The Great (Pathfinder) Society...in Magnimar! (Inactive)

Game Master Eric Swanson

Carridan looks worriedly at Gared, then glances to the others. "Is this what happened with the other shard? Can we help him?" His forehead wrinkles with concern as watches the normally encouraging dwarf dry heave repeatedly in front of them all.

Gared snarled and spat on the ground in disgust as he doubled over before straightening out with some effort. His face was pale, but a vivid anger played out across it. "By Erastil this magic be vile. Let's move, be getting this cursed thing back to the manor." The dwarf growled and made for the door. "I'll be fine, don't ye worry." added the archer as he saw his companion's faces, managing an ashen smile as he choked back bile.

Was there anything else you wished to do while you are down here, or are you all returning back to Heidmarch Manor?

I'm good with heading back to the manor.

"We can get him back to Heidmarch Manor," Yamyra replies flatly, "if Venture-Captain Heidmarch was able to address the other shard's megalomania, she should be able to address this."
Turning to Gared as she & Fancy hurriedly make their way back to the stairs, "Can you tell us what induced this...
revulsion?" Though genuinely solicitous, her tone also makes it plain her academic curiosity is strong.

I'm fine with going back to the manor as well.

"Greed."growled the dwarf through gritted teeth.

Yamyra's gaze grows introspective at Gared's revelation, while her expression gives indication of the conflict she feels between fascination at the academic permutations & concern for her companion's emotional turmoil.

Okay, consensus is to return to the Crow. Sounds like a plan to me.

15 Pharast (March) 4711 AR

You all retreat from the Sihedron Shrine room and backtrack your way out of the bowels of the Crow and through the sewers, eventually making your way to Heidmarch Manor. The trip itself is uneventful, though Gared has considerable difficulty controlling himself whenever you all pass a crowd of well dressed merchants.

Once arriving at the Manor and informing Sheila you have returned with your prize, she immediately ushers all of you into the library, wehere you had started your quest initially. after showing her the second Shard, she gives all of you a beaming smile. "Well done Pathfinders! Your efforts here have done us all proud!" She walks over to Gared and examines the shard of Greed.

"I wanted to inform you I have completed my initial research and I now know which ioun stones mix with which shards. As a matter of fact..." She adds as she takes out a pale blue rhomboid ioun stone, "I have this to place in the Shard of Greed."

Once the stone is affixed, Gared feels the strange compulsion leave his mind. Gared, the curse is no longer affecting you. Also the ioun stone will provide you a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength.

Once that matter is resolved, Sheila adds "I am eager to hear all about your adventures in and under the Crow, also Canayven and I are quite pleased with your discoveries and exploration of the ancient dungeon. I will give you some time off here to document your explorations. It should not take more than a day to complete, I would think."

Congratulations guys! You have officially completed the first book of the Shattered Star AP! Let us proceed to the discussion thread now for your rewards :D

Gared let out a long sigh of relief as the feeling flee from him, saying a prayer of gratitude aloud to Erastil in dwarven.

Gared has added the crank the wand to his inventory, and will be buying a +1 bow with his wealth and a pair of prestige points to make up the difference once we split up the remaining gold. He should be all ready to set out after that.

About what time is it when we've returned to the manor?

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Actually Horven, I have advanced the time a couple of days ahead, so as to allow you time to train, sell loot, and restock. Was there a particular reason you needed to know that?

EDIT: Horven if you need to do some RPing, feel free as we have not officially resumed yet. Or you can also do a flashback post.

Oh, was just going to RP stuff, but it's not really important. I'm ready to go when everyone else is.

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We now resume our regularly scheduled program...

After you have finished your various tasks and completed your training, all of you gather once again in the library where Sheila Heidmarch awaits.

"Welcome back Pathfinders! I trust you are ready to proceed in your assignment to recover the remaining Shards. First of all, while you have been busy, I have compiled a list that summarizes what I know about the remaining five shards." She hands you a scroll case.

The Shattered Star Notes can be found on the Campaign tab.

Once you have accepted the notes, she then smiles."I have heard you having issues with the curse of the Shard. Hopefully this will help." She then hands over a pink and green sphere ioun stone. "You will need this to deactivate the Shard of Lust's curse, which is the next Shard to be located." After securing the Ioun stone, she adds, "I hope to be able to furnish you with the additional ioun stones in the future for the other Shards, but I will need more time to gather the necessary funds to track down the stones and to have them delivered to Heidmarch Manor."

She then claps her hands once. "Okay Gared, we need to find where the next Shard is located." She gestures to Gared, "Like Carmina did before, all you need to do is concentrate on the shard to receive a vision of the region surrounding the next shard in the sequence: the Shard of Lust."

The dwarf obliges and soon receives a vision of a towering statue of a beautiful woman holding aloft a stone scepter, standing atop a bluff surrounded by a tangled seaside swampland. After consulting with each other, you determine the vision must be of the Lady's Light, an an unusual monument in that while all of those who have sailed to Magnimar from the south have seen it, very few have actually visited the site. The towering statue looms at the southwestern-most point of mainland Varisia, but approaching it is treacherous, what with the trackless reach of the Mushfens in the land route and the presence of treacherous and numerous reefs in the surrounding waters. The image of the 200-foot-tall statue is one known to many, but the monument itself is relatively mysterious.

Once you have determined the location of the next Shard, Sheila takes out a map of Varisia. pointing a slender finger where the Lady's Light is marked, she says "Well The Lady’s Light is just over 50 miles away from Magnimar as the crow flies. The way I see it, there are two ways to approach it: By land or by sea. If you decide to approach by land, it is a 50-mile slog through the Mushfens. Taking a ship to the Lady’s Cape is a much faster and more comfortable method, yet you will need to secure passage aboard a merchant ship or fishing vessel sailing south."

Knowledge (Arcana): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31, to recognize the effects of the Ioun Stone.
Who wants to volunteer for the next stone/shard?

Accepting the scrolls with curiosity & no small measure of bemusement, Yamyra reviews them for a time, before finally taking note of the Venture Captain's words.

Knowledge (Geography): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18, for likely dangers & advantages of either route.

Yamyra studies the map further and determines the path through the Mushfens is either of water or over unstable ground, forcing travelers to wade, swim, or make significant detours. The Mushfens are trackless swampland, and as such the distance a traveler can cover on foot per day is halved. She estimates the trip would take about 5 very grueling days.

As for the sea journey. Yamyra knows most captains are reluctant to sail too close to the Lady’s Light, because of a combination of superstition about the towering statue and the more physical threat of the numerous reefs that surround the area. Still, the trip would take but a single day.

The Ioun Stone grants the wearer a +2 enhancement bonus to Charisma.

Horven ponders for a moment. "It wouldn't hurt to try our hand with some of the captains. Perhaps we can ask Sabriyya for some aid..."

"Is there any risk to us taking a ship if we can find one?" Asked Gared.

"I can't imagine so."
"Though any willing to take the risk would not necessarily be averse to others. .."

As you all discuss your options, Sheila chimes in. "I want to mention it might be a good idea to look for some additional advice about the region, if only to get a better idea about the dangers that lie in wait. Of course, if you plan on walking through the swamp rather than simply taking a boat south, a guide’s advice will be invaluable. I suggest you seek out Jasper Kandamerus, an eccentric who, if his mind can be focused, has traveled the southwestern Mushfens more than anyone else I know. I must warn you that Jasper is a bit “unhinged” though, and that patience will be key if you hope to gain his aid."

When you mention traveling by ship, SHeila thinks for a moment. "I can supply you with the name of a ship captained by one of my contacts—the Wanton Ways. Should you decide to take that option, I can draft a note that will secure passage aboard the Wanton Ways to the Lady’s Cape, but you will need to put ashore just north of the cape itself and walk the last bit to the region to avoid the treacherous reefs." She adds, "Consulting with Jasper would be wise in that case as well."

knowledge (local): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10, do I recall anything about Jasper?

"I will see if I can locate & speak with Master Kandamarius." Yamyra volunteers.

Yamyra recalls Jasper now spends his days as a street preacher. He has no fixed address, wandering the breath of Magnimar, but he spends much of his time in Rag’s End these days, preaching to any who walk by about dire apocalypses that will surely soon come to Varisia.

Oh goody...

Yamyra squares her shoulders as she contemplates the task she has set herself, nodding to the others as she sets out.

Any one who wants, is welcome to join her.

"If it's patience you need, there's nothing like a dwarf. I'll come along, Yamyra."

Kn(Local) for info on Rag's End: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

"I'd like to go along as well, if that's alright," Horven chimes in.

Horven realizes Rag’s End is known as a cramped, and mazelike knot of alleys where the poorest of the city’s working class make their homes. Temporary laborers, crippled dockhands, drunks, and the sorely out-of luck scrape by on coin earned from begging, performing odd and often demeaning jobs, and the charity of the city’s sympathetic religions. Much of Rag’s End is owned by Slumlord Rassimeri Jaijarko, a greasy half-Varisian drug dealer with ties to a Sczarni gang known as the Gallowed.

Rag's End sounds like the perfect place you would find an eccentric street preacher.

Carridan begins to suggest they forge their way through the swamp, then stalls as he realizes they other's can't flit through the trees as birds like he can. "Oh. Uh- perhaps a boat is the most sensible course after all. Hmmm."

As the group makes their way through the city toward Rag's End, Carridan leans over and offers quietly to Horven, "You know, I've never liked boats." He glances down at the halfing, his weathered brow wrinkled with worry as he rubs the back of his neck.

Horven looks up and sees the worry on Carridan's face. "Why not?"

"Oh... I, uhh, I just don't do very well on them. All the rocking and swaying. It's more than a little, well... unsettling. Gozreh's watery aspect can be rather violent, after all."

Horven thinks to himself for a moment, wondering how to assuage Carridan without saying something callous-sounding. "We'll talk to the Captain about taking it a little easy on the trip and, if any of us can help you feel more at ease, we'll do our best."

After picking up the clock work servant and returning to Heidmarch Manor to drop it off, you all set forth to find Jasper. Before leaving the manor, Sheila warns, "Jasper’s never been quite right in the head since Varisia’s close brush with Runelord Karzoug rising from his tomb several years ago, and is now convinced that event presaged an unavoidable doom that surely will come to Varisia within a year. Of course Jasper has been prophesying the 'end of Varisia by the end of the year' for several years now, and which means he is more mad than prophetic in nature." Sheila wryly observes. "Still, his knowledge of the Mushfens is solid, and if you can get his madness to abate for a short time, interviewing him should give you some key tips on how to proceed. I have discovered using calming magics on him has the best results."

Once arriving in Rag's End, you begin your search...

Gather Information checks please.

Diplomacy to Gather Information 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
If treated aid another, grants +4 bonus instead of +2

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (14) + 13 = 27, to gather information.

Diplomacy(Gather Information): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16

A bit more preoccupied with Carridan's well-being, Horven just murmurs as the others talk.

It is a relatively simple manner to find the street corner where Jasper prefers to hang out. Approaching his territory you hear his raspy voice shouting, "Woe! Woe unto thee, O Magnimar, for oblivion approaches and thy lamentations shall drown out the sounds of the sea! The Great Whore straddles a two-headed beast and rides this way, sowing the contaminated seeds of her blasphemies as she draws nearer. Weep! Weep, O Generation of the Damned, for none shall escape the pitiless scythe of oblivion. Heed my warning and turn to Groetus! Grasp this mortal hand I offer and we shall march into the void together!"

As you round the corner and see Jasper for the first time, you can see he is a wild-haired bearded man, clad in patchwork rags and armed with a heavy flail with skull-shaped heads, ranting in a stentorian tenor at any who care to listen.

As you approach closer, Jasper notices you and he pauses in his sermon and stares in your direction with a look of jubilant awe before he bellows exultantly, "Behold! The Blessed Ushers of the End Times! The Holy Escorts of Oblivion! Soldiers of the Void, champions of mighty Groetus himself!"

Before you get a chnace to respond to him, you all see Jasper has gathered additional admirers, and not friendly ones either. A group of three thugs swiftly move against the doomsayer. Each of these ruffians is clad in cracked leather armor and wields a stout club. Their lips and the corners of their mouths are stained black as well.

"Oi!" shouts one of them. "You filthy beggar! We’ve had jus’ about enough of your mad racket, scarin’ honest merchants, frightenin’ away customers with your gloomy twaddle!" They raise their clubs and step forward towards Jasper.

Actions?

Horven steps forward, drawn out of his concerned thinking, and places a hand on his rapier. "I think we'll be taking Jasper here for a friendly drink and getting him out of your hair for a bit. I also think you lot ought to stow those weapons. By the way, who are you to be threatening a man with clubs and such?"

Intimidate: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15

Not my day today, methinks.

Gared growled and stepped up behind his companion. "I think ye've the right o' it Master Horven!" The dwarf shifted his rippling muscles with disciplined control as he stepped forward. "It'd be a shame for any trouble to come when we can just be takin' our friend here fer a nice walk." The dwarf's voice and eyes were filled with an ominous note that didn't leave much room for discussion.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

There's always tomorrow, Horven! And for now, there's friends!

That was too cool for words, Gared.

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The thugs turn a glazed look upon the dwarf and halfling before continuing advancing on Jasper. When the wild-haired priest sees the thugs approaching him, his eyes nearly bug out of his head. He starts to gibber nonsensical words, but does raise his club to defend himself. The thugs move to surround the poor priest and lash out brutally with their own clubs. Before you can even draw your own weapons, the thugs strike the priest several brutal blows across his face and body! Jasper groans feebly before he collapses to the ground in a crumpled heap, blood flowing freely down his face.

Now that their target has been vanquished, the fight seems to leave the thugs and they turn to flee the scene.

Everyone will have one round worth of actions before the thugs withdraw. Go ahead and declare your actions.

With the thugs turning tail and fleeing, Horven looks to Carridan. "Can you heal him? There's no point in picking a fight."

"Brutish thugs," Carridan hurries to Jasper's side, mumbling to himself as he goes, before Horven even has a chance to voice his question.

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

As the thugs flee the scene, Carridan bends over the crumpled form of Jasper. As the healing magic flows into him, he moans groggily before raising his face to peer blearily at your own. Fortunately his gaze looks clearer than before.

"Whaa...happened?"

Jasper is conscious at 1 HP.

"Well, to be plain sir, you were flogged." Carridan helps the man rise and administers another touch of the wand.

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Carridan channels more of his healing magic into the wild-haired preacher, and more of his wounds close over. Jasper is at 7 HP now.

As the pain ebbs from his body, you see the clear look in his eyes vanish to be replaced by a wild eyed stare. He grabs the druid's arm and bellows, “Better to lose thy finger than burn cold the spirit that animates it.” He then lets go of Carridan and sinks down to the ground, muttering to himself incoherently.

Carridan sighs. He looks to the others and shrugs, holding his hand to his forehead and shaking his head. "Well then." Glancing to the others, he kneels down briefly and picks up Jasper's club. Then, after another shrug, he thumps it down atop the mad prophet's head with a quick rap.

1d6 ⇒ 4

"Quite." Yamyra replies noncommittaly. "On that note, we were hoping you might have some words of wisdom to share with us regarding the Mushfens."

Carridan, are you trying to knock out Jasper again? If so, I will need an attack roll....*checks Carridan AL...he he.

I am trying to undo what healing I just did! It's for the Greater Good (the greater good)!

Jasper Thumping: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Also, forgot my strength bonus to the previous attack, so it'd be 5 damage.

?!

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