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The man looks surprised upon seeing your party's sudden arrival. "Aspis scum? You've got it all wrong. Welcome…Pathfinders, I can tell. I'm Gerban, we’re just about done here, so don’t let us get in your way. I'm sure...”
Phosdlon's arrow cuts him off in midsentence, grazing him in his shoulder and delivering an electric shock. The man scowls, yelling to the Lizardfolk around him, "So be it! Attack!"
The Muckmouth warriors that guided you, slink down into the waters of the swamp, with just their eyes visible...it's clear that they will not participate in this fight on either side for fear of the tribal eggs' safety...
Combat! Round 1 - The bold may post!
Gerban draws a shortbow and fires at the flying Zaarah…
...and he proves to be an excellent shot, striking her solidly in the upper leg...
Gerban Lanier (-9)
Poh
Zaarah (-10)
Ridley
Phosdlon
Lizardfolk
Ischell
Azrael
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GM Roll:Gerban barely withstands Zaarah's slumber hex as Poh moves forward and Ridley tosses a most effective bomb, exploding just at his feet, knocking him back slightly as he tries to get his bearings...
"Pathfinder meddlers! We rule here! Launch," he says to his Lizardfolk guard, whom you notice are armed with javelins...
Combat! Round 1 - The bold may post!
Gerban Lanier (-27)
Poh
Zaarah (-10)
Ridley
Phosdlon
Lizardfolk
Ischell
Azrael
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One of Phosdlon's arrows goes high while the other misses wide...
Obedient to their Aspis master, his Lizardfolk bodyguard launch their javelins at their closest target, unfortunately all at Zaarah…
...while a couple of javelins whiz by Zaarah's ears, all 4 miss their flying target...and then each Lizardfolk draws a morning star...
Combat! Round 1 - The bold may post!
Gerban Lanier (-27)
Poh
Zaarah (-10)
Ridley
Phosdlon
Lizardfolk
Ischell
Azrael
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Azrael advances directly and he drops the forwardmost guard with a precise strike across its chest with his kukri...
This opens a clear path for giant Ischell who, in just a couple of strides makes up the distance, and flings his kama most accurately with devastating results; it eviscerates Gerban, dropping him without so much as whimper, the shock in his eyes turning into a death glaze as he falls to the ground...
The remaining Lizardfolk guard drop their morningstars and raise their hands in the air. "Átadjuk!" Zaarah translates this to her companions as "We surrender!"
Combat is over! Pathfinders victorious!
The Muckmouth warriors who guided you emerge from the swamp and, along with the other nearby Lizardfolk, give you much praise and adulation...which, other than Zaarah, the rest of you fail to understand much, other than that they are very pleased with you...
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Searching Gerban Lanier's corpse and casting detect magic, you find numerous magical items: a pearl a potion, studded leather, short sword, a belt, a Carcanet, a cloak, a ring, and a lens, along a masterwork shortbow with 19 arrows that Zaarah is already familiar with
In addition to the equipment listed above of Gerban's gear, a thorough search of his person reveals an unsigned letter instructing him to loot the Dog Pharaoh’s Tomb before the “reptiles revolt against our influence” and a map to the tomb from what appears to be a cave network several miles to the north labeled “Muckmouth.”
The Lizardfolk you meet here confirm what you heard; that a group of “smooth-skins” invaded their tribe’s hatchery—in a cave network they call the Muckmouth—and took a generation of slowly incubating eggs hostage, demanding their cooperation in exchange for the eggs’ eventual return.
Two hundred yards east of their confrontation with Lanier, the PCs discover a series of flat-bottomed skiffs loaded with sacks of gold, gems, and art objects, all taken from the Dog Pharaoh’s Tomb, ready to be pushed or otherwise moved back to the Aspis Consortium main base at the Muckmouth. The Lizardfolk offer the wealth—which means nothing to them—to the Pathfinders if they will free their hatchery from the Aspis along with their eggs.
One of the Lizardfolk speaks a crude version of Common and approaches the Pathfinders. ”Much thanks for kill Gerban; bad man. Hatchery lies in Muckmuoth caves...that way...many more Aspis there.” He points northward. ”Will you kill Aspis, free eggs? All tomb treasure be yours...”
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Azrael raises his brows in response to Poh's remarks and calmly responds "Fist? Why when my talons are sharper and kill with pinpoint accuracy. They are my weapon of choice. Nonetheless, I will happily accept the drink." The human then sheaths his weapons and turns to the lizardfolk. "We would gladly assist you in ridding of Aspis scum."
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With Gerban Lanier defeated, the party now has a choice before it; it can stay here and continue on, or it can go back and report to Aram Zey and, after a very brief respite, return. Each of you has a strong feeling that the Master of Spells would prefer to be promptly updated on the situation before you continue on...
jackal, wolf, etc.) or hyena as per the beast shape I spell. Additionally, the wearer benefits from the constant effect of speak with animals to communicate with dogs, hyenas, and doglike animals.
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Ischell's form slowly shrinks back to *just* 6'4" (193 cm). He stoops into the swampy water and wipes the blood off of the adamantine blade before stowing it back in his belt. He lets out a big sigh, and his posture drops to something far more casual than expected from a trained martial artist.
"Dude picked the wrong side, I think."
He looks around at the rest of the group, and Zaarah's translating.
"We can't leave 'em like this. Just be thinking what wicked thing they will do to the eggs when they here about what just happened. Can't be leaving that on my conscious, man."
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"Good man, Ischell. But I should think Aram Zey would have us come back quickly enough. Besides, if my new friends here drain this barrel before we get to the caves then I shall need a fresh one!"
Poh passes around a tankard to the lizardfolk.
"Zaarah, help me with this lizard-tongue they speak will you?"
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Assuring the Lizardfolk you will return quickly, and as the Muckmouths have drained Poh's Luglurch keg bone dry, you hurriedly journey back to your entry points, step into your own personal aura within the tapestry, and you're instantly teleported back to the Grand Lodge...
In a vision that will forever haunt your dreams, you catch Aram Zey in his pajamas. He is clearly irked, exclaiming, "You're back early! Failed already, eh? You're no better than that rat bastard Flyn, maybe I should've sent him after all. So pray tell, what happened? Quickly, out with it, my time is precious..."
After you fill in all the details about the Dog Pharaoh's tomb, reveal its treasure, and tell of the Aspis incursion into the Tapestry, Aram Zey arches an eyebrow. "This is all good...but why are you wasting your time here now? You need to pursue the Aspis and expunge that pompous Consortium from our property...immediately!!!"
The Master of Spells sighs. "Ah well, since you're already here, you may as well wash off the stench and get a bite to eat...but after that, you need to vamoose before I change my mind and send that incompetent Elf back in your place..."
#3–12: Wonders in the Weave, Part 1: The Dog Pharaoh’s Tomb Debrief:
Primary: The PCs fully explore the Dog Pharaoh’s Tomb and recover its treasures. (SUCCESS! 1 PP each)
Secondary: The PCs discover the secret passage to area B1, and they confront and defeat Gerban Lanier. (SUCCESS! 1 PP each)
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"Thanks, Sir. These dudes did a great job in there! But, there are still some Aspis out there, ya know? They are cowardly, FOR SHOR, and as soon as they here 'bout what happened to their boss type, I am guessing they will booger off. What if, like, they have some more stuff that we could be using?"
Despite his concern, Ischell still seems very laid back and chill. He grabs a goblet of wine and pours it back quickly.
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While he doesn't act it, Aram Zey is pleased. He grants y'all a good night's sleep at the Lodge so he can brief his superiors (as if he thinks there are any superior to him, but since his superiors are the Decemvirate, he makes an exception), with a promise to send you back promptly the next morning...
Wonders in the Weave: Snakes in the Fold
Winning the Hao Jin Tapestry at the Ruby Phoenix Tournament was supposed to grant the Pathfinder Society exclusive access to a museum demiplane where the Tian sorceress Hao Jin stored her most valuable and dangerous acquisitions. At first, the Pathfinder Society believed that the five-by-seven foot tapestry was the only entrance into a demiplane filled with countless ruins drawn from numerous cultures and regions of the world that would be theirs alone to explore. But they soon discovered evidence to the contrary.
Thanks to your previous excursion, the Decemvirate knows now that Aspis Consortium agents have found or forced their way into the alleged secure demiplane, and they know where the interlopers’ base is. A tribe of lizardfolk native to the plane—called the Muckmouth tribe—are being coerced into serving as guides, porters, and laborers in the Aspis’s plundering, not for any love of Consortium, but because the Consortium is holding a generation of the tribe’s eggs hostage.
The Decemvirate is not interested in sharing its new prize with the Aspis Consortium, and wishes to drive it out and discover how the organization gained access to Hao Jin’s demiplane. The only lead so far is the Aspis base in the lizardfolk tribe’s ancestral breeding grounds within a cave called the Muckmouth, from which the tribe derives its name. Were agents able to infiltrate the caves and dispatch the Aspis agents there, perhaps the lizardfolk would even provide assistance to the Society in its efforts to explore the new realm. Regardless of this possibility, the primary goal is investigating how the Aspis Consortium gained access to the demiplane and determining the extent of their operations here.
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As you make your way to meet with Aram Zey in the basement after a most hearty breakfast, you find the Master of Spells impatiently tapping his feet next to the Tapestry.
"Well it's about time...this isn't a holiday, y'know. Well come on, the Decemvirate is anxious to drive out the Aspis from the Tapestry and time's a wasting. I'll expect a full report when, or should I say if, you return..."
As before, Zey transports each of you into the tapestry, returning you to the point where you defeated Gerban Lanier. Once you arrive, you note that the four Muckmouth warriors you befriended have set up camp awaiting your return...
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The Muckmouth warriors welcome you back and give the location of their caves. In a sad tone they relate, "We not go with you; if Aspis see us help you, they crush eggs. Some of our folk may attack you...but only cuz they scared for eggs and Aspis make them..."
Their directions lead to a trail through the wide, unmapped marshland to the Muckmouth, which now lies two hundred yards to the north—a twenty-foot wide cave mired with mud and swamp water. Inside are the Muckmouth tribe’s eggs and the Aspis agents holding them hostage—the only lead to a greater plot from the Society’s greatest rival.
Upon approach, you see a wall constructed of logs lashed together with rope and vines and further strengthened with mud blocks off the cavern entrance. A number of the logs at its center serve as a rudimentary gate, and are attached to a post by several layers of rope that act as hinges.
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Before they leave the lizardmen..."Is there some sort of token, hand signal, or other type of sign we could wear or make so your tribesmen will see that we are friends of yours and not Aspis?"
Near the wall..."Perhaps one or more of the us that can be stealthy should take a better look. Zaarah...can you become invisible and fly over about 50' above the wall to see who/what is on the other side?"
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After a few moments of trial and error, Ischell manages to get his touchy wand working- enveloping his form in a thin layer of bluish energy that slowly absorbs into his skin.
He looks over to Poh, and gestures, silently asking if he wants Ischell to try his wand as well.
Ischell follows close behind Zaarah, keeping himself near the front the group. He stays alert to anything that may be threatening from the tunnel below.
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With work and some time, Ridley unties one of the knots...but with the number of knots he sees, not to mention the ones he can tell are on the other side of the gate, he doesn't see this as a viable, nor quick, way to enter...
Phosdlon, seeing that the gate is about 10' high while the ceiling of the cave appears to be around 20', recommends that Zaarah fly if she is still able...
The party soon comes to the conclusion that they'll either have to break their way through the gate or climb/fly over it...