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Berosius thinks that this situation looks well in hand, so he preserves his spells for a more dire circumstance. Instead, he reaches into his coat pocket, swatting away his less helpful spirits and pulls out his lesser metamagic rod of maximize.
"Get out of there! No, that's my... ow! Put that down! Put it... give it... give it here... giiive it. Ow! What did I tell you about pinching? Pinching is right ou... now look you! Do you want to spend another century guarding a cemetery? Because I can... ow! Right! That's it!...
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swatting away his less helpful spirits
__________
Sorted Initiative Order:
Harrow: Full attack
RC1: smushed
Berosius: Draw rod
Mareq: Summon
Corners of Spheres:
RC2:
__________
Given that the cerebi are confised, Corners of Spheres ignores them and moves up to Harrow and slams at him from reach.
,
As the nonsenical creature touches Harrow, the half-orc can feel it tugging at his soul!
Berosius' spirits stop "playing" with him for a moment as they see the inquisitor's soul being pulled out. They beckon him to join their troupe.
Then, just as Harrow feels his mojo leaving, Cryp does a ride by. Though the horse actually meant to push Harrow off the ledge, he accidentally forces the soul back into the cavalier's body.
__________
The rhu-chalik then moves into the empty space between Corners and Harrow and attacks.
,
Despite his disorder preventing the sensation of pain, Harrow's body lurches awkwardly. The rhu-chalik's tentacle secretions seem to mess with his nervous system. "Is this how others experience pain?"
__________
New round.
The confused Lem drops his flute and attacks Berosius! Thankfully, he swings wide and misses.
__________
The devotee of Ragathiel reels from having just taken 30 HP of damage. Harrow is up!
Since the other rhu-chalik is gone, Berosius and Mareq may also go!
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Note that a confused creature will not make attacks of opportunity against anything that it is not already devoted to attacking (either because of its most recent action or because it has just been attacked).
The cerebi weren't "locked on" Corners of Spheres. The key there is "devoted to attacking." Corners never attacked the cerebi to trigger that "devotion." Here's where I'm coming from:
Any confused character who is attacked automatically attacks its attackers on its next turn, as long as it is still confused when its turn comes. Note that a confused character will not make attacks of opportunity against any creature that it is not already devoted to attacking (either because of its most recent action or because it has just been attacked).
I acknowledge that it's ambiguously worded. (What exactly makes the creature "devoted?") But, that's how I saw Mark Seifter adjudicate confusion.
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Sure! I'll buy that. :)
,
, miss
ROFL! Corners of Spheres moves, provoking and is just barely defeated!
Once Corners goes down, the rhu-chalik dissolves.
Combat over!
__________
In a dreamlike transition, the party sees Ralzeros! (Or is this another figment/shard/projection of him?) He speaks in a muted and distant voice that seems to emanate from his body as a whole rather than from the mouth-shaped part of his face. His speech intersperses coherent explanations with tangents during which his thought process becomes muddled and detached from the human experience, similar to the thoughts of Corners of Spheres and its minions.
After the tortures he has endured, Ralzeros’s mind is filled with suffering. He is haunted and paranoid, weary of existence, and guilty over his failures and losses. He is also filled with hatred and fear of himself. One of the consequences of his interactions with the Dark Tapestry was an obsessive desire to learn more of its secrets, a desire that still haunts him.
Even if he were to manage to keep his obsession in check, Corners of Spheres may still come after him again someday. The being that the party defeated was only a projection of a far stronger entity.
The last major trouble that weighs on Ralzeros' mind is existential—he wonders if he is truly Ralzeros, or simply a copy of a portion of Ralzeros’s mind that Corners of Spheres created for its amusement.
You may interact with him, if you wish.
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"Ralzeros, master mage, how can we help you? How can we stabilize your demiplane and prevent other horrors from entering it?" asks Mareq, mindful of their task as Pathfinders.
Ralzeros speaks to the party in a muted and distant voice that seems to emanate from his body as a whole rather than from the mouth-shaped part of his face. His speech intersperses coherent explanations with tangents during which his thought process becomes muddled and detached from the human experience, similar to the thoughts of Corners of Spheres and its minions.
After the tortures he has endured, Ralzeros’s mind is filled with suffering. He is haunted and paranoid, weary of existence, and guilty over his failures and losses. He is also filled with hatred and fear of himself. One of the consequences of his interactions with the Dark Tapestry was an obsessive desire to learn more of its secrets, a desire that still haunts him. He explains to the party that even if he were to manage to keep that obsession in check, Corners of Spheres may still come after him again someday. The being that you all defeated was only a projection of a far stronger entity. The last major trouble that weighs on his mind is existential—he wonders if he is truly Ralzeros, or simply a copy of a portion of Ralzeros’s mind that Corners of Spheres created for its amusement.
He bemoans his hubris and explains that he believed that the power of magically binding oaths enforced with sacred geometry would be enough to keep beings from the Dark Tapestry at bay. However, as the desire for knowledge grew within him, his obsessions eroded his sense of caution. It was at that point that he swore an oath to a more powerful being, Corners of Spheres, and his decline accelerated.
Ralzeros leaves his fate in the party's hands. You may choose to either (1) kill him or (2) leave him in this demiplane or (3) take him back to Golarion or (4) something else you come up with. (If you decide to kill him, he provides no resistance.)
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"A conundrum, to be sure," says Mareq. "If we bring him back to Golarion, we risk allowing Corners of Spheres to reach him, and perhaps into Golarion itself.
"Perhaps it would be best if his soul was sent on to Pharasma's Spire, and then one of the Outer Planes. Surely Corners of Spheres would not dare assail a god's realm."
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Berosius, of course, is an oracle of Life. He chooses life.
Berosius nods in agreement with Harrow.
"We are too often judge and executioner. Sometimes blood must flow to protect the innocent or shatter the old order, but it should never be simply out of fear. And leaving Ralzeros here would be both unkind and ultimately dangerous. I think we must return him to Golarion and seek to heal him there."
"Ultimately, the hardest road is usually the right one."
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Yeah. I know he said to bot him, but this is the sort of thing where he has to decide for himself.
Other than that, we're done with the scenario. I'll work on reporting and chronicles this week--with the understanding that I'm leaving it "open" for Harrow to make a decision for the Dark Archive. (Yes, I know I haven't mentioned what it is. The player has to decide to do it on their own.)
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Cool!How about Countdown to Round Mountain? We can even do it as part of the Play by Post gameday.
No saying Countdown to Round Mountain is this, but I’m on the hunt for an adventure that gives “Summon Genie” as a boon on the chronicle sheet. Five years ago the developers said it was kept from the Additional Resources list to be used in Chronicles.
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I'm good for Countdown!
As for Dark Archive, I'm going to go ahead and admit, as bad as this sounds, that I have very little idea of the motives of each of the Pathfinder organizations. XD
I think I chose the icon because it looks cool! So--I don't really have anything else to do as far as motives!
(Harrow makes for a GREAT representative of this faction!)
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PFS #9-23: The Ghol-Gan Heresy
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Fola, the half-elf, speaks first. “The Pathfinder Society has given me the honor of telling you about something that concerns my native land on many levels,” she says.
“This stretch of the Mwangi Expanse is home to many ruins left behind by the fallen cyclops empire known as Ghol- Gan. The relics they left behind have long served as bait for treasure-seekers, but a recent expedition by the Aspis Consortium threatens to do more than simply destroy a piece of history. The Consortium recently experienced a setback when Senghor’s leadership chose to support the Pathfinder Society in opposing them. In their desperation, the Aspis have joined with the Vanji Prospector’s Guild and launched a new operation intent on tearing what valuables they can out of an ancient Ghol-Gan temple. The gripplis protecting the temple tried to warn them that it houses something terrible left behind by lost Ghol-Gan, but they would not listen, and now the ancient fiend Parveen is on the verge of finally escaping her ancient prison.”
Fola pauses and nods to her grippli companions. With a weary croak, the older and larger of the amphibian people steps forward to continue the briefing.
“Fola has it right,” says the elderly grippli. “Your Society has worked with many groups in the region, including our own grippli tribes. I am Mother Bogwynne, lorekeeper and elder of the Krihirik tribe. I know much that has been forgotten, including the history of the ruins the Consortium defiles. Those ruins contain more than cyclops treasures—they also serve as the prison to a terrible fiend known as Parveen. This creature is an asura, a being that knows nothing but destruction and seeks to destroy all that the gods created. We gripplis have guarded against Parveen’s escape for generations, but as the Consortium breaks down the wards, we can feel the monster’s influence spreading beyond its prison.”
Mother Bogwynne gestures toward the other grippli. “Purpurrup is a fiend-keeper whose tribe lives near the ruined city of Kaddodi. She and I seek to unite the grippli tribes to stop Parveen’s escape, but time fights against us. With the wards weakening, the asura may escape before the other tribes’ fiend-keepers arrive to aid us. Thus, we need you—not only to stop recklessness and greed, but to prevent greater disaster as well.”
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Possible questions and answers:
How do we get to the temple? (Fola) “The Consortium has carved several trails that lead to the ruined city of Kaddodi, where the temple lies. While their main base of operations lies north of here in Bloodcove, we’ve had several successful excursions against them that have forced them to send their looted treasure south to the coast for pick-up instead. The fastest route from where we stand runs north along the coast toward the Oubinga River, and speed matters a great deal right now.”
What happened to the temple’s creators? (Fola) “Nobody knows for certain what happened to the empire of Ghol-Gan. It was once a bastion of civilization and philosophy, but the cyclopes fell into savagery and violence well before Earthfall destroyed ancient Azlant millennia ago.”
Who bound Parveen inside the temple? (Mother Bogwynne) “Parveen thrived on the brutality displayed in the waning days of Ghol-Gan. After the fall of the cyclops civilization, two magic warriors loyal to the archmage Jatembe battled with the fiend and sealed her away in the temple.”
When did the grippli become involved? (Mother Bogwynne) “Another people, known as the Boalisi, came to inhabit the same lands where ancient Ghol-Gan once stood. In their ignorance of the cyclopes’ history, they used parts of Parveen’s prison to construct their own buildings. Our people sensed the weakening of the prison and relied on the ancient tradition of fiend-keeping to prevent Parveen’s influence from growing. We succeeded for many generations, but other encroachments, including the Aspis and their new allies, have pushed us to our limits.”
What is fiend-keeping? (Purpurrup) “With the right discipline, one can contain the evil spirits of the world and prevent them from doing further harm. We fiend-keepers draw a portion of an evil spirit into ourselves, forming a spiritual prison that keeps the danger at bay. Parveen’s power exceeds that of a normal spirit, so fiend-keepers from multiple tribes have worked to keep her in check.”
What sort of dangers can we expect? (Fola) “The Consortium is desperate and won’t take kindly to intruders if they think you plan to shut them down or muscle in on their profits. The Kaava Lands always have their dangers, including foul weather and giant beasts. Parveen herself is a powerful fiend, one of the mightiest asuras. That’s why you must make sure she doesn’t escape.”
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Things you might know.
DC 15+: Scholars divide the history of Ghol-Gan into four distinct eras: prehistoric, pre-classical, classical, and post- classical. The empire reached its height during the classical era, which saw the advent of writing and a period of long- lasting peace.
DC 20+: The post-classical period of Ghol-Gan saw the cyclopes abandon their gods in favor of demons and other fell powers. This led to a period of excessive violence among the cyclopes.
DC 25+: Long after Ghol-Gan faded away, the Boalisi culture rose quickly on the site of the old empire. Historians trace much of their rapid rise to architecture and treasure looted from Ghol-Gan ruins. But the Boalisi disappeared just as quickly as they rose, destroyed by an unknown but undoubtedly very powerful source.
DC 30+: The wisest of the cyclopes foresaw the destruction of Ghol-Gan and attempted to salvage some of the empire’s history and culture, creating coded scriptures that they hoped would one day be used by creatures that shared their goals of peace and enlightenment.
DC 20+: Asuras are immortal beings. While their physical forms can be destroyed, their spirits inevitably return as lesser asuras. Reincarnated asuras retain their memories and often seek revenge on those who destroyed their physical forms.
DC 25+: All asuras possess an elusive aura that makes them difficult to find using scrying magic. Many of them have the ability to regenerate, though good-aligned weapons and spells can temporarily halt the regenerative process.
DC 30+: The name Parveen appears in a few ancient texts as a fiend who spread blasphemy and ruin for centuries during the Age of Darkness. These foul deeds allowed her to obtain fiendish enlightenment, transforming her into an asurendra and attracting many lesser asuras to her cause.
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Kelson turns to the grippli's "We would be honored to assist you in preventing Parveen from being released. If the Aspis is behind this, it won't be good"
Kelson let's his friends know what he learns and turns to Harrow. "Harrow it's good to see you again! I've brought some apple biscuits all the way from Absalom!"
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Mareq wonders about these things... remembering a night he sneaked into his father's library and read about the tragic Asuras.
"Asuras are outsiders that represent divine accidents--mistakes committed by the gods themselves. Because of their origin, they hold a hatred for all things divine," says Mareq, reciting from memory. "They are immortal beings and, while their physical forms can be destroyed, their spirits inevitably return as lesser asuras. Reincarnated asuras retain their memories and often seek revenge on those who destroyed their physical forms."
The ifrit taps his lips as he considers more practical matters. "Destroying them, although a temporary respite from their evil, is difficult. They have the ability to regenerate wounds. We ought to prepare with holy weapons to prevent them from regenerating."
"As for Parveen, she appears in a few ancient texts as a fiend who spread blasphemy and ruin for centuries during the Age of Darkness. These foul deeds allowed her to obtain fiendish enlightenment, transforming her into an asurendra and attracting many lesser asuras to her cause."
Mareq considers his recent inability to contain his fiendish father, Husarq. "This is not good. She is basically a demigod or demon prince. I do not wish her to enslave me, as my father did. And the rest of Golarion, of course. Of course."
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Harrow is glad to see Kelson again, enjoying his tales and songs. He is especially glad for more apple biscuits, one of his favorite foods since adventuring with the stylish Sir Didymus.
As he eats, he considers their mission.
"Harrow already know he not like Aspis--we stop those guys or Harrow's name not Harrow."
Turning to the grippli, he says "Harrow also not think good idea keep evil stuff like pets. Maybe kill them instead."
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PFS 1e Scenario #10-20: Countdown to Round Mountain
The Pathfinder Society discovered that the tapestry had begun to unravel. When Hao Jin's magic eventually fails, the Pathfinder Society believes that the tapestry may tear and violently eject all of its contents into the Astral Plane. A group of Pathfinders has since tracked down Hao Jin herself. Though she could not repair her tapestry, Hao Jin managed to modify the ritual that she used to capture sites, instead allowing one to return such a site to its original home. The Pathfinders intend to use this ritual and Round Mountain as a giant life raft for the tapestry’s inhabitants and return the sphere to the immense cave left behind in central Tian Xia. However, Round Mountain’s return would crush everything within the Broken Ticker. The Society cannot, in good conscience, return Round Mountain to the Darklands without first inspecting the cavern, documenting any discoveries, and warning any inhabitants of the impending disaster.
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Venture-Captain Amara Li leads dozens of Pathfinders into the Darklands beneath Nagajor in order to explore, document, and evacuate an immense cavern occupied by ratfolk before the massive Round Mountain crashes into the area.
“After the sweltering heat of Nagajor, some might consider the coolness of these tunnels delightful, but we have little time to rest,” Venture-Captain Amara Li begins, addressing a sizeable caravan of Pathfinder agents, laborers, and nagaji guides.
“By my calculations, we are now about two thousand feet below the surface, which places us in Nar-Voth. Welcome to the Darklands, Pathfinders. We’ll establish a base camp here.
“According to our Master of Spells, Sorryna Westyr we have fifteen days before they transport Round Mountain back to the Material Plane. In that time, we must locate the mountain’s original location, explore and document the site, convince anyone who might be residing in the area to evacuate, and evacuate ourselves.
“Unfortunately, we do not know the exact location of the original site. Most of the surface access tunnels that led there collapsed under their own weight once Hao Jin carved out Round Mountain. However, we have managed to piece together folklore from up above—mostly stories to frighten children—and purchased information about various smuggling and trade routes between the surface and the Diguo-Dashu. Thus, based on the intelligence available, I am certain that a large cavern known as the Old Rat’s Stolen Heart is the site of Round Mountain’s return. The name is clearly a reference to the goddess Lao Shu Po and the supposed heartbreak the remaining ratfolk experienced after their defeat. According to our informants, though, the cavern has an easier nickname—the Broken Ticker. This is our only opportunity to explore the Broken Ticker before the return of Round Mountain destroys potentially half a millennium of Darklands history.
“We plan to send a small team down each of the secondary and tertiary tunnels that may lead to the large cavern that was once Round Mountain. Remember, this is not a competition. Good cooperation and communication between the teams may be vital to the success of this mission. I shall brief each team individually, but, if there are any questions for the greater group, now is the time to ask.”