The golem falls at Géatan’s first shot! And it explodes!
But it’s utterly inconsequential.
and special abilities are all treated as magic weapons and
overcome damage reduction as adamantine, cold iron, and
silver weapons. Its slam attacks deal both bludgeoning and
slashing damage.
blades comprise the golem’s body, and as a swift action it
can shift several blades with a particular enchantment into
its fists, adding one of the following effects to its natural
attacks. If it uses this ability to gain a different ability, the
previous benefit ends.
Eldritch Strike: The golem gains a +2 enhancement bonus on
attack and damage rolls with its natural attacks.
Energy Attacks: The golem’s natural attacks gain the flaming,
frost, or shock weapon special quality.
Life-Drinking: The first time each round that the golem
deals damage with a natural attack, the target gains 1
temporary negative level that lasts for 12 hours.
The giant floating hand still exists!
Suliji steps and does something.
PATHFINDERS GO! THE BOLD MAY ACT!
Round 5
===============
Suliji
Tortuga
Sulii
Nox?
Suliji
Sword Amalgamations
Ratarion
Geatan
Hendric
Kaldane
===============
Suliji casts a spell and she flies over next to Géatan.
As Ratarion is dragged into the room his eyes widen towards one of the middle cases.
”It’s in the middle case, where one of those golems came from! It’s a yellow bastard sword with white highlights—it’ll only grant one minor wish, though!”
PATHFINDERS GO! THE BOLD MAY ACT!
Round 5
===============
Suliji
Tortuga
Sulii
Nox?
Suliji
Sword Amalgamations
Ratarion
Géatan
Hendric
Kaldane
===============
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Sentry moves towards the cases.
Sir Hendric drops his lance (free), and grabs the Wish sword (move), dismounts into an adjacent square (free since he still has a move available) and says "I wish for an Antimagic Field centered on me." (standard).
Even if he had to push past the hand, if it is Interposing Hand, Sentry would have been able to move at half speed, easily enough to reach the cases.
"Kill her, Géatan."
Edit: and if this works, she should also fall, take damage, and end up prone. Fly ends gradually if dispelled but not if negated by AMF.
Nothing happens.
”I said minor wish!”
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” Suji! you are now finish! Killing Nox was the last straw. You may not see yourself as a traitor. But in our eyes, you are. I hope for you to go to the deepest of hell! But I think your fate will be worse.”
In an instant, a sniff of pink peppermint can be smell, confirming Gaétan.
Someone up there, is okay with this it seems.
Suliji, defying all odds, is still standing!
”Well, this is an unfortunate turn of events. Gentlemen, be sure to give Alexayn my regards; I’m sure he’ll be happy to know that his legacy will live on.”
Suliji steps out of the antimagic and casts a spell as a swift action. Suddenly, shards of ice burst forth and aim right at Ratarion!
success
Suliji then casts a spell...
...and vanishes completely.
The Hall of Blades once more grows silent; the half-orc is truly gone.
warning Mr. Khayn had to prepare for this confrontation
as well as how seriously he takes the PCs as a threat
when calling in backup. Make the following cumulative
adjustments based on the number of Awareness Point total
when combat begins. In Subtier 14–15, the replace the first
shaitan and the third shaitan with a shaitan pasha.
0 or fewer: Make no changes to the encounter.
1: At the beginning of the second round, one shaitan
arrives and acts immediately.
2–3: During this encounter, Mr Khayn can reroll a single
d20 roll after seeing the result and use the higher of the two
results. Increase the number of shaitans to two.
4–5: Increase the number of shaitans to three. Any genies
beyond the first two appear at the beginning of the third
round of combat.
6–7: Mr. Khayn has consumed a special extract that grants
him a +2 luck bonus on attack rolls, skill checks, and saving
throws as well as a +2 luck bonus to his AC during the
encounter. His number of rerolls increases to two.
8: Mr. Khayn has consumed an extract that grants him
true seeing during the encounter. Increase the number of
shaitans to four.
9: Increase Mr. Khayn’s luck bonuses to +4.
10 or more: Mr. Khayn gains an additional reroll for each
additional Awareness Point the PCs have beyond 9.”
3 higher when calculating any reinforcements.”
Suliji has had to interrogate Iaovin Ratarion and prepare for
their arrival. Make the following cumulative adjustments
based on the number of Awareness Point total when combat
begins.
1 or fewer: Make no changes to the encounter.
2–6: Suliji has used sovereign glue to attach her partnered
ring of friend shield to Iaovin Ratarion’s right ring finger. This
ring splits the damage they take unless the PCs can suppress
the ring’s magic (CL 10th) or sever the Patron’s finger with
a melee slashing or piercing weapon (AC 24, 3 hit points).
Severing his finger deals him 10 points of damage.
7 or more: Suliji has consumed her potion of shield of
faith and begins the encounter with 30 temporary hit points.”
to the blade golems. Increase the corrupted avenger’s fly
speed to 60 feet, its critical multiplier to ×3, and its hardness
to 20; it is made of adamantine and overcomes hardness
accordingly. Apply the agile mythic template (Pathfinder
RPG Mythic Adventures 224) to Suliji Peshar. This increases
her AC by 2, her hit points by 8, and her base speed to 60
feet. It also grants her a +20 bonus on initiative checks,
mythic rank 1, the evasion defensive ability (as the rogue
class feature), and the dual initiative mythic ability. Suliji
also gains immunity to daze. Treat the PCs’ Awareness Point
total as 3 higher when deciding Suliji’s actions.”
guardians have to absorb the power of the White Witches
that is emanating from the icy sphere.
1 or fewer: Make no changes to the encounter.
2–3: Each of the dragons benefits from heroism (CL 20).
4–5: The ground becomes coated in perfectly sheer ice.
Moving across the ground requires a DC 30 Acrobatics
check (DC 35 in Subtier 14–15). Furthermore, chill
winds at against the PCs, interfering with flight.
Flying through these winds requires a DC 35 Fly
check (DC 40 in Subtier 14–15). Either way, barring
specific feats or abilities, the PCs cannot charge in
these conditions.
6 or more: Each of the dragons benefits from
greater heroism (CL 20) and resist energy
(fire) (CL 20).”
higher when deciding the benefits a guardian receives. A
guardian’s chillbane fever’s onset becomes immediate. Her
caster level increases to 22, and its SR increases to 32. She
gains a +4 profane bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and
saving throws, and she gains the ability to cast quickened
greater dispel magic three times per day. In addition, she
gains the block attacks and second save mythic abilities
(Pathfinder RPG Mythic Adventures 226, 228).”
Ratarion, his face stunned, suddenly begins crying. ”Oh gods! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
The Patron wipes the tears from his eyes and composes himself. ”I appreciate your efforts in coming to my rescue, Pathfinders—I’m sure my fellow Patrons would agree that your efforts are enough for us to forgive your trespassing into the Aspis Building. Now, clean up this mess,” he gestures to the ashen remains of Nox. ”And show yourselves out of the Consortium’s headquarters.”
Despite his stern face, a single drop of sweat trickles down Ratarion’s face before he adds ”P-please.”
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"We are not your puppets!" shouts Sir Hendric at the fleeing Suliji.
"I didn't do it for you," says the cavalier to Ratarion coldly. "I was more scared of whatever she was plotting. The immortality elixir, the god-ooze in Kramolag's lab... perhaps some artifact you have hidden here was the final piece in some occult scheme more horrible than any of your venal greedy plots.
Speaking of which:"
Sir Hendric holds up the notes.
"I will make sure every ambassador in Absalom gets a copy of these plans. Mendev, Mwangi nations, everywhere. I don't think your hosts in Cheliax would be happy to have you strengthening the demons of the Worldwound by weakening Mendev; nobody profits there. You will abandon all of these ideas. There are plenty of other ways to make coin.
And should you not..."
He glares at the Patron, holding the sword.
"We both know I have no legal authority to kill you. You are not an immediate threat to myself or to the lives of any innocents. I cannot conduct a proper trial for your past crimes here and now. Nor can I execute you for things you are planning to do. Might does not make right, and I am no vigilante. But consider this - I will give the Society a full report. And the next time the Society sends someone to deal with the Consortium, they will not send ME. There are many in our Society who do not share my view."
He looks around the room.
"I will not kill you. But I will not stand in the way of my comrades. I will not fight them any more, the cost has been too high. So I think it in your best interest to give them reasons now why they should spare you. Restoring Nox would be a good start. There is also the matter of Alexayn, who is now a mummy lord. He thirsts for vengeance, and Suliji has escaped us. He would take your head, unless you send Mr. Khayn and any Kalikangs and genies and other forces you have left to destroy him."
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Suli turns back to Ratarion and grabs him by the throat with his large hands. He does not squeeze, but he does lift the man off the ground. Suli then says, surprisingly thoughtfully, "Suli could kill weasel-man. But Suli think Lady Henderthane would not want Suli to. Man is important, no? Lady Henderthane likes to own important people. Maybe Lady Henderthane would like Suli to bring weasel-man back to her? Suli is mad that lady kill Nox. And lady work for weasel-man. Weasel-man responsible because Lady Henderthan responsible when Suli break thing or people. Weasel-man fix Nox. Suli think Lady Henderthane would want Suli to demand this." He then pauses for a moment and then gets excited, "Ooh! Weasel-man fix Nox or Suli kill weasel-man! This is what Lady Henderthane would do!"
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Sir Hendric looks impassive.
"If you can fix Nox, you better tell Suli that. Even if it will take you some time to call in the resources."
Sir Hendric begins collecting Suliji's blood (from where she was shot in the AMF), the shards of the broken sword (clearly something she was tied to), and anything else that would help the Society's seers track her down.
"Okay, okay!"
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"Tortuga, Géatan, what do you think?"
"Well Ratarion, I must go now to deal with the Alexayn problem. Do you like my odds of success with my powers of persuasion? Or do you have any other support you can offer - something to appease Alexayn's rage? Maybe a written note, groveling, thanking him for his role in founding the Consortium and promising to heed his wishes?
I have neither of his preferred traitor's heads to offer so will have to be more creative."
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Yes. We have save your life and probably all of your organisation and we didn't killed any of your humanoid ressources. You would save so much money if we could do a treaty with each other.
Just asking to stop to do our thing is not a good idea but with a treaty we could mutally benefict... you could have in fact an authorised access to the tapestry instead of losing agents. We are mutualy losing money from each side. We are explorers not heroes.pleads Géatan.
With Suliji’s raid dealt with, the chaos of Ostenso dies down. At one point, you are stopped and questioned by a Hellknight, but the incident is quickly intercepted by an Aspis agent, who provides an alibi and vouches for you all.
As you make your way back to your ship bound for Absalom, Janira hands Hendric a note that is from “an over-the-top mummy.”
—Jhandorage Vaulnder Alexayn
At the Grand Lodge you are met once more by Marcos Farabellus, as well as Ambrus Valsin and a dark-skinned woman wearing a mask shaped like a steely whorl with three eyeholes—a member of the Decemvirate. As you all recount the events in Ostenso, Marcos smiles. ”I knew I could I could count on you! You’ve made the Society proud today.”
Valsin, on the other hand, stares off in the distance, deep in thought, with a slight frown on his face. ”You were in their stronghold…you could’ve…Such an opportunity to truly end this feud may never come again…”
“If the PCs chose this option [fighting Suliji and protecting the Patrons], they gain the Patron’s Debt boon on their Chronicle sheets. If Iaovin Ratarion died during the adventure, cross off 8 of the boon’s check boxes.”
“If the PCs found at least one of the items other than the Patron’s plans in the Traversing the Serpent’s Den challenge on page 21, they each earn the Aspis Armory boon. Cross off any items they did not find.”
“A PC also earns the Incredible Protege boon if she meets the following conditions: She must possess all three chronicle sheets for the All For Immortality series, she must have earned the True to the Mission Boon from #7–20: First Taste of Eternity, she must not have had Alexayn kill a Pathfinder agent due to betraying a deal with the mummy, and she must have three or fewer deaths on her Field Commander boons across all three scenarios (it doesn’t matter how many deaths the teams accrued from averaging with other PCs, only what appears on the PC’s personal records).”
The Decemvirate member listens intently before she nods; finally breaking her silence.
“The Society has endured for centuries and shall endure for many more—beyond the lifetimes of any of its members yet sustained by future generations and the organization’s guiding principles: Explore the world’s mysteries, report those findings, and cooperate to ensure one another’s success. As evidenced by recent events, we must sometimes go beyond that call to ensure a future in which we can study the past. Even when agents fall in service to lore, we commemorate them and foster another to pursue her objectives.” She reaches for a bag and withdraws an intricate helmet adorned with three gem-studded flanges. Cradling it in one arm, she continues.
“Even among the Ten, malady and misfortune inevitably claim everyone, and another must rise to ensure the Society lives on, immortalized in deed and legend. We watch for those who might accept—and be worthy of—that challenge. You have earned a rest, brave Pathfinders, but we hope to see your return to the field.” She returns the helm to the bag and adds, “Perhaps then we shall meet again to discuss certain future opportunities to leave your mark on this age and beyond.”
In the weeks and months to come, the Pathfinder Society and Aspis Consortium step back their hostilities toward one another, making several quiet concessions to one another to maintain the peace. It’s only a matter of time before an Aspis agent fells a Pathfinder or a Society expedition thwarts a Consortium operation in the name of historical preservation. Even as hostilities gradually begin anew, both organizations prove increasingly careful not to let the conflict get out of hand—especially true for the Consortium’s Patrons, who are painfully aware how decisively the Society could retaliate if it deigned to do so again.
And now, something that, after months, I think you guys deserve:
Suliji Peshar grew up in a simple life in Katapesh. An ambitious entrepreneur at heart, she did not want to spend her life growing cacti like her family, so she became an apprentice at an auction house and developed her great talent of appraisal. One day, she came across a ring that awakened something within her. Something within the ring called to the half-orc, begging her to honor their legacy. Pocketing the ring, Suliji searched for the owner of the ring, finding the name Alexayn, one of the original founders of the Aspis Consortium, whose tomb resides in Ostenso, Cheliax. After stealing a fistful of jewelry to pay for the voyage, Suliji departed from her simple farming life toward Cheliax, all the while building up and mastering her psychic potential.
The Aspis, always looking for talented appraisers, brought Suliji within their ranks. She slowly rose in the ranks of the Consortium, all the while looking toward Alexayn’s mausoleum, the founder’s ring’s psychic resonance growing louder as the days passed. Finally, desperation pushed the half-orc to lead a team of half a dozen Aspis to search the mausoleum.
Inside, Suliji’s team found many treasures and relics from across the Inner Sea. Luck was not on Suliji’s side when a member of her team naively asked “So whose tomb is this anyway?” The spirit of Alexayn heard the Aspis agent and grew furious. The founder’s body, interred in traditional Ancient Osirion fashion, rose as a Mummy Lord, hellbent on destroying the fools who knew not his great name. The mummy stayed his hand when he recognized the ring upon Suliji’s hand as his own. Dumbstruck at a commoner possessing an item of such a well-known mercantile king, Alexayn looked toward modern-day Ostenso and saw none of the institutions he funded or monuments commemorating his philanthropic (albeit illicitly payed for) deeds. Livid, he turned toward Suliji’s team and asked if the name Jhandorage Vaulnder Alexayn echoed through the halls of the Aspis Building and of Cheliax itself. When Suliji’s team members displayed ignorance, Alexayn’s greatest fear had been realized: he had been forgotten. The ignorant Consortium members were slain by the mummy’s hand and he began to question the half-orc as to how the ring came to her possession, what has happened to the world in his absence, and why he has been forgotten. Truth fell on the Aspis founder hard, for every testament to his success had been repurposed, removed, or demolished. Fury coursed through the mummy’s undead veins and he vowed to destroy all that had dared to have his name forgotten. An idea struck Suliji: she would act as Alexayn’s proxy, furthering his fame while shielding the public from his undead form. Alexayn agreed, with his first priority being the complete and brutal embarrassment of the Consortium’s Patrons, an act so chilling that it will scare the Consortium into remembering the name of the man that made the organization great. Failing that, it would burn—the Aspis, Ostenso, everything.
Armed with the mummy’s aid as well as psychically resonant items from his tomb, Suliji swiftly rose through the ranks of the Aspis, as well as creating a splinter group of ambitious powerbrokers within the Aspis known as the Korholm Agenda. Among her ranks being the gold agent and marksman Kitio Aspenthi, Who was eager to strike against the Pathfinder Society as well as the Consortium’s higher-ups, eagerness that Suliji allowed to take root; after all, she’d rather have a target painted on his back than hers.
Suliji needed an army in order to uphold her end of the bargain with the mummy lord for giving her Aspis secrets. Among these secrets was the existence of Conference Z, a research group originally conceived by Alexayn and had remained hidden even from many of the Aspis higher-ups due to Conference Z’s funding being among the Consortium’s many yearly deductions as per the direction of Alexayn over a century ago. Suliji confronted the electrum-badged Professor Inphira Kramolag, and blackmailed the Conference Z professor into cooperating or else the entire research branch would be revealed and its funding revoked. The arrogant professor reluctantly agreed, all the while biding her time for when she could plunge the metaphorical knife into the half-orc’s back.
It was during this time that Suliji “bought” a halfling slave named Joliryn. In truth, the half-orc freed the halfling immediately and allowed her to continue her practice in magic, which Joliryn’s previous master forbade, and took her into her ranks as a member of the Korholm Agenda.
Unbeknownst to her Agenda allies, Suliji had been leaking Aspis information to the Pathfinders—where to attack and when—under the pseudonym “Three Rings,” taking the name from Alexayn's many aliases. When the Society discovered that the Korholm Agenda was in fact responsible for the attack on the Grand Lodge, Suliji came to discover that the Agenda was more of a liability than an advantage, so she evolved her plan. She would nudge the Agenda, led by Kitio Aspenthi (at least as far as anyone knows), into staging a coup against the Patrons and she would defeat the Agenda (not without a few casualties to open positions among the Patrons, of course) and be labeled a hero, skyrocketing herself up the mercantile hierarchy. All the while, she would be leaking the Pathfinder Society secrets relating to the Agenda to throw the Pathfinders off of her trail and onto Kitio's, labeling him as the ringmaster.
When Kitio constructed a plan to steal a vial of the Sun Orchid Elixir, Suliji saw an opportunity to pin the blame on Kitio and make a little extra coin. She enlisted the aid of the blue dragon Loaralis, who would steal the elixir for Suliji and, in exchange, Suliji promised Professor Kramolag's resources in determining the cause and location of Pashow's two previous lost shipments—something that the dragon had been obsessing over for years. Ever vigilant, Kramolag found this to be the opportune time to strike. Kramolag sent Test Subject 117, also known as Imlathre, to intercept Suliji's interception of Kitio's interception of the Sun Orchid Elixir, hoping to use it as a bargaining chip against Suliji's blackmail.
What none of these factions accounted for was one Emir Guldis, who had been tipped off to Kitio's attempted interception and called upon the Pathfinder Society to aid in the protection of the elixir.
After the failure of Kramolag to obtain the elixir, the existence of Conference Z became public. This drew the attention of Patron Iaovin Ratarion, who sent a team of agents to Wirholt's Rictus, one of Professor Kramolag's secondary research facilities, to gather as much evidence of this "secret Aspis branch" and to set the facility on fire, leaving no survivors. The agents happened to encounter Joliryn, Suliji's "slave" who attempted to stop the team from discovering Conference Z's connection to the Korholm Agenda. Unfortunately, Joliryn and her forces could not stop the team, and Joliryn died after the encounter.
The news of Joliryn's death affected Suliji in an unexpected way. All along she told herself that Joliryn was simply another pawn in this giant game of chess, but here she was, feeling grief over the halfling. Her unexpected sorrow turned to rage which turned to vengeance. She decided to evolve her plan one last time. She would finally do what the mummy Alexayn had wanted of her (ironically right as the founder was believing that she never would), and she would break into the Aspis Building, get revenge on Ratarion, and finally cut the head of the serpent by killing the rest of the Patrons. From there, she would orchestrate it into appearing as if Alexayn had done the whole thing, whereas she would hightail it out of Cheliax and live a lush life in seclusion.
What she had not expected was that a group of Pathfinders would discover Conference Z and confront Kramolag into revealing the organization's connection to the Korholm Agenda and to Suliji herself.
that her heist goes exactly as planned. She has cast echolocation, overland flight, perceive cues, shield, spell resistance, and stoneskin. She has also used a potion of barkskin (CL 12th), a potion of heroism (CL 12th), a scroll of fickle winds (CL 15th), a scroll of keen edge, a scroll of mind blank, a scroll of spell immunity (CL 16th, choosing dimensional anchor, enervation, and any other two spells of 4th level or lower that the PCs are famous for casting), her ring of spell turning, and her bracers of the glib entertainer. Her allocated mental focus grants her a +8 enhancement bonus to her Constitution and a +5 resistance bonus on all saving throws. She has locked the gauntlet wielding her falcata and activated her radiance ability on the blade. Finally, she has expended 1 point of mental focus to create a loci sentry protecting the marked area. These effects—including a reduction in her remaining spells per day—are all calculated into her statistics.
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Thanks for running. This was complicated and difficult on many levels but I think you did a fantastic job. I appreciated the work they put into creating difficult combats (even if I thought it was a little too anti-martial) and I liked many of the fascinating characters.
Sir Hendric gives a full report to the Society. He mutters his thanks to Marcos Farabellus. "I think I did the right thing. I don't know."
Then he says curtly, "Ambrus, if you want assassinations, you shouldn't send me."
He nods to the Decemvirate member but isn't sure what to say. Then something comes to him. He says quietly "Are we warded against Scrying here? Seriously warded? Good. You know my quest. The Bloodstones. Redeeming or destroying Her... It... That is why I am a Pathfinder. I know the Society has information. I have given you so much. When I am ready, give me what help you can.".
"Anyway. This is blood from Suliji Peshar. These fragments are from one of her possessions, a corrupted Holy Avenger. Track her down. She is dangerous. If you find her, I will be happy to lead a team after her. As for the Consortium, we should inform every ambassador of the plans we found - as I said we would do."