate tucked into the wilderness of the Li Sho Forest. I believe that it may have been a small military estate in the days of Imperial Lung Wa. I was hoping that you would be able to retrieve any relics from Imperial Lung Wa, to prove how influential the state of Shokuro is!"

"I can give you directions to this estate, and you can leave whenever you are ready! Do you have any questions about your mission?"

"What do these relics look like? Is there a family crest?"

"Seek and find, sounds like fun. Are there any relics that you are looking for in particular? I would hate to walk past the Soup Spoon of Kun Lo and not know it was an important relic."

"Ah, the wilderness, yes..."

Returning glory to a state. Sounds fantastic to me! Perhaps I can make some foreign connections through Mai Chun once we are successful.

"We shall do this task for you mi'lady and return with... whatever it is. And what is that?"

Myth nods towards the lady. "Ma'am, we will attempt this task...but can you tell us if we might face any opposition at, or traveling to this estate, and, if so, what form it might take?"

As you each ask your questions in turn, Mai Chun looks pleased, with a grin from ear to ear.

"You MUST be very experienced Pathfinders! You are asking all the right questions. 'What kind of Danger are we looking at?' 'What do you want us to bring back?' You will make many Venture Captains VERY happy with this attitude!

Where was I... Oh yes! Relics! Specifically I am looking for documents. Maps, Letters, Scrolls. Information is valuable, to the right people. That being said, if you happen to find other valuables, don't hesitate to cart those off as well. If it's shiny and not bolted down, bring it back. If it is bolted down, we can go back with a Crowbar."

Myth smiles slightly and bows. "Thank you, ma'am. If you can provide the directions to the estate that you mentioned earlier, we can be on our way."

"Search for documents. Beware of big beast, Possibly a Dire Bear. Seems simple enough."

"Oh sure very experienced." there is no way she thought that about me, I must have turned white as a new sheet.

Albot drifts to the back to the room waiting for the others to decide to move on. Clearly he is nervous, maybe a little ill looking, at the thought of e dire bear.

Mumbling a bit to himself "oh go kill a dire bear. maybe I should have stuck with the smith trade."

After people are done with their questions:
"Yes, we best be off." Yidric gives a short, rigid bow. That's how they say goodbye around here, right?

Skaf happily accepts the compliment from Mai Chun even though he himself had not asked anything. His stomach growls when she mentions Flower and Squash Soup, a variant of which was a staple for him as a child.

With a polite bow, Mai Chun waves you toward the door as several children start to swarm in the door, kicking off their shoes toward a wooden crate in the corner.
“Ah, it looks like my students are arriving. It is best that you be on your way! What is that saying that you use? 'Explore Report Cooperate'? I like 'Don't get killed, and bring home treasure!'
Now remember: Daylight spends like merchant’s coin, but so much slower in old Li Sho.
Where old dreams have died, ours may yet grow!”

With that, she hands you a rough map into Li Sho Forest, and politely, yet firmly, scoots you out the door.

"Well it looks like I am off on my first adventure. I am ready to head that way if you are, it should not be a long walk."

Myth looks over the map...he then looks up at the others.

"I can scout a little way ahead of our party, if you like..."

When the party is ready to head to the estate, Myth scouts ahead of 'em, bow drawn, moving as stealthily as possible, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious, as well as bears...

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22

"Certainly don't mind a little bit of scouting."

Yidric takes out his Rapier at the ready, prepared for any conflict that might arise.

Skaf keeps his eyes peeled as they venture out.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

As the group leaves Mai Chun's, they are met by a native Tian Xia wearing elaborate metal armor that has been enameled in blue and red.

He is leading a large armored horse and carries himself with an air of self importance.

Walking right up to the group, he gives a slight bow. The horse lowers its head at the same time.

"Greetings, fellow Pathfinders. I apologize for the lateness of my arrival. I was forced to take separate travel accommodations and once I arrived, it was imperative that I send a formal report to Daimyo Po to report my activities.

It appears that I have missed the introduction to our current assignment. Perhaps someone can catch me up on the particulars?"

Again, sorry. I was expecting the gameplay thread to show up with a number on it once people started posting. Didn't realize that I needed to dot the gameplay thread as well. Won't be an issue going forward. I am VERY responsive.

No problem! I'm just glad that everyone gets to play!

Skipping over the part where someone discussed the mission

"A giant bear this close to town is quite troubling. It was wise of the leaders to request aid in this matter.

Regardless, Okane and I stand ready to keep everyone safe. Let us depart with all haste. Does anyone need preparation?"

Assuming your preparation is completed, off to the forest!

The path on your map is considerably longed that Mai Chun had initially stated. After about 3 hours of following along, you start to see the first landmarks on the map. Old lampposts, covered in ivy, an abandoned shack with hooks for a bow and arrows, and finally a Tall watchtower, that seems to have held up considerably well.

Myth's scouting leads you closer to the tower, where you notice the timbers and bricks would make a relatively easy climb to the top.

"I want to climb social ladders not dirty rocks. *sigh*"

climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (16) - 2 = 14

Boolar takes it slow making sure his clothes don't snag but he males it.

Climb: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

After a struggle Abolt makes it to the top as well. Once there he looks at the weapons, casts detect magic although he assumes that is pointless, and looks around.

"Probably didn't need to follow up did I? Well it's a nice view at least."

Perception: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 2 = 16 looking to see the path to where they are heading.

"You and me both."

Climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (11) - 2 = 9
Climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (20) - 2 = 18

It takes Yidric a couple tries but he manages to get up.

"There's a longbow up here for you larger sized folks with some arrows. Also an old letter from a child to his mother anticipating her arrival home after weeks of being here."

Since three of the party already made the climb, Myth will keep an eye out for bears and such...

"Anything worth noting up there? Any need for the rest of us to climb up?"

Kita will dismount and allow Okane to graze.

Kita takes his bow out and begins a slow circuit of the base of the tower, keeping an eye out for danger.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

"There's a longbow up here for you larger sized folks with some arrows."

"My ancestral bow is undoubtedly superior to any bow that you would find in the ruins of an ancient watchtower. Bring it with us, certainly. If nobody else can use it, we can at least sell it once we get back to town."

Climb: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -1

Uhh... it's a tower so I'm gonna reroll that.
Climb (Reroll + 5): 1d20 - 2 + 5 ⇒ (18) - 2 + 5 = 21

Yidric tries to climb down and hand the bow to Kita. "Well, let's continue on shall we?"

From the top of the watchtower, you can see the roof of a moldering building peeking through the canopy.

Assuming you all are heading over...

Shafts of light fall on the ruins of a (previously) grandiose manor. The facade is covered in creeping vines, with rampant growth surging out of precise and orderly planters. An overwhelming stench wafts from the remains of a dried out pool.

If you could arrange yourselves on the map, that would be fantastic! It should be the first slide on the link at the top!

You have it set to view only. You need to change that for us to move ourselves.

Adjusted! Sorry about that!

I put myself in the front rank. Since we appear to still be outside, I would still be mounted with my bow out. I'd assume that Mythryndyr was scouting ahead. He should probably be in the front as well.

Keeping a cautious eye roaming in all directions, Kita heads over toward to pool to see the source of the stench.

Abolt moves in with the others, trying to keep himself close behind the Samauri with out being kicked.

I did not move my token as the others have not moved to the pool. I am going into a meeting so feel free to advance me with the others.

Yidric also likes being in front, so I placed him there.

"A manor lost to the ages. How fascinating." It's hard to tell if Yidric is being sarcastic or is genuine in this regard.

Mythryndyr will scout ahead as needed, but when with the group, he''s more ranged support as he's not very adept in the frontline of a melee...

Myth will move slowly south, cautiously along the west wall, as Kita, and perhaps others, move toward the pool, bow drawn to cover their advance...trying to blend in with the shadows and the wall...

Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

Keeping an eye on the pool, he also spares a glance at what he guesses was either stables or a guardhouse...

Ok, this was silly enough I couldn't hide it.
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
as Myth sneaks across the wall, a low growl erupts from the bushes across the path. A Black and white muscle bound beast scrambles out of the bushes, eyes with the lightest tinge of green.

Surprise round, Bear scrambles out of the bushes

Mythrynder
Boolar Rejic
Abolt Greenseed
Kita Kyuichi
Yidric Belove
DIREST DIRE BEAR
Skaf

For his second adventure in a row Boolar regrets skipping Nature Studies 101.

"I think you woke it up stomping around in the shadows."

Boolar will ready an action.

Myth quickly fires an arrow at the bear...

Shortbow: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

...and then takes cover in the stables...

Move Action
Yidric strolls up to the bear.

Standard Action
Time to show off my flourishing style.
Rapier Attack: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Rapier Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Yidric staggers a bit as he readies for the bear to attack him.