Feel Free to dot. I'll get an intro posted during lunch probably, and we can get started proper once everyone has checked in.
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A rather... large man stands waiting for orders. Other than being, frankly, rather ugly, he's also hard to look at because his beard seems to be made of fire. His reddish skin and firebeard mark him as a ifrit, if a exceptionally big one. He also seems to have a dent in his head, like someone bashed it in with a rock once and it never quite healed right.
Strapped to his back is the oddest looking weapons you've ever seen. First, it's nearly as big as he is, scraping the ground as he moves. With shining serrated teeth along a long flat and wide blade, ending in a metal box with a large set of grips, buttons, and switches.
The man smiles at his new friends.
HALLO! I am Obtrivi! I got fancy letter that said to come here... are you all my new pathfinder Friends?
Rain patters outside the windows of Venture-Captain Sheila Heidmarch’s study in Magnimar. Zarta Dralneen, leader of the Dark Archive, also waits nearby with a glass of red wine in her hand and a thoughtful look on her face. Also there is an Aasimar clad in Hellknight Fullplate.
Greetings, Pathfinders. We have an important mission for you inside Cheliax. Several days ago, we received word from Miles here, she motions to the Aasimar standing next to her, that the Hellknights of the Order of the Gate issued a call for aid at the Menador Gap. Apparently Chelish forces are spread thin these days. Imagine their surprise when we volunteered to help. As I’m sure you know,
Zarta cuts in, the Society has enjoyed few opportunities to explore Cheliax since the shuttering of the Delvehaven lodge in Westcrown decades ago. Luckily, we still had a Pathfinder agent in the country, an eccentric man by the name of Olandil. He has been gathering and protecting Pathfinder Society records and creating a journal of historically valuable sites within Cheliax that remain unexplored. For years, an embargo trapped Olandil in the port town of Pezzack, but a group of your fellow agents recently arranged for his escape. As it happens, one of the sites in Olandil’s journal lies close to the Menador Gap. Called The Temple of the Sky, this site supposedly contains a host of magical pillars that contain old ancient knowledge. I’m sure you’ll agree that such knowledge is best kept safe within the Dark Archives, which is why we would like you to obtain a transcription of each pillar. Equally important to recovering these tablets is your mission to aid the Hellknights in securing the Menador Mountains. The details are vague, but we are told that the diviners of their order determined that a chaotic catastrophe is brewing somewhere in the peaks, and we suspect orcs are involved. Pathfinders, myself included, have come into conflict with Hellknights in the past, but they are still useful allies who share a number of our goals. Helping eliminate the threat will strengthen our alliance and ensure Hellknight aid in the future. The venture-captain adds, I have arranged for a teleport spell to take you directly to the Hellknight expedition. Hellknights are not known for their patience. Please make your necessary preparations and return here as soon as possible.
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Crios stands calmly as the two leaders speak. His curious eyes seem to take in the surroundings in an easy manner, though often they fall on Zarta and linger as she speaks. His blue grey skin and sharp features strike an interesting match to the raven black hair he wears loose and free.
Standing just under six feet tall and with a slender build, he wears vibrant robes that are a mix of reds and yellows layered over a shimmering blue satin. The entire outfit is trimmed with metallic gold and copper feathers.
Leaning against the wall next to him is an intricately carved staff, dyed and made to appear as entwined black and white asps.
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Dunia is broadly built, but very short, barely cresting over 4 feet. She has dark brown skin, thick black hair, and remote black eyes. She would nearly look like a particularly squat Mwangi woman if it weren't for the obsidian sheen she gives when light hits her. A pale, nearly translucent lash quivers at her belt, attuned to her querulous personality.
Dunia's mouth twists into a sour grimace. Lotta sides goin' on here. If it come to it, should we help de Hellknights or get de tablets?
Zarta scoffs, and speaks in a slightly condescending tone, The pillars are of course the most important thing. We've only accepted this silly contract to gain the opportunity to examine them.
Venture-Captain Heidmarch chimes in after Zarta finishes, I would certainly like to obtain transcriptions of the pillars, but even the Hellknights seem a bit unsure about what is going on in the hills. If it comes to it, and you must choose between one or the other, I leave the decision to you. There should be time to visit the pillars later, and this mission will go a long way to helping build a solid relationship with the Hellknights, that might help get us access to many more sites of interest in the future.
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The Hellknight in question stands calmly at Zarta's side during the briefing. It's hard to tell much about him beyond his above average height, for all of his features are hidden within his armor. He wears standard Hellknight plate covered in the swirling pattern that denotes membership in the Order of the Gate and the disturbingly blank mask of a Signifier, it's only features the pair of large horns protruding from the forehead.
His armor has several unique touches, in that the colors of the swirling metal are silver and white, and the voluminous cowl and cloak that wrap about him are more the red of courage than blood. One that looks closely will see a symbol of Iomedae fashioned unobtrusively onto the center of his chest. His only apparent weapon is a worn, rusty great sword attached to his back. "I regret that I have been given no real briefing on my order's needs. I was simply contacted to request aid as I am a convenient bridge between our two groups despite previous..." His mask shifts slightly towards Zarta. "Misunderstandings."
When she mentions the silly contract he clears his throat. [b]"Based on my opinion we shouldn't break the contract unless absolutely necessary. I am, of course, biased. But doing so will create additional bad blood when we're trying to mend bridges. I agree with Heidmarch."
"Ma'am, do you have any additional information about what this Temple of the Sky is or who made it?"
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Obtrivi nods along and looks at his companions for a moment before walking over to Crios and smiling.
Hello new friend! You look magicky, and magicky people are smart. I'm supposed to find the smart person in the room and give them this.
He hands out a small well-creased letter to him. He fumbles and pulls out two wands, both with paper tags tied to them. One has a plus symbol, and the other has a blood drop.
Also, does anybody know how to use healy stick and biggy stick? I can't, but they make me fight good and fix me up if I get hurt. I also have a firey healy stick, but that makes my tummy sick, so I'd rather not if I can help it.
To Whatever Poor Sod Pathfinder Gets This Letter,
Hello, and I hope you receive this letter in good health. My name is Helgra Heavyhand, Obtrivi's Sister. My brother is a fine warrior, but not much of a thinker, especially since he was hit in the head as a child. He also has a bit of a temper, so rather than letting him get in trouble, I signed him up with the pathfinders. So, Obtrivi lives by these rules, try to keep him safe for me, and let him do his thing.
Rule 1: Whenever a Venture Captain calls you, go do whatever they want you to do.
Rule 2: Find the smartest looking, most magic person in the room and give them the letter.
Rule 3: Do whatever they say to get the mission done. They're smarter than you, so listen close.
Rule 4: No killing unless the letter holder says it's okay.
Rule 5: Unless somebody hurts you. Then kill them dead.
Rule 6 and most important rule: Come home safe, even if you have to break other rules to do it.
Good luck to you.
Sincerely
Helgra Heavyhand
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With a smile Crios accepts the letter, "Well thank you new friend. My name is Crios. Now, let's just see what this says..."
As he looks over the well folded paper, his smile grows with each word he reads.
Refolding and handing back the paper, he says with honesty, "I promise to do my best with the rules, especially rule number 6. To answer your question, I can use the biggy stick, if that would be your wish."
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The masked man walks up to the much, much larger Obtrivi and holds out one of his armored hands. "I'm quite competent with... mmm, healy sticks. I will make you a deal. I will use your healy stick, if you take this yuck bottle." Miles produces a small potion vial from a pouch and offers it out to Obtrivi. "This is my medicine, if I fall down you need to give that to me, and not anything else. No healy sticks. Deal?"
Obtrivi likely can't determine what it is but the hard way, but it's labeled inflict moderate wounds and has a hastily drawn skull and crossbones on it. "The same goes for you others, if you please. I have an abnormal... aversion to traditionally holy healing."
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Obtrivi nods with a big smile.
You got it! I'll make sure if you get knocked down I give you your medicine.
He passes him the healy stick and turns to the Venture Captain.
Okiely dokiely! I'm Ready to Go!
He punches his fist into his palm in exuberance and continues his big dopey grin.
Pathfinders find the special temple, get copy of pillar scribbles, and help the scary law knights fight the baddies, but don't tell them about scribbles cause they might get upset! Mission accepted pretty boss ladies!
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”Of course I will carry your wand for you Dunia. It would be my pleasure.” Crios says pleasantly.
Turning to Miles he leans in a bit, motioning for the hellknight to do the same. ”I can heal without holy energy if that will help you. It borrows from the infernal realms to dramatically increase a body’s own natural healing speed to close wounds and knit bones.” Crios says in response to the hellknight’s earlier comment. ”It is not as quick as your potion there, but it will do a decent job.”
Some knowledge checks I forgot to put up earleir:
of knightly orders that value
law above all else. Many of their
citadels are in Cheliax.
Hell as an example of perfect order,
Hellknight orders are not inherently
evil organizations. Within an order,
there is a strict hierarchy, with the
lictor at the top and the trainees,
known as armigers, at the bottom.
Most Hellknights simply use the title Hellknight,
though spellcasters instead use the title signifer.
they all follow a strict set of laws called the Measure and a
philosophy of merciless self-discipline called the Chain,
which teaches the three virtues of order, discipline, and
mercilessness. Hellknights must undergo many painful
trials and defeat a devil in combat to earn a place within
their order.
Hellknight orders, with only a few hundred members.
They are the most magically inclined of all orders, and
are best known for their incisive divinations and hidden
libraries of esoteric knowledge. They believe that true
order can only be achieved when criminal impulses are
detected and punished before they become criminal
action, because few mortals have the strength to resist
their own impulses.
the Menador Mountains and the Ravounel Forest. At
its narrowest point is a fortress called Menador
Keep, where Chelish authorities heavily tax
all traffic through the mountains.
to keep the mountain passage safe,
but hazards still abound. Landslides
are common and dangerous monsters
occasionally prey on travelers. Manticore,
wyvern, or chimera attacks are frequent.
Severed Hand tribe have expanded their
territory south, which brought them
into conflict with some native strix. So
far, Chelish authorities have merely
observed this conflict, since it has yet
to interfere with trade.
If the party has any additional questions based on these checks, go ahead and post them and Zarta and VC Heidmarch will answer.
Zarta responds to Miles, The temple was built in ancient times by a sect of Gozreh worshippers. They collected wisdom from spirits of air and inscribed it on the pillars in the temple
With that, Venture-Captain Heidmarch says Well, if there is nothing else, lets get you on your way. As she says that, a Pathfinder wizard clad in a grey robe hustles into the room and begins making preparations. After a few moments, he begins to cast a spell, and the party is magically whisked away.
Once the haze clears from your eyes after the teleportation, you notice you are in a small clearing in the midst of a field of boulders and hoary trees. To the north, the ground slants sharply upward and leads into mountainous peaks of jagged rocks. Roiling black clouds are gathered behind the peaks and the region is filled with a hushed quiet.
A short distance away, you see the Hellknight Expedition. The group is busy sharpening weapons, checking supplies and studying spellbooks. Each member of the expedition is clad in an identical red cloak and a steel mask with a swirling pattern on it.
A Hellknight’s commanding voice pierces the quiet. Pathfinders. My name is Signifer Karva and I am in charge of this expedition. The Order of the Gate doesn’t often work with your organization. Under different circumstances, we could have even been enemies. But today that is not so—we share the common purpose of restoring order to this region. Know that at my command, my Hellknights will sacrifice their lives to accomplish this mission, and I expect no less from you. If you truly wish to return home safely, obey my commands and heed your duties.
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Obtrivi nods and stands next to Corti. He actually raises his hand for a moment and gives a big dopey grin.
Will you let Obtrivi know when Obtrivi can break things?
He then leans over and whispers to Corti... not very subtly.
Can Obtrivi listen to the scary red cloak mask man when he says to break things?
As he talks, he shifts his massive weapon over his shoulder, sliding his hands into the grips to hold the weapon, holding it in a relaxed position that denies the sheer size of the thing.
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Miles will inform the party to the basic workings of the Hellknights as the preparations for their departure are made. Once they arrive and they're greeted by the expedition he turns his blank mask to Obtrivi. "The scary red cloak mask man can tell you when to break things." So says the other scary red cloak mask man.
That done he takes a step forward and slaps his fist across his chest plate in salute to Karva. "Sir, I am Signifier Miles, reporting as ordered with additional support from my fellow Pathfinders. I am ready to fulfill my duties, and my fellows are, as you can see, more than capable of handling themselves. Could you elaborate for us what we're expecting to find out here? Details were sketchy."
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Dunia will elaborate on the idiosyncrasies of the Order of the Gate, Exactly the kind o' nonsense you get when you add divination to foolish self righteousness. Oh, an' don't you think they's only three sides to this thing. We got Strix involved too. An' that's assuming we don' just get pounced on by de regular monsters livin' in de Menador Mountains.
She's visibly tense meeting with Karva, but restrains herself from mouthing off for now, beyond muttering to Obtrivi, Long as de scary red cloak mask man don' tell you to break any o' us.
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Crios quietly comments, while marking off things they should get before heading out on the mission, "We should bring tents, plenty of rope, and climbing gear as well as shovels in case of landslides. Extra rations isn't a bad idea either...yes extra rations too."
Looking up from his notes, he puts away his journal, smiling at Dunia and says, "Strix as well you say? That is most interesting. Such curious things to ponder while we prepare."
He then goes about gathering items for the trip, making haste knowing there is urgency for this mission to start.
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Magt Jaeger is a hulking large hulking being that seems to take up even more space than he actually does. He carries a large horsechopper and bow. His grayish skin looks as tough as leather. Self needs no special preparations. Self am ready to go now. Will hunt if needed.
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Magt approaches Dunia. While handing her a wand, Use this as seems appropriate to you. But especially if I seem to be under the influence of another then use it on me.
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Self will perform as directed, then mutters to himself, as long as those directions are sensible.
We don't know exactly what we are facing. Our divinations were unclear. Based on what we could discern, we believe it is some sort of planar or undead incursion, working in concert with a local tribe of orcs that call themselves the Severed Hand. We saw visions of scarred orcs covered with some sort of runes, piles of skulls, and piles of wriggling worms. What we do know for sure is that the chaotic taint is spreading, so we are going to investigate it.
While she speaks, the Hellknights go about their business in the background. One of them stands and begins casting a spell, and then stares at the group for a few moments.
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Miles turns his attention to the casting Hellknight, then glances back at the rest of his party, the mask turning to regard Obtrivi as he resists rubbing his forehead. "Either case is not agreeable. The taint of chaos will be removed before it becomes a greater issue. We will find you things to break, Obtrivi."
He nods slightly to Dunia and looks back to Karva. "Yes, are we hours or days from where you believe the source is? And when are we departing?"
The signifier who cast the spell visibly scowls towards Obtrivi. He walks back over to his companions, who can be seen discussing something in hushed words.
@Herr Magt There are ten Hellknights, all on foot. There appear to be three martial types, three divine caster types, and three arcane caster types, in addition to the leader. You can't tell much about their relative ranks, beyond that Signifier Karva is in charge.
Don't worry yourself Ifrit. You'll likely have ample opportunities to break things on this expedition. The center of the taint is a two days march from here. We leave immediately unless you have final preparations you need to make. But do it quickly.
Assuming everyone is ready, the party departs and heads into the mountains. After a few hours, the land begins to change. This area is marked by strange deformations. Large boulders and rocky outcroppings droop and sag on the side of the mountain, as if they were made of putty instead of stone. Moreover, the trees are twisted and warped into loathsome shapes. Each tree is covered with wooden growths shaped like writhing tentacles, grasping claws, and toothy mouths. The ground squishes underfoot and thousands of earthworms wriggle atop the soil.
[spoiler=Kn Nature DC15] The earthworms here are acting very unnaturally. Earthworms and other vermin can be called to the surface by unwholesome magic, or perhaps because they fear something worse down below
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In case any of you didn't know, the rocks and trees of this area appear to have been distorted with some fairly normal though powerful magic spells. Though it would require many castings to effect this much area. Either someone went to a lot of trouble just to make the area look spooky or maybe it is a side effect of something else.
While traveling, Magt tries to stay near Dunia and Crios. He has learned that protecting the casters from serious harm eventually pays off.
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"The rocks and trees have definitely been warped by magic, of that there is no doubt. It also appears as if our brave entourage of Hellknights are uneasy and, truth be told, I myself feel the taint of something creeping through the land and that is quite unsettling."
Crios scans about for active magic auras, casting a spell to detect magic and narrowing his eyes as he looks up and down and all around slowly taking his time to be thorough.
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Miles doesn't seem to notice the behavior of the other Hellknights, or simply refrains from commenting on it. "I have to agree with the rest of you, I'm not not exactly one for the wilderness, but even I can ascertain that things are very... off here. We should stay ready, but try not to wear ourselves out being overly alert."
After he speaks he pauses to cast a spell, a piece of bone flying up from beneath his robes to float lazily around his body. Then a wand drops into either hand, holding them loosely until he needs to utilize them. "It's troubling things have spread so... chaos works quickly."
The party continues trudging through the twisted landscape for another hour. There is a noticeable increase in the wind, and a few short minutes later a terrible storm falls upon the party. Signifier Karva insists the party push on. Another fifteen minutes of travel, and you find yourselves at the bottom of a steep scree of gravel and shifting rock. The stones are slick with rain, and a howling wind rips through the mountain pass, drowning out all other noise. At the bottom of the scree is a morass of mud and wet earth.
Karva shouts above the storm, Halt! Let us examine this slope before continuing! Hellknights! Set up a perimeter while we assess the way forward. Manius, Strangulus, Rulla! Keep watch on the way behind us! Boudra and Pavrodus! Keep watch on the ridge above! The rest of you with me! The knight split into groups as she commands. Karva begins examining the slope. After a few minutes, she shouts Forward! I believe we can scale the slope.
I have put a link to a map in my header. The party is currently where the big star is currently.
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Responding to Karva, Crios quickly gives his deductions, "Excuse me Signifier Karva, but I must stop you from that course of action. You see that muddy patch right there? And that loose piece of rock right there? There are places like that all over and if you attempt to scale the slope in this storm, it will likely result in a landslide. That could be deadly, or at the very least cause a major delay for the group. I have an idea on how we can proceed, but I would like some feedback on it from the group."
Crios then looks around at his fellow pathfinders, "I can fly via magic for a limited time each day, and I was thinking I could fly up with another person and once safely above we could secure ropes that the will allow us to pull the rest of you up, bypassing the dangerous area before us. What say you?"
This whole bit refers to if you try to go up the scree along the path (the area marked with dotted lines on the map):
It is ~65 feet horizontally, plus 30 feet vertically from bottom to top along the path. Moving as fast as you can (plus actions to pick up people, it will probably take you ~3 rounds per person for a round trip). There are a total of 14 people other than yourself, so you'd need to use 42 rounds of flight to get everyone up. So you don't quite have enough to get everyone up. You can easily fly to the top and tie off a rope, which will make the check considerably easier for everyone else (-5) to the DC. You may also use 3 rounds of flight if there are specific people you want to carry up.
In addition to that, anyone can make a DC20 survival check to pick out the safest path up and further reduce the DC of the climb check.
At the end of the day, I'll be making 10 climb checks for the Hellknights, and I will need another 10 from the party collectively. Everyone needs to make at least one (unless Crios flys you up, that will count as an automatic success), but you can divide the other 6 up however you want (to represent the stronger climbers helping everyone else out).
I think you're talking about potentially just flying up to the ledge (that I have marked with a large X). If you elect to do that, you can get everyone up there with 2 rounds / person, but people would still have to make climb checks to climb down the other side back onto the path (though they might be easier, and with no risk of a landslide).
@Herr Magt The storm gives a -4 penalty on fly checks, but based on my reading of the fly rules won't impede a medium sized creature, so it will only be relevant of he tries to do some fancy maneuvering .
Once you know your plan, give me an order that you will be carrying people up.
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"I find this option an acceptable alternative to Signifier Karva's recommendation we scale the unsafe cliff face ready to drop several tons of mud upon us." Miles stares up towards the ledge silently for a long moment, then turns his mask to Crios. There's a soft cough before he speaks. "I'm not up to my usual standards, I may need assistance descending the other side."
Crios calls upon his powers of flight and lifts into the air. Wind whips his hair as he rises with Obtrivi in tow.
As they reach the top of the ridge, one of the Hellknights yells To arms! Foul beasts approaching. As soon as he yells, a horde of horrific animals come bounding up the path. Hideous animals twisted with fungal growths, extra appendages, and strange mutations skitter forward through the thunderous rainstorm. A menagerie of mountain beasts gathers round— goats, hawks, mountain lions, and giant rats, each covered with a sickly infestation. Crashes of lightning reveal that behind these smaller beasts, larger horrors approach through the rainy haze. Signifer Karva wastes no time, Hellknights! Form ranks! she calls through the storm. , stay behind the line and reinforce us. I’m counting on you to deal with anything that breaks through the front line.
Crios and Obtrivi are distracted from the happenings on the ground, as just as the horde attacks, they crest the ridge forty feet above everyone else and are greeted by a hideous beast. A three headed beast wit h the heads of a lion, a green dragon, and a goat greets you at the top of the ridge. It is similarly covered in fungal growths. It roars at them, then rears back and unleashes a gout of acid at the two of them.
Obtrivi
Crios
Miles
Herr Magt
Chimera
dunia