GM Nomadical's inaugural Bones of Biting Ants (Inactive)

Game Master Nomadical

"DON'T. TOUCH. ANYTHING." Faust orders. Not that y'all needed the encouragement.

Stowing his weapon, he quickly hoists Dumont out of a nearby wall and orders him to touch all of the items. If nothing happens to the skeleton, he then carefully wards himself and handles each one for a minute.

"Put an ant into the pot and you can talk to it. Quaint," he mutters as he hands it off to Aeliah. "How curious, this device can manipulate fine objects at a distance while being mechanically manipulated itself by a user. Thieves would love this thing," he mentions, handing it off to Forrest.

And now this one. Taking a deep breath, he clasps both hands around the piece of amber. Immediately, a feral growl passes his lips, the hair on his neck and arms stand on end. Fortunately, the moment passes and he regains his composure. "Sorry you had to hear that. A relic of my youth," he explains.

Clearing his throat, he speaks further. "Whatever force that created She Who Devoured came from here, I'm sure of it. There is space for an ant dead center, and I suspect that was where the force was held. It is gone now, so it should be safe to touch. I hypothesize that this amber stone functioned as a sort of phylactery or a magic jar, with the purpose of reigniting the ancient evil that is the King of Biting Ants. I'll have to requisition this from the Society myself when we return to Absalom." I'd wager a similar artifact is to blame for the corruption of my ancestral home.
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Faust casts Resistance on himself before touching each item, even after Dumont has done so. GM, sorry if Faust said something about the King of Biting Ants earlier that he didn't actually know. I had a character that was heavily invested in the lore of the KoBA and Jatembe so I, the player, caught on to what She Who Devours was saying and was excited.

"Sorry you had to hear that. A relic of my youth,"

Though she's pretty certain that Aeliah probably wouldn't be Faust's type either - assuming he even has one - Callah can't help but glance over at Forrest and the Foreigner and mouth, "Ouch" in response to the outspoken woman's words.
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I keep meaning to ask; I can't quite tell if those spoilers are meant to just be for whoever Aeliah is addressing or if they're meant to represent a pause or the beat before a punchline or what. If they're meant for just whoever Aeliah is addressing then at least I'll know for the future >.>

The Foreigner is so intrigued by Faust's cryptic description of the lump of amber that he fails to hear the latest installment of commentary from the druid about her cultural-sexual mores.

"It will be interesting to learn what the Society's experts can reveal about the artifact. Shall we leave this anthill?"

Save V Poison, Charmed : 1d20 + 3 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 3 = 11 Uh-oh, poisoned?

Forrest wobbles on the spot, not feeling so good. His demeanor drastically improves now that the team has defeated the great being. He wipes his rapier off on her corpse and follows the team to examine the artifacts. ”Don’t worry, Faust, I learned that lesson a long time ago. No touchie. “ He then wanders off to a corner and begins practicing a growling noise similar to Faust’s. You never know! Might need to impress a tribesperson one day!

"Thank the Divine for that. Frankly, I think we are so off type that I can't say I'd be irked if the paths of our lives never crossed again," Faust says nonchalantly. "You've even managed to make Mr. Glavo unwell." The thought alone is nauseating. Fortunately such base urges are something my non-mortal heritage have done away with. She can keep her feral rutting between her and the other savages of her tribe.

"Now that this matter has been dealt with, please, let's ambulate back to the surface. I've learned all I care to about the sexuality of Aeliah and the cultural mores of her tribespeople," he says, agreeing with the Foreigner.
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Yours is Mined, on the other hand, I hope to see you in many other games!

"You've even managed to make Mr. Glavo unwell."

"Could be, Pale Man." Aeliah's eyes follow Forrest's growly wanderings.

"Or Forrest Glavo could of really liked the noises you were making."

At this point Callah has to quickly turn away from the others, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter. But she finally gets her amusement under control and even manages a straight face as she nods. "The Foreigner and Faust are right, we've got what we came down here for and there'll be plenty of time for trading barbs and jokes when we're out of this hole. Let's get going!"

The heroic Pathfinders return to the surface to find Bujune and Stuinvolk pointedly ignoring each other from opposite sides of the mound entrance. Delivering the pupae that you rescued and showing him the stash of artifacts is sufficient to convince him of your success. He honors his end of the bargain and lifts the curse on Stuinvolk, much to the obvious relief of the Ulfen. Bujune then quickly bids you farewell with his normal caustic attitude. ”Thanks, but now get lost, ya’ big flesh-bags. Before you all go an’ foul somethin’ else up.”

The return trip to the boat landing and onward to Eleder is uneventful, especially since it is easier during this leg of the trip to plot a course that keeps you well away from the dangerous Mzali borders. Venture Captain Bellaugh and his assistant, the Incredibly Handsome Mwangi Man, are relieved and excited to see you and hear your full debriefing. He takes note of Faust’s interest in studying the amber stone further. ”Yes, I think that can be arranged. Actually, now that I think about it....” He trails off and strokes his beard before rummaging about in his books and notes. ”Ah, yes, here it is. There’s a reference here to something that Old Man Jatembe called the amberhollow. But we didn’t know what it referred to. Looks like you found something quite unique and important. Nice job!”

Stuinvolk is notably less tense, and with his curse removed, sometimes even segues into something that approaches happy. He still has traumas to work through, of course, as he isn’t “cured” of his past, but this expedition helps to put a lot of his ghosts to rest.

”I want to thank you all for everything. For taking me along, for putting up with my attitude and moods, for helping me heal and work through all of this. And of course, for getting that damn fey to lift his curse,” he finishes, running his fingers gently across his neck where the boils and pustules used to be. ”I’m not sure I can see myself doing fieldwork again,” he pauses and shakes his head as if having made a final decision on the matter. ”But if the Captain will allow me to, I think I’d like to start doing support work here in the lodge.”

”Aeliah, can I buy you those ten drinks? But you have to promise not to throw up on my shoes.”

“No shame in support work, Stuinvolk.”

Aeliah recalls her early years at the Grand lodge. “Aeliah assigned Dark Archive Scrolls initially. Took Confirmation in damn library!”

“Creighton Shaine and Zarta Dralneen said her need to work on ‘cultural adjustment.’” She shoots a glance at Faust.

“But Aeliah think that bird guano. They want to study her and learn about tribal homeland.”

The druidess grins. “But when ‘specimen’ start breaking artifacts ‘accidentally’ and blotting Pathfinder Chronicles, they say it time for her get practical experience in field.”

“Aeliah, can I buy you those ten drinks?”

Aeliah grips the Ulfen’s jawline between thumb-and-index|middle finger, and wrenches his head sideways to probe his restored face like the professional healer that she is. “Aeliah suppose she could get used to it.”

The druidess releases her grip, giving the Northman’s chest a shove. She is not gentle. “Aeliah prepared to give Stuinvolk some tips on adjusting to life as archivist.”

“But you have to promise not to throw up on my shoes.”

“That risk you gonna have to take, Pathfinder. Let’s go.”

Forrest returns back home, quiet, but happy. "A true quest, and a true group of Pathfinders! A more rag tag gang could not be found." He smiles. "Yet, we did it! And saved Stuinvolk while we were at it!" He bows deeply to Stuinvolk and says goodbye. "There is honor to be found in supporting those in the field, should you seek it. "

"Forrest is right, we all have our part to play whether it's out in the field or keeping things running back 'home'," Callah smiles. "Take care, Stuinvolk, and enjoy your night out," she calls, waving as he and Aeliah set off for a hopefully pleasant and vomit-free evening. "You've earned it!"

Faust nods his head in satisfaction at Venture-Captain Bellaugh's words. "Excellent, I look forward to experimenting with it in the safety of Absalom's Grand Lodge," he admits. Far from prying eyes and ink blotters.

"This team was certainly something. I look forward to engaging with some of you again," he says, already halfway out the door. This land holds promise for future finds, but I'll have to plunder this trove another day.

Back at the Lodge, feeling refreshed and reinvigorated, Krieger bids farewell to his companions.

"It was a pleasure working with all of you. I hope we'll have the opportunity to do so again one day soon."

He checks in on Stuinvolk.

"If you ever wish to visit your homeland, I would be happy to accompany you. It's been quite some time since I visited the far north. Perhaps a journey home would do you good."

Krieger seeks a quiet corner of the Lodge, sets his cup of jasmine tea on the table, takes a seat and arranges parchment, pen and ink before him.

He stares off into space for a few heartbeats, arranging his thoughts, and then he begins to draft his report for the Pathfinder Chronicles.

A decade ago in the Mwangi Expanse, a Pathfinder expedition went horribly wrong...