In the northwest corner of Katapesh, Pale Mountain towers over the other mountains of the Brazen Peaks that divide Katapesh from Osirion. This volcanic mountain is a prominent landmark and a dangerous place.
And now, three must travel there.
The journey, roughly 80 miles, crosses mostly flat terrain, low hills, and old roads; see the rules for Travel Speed on page 316 of the Pathfinder Playtest Rulebook to determine the base rate of travel for your party. One PC can lead the group in a given day by attempting a DC 18 Survival check to determine the progress the group makes. On a success, the travel time is unaffected. On a critical success, the group finds shortcuts and travels 4 miles more than normal. A failure indicates that the group has trouble with the terrain and moves 4 miles fewer than normal (or 8 miles fewer on a critical failure).
Samar buys enough food for the journey. Then she collects the camels and gets everyone mounted up.
"Let's ride, boys."
On the journey she assists Scipio with the directions.
Scipio listens to Samar's sterling advice while adding a few insights of his own. They push the camels hard for the first day to try and make some good time.
Neshim regales the others with tales of his excellence in all things.
The group make excellent time, covering 32 miles in the day, nearing the half-way mark to the foothills.
As the prepare for the next day Scipio suggests a more tempered approach to this days journey. "I do not think it wise to press the camels so hard today. Yesterday was a calculated risk but it would be draining on them and us to keep such a pace, the chance of running into dangers increases the further we get from civilization as well."
"As you wish! We will travel slowly this day. But let us be keeping mindful of the name of that which we seek: the countdown clock!"
A more leisurely second day, relatively speaking, sees the group nearing their destination. A third day of solid travel sees them arrive at the old road marked on the map of the foothills.
From here, it is clear that the terrain grows only steeper and more treacherous. It is obvious that the camels could be brought with great difficulty, and having to be led.
"We knew we'd have to leave them here. Let's give them some food and hope for the best. Maybe they'll still be here when we get back."
She gives the camels some animal feed and tells them to stay.
Then she shoulders her gear and faces the steep path. "Keep your eyes open for hazards. This is going to be an tough climb. Especially for you, squirt." She pats Neshim on the head, crumpling his hat horribly.
Samar keeps an eye out for trouble on the journey.
Neshim growls and bites the hand of Samar smooths his hat back into its usual state of careless perfection. "You are underestimating gnomes. Is not a chipmunk a better climber than a giraffe??"
Neshim peers after Samar, wondering why anyone would enjoy nature so much.
"We've made good time at least, we've got a good chance of getting there before them I think." Scipio seems quite happy as they begin to journey into the more mountainous terrain.
Samar let's out a laugh. "HA! I'll remind you of that when you're stretching those little arms for a strong hand-hold halfway up a mountainside." She grins the gnome. "A chipmunk, you are not. More like a preening peacock. All show and a bare backside!"
The looming presence of Pale Mountain rises to the northeast, its slopes rugged and forbidding. The overgrown tracks of an old road wind through the foothills, but no visible trail leads up into the tangles of scrubs and brambles between here and the dormant volcano’s slopes.
Scipio will keep two things in mind as they journey looking for spots where you'd hide an entrance to a structure... or put it very impressively on display to make an impact. It depends what the creator had in mind. He's aware the dangers have merely changed form.
"Oh, it's a while to the entrance still, Scipio. Eight more miles up the mountain, but the trek's a tough one. It should take us two more days. Past these scrubs will be a wet sandy area, then we'll reach the river. We'll follow that a ways until we have to climb up a few cliffs, and then we'll find the trail we're looking for. That should take us to the tomb."
On the trip Samar keeps an eye out for danger.
"C-cliffs?" Neshim asks nervously. "It is a waste of space, for a mountain to be raising up where it has no business standing in the first place! Surely there is another way! Samar? Scipio?"
"Sorry, squirt. No detours this time. Tomorrow you'll get to prove your chipmunk theory."
"Hopefully we can find a trail, likely more fit for goats than as grand a personage as yourself... but better than a cliff."
About mid-way up the trail, the trio all spot movement in the undergrowth. Lurking are a pair of hyenas and one of their larger hyaenodon cousins, snickering scavengers who won’t hesitate at the opportunity to add fresh meat to the day’s menu.
These adornments as typical of gnoll war hyenas. Whether they have escaped from living masters or from dead ones is uncertain.
Unfortunately for these beasts, the trio have sharp eyes - and the initiative.
Initiative:
Samar
Brother Scipio
Neshim
Hyaenadon
Hyaenas
"Samar hold a moment." Scipio moves to her side and asks Saranrae to bless her weapon for the upcoming conflict. As the sun hit her hatchet it reflected it even more now almost glimmering as if imbued with flame.
MAGIC WEAPON SPELL 1
Casting Somatic Casting, Verbal Casting
Range touch; Targets one nonmagical weapon that is unattended or that is wielded by you or a willing ally
Duration 1 minute
The weapon glimmers with magic and energy. The target becomes a +1 magic weapon, gaining a +1 item bonus to attack rolls and dealing another die of damage on a hit.
"Neshim does not hold moments! Hahahahaha! Observe!"
Neshim's mischievous giggle carries an arcane tinge that stimulates and excites the ears. With a flourish, he produces his short bow and fires an expert shot at the hyena.
Samar draws a hatchet and holds it out for Scipio's spell. The she strides off into battle, heading towards the nearest hyena.
Scipio successfully calls upon Saranrae to bless Samar's hatchet, before she strides forward, with Neshim's giggling in the air - along with an arrow deep into the side of her target.
The pack have their chance to strike back! The hyaenodon lopes towards Samar, followed by its smaller brethren. And one does try to lunge at Samar.
A desperate lunge turns into a strike!
Scipio moves up and starts to attack the hyaenodon. His first attack well placed but the second far less well struck.
Samar grunts in pain as her legs are pulled out from under her. She drags herself up to her feet, pulls out her second hatchet and swings it at the creature that bit her, and prepares to defend herself with her hatchets.
The first hyena to strike achieved some small success in wounding and knocking Samar to the ground, but that was short-lived and for its trouble it is now in dire straits.
Neshim moves to get a clear line of sight, while giggling merrily.
The hyenadon snarls and snaps at Scipio, to little success.
The hyenas both aim to bring down Samar, and drag her into the middle of their pack to rend her to pieces.
Neshim hums a little tune, a moralistic children's rhyme about wandering too far from home, then fires off another arrow!
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Samar was having a bad day.
A horrible, no good, awful day.
She grunts as the hyena bites her leg and knock her back down on her ass. Then the rest of them dragged her around like a hunk of bloody meat -- which she was -- for a while. She struggled and flailed, and eventually they dropped her. She groans again, dizzy and confused.
Get up!
She drags herself up to standing, gives her head a shakes and spits a gob of blood on the ground. She eyes the most wounded hyena and lashes out at it with her hatchets.
Scipio swings his scimitar down on the hyenadon before drawing upon the cleansing flames of the vile beast. "Flee now and recount on your sins I beseech you in Saranrae's name or I shall usher you to Pharasma's judgement!"
Gouts of flame rush from your hands. You deal fire damage to creatures in the area; they must each attempt a Reflex save DC18!
Success The creature takes half damage.
Critical Success The creature takes no damage.
Failure The creature takes full damage.
Critical Failure The creature takes double damage.
With twin blades, Samar gores her opponent and it falls dead on the spot. Scipio has less fortune but still injures the hyenadon, just as Neshim strikes an arrow deep into its chest. Stray plants are ignited but there is not enough dry tinder here to pose a threat.
The hyenadon continues to snap at Scipio, and finally aiming to crush his bones to powder in its powerful jaws, dragging him along the ground. But at least there is no longer the same deadly press of bodies around Samar.
The remaining hyena tries to emulate its larger cousin. And succeeds in getting her onto the ground again, if little else.
Initiative:
Samar - Took 4 damage
Brother Scipio - Took 22 damage
Neshim
Hyaenadon
Hyaenas
Samar groans as she once again eats dirt. She pushes herself back to standing and focuses on the hyena as she gives her shoulders a roll. Then she lashes out at the hyena with her hatchets.
As Samar tears the second hyena apart she scoffs, shakes her head, and spits on its corpse.
scipio gets to his feet and continues to hack at the hyenadon. "Keep it up, they're flagging!"
Neshim hurries a little, humming incessantly, and launches another arrow.
Even with it's smaller cousins in pieces, the hyenadon continues. Whether maddened by filial fury, gnawing hunger, or sheer vicious spite, it continues to harass Scipio, to no avail.
Initiative:
Samar
Brother Scipio
Neshim
Hyaenadon
Hyaenas
Samar steps forward, focuses on the big hyena's movements, and lashes out with both hatchets.
The hyenodon does not get another chance to strike, as Samar cuts it down.
Little remains of interest here now but the canine remains.
Scipio uses a varient of healing magic on himself and Samar before they press on... away from the hyenas. "Let us press on and not be waylaid too long."
"Agreed."
The brush, brambles, and trees have receded, replaced by a sandy flatland bordered by the winding tributaries of a river. The small river flows down from the slopes of Pale Mountain, cascading over a few small waterfalls. The widest fork of the river passes to the north of the sand flats, most of which are saturated with enough water to be packed hard.
Scipio and Neshim both spot that just ahead is a 20ft wide pool of quicksand - and a strange, low mound just beside it.
"There's some quicksand there." Scipio points towards it "A mound of sand beside it. Be careful to avoid the quicksand while we investigate this mound."
As the trio avoid the quicksand to get a closer look at the mound, the mound begins to erupt with sand as something emerges!
What appears to be a gigantic insect, the length of its nearly horse-sized body covered in hard chitin from its clacking mandibles to the back of its abdomen.
This insectile creature is an ankheg. A deadly rural menace, they prey on livestock and herders. In addition to fighting with their powerful mandibles, these insectile creatures can spit a caustic acid at their victims and occasionally a greater volume. Ankhegs’ plans for attack are more calculated than mindless vermin, using their abilities to burrow to great effect.
Initiative
Creature
Scipio
Samar
Neshim
The creature fully reaches the surface, and spits at Scipio! A glob of spit sails past to Scipio's right and hits the sand behind him, sizzling slightly.
Samar strides forward up to the bug. Then she pulls out her hatchets and attacks with them in a flash!
Neshim gasps at the giant insect, then squeals in digust. "You will not be spitting for long, wretched beasty, once my giant fly-swatter of a friend here is done with you!" He shoots another arrow.
Scipion moves forward and tries to slash at the gigantic insect.
The creature staggers slightly from the many blows raining upon it, then it heaves - and blows a mighty spew of acid at Scipio, reaching Neshim!
Persistent damage comes from effects like acid or burning and appears as “X persistent [type] damage,” where the “X” is the amount of damage dealt and “[type]” is the damage type. While affected by persistent damage, at the end of your turn you take the specified amount and type of damage, after which you can attempt a DC 20 flat check to remove the persistent damage. You roll the damage dice anew each time you take the persistent damage. Immunities, resistances, and weaknesses all apply to persistent damage. If an effect deals damage immediately and also deals persistent damage, you don’t take the persistent damage if you negate the other damage. For example, an attack that deals slashing damage and
persistent bleed damage wouldn’t deal the persistent bleed damage if you blocked all of the slashing damage.
You can be simultaneously affected by multiple persistent damage conditions so long as they have different damage types. If you would gain more than one persistent damage condition with the same damage type, the higher amount of damage overrides the lower amount. All
types of persistent damage occur at once, so if something triggers when you take damage, it triggers only one time. Persistent damage can have the bleed type, meaning it affects only living creatures that need blood to survive. Bleeding automatically ends if you’re healed to your
maximum Hit Points.
You or an ally can spend actions to help you recover from persistent damage, such as casting healing spells or using Medicine to Administer First Aid against bleeding, dousing a flame, or washing off acid; successfully doing so reduces the DC of that condition’s flat check to 15 and usually lets you immediately attempt an extra flat check to end that persistent damage. The reduction to the DC lasts until you remove the persistent damage or gain another persistent damage condition with the same damage type.
Scipio is caught off guard by the damage but grits his teeth and swings wildl at it's carapace.