[PbP Gameday VII] GM Ladile & the Pathfinder Society Present: The Twisted Circle - Leshy Madness! (Tier 1-2) (Inactive)

Game Master Lady Ladile

A magical war between the archmages Geb and Nex left the landscape between their nations scarred and wracked by magical anomalies—a barren stretch known as the Mana Wastes. During the conflict, their generals also created countless weapons and defenses that pushed the limits of magic, yet most of these were destroyed in battle or lost forever. Recent investigations suggest that some of this ancient power is at play in an insular town outside Alkenstar, but there the trail runs cold. Can the PCs uncover the truth while braving the residents' eccentricities?

A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 1-5.
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Please dot-and-delete to check in to Gameplay! We will begin on August 13th.

After receiving a short summons requesting unique agents with equally unique skill sets each of you find yourselves in the city of Katapesh, in the country of the same name. Known as the City of Trade, Katapesh is a city of organized chaos where you’ve heard that cash is king and commerce, the highest god. All of you have gathered at the Winding Road Inn, a coaching inn and chapter house that sits near the outskirts of the great city to meet with Venture-Captain Roderus for details about the job you’ve been called to do. Unfortunately, the good venture-captain is running a bit behind and so you’ve found yourselves ushered - by a rather incredulous-looking maid - into a small but pleasant sun room with an agreeable view of the nearby marketplace and plaza to await his arrival. A small tray of refreshments are already laid out on a nearby table in anticipation of your arrival; tea and small sandwiches from the looks of it.

As you study your fellow agents and introduce yourselves, you quickly come to the conclusion that this mission - quite possibly the first for many of you - will indeed be a truly unique experience…
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Pull up a chair, take a sandwich, and introduce yourselves :)

The leather jacket-clad, weirdly pierced with random bits of metal, spiked leaf-hair wearing leshy struts into the room. "'S crap." He announces to the maid in a slightly high pitched voice. He sneers, but grabs a cup of tea and thrusts his hand into it, allowing his root system to drain it down to the leaves. "Ooooo." he murmurs as the caffeine hits his system and percolates through.

Spotting the others he nods diffidently. "'Sup."

A leshy in leather armor, darkwood composite longbow slung over his back, enters the Winding Road Inn, scowling when he sees the barmaid serving tea. "Got any chicken broth?" he asks. "And a steak, medium rare, please."

"I'm no cannibal," he adds with emphasis, casting a suspicious eye at the leshy slurping tea through its roots. What innocent creature was maimed to harvest that bloody drink, I wonder.

He unslings his bow, Salad Shooter, and props it against the table. "The name's Tacca Chantrieri," he holds out a scarred and calloused hand in greeting. "Pleased to meet you."

The pierced leshy looks at the hand and nods. "B!~&$*~s." Still he shakes the hand. "Name's Bad Seed. Least that's what they call me."

A large (for a leshy), a woody looking man-plant sits quietly in the corner. He starts to speak... and then... very... slowly... he says... "Hellllo, I am Oakley. I was... instructed... to come.... here. I am... now... a Pathfinders."

The speech is so slow, you just want to force him to drink coffee or something.

The next to arrive is a leshy that sways into the sunroom quite possibly already slightly inebriated or perhaps just enjoying life. Either way the wicked scythe tangled with dark roots on his back looks far too sinister for the jovial plant. His own leaves and tangle of roots are bright greens with various berries and hops adorning the sections not covered by leather armor.

He sits down and takes a swig of the liquid.

"Tea? One has to celebrate a new story not relax. Isn't that right Dauswil?" he says looking over his shoulder...where no one is at.

He shakes his head and extends his branches to the others.

"Motueka Moondrinker. Never have I seen such a gathering of our kind! I joined the Pathfinders to try and make this guy stop being such a mope...but this is an exciting addition to the recipe!"

Through Motueka's speech a phantom of a man begins to appear wreathed in negative energy. As his form finishes appearing the man's ghostly flesh is jaundiced and the capillaries of blood are clearly visible but pulse with the same negative energy.

"Sh-drinking is shwat made me like this, little bulb! Don't shhhtart down the samesh road...lookit they did ta me shhtomach." he slurs painful whispers pointing out the deep gash across his traditional Tien Garb with the tankards that never leave his hands.

A tangle of vines in a corner of the sun room, blackened as if by fire, but living and healthy, pulls itself into a humanoid shape. The woody little man (?) is clad in a mixture of leather and steel, scraps of metal adorn his arms, legs, and head in haphazard fashion. One vine-arm holds a long steel weapon, more than twice the height of the leshy; the other ends in a steel glove.

The leshy's black eyes blink as it takes in the assembled agents.

"BOOM!" it says.

"BOOM STICKS! Agent of Gnashbakk, Agent of Pathfinders, Explorer of the Mana Wastes. I am pleased to know you, each and every one. We make great team! We travel far and wide!"

Boom Sticks grabs a sandwich. "What is this? An ornament? A gift? What does one do with it?"

A small bushy leshy arrives late.

Apologies for tardiness, but I simply had to stop and smell the roses.

"B@astards." Bad Seed mutters, taking in the ghostie man, the loud metal hand leshy and the stoned leshy.

The door to the sun room suddenly opens and in strides a tall, weathered-looking Garundi man dressed in a manner that seems more at home with being on safari than working within an inn. ”Ah, here you are! Sama said that I had some ‘unique’ guests waiting for me in the sun room and I suspected that you were who she meant. I’m Roderus and it’s a pleasure to meet you - but we’ll talk further in my office. Please, follow me.”

Roderus beckons you along and he leads you from the sun room and down a hallway to what appears to be a rather nondescript store room. Concealed within however is a secret door that leads into what is revealed to be a series of secret basements - where the true Winding Road Lodge actually lies. You are led into a room whose walls are nearly completely covered with maps and which boasts precarious stacks of journals and papers that nearly reach the ceiling. Roderus has a seat a large desk situated in the middle of the chaos and grins.

”Here we go, now we’ve got a little more privacy! I hope your journey here was not too arduous. I have a fascinating assignment for you.” He plucks a single sheet of paper from the middle of the pile on his desk. ”This is a letter from the Osiriani investigator Amenira, who works with the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye. Mercy, the town she mentions in her reports, wasn’t even on our map until now. It’s a small settlement out in the Mana Wastes. Magic is unpredictable out in the Wastes, and it sometimes coalesces into deadly storms. People in Alkenstar reported seeing one of these magical disturbances heading in the direction of Mercy, but the town weathered the fearsome storm without so much as a scratch.” Roderus slides the piece of paper across the desk before leaning back in his chair and linking his hands behind his head. ”Mighty strange, don’t you think?”

"Dauswil make yourself scarce before you scare the poor patrons with your gloom." Motueka says taking a moment as his phantom kneels down to water the Leshy and in doing so dissipates.

The leshy takes and reads the paper given to the group before handing it off to the others. This is all too serious for him to workout the specifics of the mission but he does wonder and ask about the sickness.

"The storm's reaction is interesting but Amenira's affliction is worrying. Is this journal entry all we have to go off of?" he asks with a tone sobered by the thought of getting sick.

Bad Seed mutters something that sounds like a growl and a series of dirty words in Sylvan. He follows this up with a "Strange, yeah. Storms is bad in the Wastes, so? S'pposed to be strange, yeah."

"Has Amenira formally requested the Society's help?" Tacca asks. "Can we count on her assistance in our investigation?"

"If Mercy is our destination, and if we must traverse the Mana Wastes, is there anything more you can tell us?"

“Druids! Who else could protect Mercy from the Mana Storms? I never heard of Mercy either and I've travelled the Wastes. Storms are bad, but life finds a way.

So we're looking at a builders' feud, a mysterious disease and a secret ointment. Where's this agent come into it though? What made her go to Mercy, was it really just to find out about the Storms?"

After you’ve had a few moments to read over Amenira’s report, the venture-captain clears his throat as he looks at Motueka and Tacca. "Good questions; you little folks are sharp. You see, one of my contacts at the temple received this missive from her four months ago, and he hasn’t heard anything from her since. I’m sending you to Mercy to figure out why."

Roderus straightens up in his chair, his expression quite serious."If she’s still there, ask her why she hasn’t contacted anyone in months and help her finish her investigation; if she isn’t, find out what happened to her. While you're there, see how much of the mystery of Mercy you can unravel. Several of the clergy within the temple are intensely curious about why the mana storms haven't leveled the town, and so am I - and I suspect that's also the reason Amenira was sent to Mercy in the first place. I will gladly provide you with additional pay for the information that you retrieve."

"I’ve booked a ship to the city of Alkenstar, which is a few days’ journey from Mercy itself," Roderus continues, pushing a set of boarding passes across his desk. "All I know about Mercy itself is that it's about twenty miles south of Alkenstar. The folks there might know more about it though, if you want to ask around once you get there. But if you have any other questions, ask them now - your ship leaves in three hours. Oh and don't worry about supplies; you might be better off waiting until Alkenstar before you purchase anything."

Did one of our kind have to die to make that piece of paper?

Oakley waits for everyone to have their say, and then slowly rises and makes his way to the door. "Three... hours.... better... hurry." But it doesn't look like he is in much of a rush.

He heads straight for the ship, figuring anything he needs to buy will be at the destination.

“Alkenstar? BOOM! That means black powder and firearms and cannon and oh my! Can I get a gun? I've got about 30 gold coins, is that enough? Wait, are guns bad? I don't know... but I know I want one. Or maybe two. Or some. I want some firearms!"

Boom Sticks hops about excitedly, eager for the off.

"B@llocks." mutters Bad Seed, but he shrugs and follows the other mental patients.

"Happy trails! Time to hit the road." Tacca stands up, ready to go.

Meanwhile in the main section of the Inn...

A vine leshy dressed in armor made of laminated darkleaf cloth carrying a small wooden shield made of darkwood is pleading with the barmaid.

“...I already looked in the sun room, they aren’t there! I searched it just to make sure they weren’t hiding.

Is there any place else they might have gone?”

"Vague. That can be dangerous but also fun but...we should be careful..." Motueka says heading for the ship with a sigh still troubled about the sickness.

He made me to brighten his life but ended up a miserable ghost. I can't wither till it is made right. One way or another.

"Firearms...? Er...I don't know what the prices are in Alkenstar but if you find one you can afford then sure, knock yourself out," Roderus remarks, looking bemused. "Just be sure not to shoot your eye out!"

"Anyway, since it doesn't look like you've got any other questions I suppose this is where we part ways for now." Roderus stands and walks around his desk to shake each of your hands...er, vines...er...appendages?

"Good luck out there, alright? Don't do anything stupid - I'd like to see all of you back in one piece!"
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Bidding the good venture-captain farewell, each of you make your way back the way you came and pop out of the small closet at the end of the hallway. While some of you might head on down to the docks right away to find your ship, perhaps others choose to hang around the inn for a little bit longer before departing. Either way, you overhear a bit of conversation coming from the main section of the inn - the barmaid from earlier and a new voice, sounding a bit distressed.

"No, Roderus was very clear - only six! He expected only six; but I don't know where they went. Maybe for a walk? Or maybe they're hiding in the sun room with the other...um...." the woman's voice trails off into a silence so awkward you can feel it from where you are. The sun room you'd all been waiting in earlier was decorated with a number of plants...

"Excuse me, ma'am. Are you need of a superhero?" The vigilante asks the damsel in distress.

Tacca reassures the woman. "Some say one need but whisper a plea for help, and the breeze will carry the call to the Black Bat Orchid."

The young barmaid looks up, recognition dawning as Tacca addresses her. "Ah! Yes, you can help! This one," she points at what appears to be yet another vine leshy, "says they are here to see Roderus. But he said six, six would be coming and six did come. But seven? Maybe there is some mistake?"

...or yet another Venture Captain didn’t know what job to send me on and just randomly picked something.

Captain Chlorophyll looks over at Tacca, somewhat surprised.

They reach up and pull a wayfinder out of their armor by the leather strap around their neck. “I was told to meet a Mr. Roderus here, but got delayed. Do you happen to know where he is?”

Tacca curls a finger, directing the newcomer to follow. The scent of wild orchids lingers in his wake.

Rounding a corner, he points to the small closet at the end of the hallway. "Through there." He shrugs, "Man's got privacy issues, I guess."

"If you're coming with us, don't worry. We won't leave without you."

Captain Chlorophyll follows the other leshy.

When directed into the closet, a flicker of bewilderment crosses their face. Then they shrug and face Tacca. Holding out their branch, they say “I am Captain Chlorophyll, Green Knight of Taldor, Protector of Gourd.”

“I don’t know what my mission will be, but thank you. If it isn’t this one, hopefully we will meet on some other mission in the future.”

After a firm handshake and any introductions Tacca gives, they go through the door in search of the venture captain.

Captain Chlorophyll makes their way through a secret door at the back of the closet and down into what seems to be a hidden basement of sorts, likely where the 'true' Winding Road Lodge is located. After a bit of searching they find a small office wherein a weathered-looking Garundi man sits at a desk, flipping through some papers. As Captain Chlorophyll makes their presence known, he looks up - startled but also surprised.

"Yes? Think of another question after all?"

“Captain Chlorophyll reporting as ordered. Sorry I was late.”

He wants me to ask a question? Guess I will ask the obvious one.

“Do you know what mission I am supposed to be sent on?”

After the venture captain gets done face-palming and explains things, Captain Chlorophyll just has one question.

“These mana storms, do they interfere with all magic, or just some types?”

With that answered, Captain Chlorophyll thanks the venture captain and heads directly for the boat.

"All magic, as far as I know," Venture Captain Roderus replies. "They're great surges of primal magic, unpredictable due to the weakening of the laws of reality. Very dangerous, as you can guess."

As Captain Chlorophyll turns to depart, Roderus calls after him, "Oh! If you see the one that answers to, uh, TAG, tell them there was a mix-up and that they sent one too many agents out here, will you? That one needs to head back to Absalom for a different assignment."
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Another post to follow, please stand by!

Your task set, the group makes their way along to the docks and boards the ship set to sail for Alkenstar. The ship travels down the coast of the Obari Ocean, tacks northwest up the Elemion River, then sails south down the Ustradi River, finally stopping at the city of Alkenstar. Alkenstar is a city bisected by Ustradi River, with the poorer half, Smokeside, located within a permanent pocket of antimagic where arcane and even divine spells simply don’t function. The other half, Skyside, is where the wealthy live and is the only part of the city to boast towers high enough to rise above the perpetual layer of smog that covers the rest of the city and offer a clear view of the open sky.

Your boat docks slightly short of a five-hundred-foot-tall waterfall in the middle of the city, where southbound ships painstakingly ride a winding elevator to the river above. Nearby, carriages wait to lead passengers into the smog-covered city. Whether it’s information about Mercy or supplies that you seek, or both, Alkenstar is surely the place to find them.
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Feel free to ask around the city for information about Mercy and/or make any last-minute purchases you might need.

Pulling into the docks Motueka looks disgusted at the dense smog cloud covering the city.

"This place does not look welcoming to our kind...or any kind for that matter. Just look at that filthy air. It is going to ruin our tastebuds for at least a week and my hops are going to turn foul." he says with a grumble drinking some of the ship's alcoholic goods before he misses the chance to taste it again.

Diplomacy: 1d20 ⇒ 7

He tries to gather information at a local bar but his negative attitude towards the town's pollution does him no favors...neither does insulting the drinks offered.

Glancing over their shoulder, Captain Chlorophyll gives their best impression of a thumbs up signal and says “Will do!” It is feels weird twisting their tendrils like that, but they have seen others do it so often that it seems worth the effort.

They go directly to the docks and board the boat. They cheerfully introduce themselves to the others. “Greetings! I a, Captain Chlorophyll, the Green Knight of Taldor, Defender of Gourd!”

When they find TAG, they pass along venture captain Roderus’s message.

———

“A wasteland to be sure.” Captain Chlorophyll responds to Motueka. Looking up to where the sun should be, they ask “Why would anyone want to live here, you can’t even see the sun!”

Kn: Local: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Knowing almost nothing of the area, the captain decides to follow one of the other more charismatic leshy around so as to help them gather rumors.

Aid Another Tacca or Boom Sticks, Diplomacy: 1d20 ⇒ 18

As the boat approaches the docks, Tacca takes a moment to freshen up. Satisfied he's done all he can to make himself presentable, he leaps to the shore accompanying Captain Chlorophyll, chatting with the locals, trying to learn something useful.

Diplomacy (gather information): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

"Bunch of anti-herbists!", the vigilante mutters under his breath, disappointed that his social guise fails to impress the people of this benighted city.

“I think they were just curious, given how many came up asking me what I was.”

"Alkenstar! BOOM! Here we are at last! Wait, where's the sky gone? *Cough* *Cough* ugh! Air tastes weird. Black powder. BLACK POWDER! Hey, I'll meet you back at the docks, right?!"

Boom Sticks races off into the town. They find a gunworks:

"Hi! I want to buy a gun! I want to buy some guns, please? Can I buy some guns?" They pout our their pouch of coins: just less than 30 gold pieces. The gunsmith scoffs: "Barely enough there for a horn full of powder, little fellow. Find yourself paying work, and come back."

diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

Evidently amused by the leshy's boundless enthusiasm for his products, the gunsmith tells Boom Sticks all there is to know about Alkenstar and the nearby town of Mercy.

Boom Sticks returns to the docks to rendezvous with the rest of the tangle. They are both happy and sad.

"I found a gunworks! BOOM! But guns are ever-so-expensive. I don't have nearly enough gold. I'm going to have to work for ages and ages. But the gunsmith told me lots about Mercy! There are rumours of a vampire that stalks the roads, the people of Mercy worship a god called Robori, they have lots of strict rules but there harvests are so good other people come to trade anyway. Amenira has been coming to Alkenstar from Mercy every month for the past year, to trade and to send her letters!"

Purchase a dose of Animal Repellent in the markets.

Bad Seed stares around him, stuffs his hands into his pockets and sulks like a champ.

"Place sucks. Smells. B@llocks." He slumps as he slouches.

"Did I hear you correctly? A Vampire...are the fumes getting to us already..." Motueka sounds in shock at the new information unsure how that fits in with the rest of their mission briefing.

Captain Chlorophyll asks “Are vampires those things that drink the sap from people?”

“Do we need anything special when traveling to this place? I haven’t traveled through desert before.”

"A sap-drinker, yes! But, it was only a rumour. Mercy isn't more than a day's travel from here Captain. The sun'll do you good, but we want to steer clear of any mana storms. Maybe stay off roads to avoid sap-drinkers? But it's probably just a story, right?"

“Is anyone really good at navigating? The advantage of roads is you are less likely to get lost.”

While some of you might have found the boat ride to Alkenstar enjoyable, the city itself...is quite a different story. Full of tall towers, smoggy skies, and mechanized creations, it really doesn't seem to be any good place for a vine leshy to be...except for Boom Sticks, who seems to thoroughly enjoy the spectacle of it all.

After making plans to meet back up near the waterfall where you disembarked, you all scatter out into the city in an attempt to learn more about Mercy as well as pick up any supplies that might be useful. Motueka's grumbling about the grungy state of the city doesn't particularly endear him to any of the locals he encounters - apparently hometown pride runs deep in Alkenstar - while Bad Seed's bad vibes work wonderfully as a people-repellent.

Tacca and Captain Chlorophyll decide to team up and stick close to the docks, hoping to learn something from the sea of humanity passing to and from the docks. Their experience is largely opposite that of Motueka and Bad Seed's in that while they attract plenty of attention and plenty of people willing to chat, everyone that stops seems more interested in asking questions of them. And staring. There's a lot of staring.

"Ooh, little plant people! Mommy, look at the plant people!"

"Hmm....ain't never seen folks like you around here before and this city gets a lot of strange characters..."

"Dude, are those plants like...people or something? I wonder if you can smoke one?"

"Not to be rude, um...but just what are you? Can I touch your leaves?"

Lots of curious people, but not a lot of information to be found. Only Boom Sticks has any luck; after spending some time talking to a man named Fairly Honest Dan, proprietor of the 'Nocked and Loaded' gun and bow shop, they learn all kinds of things about Mercy that'll surely prove useful for the mission! They hurry back to meet with the others to share what they learned, all the while dreaming of the day they can return and buy a proper gun for their very own!
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Another short post incoming, please stand by!

Having learned about vampires and rules and Robori (oh my), the little leshy tangle clusters near the dock, plotting their next move....such as whether to stick to the roads or take a more adventurous path. But surely there aren't really any vampires out in the desert...or are there?
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Your purchase is noted, Boomy! What do you all wish to do next?

"I'd avoid the roads just in case. But the Captain is right - without a guide we might get lost. I've travelled the Wastes, but I haven't been to Mercy. I couldn't say for sure that I could get us there."

“Is anyone good at scouting? Perhaps we follow the roads, but at a slow enough pace that a scout can sneak along just off the roads.”

Hefting his shield over his shoulder, they add “I would rather not get lost in the wilds. Especially not when they call the area the Mana Wastes!”

Tacca considers the information the party has gathered and starts plotting a course, while he and his colleagues consider hiring a local guide.
Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Knowledge (local): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

After considering what the group has learned, Tacca consults some maps and determines that it should be possible to reach Mercy by following a circuitous route that keeps the group off of the main road but still largely parallel to it. It would also be feasible to do as Captain Chlorophyll suggests and follow the road with one or two scouts creeping through the scrub brush and rocky hills that appear to dominate the landscape.

As far as hiring a local guide goes, even newcomers to Alkenstar such as yourselves are certain it wouldn't be hard to find someone willing to take on the task...for the right price.