Gameplay open.
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A massive, yet not towering mass of stone and earth walks into the lounge where the Venture-Captain has the Pathfinders waiting - an uncommon sight indeed! Its body seems made of granite, and while it appears to be chipped in many places, the whole of it appears invulnerable, unbreakable, formidable. A beard of orange and red crystal even make it look like a dwarf of sorts.
The creature - for lack of a better word yet - is wearing a finely crafted, solid-looking breastplate armor, adorned with veils and shades not unlike those worn in northern Garund among the desert folk. Numerous weapons are his arsenal, ranging from sharp falchions in various metals to a massive spiked hammer. The no-nonsense attitude the creature has makes him look as if he was ready to enter the Worldwound itself, among the first lines of warriors.
"Name's Basalte. I'm Pahmet, from Osirion, but also Oread. Earth folk." he simply rumbles, is voice as low as the deep echoing voice of the earth.
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A younger man sits in the corner of the room. Pleased to meet you Basalte. I am Tyraneus. The mans fingers clutch around a symbol depicting the goddess Sarenrae as the dust from his robes indicates that he has traveled quite a ways to be here this day and has had little time to better represent himself before the meeting.
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Walter Vizard is a big, scarred, mean-looking 1/2 Orc!
He looks as if at any moment he may actually bite someone's head off.
He dresses in mostly different shades of blue--from his boots to his wide-brimmed hat.
His voice is gravelly and he pronounces every word deliberately...
...
He walks--purposefully--into the waiting room.
A cold-iron falchion hangs loosely from his left hip.
Peeking over his right shoulder is a masterwork longspear and on his opposite shoulder hangs a traveler's backpack.
Glinting through his clothing, you see glimpses of a beautifully crafted breastplate. It seems to faintly glow a soft bluish sheen.
He stares--sternly--at those gathered. He stops in front of the Oread.
Looking at it up and down, Walter seems to grin a bit.
I am impressed!
He then walks over to the human who is displaying his affection to the goddess Sarenrae.
I do believe that my Lord--Abadar--will welcome this oppurtunity to work with your Mistress.
He bows, revealing a silver holy symbol, hanging from his neck.
http://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Abadar
Walter then stands with his back to the wall, leaning against it while staring--intensely--at the door. It looks as if he is waiting--impatiently--for something!
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A more than handsome woman enters the lodge. She wears a beautiful blue gown that is unsuited for adventuring with several scarves draped around her shoulders. The picture is slightly spoiled by the backpack she holds into her left hand. As she spots Walter a big smile appears on her face. She throws the backpack easily into a corner, as if it weighs nothing, and throws herself into his arms. "Dear Walter! How I have missed you and your Abadar this and Abadar that's"! Are Johann, Gunther, Malfeas and Naurin joining us later?"
She takes a step back and notices the newcomers. Not awaiting Walter's reaction she moves towards the others and curtsies "Well met, I am Dimitra"
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Walter assumes a stoic stance as Dimitra embraces him. He then smiles down at her, as he returns the hug.
Well, Have I missed your charms, my Dear. I have not seen hide nor hair of any of them. I would suspect that we may be briefed as to our other companions for this venture.
He bows, Abadar relishes every opportunity to instruct you once again!
It has been weeks since the siege of Nerosyan, when demonic hordes from the Abyss surged forth from the region known as the Worldwound to assault the capital city of the crusader nation of Mendev.
Brave Pathfinders stood side-by-side with the city’s defenders, managing to push back the attackers and ensure Nerosyan did not fall to the demons.
Venture-Captain Jorsal, the Society’s principle representative in Nerosyan, took charge of the Pathfinder defenders and since the siege has deployed numerous groups on missions throughout the region. Having left Nerosyan to survey the devastation of Kenabres, which fell to the demonic offensive — Jorsal ensured some of his agents remained behind in Nerosyan to guard the Starrise Spire, the local lodge. Earlier this morning a messenger arrived with a sealed letter from Jorsal, signaling that more work remains to be done.
The letter reads:
Esteemed Pathfinders,
I trust this letter reaches you without incident. I remain in Kenabres, assessing the damage dealt by the demonic offensive that struck all along Mendev’s western border. Although the city is devastated, the fiends lost momentum and failed to maintain their advantage, and several particularly brave crusaders have rallied the scattered forces for a counterattack.
Since the siege of Nerosyan, I have mulled over a most troubling discovery. I received reports from Pathfinders involved in the siege implicating Thurl, Nerosyan’s other venture-captain, of knowing that the
demons would attack and when. What little evidence I have goes so far as to suggest that Thurl assisted the demons in planning the assault against us.
Following the attack, I sent several Pathfinders to investigate Thurl’s lodge, and though the ground floor was bare of any further incriminating evidence, the lower level were inaccessible. Thurl left many magical wards to keep out intruders, and until we could investigate further and confirm whether or not my dwarven colleague had engaged in dire mischief, the Decemvirate has ordered that I not publicize my suspicions. I received word only an hour ago that those wards appear to have faded.
I have kept you at Starrise Spire not for mundane guard duty but because I can trust you to finish the investigation of Thurl’s lodge. Go there, enter its basement, and find what evidence you can that implicates Thurl in activities against the Society. Once you have explored his lodge thoroughly, report back to Starrise Spire and await my return.
The Pathfinder Society must know for certain whether Thurl has betrayed us and to what extent our trek to Jormurdun — to say nothing of the Mendevian Crusade — has been compromised. Our efforts shall mean nothing if sabotaged by a traitor, and the sooner we know, the less damage he can inflict.
Inheritor guide your hand,
Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury
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Walter immediately straightens his--already--rigid posture.
He stars hard at the VC as he explains about the circumstances developing at a brother Lodge!
The Laws of Abadar shall not be so easily dismissed!
He angrily slams his longspear on the floor.
Those evil fiends shall taste the unwavering judgment of Abadar!
Walter nods his head in acceptance, turns about, and walk--purposefully--from the room.
Knowledge Local or Diplomacy to gather info:
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Johann arrives late, notebooks and reagents spilling out of his pockets as he hurries to catch up with his friends.
He arrives in the middle of Dimitra's explanation of the situation, and is a little confused to begin with.
"What's this, what's this? Thurl is suspected of collaborating with the demons? How ridiculous! I can't imagine that could possibly be correct. Someone must be framing him."
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"Hrmm, appearances are against him. He deserves a fair investigation though. "
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Gunther staggers in, a jack of ale still clutched in his hand.
"Pardons, goodfolk. I lost track of the hour, or perhaps even the day. We were supposed to meet, yes?"
Spying Johann, he grins. "Good Johann, do you have some of those excellent alchemical potions for hangovers? I'll take one if you do...after I finish this ale, of course." He takes a swig of ale.
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Dimitra radiates annoyment at Gunther's late entrance for a few seconds until she can't contain herself anymore. She then gives the Ulfen man a big hug.
"I am glad that you are coming to, Gunther! Let's head to Thurl's lodge!"
Dimitra grabs her backpack and tosses it to Gunther
"Here, you would not let a lady carry her own stuff would you?"
Thurl’s Lodge is a modest structure that lies in the Egelsee district of Nerosyan. Once known as a contract site for cut-rate mercenaries, the building rarely sees visitors from the crusader host now. A single front door provides ingress, and any other doors or windows that might have existed long ago have been long since removed during Thurl’s renovations. A blacksmith and a local brewery flank the lodge.
As you arrive, four other agents are loading the last of the ground floor library’s books into a cart for transport back to Starrise Spire and later analysis.
They tell you that the door leading into the basement bore powerful abjuration magic until recently, but that it faded as though a spell’s duration had expired a little more than a day ago. These agents also retrieve a small box for you, informing you that Venture-Captain Jorsal predicted a team might have to explore the basement in his absence and that he wanted those agents to have a few extra tools at their disposal.
The contents include a potion of cure moderate wounds, a scroll of perceive cues (APG), an elixir of vision, and an antitoxin.
There is little else of interest on the ground floor. The heavy iron door that leads into the basement is undecorated and unlocked, but the other agents report that until recently it practically glowed with Abyssal runes.
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If you would allow me a moment prior to continuing?
Walter steps within 60' of the entrance.
He waves his hand toward the door, verbally asking for Abadar's Vision.
School divination; Level bard 0, cleric/oracle 0, druid 0, inquisitor 0, magus 0, sorcerer/wizard 0, summoner 0, witch 0
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Component: V, S
EFFECT
Range 60 ft.
Area cone-shaped emanation
Duration concentration, up to 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
DESCRIPTION
You detect magical auras. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.
1st Round: Presence or absence of magical auras.
2nd Round: Number of different magical auras and the power of the most potent aura.
3rd Round: The strength and location of each aura. If the items or creatures bearing the auras are in line of sight, you can make Knowledge (arcana) skill checks to determine the school of magic involved in each. (Make one check per aura: DC 15 + spell level, or 15 + 1/2 caster level for a nonspell effect.) If the aura emanates from a magic item, you can attempt to identify its properties (see Spellcraft).
Magical areas, multiple types of magic, or strong local magical emanations may distort or conceal weaker auras.
Aura Strength: An aura's power depends on a spell's functioning spell level or an item's caster level; see the accompanying table. If an aura falls into more than one category, detect magic indicates the stronger of the two.
Spell or Object Aura Power
Faint Moderate Strong Overwhelming
Functioning spell (spell level) 3rd or lower 4th-6th 7th-9th 10th+ (deity-level)
Magic item (caster level) 5th or lower 6th-11th 12th-20th 21st+ (artifact)
Lingering Aura: A magical aura lingers after its original source dissipates (in the case of a spell) or is destroyed (in the case of a magic item). If detect magic is cast and directed at such a location, the spell indicates an aura strength of dim (even weaker than a faint aura). How long the aura lingers at this dim level depends on its original power:
Original Strength Duration of Lingering Aura
Faint 1d6 rounds
Moderate 1d6 minutes
Strong 1d6x10 minutes
Overwhelming 1d6 days
Outsiders and elementals are not magical in themselves, but if they are summoned, the conjuration spell registers. Each round, you can turn to detect magic in a new area. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.
Detect magic can be made permanent with a permanency spell.
He studies the area for a few moments (18 seconds), before repeating the gestures, although with slightly different words.
School divination; Level cleric/oracle 1, inquisitor 1
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Component V, S, DF
EFFECT
Range 60 ft.
Area cone-shaped emanation
Duration concentration, up to 10 min./ level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
DESCRIPTION
You can sense the presence of evil. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.
1st Round: Presence or absence of evil.
2nd Round: Number of evil auras (creatures, objects, or spells) in the area and the power of the most potent evil aura present.
If you are of good alignment, and the strongest evil aura's power is overwhelming (see below), and the HD or level of the aura's source is at least twice your character level, you are stunned for 1 round and the spell ends.
3rd Round: The power and location of each aura. If an aura is outside your line of sight, then you discern its direction but not its exact location.
Aura Power
Editor's Note
There is no official Errata or FAQ correcting the value of the "None" entry for "Aligned creature" on the Aura Power table from "5 or lower" to "4 or lower". This correction is made based on the Paizo PRD and common sense evaluation.
An evil aura's power depends on the type of evil creature or object that you're detecting and its HD, caster level, or (in the case of a cleric) class level; see the table below. If an aura falls into more than one strength category, the spell indicates the stronger of the two.
Creature/Object Aura Power
None Faint Moderate Strong Overwhelming
Aligned creature1 (HD) 4 or lower 5-10 11-25 26-50 51 or higher
Aligned Undead (HD) --
2 or lower 3-8 9-20 21 or higher
Aligned Outsider (HD) --
1 or lower 2-4 5-10 11 or higher
Cleric or paladin of an aligned deity2 (class levels) --
1 2-4 5-10 11 or higher
Aligned magic item or spell (caster level) 5 or lower 6-10 11-15 16-20 21 or higher 1 Except for Undead and Outsider, which have their own entries on the table.
2 Some characters who are not clerics may radiate an aura of equivalent power. The class description will indicate whether this applies.
Lingering Aura: An evil aura lingers after its original source dissipates (in the case of a spell) or is destroyed (in the case of a creature or magic item). If detect evil is cast and directed at such a location, the spell indicates an aura strength of dim (even weaker than a faint aura). How long the aura lingers at this dim level depends on its original power:
Original Strength Duration of Lingering Aura
Faint 1d6 rounds
Moderate 1d6 minutes
Strong 1d6x10 minutes
Overwhelming 1d6 days
Animals, traps, poisons, and other potential perils are not evil, and as such this spell does not detect them. Creatures with actively evil intents count as evil creatures for the purpose of this spell.
Each round, you can turn to detect evil in a new area. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.
Walter repeats these gestures and--slightly--different phrases until he shrugs his massive shoulders.
He then begins to search the grounds, looking for anything of particular note.
As he ventures closer to the entrance, Walter also begins to look for anything that may impede thier movements!
Walter examines the door, and finds no traps. As he scans for auras, none are present. His detect magic turns up a very faint aura of abjuration magic. All traces of the runes have disappeared, however.
With the way clear, Basalte opens the door...
A long set of dusty wooden stairs leads down into an equally untidy archive of tall shelves populated by crates, bins, and tomes. A handful of folios lay scattered about the room, concentrated most heavily near a large table that stands only about two feet tall.
The team explores the records. As they search, they find writings in over a dozen languages, with Common and Abyssal being most frequently used.
After a short time a strange creature appears. Its skin is a patchwork of cream, red, and purple. It has a pair if asymmetrical horns and mismatched legs. It speaks to you:
"I am Venture-Captain Valais Durant. What brings you to Thurl's Lodge?"
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Walter--unobtrusively--waves his fingers, muttering a silent pray to Abadar as he looks upon the VC.
School divination; Level cleric/oracle 1, inquisitor 1
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Component V, S, DF
EFFECT
Range 60 ft.
Area cone-shaped emanation
Duration concentration, up to 10 min./ level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
DESCRIPTION
You can sense the presence of evil. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.
1st Round: Presence or absence of evil.
2nd Round: Number of evil auras (creatures, objects, or spells) in the area and the power of the most potent evil aura present.
If you are of good alignment, and the strongest evil aura's power is overwhelming (see below), and the HD or level of the aura's source is at least twice your character level, you are stunned for 1 round and the spell ends.
3rd Round: The power and location of each aura. If an aura is outside your line of sight, then you discern its direction but not its exact location.
Aura Power
Editor's Note
There is no official Errata or FAQ correcting the value of the "None" entry for "Aligned creature" on the Aura Power table from "5 or lower" to "4 or lower". This correction is made based on the Paizo PRD and common sense evaluation.
An evil aura's power depends on the type of evil creature or object that you're detecting and its HD, caster level, or (in the case of a cleric) class level; see the table below. If an aura falls into more than one strength category, the spell indicates the stronger of the two.
Creature/Object Aura Power
None Faint Moderate Strong Overwhelming
Aligned creature1 (HD) 4 or lower 5-10 11-25 26-50 51 or higher
Aligned Undead (HD) --
2 or lower 3-8 9-20 21 or higher
Aligned Outsider (HD) --
1 or lower 2-4 5-10 11 or higher
Cleric or paladin of an aligned deity2 (class levels) --
1 2-4 5-10 11 or higher
Aligned magic item or spell (caster level) 5 or lower 6-10 11-15 16-20 21 or higher 1 Except for Undead and Outsider, which have their own entries on the table.
2 Some characters who are not clerics may radiate an aura of equivalent power. The class description will indicate whether this applies.
Lingering Aura: An evil aura lingers after its original source dissipates (in the case of a spell) or is destroyed (in the case of a creature or magic item). If detect evil is cast and directed at such a location, the spell indicates an aura strength of dim (even weaker than a faint aura). How long the aura lingers at this dim level depends on its original power:
Original Strength Duration of Lingering Aura
Faint 1d6 rounds
Moderate 1d6 minutes
Strong 1d6x10 minutes
Overwhelming 1d6 days
Animals, traps, poisons, and other potential perils are not evil, and as such this spell does not detect them. Creatures with actively evil intents count as evil creatures for the purpose of this spell.
Each round, you can turn to detect evil in a new area. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.
I don't seem to remember anyone mentioning you....Captain!
Walter stares hard at the little....machine.
Dimitra recognizes that the creature called Durant is some kind of variant eidolon. She also recognizes the red and purple parts are pieces of particular types of demons.
Walter discreetly scans her for evil, and finds nothing. She responds to you.
"Good, it is high time Jorsal did something about this. The traitor Thurl built a hidden workplace past this room, and that’s where he performed his most vile experiments. If the Society is to understand just how FOOLISH he is, someone must uncover his terrible schemes. That’s where you come in, Pathfinders. There is a hidden door against that wall." She waves a crimson claw toward the reading table. "Beyond you shall find his lair. ANY QUESTIONS?"
At odd intervals the creature's voice changes and becomes deep and booming, not simply louder. As if a different person entirely were speaking. Valais doesn't seem to notice this, however..
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Basalte contemplates the creature quizzically. "Hrmm... What are you exactly? Are you a Pathfinder for real? "
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Johann notice the body parts of a babau and a kalavakus. Both demons.
"Indeed, I am a Pathfinder. I served here in Thurl's Lodge until the dwarf TURNED on me. He found out that the Decemvirate was having me investigate his operations here. When one of his PATHETIC MINIONS turned me in, he surprised me and knocked me out. I awoke in one of the chambers below, and made my way here. And here I wait, in the shadows..."
The last part is spoken in yet a third voice, this one soft and hissing.
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Johann whispers to Dimitra, "I'm not sure, but parts of it look like certain types of demons. Have you ever heard of such a thing, an outsider made up of parts of other outsiders? "
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