[PbP Gameday VI] Feral's Jade Regent: #6 The Empty Throne - Sanctioned Seeker Adventure (Inactive)

Game Master Feral

In common.

"It wants us to leave. Only the long dead emperors can tell us how to access the first imperial palace. We should step back outside and see if it will still talk to us."

kn religion on the ghost: 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (5) + 28 = 33

Lenny will stand just outside the door.

In Tien.

"No defilement. We seek information about the first imperial palace and the jade throne."

You know the drill Lenny - diplomacy check.

I'm guessing this adventure path assumes everyone speaks Tien by book 6? ;)

"Time to improvise. Let's leave here and go back to that presence. I have an idea."

Assuming everyone is alright with this when we get to the room where the presence was felt Lenny will summon something that has a better way with words.
Just outside the room he will cast Summon Monster 6 as a full round action.
orange stone: 1d4 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1

As the Succubus appears Lenny will use the same speed he uses to provide the full array of abilities of enemies to explain to it that we want to convince the spirit in this room to help us enter the original imperial palace and find the jade throne.

As the Succubus talks to the spirit Lenny will continue to fill her in on the details.

Succubus Diplomacy check with constant tongues: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (8) + 19 = 27

Kaz shrugs as Lenny summons something to speak for him. He resists the urge to ogle the demoness as she speaks and attempts to help. Mostly

Aid: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (8) + 27 = 35

How long does the summon last? A diplomacy check takes a full minute under normal circumstances...

16 rounds in this case. It will be close but it is this or leave and both learn and memorize a way for our diplomatic party members to speak Tien before coming back.

Yea, we can't keep having Lenny be the one talking to spirits.We need someone to cast Share Language or something.

Tongues has a somewhat lengthy duration and isn't personal and is on just about every spell list.

Someone might want to pick up a wand or something after this portion of the adventure.

Aided by his extraplanar assistant, Lenny is able to communicate with the howling spirit. The well-spoken succubus is able to briefly calm the spectral figure and it pauses for a moment before responding in another wail.

"You seek the Jade Throne?! Ha! You are unworthy! You will never reach the ruins it's kept in without the blessing of all five families!"

The spirit's moderate calm fades seconds later.

You need to keep making diplomacy checks to keep it talking so choose your questions wisely. I'll allow one more check for the 6 rounds the succubus has left.

Abel considers asking what she means by five families, but figures others might know that information offhand.

Some confusion I think. The summon was after we went back to the first chamber where we felt a presence. Unless we skipped a bit where a spirit appeared and started howling after the talking started.

Abel groans and yawns We should just ask her what we need to do to get approval - and promise to leave for now if she does

"Not bad advice. But hopefully the inquiry doesn't upset her."

Sorry, there's definitely some confusion here.

Returning to the site of the presence with the demon has no effect except a general sense of disapproval. Should I assume you visit the ghost after that?

Yes.

In that case your summon runs out of time but the ghost replies as I posted above.

The good Viscount gets tired of waiting There is a lot of really good magic out there that helps handle problems like this and I know the Teleport spell. Let me just study this place well enough to reliably return and then return to Absalom, get ourselves some tongues or share language spells and then come back. I honestly don't mind spending the spells

"Sounds good bro."

A day later the party returns, refreshed and armed with magics allowing the better spoken among them to speak the native Minkai tongue.

Where to?

Chun Hei muses outloud "Alright, we need the approval of the five families. The next structure of import appears too be the well. Let us head there I think."

I'm assuming the same buffs. I am re-doing Barkskin (+5) on everyone and I guess Lenny will Mage Armor Grota again?

"I hope we can impress well now."

Regular Mage Armor instead of extended but otherwise yes.

"Yea bros. Maybe the spirit bros will respond better to us instead of Lenny."

The good Viscount casts Communal Tongues on the party, having completely forgotten that its on his spell list and then waltzes back in to the room with the spirit.

And by waltzes, he means he rides laying prone on a flying carpet.

I just need a direction guys. Are you going to the spot with the mysterious presence or to the bigger shrine with the ghost?

Mysterious presence.

I thought we were doing the bigger shrine with the ghost? I am willing to go along with the Mysterious presence though

Whatever I was suggesting before, lets do the mysterious presence.

Also for Mysterious Presence.

The party returns to the site of the mysterious presence to find it much as they left it.

The presence can still be felt but it makes no visible move to contact the group of veteran pathfinders.

Kaz tries the new language he knows as he attempts to speak to the spirits.

"Hey spirit bros! We're here to save the Jade Throne from the Aspis who just want to sell it. But we need your help to do it. Please, give us info."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (14) + 27 = 41

"Indeed, we mean no harm nor disrespect," Valrar adds, speaking as if he had known this language all his life. "We seek the next emperor to unify the region."

Auto-aid.

Grota awaits a response, ready to defend himself if need be.

Coaxed by Kaz and Valrar's well-spoken words, the mysterious presence reveals itself as a marble-skinned Tian-Min woman with white-feathered wings, wearing a beautiful cloth-of-gold kimono and carrying decorated Minkai conch shell horn.

She bows gracefully to the party before speaking in a melodious voice.
"Welcome outsiders. I had my doubts about you at first but your persistence and seemingly honorable motives have won me over for now."

"I am... I was Empress Amatatsu Onoko. I am here on behalf of the Empress of Heaven to assess the state of this holy place."

Kaz's eyes widen at the sight of the gorgeous woman that suddenly appeared. "Wow. I didn't know spirits could be smokin' hot." He blinks as he tries to get back on topic. "I mean, what do you need us to do?"

Chun Hei nods politely "We are honored by your greetings, can you tell us the state of this holy place?"

"This island is the resting place of Minkai's emperors but it is also a gateway between the world of flesh and the realm of the death. It is through this gateway that the living may petition the spirits of long dead ancestors for guidance. Unfortunately, recent events have thrown off the delicate balance of the spirit realm and now many of Minkai's cruelest emperors and empresses seek to fully return to the world of the living. It goes without saying but that would be very bad for all of you."

"Yea, that sounds bad. So how do we stop it?"

The viscount nods, admiring the dress of the woman. Cruelest, eh. Sounds tough. How powerful are they?

"Fully return...so they would be human again? What could they do?"

"Many of them were powerful in life - they are even stronger in death. The afterlife has shaped them into forms fitting their cruelty in the same way Shizuru remade me when I passed on. You are powerful mortals but I still suggest you approach them with caution. I do not believe any have the power to recreate their mortal forms. They seek liberation. They cannot accept that their time ruling Minkai has passed."

"I am not certain how to stop it but I believe correcting the injustice that started this crisis would be a good place to start. Seek out Emperor Shigure's spirit and offer him aid. He was murdered and his body dropped into the Well. I tried to help earlier but the same divine boundary that keeps the dead inside the well keeps me from entering it."

It's probably worth mentioning why the party is here and what you want from her.

"So if we do this, you'll give us your blessing so we can gain access to the Jade Throne?"

Chun Hei nods "We shall seek the body in the well. We are adventurers and archaeologists, although today we do not seek profit or treasure but stability for the region. With the Jade Throne order and a true emperor could be returned to the area. There are others of a less savory sort around that seek the Throne for their own foul purpose as well."

Just wanted to comment I'm still here. Letting the face people do their thing. :)

ditto.

I think we've covered the basics of why we're here - seeking the Jade Throne and the next emperor. I'll try running the finer details past her.

"We will find Shigure with all haste. However, more information may be useful, if you have the answers," Valrar notes, hoping he hasn't butchered the late emperor's name. "Do you know anything about a group of fiend-blooded people called the Five Storms? From what we know, they've allied with our enemies in an attempt to take the Throne for themselves."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (9) + 21 = 30

The angelic figure bows slightly and shakes her head. "I'm afraid I do not know anything of these 'Five Storms' though from Shigure's rants I believe someone with oni blood was responsible for his murder. It will be difficult but you may be able to learn more from him once you have recovered his remains. The oni are a deadly pervasive force in Minkai. It would not be surprised if they are behind the chaos that has befallen this shrine."

Empress Amatatsu Onoko hesitates at Kaz's request.

"You seek the blessings of the royal families to secure the Jade Throne? That is a noble goal but the Amatatsu family blessing is not mine to give. My distant aunt Amatatsu Maemi is the strongest of the Amatatsu spirits - she must give it. Vain and cruel in life, Maemi now exists as a powerful kylou below. If she were destroyed... her mantle would pass onto me and I could give the blessing you seek."

"What's a Kylou? I mean we can do that but a little info would be nice.."

The crystals that float near the Ambassador swirl around its gaseous body. It probes its transcendent memory for information on kylous.

Knowledge: 1d20 ⇒ 8

Modifier is at +24 (total of 32) for Arcana, History, Planes, or Religion, or +20 (28) for any other.