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Nana thoroughly enjoys the boat ride, teaching bawdy shanties to the crew and passengers whilst encouraging 'good relations.' "Aeris gets to be cabin boy on the way home Bo, you wasn't very good at followin' Captain's orders!"
Along the way, Nana casts a Divination to ask the Holy Mama what her quest will hold.
Upon arrival, Nana takes one of the red ribbons from a building and ties it into her hair. "Look Kernuffle, does you like my ribbons?"
The ape growls.
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Roslar’s Coffer was never large enough to be considered a proper town, but it suffered greatly after it was invaded by orcs more than a decade ago. The arrival of the red reaver helped drive the orcs away, but because many are unable to return to their old homes, the village now contains scarcely more than 400 people.
The Bastion was an important military stronghold and religious ritual site. The histories mention powerful rites performed on fallen crusaders within the Bastion, and some say the Sarenite clerics found a way to cleanse undeath from a corrupted soldier. The Bastion of Light was also notable for its intricate stained-glass windows depicting Sarenrae and her avatars. When Roslar’s Coffer was invaded by orcs, the Bastion was burned but, much to the amazement of the villagers, it remained standing. Out of fear of retribution from Sarenrae, the orcs left the great windows intact, and on most days the rising sun brightly illuminates the interior.
The village has seen many adventurers and soldiers of Lastwall come in hopes of making a trophy of the red reaver. There was even a group of crusaders that came through town some time ago, but after the group left the village for the Bastion, they were never seen again. The villagers offer to send letters to your loved ones should the heroes perish in the red reaver’s territory.
The red reaver has claimed the Bastion of Light and about 1 mile out into the surrounding area. The villagers that did not leave entirely have moved farther away from the reaver’s territory, leaving about a 1-mile buffer between the village and the edge of the reaver’s territory.
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Nana reveals the results of her communion with the Holy Mama: "The Holy Mama says that to defeat the Red Reaver we must remove the taint of the Everflame from it. She says it is a beautiful creature and she doesn't want us to kill it!"
"We has got to find out what the Everflame is. Maybe that other pathfinder knows?"
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"The taint of the Everflame?" Aeris asks Nana, actually rubbing his chin in thought. "That's odd. That sounds like a play on The Dawnflower's titles, the Everlight and the Healing Flame. Could the Red Reaver somehow have been affected by Sarenrae's essence? But why would it be a taint? Perhaps that is just the view of your particular...faith, Nana?"
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You do see several townspeople making their way around town that you could ask for directions, or the like. However, pretty much all of them point you to Gorm Greathammer, who is lodged at the Toothless Pike Inn.
The Toothless Pike is grey and quiet. A handful of patrons sit hunched over ales and ciders, waiting for plates of fish cakes frying in the kitchen. A dwarf sits at a long table near the fireplace, stacks of parchments, scrolls, and a great tome arranged neatly around him and a great, green cloak hung on the back of his chair.
“Pathfinders! I’m glad you’ve arrived. I received word from Ollysta that you’d be coming. I understand you’re on your way to the Bastion of Light. I don’t envy you. That red reaver is one hell of a brute, and you should all be very careful. It’s much larger than it should be, and while it isn’t smart, it has very keen senses. I’ll do what I can to help you, though. I’ve drawn a rough map based on a few records and accounts passed along by the villagers here.” “You’ll see that the helmet is likely in the font at the back of the Bastion. When you have it and the red reaver is defeated, please return it to me. I’ve done some research, and I think I might be able to learn something about the helmet’s original owner if I can examine it personally.
“Now, I’m certain that the red reaver has been affected by the healing font and that undoing that connection will weaken it, but I suspect a connection with some of the other ritual sites and artifacts in the Bastion as well. Once you make it inside, see what you can find. I’m sure there are still a few ritual sites from the Shining Crusade that can aid you, should you show the same qualities and behaviors as the folk the the Bastion was built for.”
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The dwarf nods at rufeo's explanation. "I am not much of an historian, you know. Not unless you count the history of the sky citadel Kraggodan. I am the third prince there, you know!"
He takes a deep swallow of his ale, and continues. "So, yeah, the place is a temple to Sarenrae, don't you know. Created by the Shining Crusade and all as a place of respite. Here, I have a map and everything!"
He hands you a map.
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Aeris gives a slight shake of his head and a quiet chuckle at Bo’s response, offering his own view in return, ”Seems to me like there’s lots of ways to worship, and I’ll tell ya, the church of Miliani likes a window on what others are doing. You let a monarch or magnate work unobserved, they’ll only start oppressing their people all the faster. But we can talk about this another time, when we don’t have a reaver to sort out.“
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You leave the village and enter the buffer zone between it and the red reaver’s claimed territory. The trees in this area are marked with red cloth tied into the branches, and small shrines have been built by some villagers along the road. The houses here have been stripped, some to the foundations, likely by the villagers hoping to use the materials to reconstruct their homes and shops in a safer area.
Horatio notices tracks leading from the village towards the Bastion. The tracks appear to be made by orcs.
The area is eerily quiet. No sound of insects or birds can be heard. The houses here have begun to rot, and the forest is slowly reclaiming the paths and road. Moss grows on the sides of leaning houses, vines snake across, through, and under the cobblestones. Here and there long abandoned crates and barrels sprawl, cracked open like eggs. The scene would be almost beautiful were it not for the remains of villagers and would-be heroes scattered amongst the ruins.
A mangled corpse hangs from the branches of a nearby tree, draped over two of the larger boughs. The body is clad in frayed leather armor, and its rotted innards spill down the length of the tree trunk. Somewhere ahead, the clang of metal and the stamping of feet echo through the woods.
Ahead, you see a fearsome sight. A huge creature with red skin, multiple pairs of eyes, and a pair of tiny wings is tearing apart a group of orcs. It grabs the last remaining orc warrior, and tear it in half as if it were a paper doll.
[dice=DC20 Survival or Geography]
It is not in the way of the path to the Bastion[/spoiler]
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Tangled Up Doom The orcs rush past the PCs, attempting to slow them by tossing their nets on the PCs. The PCs can avoid the nets or throw them back to slow the orcs down.
Don't Look back
The red reaver leaps and pounds the ground with its fists, right at the heels of the PCs. The PCs try to stay on their feet through the resulting shock wave. The PCs can knock over some crates to slow the red reaver down or tuck and roll through the shocks.
Ooh, Shiny!
The PCs are chased into the remains of the old market square, containing wares and even some currency. The PCs can toss a few of the particularly shiny baubles behind them to distract the reaver, or cut a few ropes to drop an awning onto the orcs.
They Won’t Be Needing This Anyway:
The PCs spot rough, abandoned fortifications. The PCs can weave through and around the debris or prop up the polearms left there.
Already Dead:
The doors of the Bastion of Light are just ahead, but the PCs must first navigate the cemetery. The red reaver grabs an unburied corpse and throws the pieces at the PCs. The PCs can zigzag through the gravestones or attempt to climb across the tombs to evade the gruesome projectiles, or knock a leaning statue across the red reaver’s path.
Bar the Door:
The PCs race through the door of the Bastion of Light and move quickly to close and bar the door before the red reaver can get inside. The PCs can free the rusted iron bar from its place on the wall or stack up pews and other debris to make a hasty barricade.
Nothing Gets In or Out:
The PCs run around the perimeter of the room to seal off any other possible entrances the red reaver could use. The PCs can stack more debris or collapse a few loose stones to block the doors.
Board the Windows:
The last thing the PCs need to do in order to seal the Bastion of Light is secure the windows. The PCs work together to loosen the heavily corroded metal shutters and latch them.
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"Ooh, isn't he pretty? Such a beautiful little angel!"
Nana coos over the Reaver, even as she runs!
Tangled Up Doom (Reflex or Acrobatics)
Nana confuses the orcs by making the Pathfinders look like them!
Don't Look back (Acrobatics or Strength)
Ooh, Shiny! (Bluff, Sense Motive, Disable Device)
They Won’t Be Needing This Anyway: (Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Craft (traps))
Already Dead: (Acrobatics, Climb)
Bar the Door: (kn:Engineering, Craft (carpentry or stonemasonry)
Nothing Gets In or Out: (Craft(stonemasonry), Strength)
Board the Windows: (Craft(Carpentry), Disable Device)
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Where do you want to go?
Though slightly winded from the excursion, Bo maintains his composure and relies on a decade of monastic training to get his breathing under control. The monk quickly calls upon a spell allowing him to see magical auras and then takes in his surroundings before moving to check the double doors.