Hey guys, sorry I can't begin the opening roleplay yet. I'm still waiting on the scenario pdf to be provided, but I am told that I should get it in the next 12 hours at the latest. Will put up an opening post soon after I get it.
It has been several years since Venture Captain Amara Li returned to Tian Xia to establish her new Lodge and cement the Pathfinder Society's presence on that continent. Summons to Tian Xia are infrequent but almost always a treat for Pathfinder agents: an expenses-paid* trip to a foreign and exotic land with a high likelihood of discoveries worthy of being immortalised in the Pathfinder Chronicles.
It was thus (barring some unique personal tragedy) quite the pleasant surprise when you awoke this morning to find a scented parchment note sealed with the symbol of the Lantern Lodge (click for handout) under your door. The note was accompanied by a ticket for passage on a junk bound for Ramparassad later that day, and you quickly gathered what equipment you thought necessary before making your way to the docks, arriving just moments before the ship weighed anchor.
It is generally not difficult to distinguish a seasoned Pathfinder Society agent from a common run-of-the-mill sailor, and once on board you have little difficulty identifying the agents who will be accompanying you on this misssion.
|
"Howdy folks. Name's Wayne. Wayne Jericho."Wayne himself stands at about 6 feet tall, wearing a fairly dirty leather duster along with a wide brimmed hat which he tips at introduction. He also has a pistol holstered at his hip, engraved with an 'S'. He has a permanent 5 o-clock shadow on his face along with dark brown eyes.
|
"Bah, I can't believe they're sending me back to Tian Xia. It takes forever to get back. Maybe I won't have to deal with jerk elves again." An ugly, red-skinned Tiefling mutters to himself on deck. Decked out in mithral shirt, he carries an alchemist kit on his belt and a longbow on his back.
He looks up as Wayne begins the introductions. "The name's Reavis. I blow stuff up. Don't worry, I don't usually blow my allies up. Usually." He offers, laughing at his own joke.
|
|
A fairly typical looking Shaonti barbarian moves forward to acquire his ticket and glance over the letter. It's not clear if the barbarian even reads the note. What is clear is that his head is bald except for some type of tiara. Except it's not a tiara, it's a head band encrusted with humanoid teeth.
Somehow the group knows this man's name is Kujo, though no one can recall him having offered it, or anything else by way of conversation.
|
A tall and skinny man looking pretty old stands in the briefing's room as well. His eyes are piercing and seem to judge anyone they encounter.
He's dressed in breastplate and wears a small book hanging from a necklace. This book bears the inscription "Arodenite institution" and the holy symbol of Iomedae. With a wide grin, he wrinkles his eyes and says with a calm voice "Tian Xia? I never been to this place. I wonder what are the ways of the people there..."
He then coughs lightly "I apologize, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Pierre Viret, holy servant of the glorious Iomedae. I hope everything will go well for this mission! If we need to fight, I need to say to you that I'll prefer any non-violent solution. You can rely on me for the talking."
|
|
"Hold! Hold! I am here."
You hear a gruff dwarf shouting at you, and as you turn to see, you find he is bouncing uncomfortably on a camel that he seems to have some difficulty controlling.
"Sorry, folks. I am here. Just got the message that I was to fill in for a friend of mine who is still occupied elsewhere...."
Suddenly, the camel sits down and begins to roll over. "Blast, you dern beast! Let me off first!"
Rolling out of the saddle and standing up, the dwarf dusts himself off.
"Name's Henrick, of the Bulwark clan. Pleased to meet you all."
The journey to Dtang Ma is thankfully uneventful, and you have plenty of time to discuss tactics with your fellow agents along the way (we're in a pbp after all - feel free to use the discussion thread). When the ship finally drops anchor at a small coastal town, the captain passes you a slip of parchment with the words Pak’s Tobacco and Spice written on the one side and an address in Ramparassad written on the other before herding you onto a trade caravan bound for the city (along with the rest of the ship's cargo bound for that city). It takes about two weeks all in before you finally reach the bustling city, and another couple of hours of asking around for directions before you finally reach your destination.
Bells tinkle and chime as you open the door to “Pak’s Tobacco and Spice”. Shelves on the walls are full of jars and pouches, and a collection of masks adorns the wall opposite to the entrance. An old Tian-Dtang man sitting behind the counter wakes up mid-snore, rubs his eyes, and exclaims in a raspy but exuberant voice.
“Yes, come in, come in! Ah, you must be the Pathfinders Ms. Amara sent! Where are my manners! I am Pak! Tea, anyone?”
Before anyone can answer, Pak flicks one end of his metal smoking pipe, snags a teakettle, and plants it atop a small brazier with smoldering coals. He invites you to sit at a round table in the middle of the room as he sets the kettle to brew. Once the kettle is set, he stands back to light his pipe with vanilla-scented tobacco, and as he does so, one of the masks on the wall blinks, and then floats off its hook on the wall. It has mottled greyish skin and long black hair, piercing red eyes with serpentine slitted pupils and sharp fangs surrounding a forked tongue that flicks out when he speaks. It floats towards you and regards you with an unusually animated face (for a mask).
"Ah yes, I almost forgot to introduce you. This is Tanbaru. Some of you may recognise him to be a spirit oni, but do not concern yourself, he is a friend of the Society. He will be helping me explain to you your mission here," Pak wheezes between puffs of tobacco smoke.
Tanbaru is unusual for a spirit oni. Most spirit oni appear as masks with the face of a horned fiend with popping eyes and a leering smile full of fangs. In comparison, Tanbaru looks relatively benign.
“Pathfinders, the oni says formally as he gives you a polite nod, "long ago, I was a kami who lived near a temple of Yamatsumi in the Kullan Dei mountains. But centuries ago, the temple and I were magically transported into an extraplanar place called the Hao Jin Tapestry. For hundreds of years, I languished in a broken temple surrounded by tyrannical conquerors who encouraged my cruelest habits, and I turned into what I am now—an oni. It wasn’t until a group of Pathfinders found me and showed me mercy that I was able to see past my own selfishness and spite. I have been working for the Pathfinder Society ever since, both in Absalom and in Tian Xia.”
Pak runs a hand across his partly shaved head as he further explains the opportunity at hand. “I’ll get straight to the point. I would appreciate your traveling to the Kullan Dei mountains in southern Dtang Ma and exploring what is left of the temple of Yamatsumi near which Tanbaru once lived. You see, the ancient sorceress Hao Jin was able to transport only the lower, front half of the original temple into her tapestry. I know little about the broken temple other than its haunted reputation, but Tanbaru here says that the temple’s secluded location high up in the mountains may well have kept its historical secrets and hidden treasures safe from vandals and looters, relics that should be valuable to the Pathfinder Society."
“I want Tanbaru to accompany you. Although his transformation into an oni made his memories somewhat frayed, he still instinctively knows the way there. You should know that when Tanbaru was a kami, the Pilgrim’s Path — the trail that leads up to the temple—was his sacred ward. His presence may have unpredictable consequences, so please keep him safe.”
"I will help the PCs to the best of his ability. To begin with, if one of you wears me on your face, our senses will be linked, allowing me to aid you in spotting hazards and traps. I will also act as your guide and tell you what I can recall of our destination, though my memories of that place will likely only come to me in flashes as we navigate the site."
|
|
"Whew, I was just about to get pissed if we traveled all this way just to hitch a ride into that creepy tapestry. So, the way to this temple, is it going to be cold? Do we need mountaineering gear? Is it trapped? What sort of monsters live near there? How exactly is it haunted? Is altitude sickness going to be a problem?" The tiefling asks, counting the questions off on his fingers.
Tanbaru scowls when Reavis mentions the Tapestry.
"No. We are most certainly NOT going back into that tapestry. Not I at least. Not if I can help it. As for the route to the temple, it might be a little chilly near the top, but nothing a pilgrim can't handle with a thick shirt and cloak, and neither is it so high up the mountain that breathing might become difficult. As for what hazards you might face, when I was guardian there, there was nothing by way of traps, haunts or monsters that I recall, apart form the occassional romaing wild beast or monster that wandered too far from their usual habitations. But anything could have moved in since then."
"As for mountaineering gear, well, you would not have needed it back in the day because there was a well-kept path leading from the foot of the mountian all the way to the temple, but since that bi-"
"Tanabru!" Pak quickly cuts Tanbaru off before he is able to finish his expressive description of Hao Jin. It is apparent that this is not the first time Pak has had to curb Tanabru's rants about the ancient sorceress. "The terrain is rough and attempting to take pack animals up the mountain would be unwise. I can look after your camel here if you wish. I also have two sets of climbing equipment that you can borrow, but it would be prudent to obtain a few more of your own unless some of you are already skilled climbers or somehow able to fly."
Pak fetches a two bundles from behind the counter with pitons and rope poking out from the sides, as well as two large backpacks.
"Rice for the journey," he explains as he pats the backpacks. "There's a camping cooker in each backpack as well that needs only twigs for fuel. Good for long hikes."
"One more thing," he says as he eyes Pierre and Henrick. "Some of you have the right idea wearing mithral. Good for light movement. You two however in the iron breastplates. If you’re going to wear those things, you’d better watch your step on the mountain.”
|
|
Pierre nods at the mention of his load.
"True, my friend. I might need a lighter load indeed. However, the help of a climbing kit is always welcome for an old man like me."
Having no other questions, Pierre try to gather information in the streets about the journey to come and the landscape. He speaks charmingly and tries to find people from the Inner Sea.
Pierre turns on the charm, and even those who understand just a smidgen of what he is saying do their best to direct him to others who speak his language. He quickly gathers that more than a few useful tidbits about your destination.
Kullan Dei is a 2,500-mile long mountain range that winds its way through Nagajor and into the dragon kingdom of Xa Hoi. The northernmost stretch of the mountain range extends into southern Dtang Ma. The nearest summit is just a few hours’ hike from the busy streets of the sprawling capital Ramparassad.
The mountain range is volcanically active. In fact, Mount Pho-Yim, which looms over Ramparassad, often exudes ominous smoke. Seismic activity is common in the mountains, sometimes causing earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions. Many species of birds and snakes are endemic to the Kullan Dei Mountains. Some develop a spiritual attachment to important sites, defending those areas as guardians or watching over them as auspicious sentinels. Dragons, ogres, and various types of kami and oni are also relatively common in the region.
The weather is sweltering hot when you leave Ramparassad. After a walk past rice fields that extend a few miles outside the city and a hike through a bamboo forest, Tanbaru leads you to a mountain trail that leads you south, deep into the Kullan Dei range.
In contrast to the heat of the first day, the weather cools rapidly as you hike up the mountain, and soon it is quite pleasantly cool despite the long walk. The air is thin, but the days you spend in the mountains allow you to acclimatise yourself.
After about a week of hiking, you arrive at a set of stone pillars with inscriptions that read “The Pilgrim’s Path” in several languages, some of which you recognise. The mist-shrouded outline of a broken temple is visible in the distance, some 5 miles away.
The stone pillars not only mark the beginning of the Pilgrim’s Path but also a transition from profane to sacred, which means that travelers should show proper reverence to tradition and the rules of
the trail.
This insight leads you to take greater notice of the pillars, and you find that one of the stone pillars lists these rules. The following instructions have been translated into common:
1. Do not obstruct the paths!
2. Leave no trace!
3. Stay on the marked trail!
You are able to read the full text on the pillars:
“Do not obstruct paths! Don’t pitch your tent or leave your
equipment on the trail. Be courteous and mindful of others
using the trail. Leave no trace! Take your trash with you. Don’t
make fires outside designated areas. Don’t leave any other
trace of your passage. Stay on the marked trail! Nature is
sacred and fragile; do not tread on it. Don’t harm animals
unless you must defend yourself.”
The narrow trail continues to wind along the base of a steep ridge, and large, jagged rocks have fallen from the cliff face here, blocking the path. At least a score of dark birds with white throats reside here, sitting atop nests built into the cliff face.
The birds are cliff-nesting martins endemic to the Kullan Dei mountains. They are timid creatures and likely to abandon their young if disturbed.
The birds appear to be rather timid and would likely abandon their young if disturbed.
The locals consider these birds an auspicious sign, and never kill them or eat their eggs. You are not locals...
|
|
"Be careful, folks. There are rules for here...
1. Do not obstruct the paths!
2. Leave no trace!
3. Stay on the marked trail!
I suggest we follow them."
After looking around, Henrick points to some nearby birds. "Let's try not to disturb those birds, too. They are cliff-nesting martins. They are timid creatures and probably will abandon their young if we disturb them."
|
|
"The full text of that pillar is actually a lot more annoying. It also says stuff like, don't make fires outside of designated areas and don't kill anything unless you're in danger." Reavis explains to the others after Henrick's translation.
Later, upon seeing the birds, "Those birds are sacred or some garbage. None of the locals kill them or their eggs."
The narrow trail winds along the base of a steep ridge, and large, jagged rocks have fallen from the cliff face here, blocking the path. At least a score of dark birds with white throats reside here, sitting atop nests built into the cliff face.
|
|
Pierre's sharp eyes see the danger in this natural hazard.
"Beware, Wayne! Even if walking on the rocks acrobatically would be the most direct way to get across, it carries however a great risk of dislodging some of them! Can you think of any other ways for us to cross without disturbing the nests?"
Pierre's warning comes too late to prevent Wayne from attempting the crossing. Fortunately, the gunslinger is nimble and sure-footed, and manages to make it across without incident.
There is nothing suspicious about the rocks apart from the human eyeing them suspiciously.
All trails were initially mapped out by men (or other intelligent sentient creatures), so it stands to reason that someone skilled in navigating the wilds could potentially plot an alternate route up to the temple.
Reavis struggles to find a path that would allow him to climb across without disturbing any of the birds. Fortunately, however, Jericho had been paying attention to the landscape on his way up, and recalls noting earlier that there were a couple of other route the monks of old might have been able plotted up the mountain. What was then an idle hypothetical thought-exercise now proves incredibly valuable as the gunslinger uses his vantage on the other side of the obstruction to scout out the potential he had thought of earlier, and finds one that is perhaps a little steeper and more circuitous, but at least free from obstructions and nesting wildlife.
With Wayne leading the way through the alternate path, you are able to circumvent the obstruction rejoin the path to continue your progress up the mountain.
You see in the distance, at what you estimate to be roughly halfway up the mountain, a small shrine with three stone statues standing before it.
Reavis struggles to find a path that would allow him to climb across without disturbing any of the birds. Fortunately, however, Jericho had been paying attention to the landscape on his way up, and recalls noting earlier that there were a couple of other route the monks of old might have been able plotted up the mountain. What was then an idle hypothetical thought-exercise now proves incredibly valuable as the gunslinger uses his vantage on the other side of the obstruction to scout out the potential he had thought of earlier, and finds one that is perhaps a little steeper and more circuitous, but at least free from obstructions and nesting wildlife.
With Wayne leading the way through the alternate path, you are able to circumvent the obstruction rejoin the path to continue your progress up the mountain.
** spoiler omitted **
Reavis struggles to find a path that would allow him to climb across the cliff face without disturbing any of the birds. Fortunately, however, Jericho had been paying attention to the landscape on his way up, and recalls noting earlier that there were a couple of other routes the monks of old could have plotted up the mountain. What was at the time an idle hypothetical thought-exercise now proves incredibly valuable as the gunslinger uses his vantage on the other side of the obstruction to scout out the potential paths he had thought of earlier. He manages to find one that is perhaps a little steeper and more circuitous than the main path, but at least it is free from obstructions and nesting wildlife.
With Wayne leading the way through the alternate path, you are able to circumvent the obstruction and rejoin the path to continue your progress up the mountain.
You see in the distance, at what you estimate to be roughly halfway up the mountain, a small shrine with three stone statues standing before it.