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Zaarah is a scrawny girl with auburn hair and amber eyes. She is standing with eyes wide open.
Her features seem Chelaxian but also have something else mixed in.
She is wearing light mithral armor and carries a black pulsing Scimitar at her hip that is attached to her wrist with a very fine chain.
Zaarah seems to be in stress!
She suddenly draws her Scimitar that is so black that it almost absorbs light.
"Mesh! I ... I really hate you! If you don’t stop talking to me like this I will find a way to extract your soul and sell it to that hag we met in the plane of shadow and then I will enjoy the eternity of torment that you will suffer!!!” she says in rage.
She seems to listen to something and looks at her black magical sword with balled fists!
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"What has that sword done to earn your wrath?" a huge man booms as he enters, witnessing Zaarah chastise her ebon blade. "Has it afflicted you with a deadly curse? Has it driven a loved one to madness? It must have been truly terrible for you threaten trading its very soul to a hag."
Thunderhoof is a brawny shoanti warrior. Like most of his kin, the huge man looks to have been bred for war, standing over two meters tall at the collar with dark leathery skin offset by brightly colored tribal tattoos. His head and face are shorn in the typical Shoanti fashion but the shadow of dark coarse stubble is visible across his jawline. His features are square and lean which complement his muscular physique and add to his rugged good looks. Those that study him closely note specks of violet starlight in his eyes - a telltale sign of celestial heritage.
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Zaarah seems to be surprised that someone witnessed her outburst.
”I ... I ... I didn’t really mean it like this Mr. Shoanti Sir!“ she says and it is obvious that she is sorry.
”But Mesh just doesn’t understand me ... “ Zaarah says and she pulls back her sleeve which shows stitches of a recent surgical treatment, ”... and on top Mesh is just jealous of one of the other magic items that I recently collected!“
Zaarah implanted a ‘Ocher Rhomboid Ion Stone’ in her right arm. The item has shifted Zaarah’s alignment to neutral, and the evil item radiates an evil aura. The Item gives a bonus feat: INTENSIFIED SPELL. This item is cursed and can’t be removed by its owner or anyone else without a remove curse or similar spell. This is from the scenario 4-12 and I can provide a chronicle sheet.
[Ooc] See here that implantation of ion stones are legal.
She then takes out an ion stone of continual flame and throws it up so it circles her head.
Dull grey Ion stone with continual flame heightened to 4th level from Vybus Abbin (PFS# 103843-21). This spell is stronger than deeper darkness.
Zaarah looks at the Shoanti.
”I am Zaarah. Zaarah Katsu. Who are you?! Oh and ... well ... sometimes what I say might sound crazy but I promise it will be logical!"
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"Well met Zaarah Katsu, The Logical, wielder of Mesh the Jealous sword", the huge man offers with a slight bow. "I am Thunderhoof Shriikirri-Quah."
Having grown accustomed to the colorful characters common in the Pathfinder Society, Thunderhoof doesn't give the magus's outburst a second thought. "Have the others arrived? Venture-Captain Calisro's missive sounded urgent."
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”I like you!! I had a crush on this Shoanti boy called Sorke! I lived in Palin’s Cove for a while - actually was born there! Sorke was also from the hawk clan!! Of all the Shoanti tribes, the Shriikirri-Quah are the coolest with Chelexians. So we can be friends right?! Although I am not Chelexian at all but who cares about that Thunderhoof, the attentive and polite Shoanti from the hawk clan!“ Zaarah says with a grin.
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The next entrant doesn't mask her entry as her heavy footsteps aren't hidden.
The dwarf that enters is rugged and in remarkable stone plate that mimics the armor one would see on warriors, Full palte. on her back a gleaming warhammer with a longer shaft and a flail etched with a sunburst on the balled end of this weapon at her side.
She looks up and grins.
"Last adventure we had together and on this particular one I see a familiar face! That blade of yours still giving you lip?" she addresses Zaarah.
"I'm lucky Slitherbane here." she pats her own flail.
"Isn't much of a conversationalist though he still loves to bash in Snakemen's skulls."
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A half-orc enters wearing a robe of purple. The gold embroidery continually unravels and reweaves itself into patterns of war over which dragons fly in the air as humanoids march with axes drawn. Besides this nothing is immediately visible except for his face and hands, the skin around his temples down to his cheeks and the back of his palms are more ruddy than the rest of his complexion.
"I never saw much of a point in naming weapons."
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Zaarah smiles at Faering and Lurgh but then looks at her sword with a more serious expression.
"Faerin, I think I have finally decided that weapons really don't know how to treat a lady so I am giving up ... no expectations! But I won't allow my weapon to dictate my actions! I once read a book involving the history of women ... and it is really true that it is the history of the worst form of tyranny ... no! Not anymore! " she says with a stern look.
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Hey! You guys again. We're going back to the Gloomspires I hear! I've been there once before on one of my first missions. Faerin and Zaarah, good to see you again. And to the new people, I'm Ridley! Alchemist extraordinaire. I know pretty much everything about everything.
As for naming weapons... if I named all of my bombs, I'd never have time for anything but thinking up names!
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"I didn't exactly name my weapon. It speaks and gave me its name." Faerin shrugs.
As Ridley strides in, she brightens up.
"Another familiar face, It'll be good to travel with you again even if it's to this same dire place once more. It'll be nice to travel with companions as stalwart as all of you. I hope this trip goes better...." she adds in the last part with a grimace.
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After you've all arrived, you are led to a chamber containing a strange semi-animate contraption along with the Venture-Captain and a tall, strong Ulfen dude. Faerin recognizes the device as the "Machine from Leng" as well as the Ulfen man; Hrethnar Olvardsson, the dread pirate Sevenfingers's former lieutenant. There is a flurry of activity here as dozens of Benarry's crew are working to turn several of the tomb's chambers into living quarters for Hrethnar.
After introducing you to Hrethnar, Benarry begins her briefing...
Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry smiles broadly and speaks in a voice accustomed to being obeyed. “Right, now let’s get down to brass tacks. As you can see ...” she gestures to the newly installed wooden platform upon which everyone currently stands. “We’re making things a bit more comfortable here for our new friend, Hrethnar. It’s the least we can do since he’s trapped here for …well, eternity. But that’s not why I brought you here, my friends."
The half-orc’s eyes narrow and grow deadly serious. “I asked the Decemvirate to send me their best. They surpassed my expectations."
She looks directly at Faerin, Lurgh, and Ridley. "“It says a lot for your bravery that you three were willing to come back to this place after your experiences here last time. Never let anyone call you a coward. You’ve earned my respect; that’s for damn sure.”
She then continues. “You lot come highly recommended, and your expertise at dungeon-delving and getting things done has earned you the right to partake in a mission of critical importance to the Society and of even more importance to me, personally. I’m sure you’ve heard whisperings of this place and my obsession with uncovering its secrets alike. Maybe I’ve let this place hook me too much, but it’s the sort of place that never really leaves you. Every time I think we’ve gotten to the bottom of the spire, it offers a glimmer of another exciting secret.” Benarry’s eyes twinkle.
Hrethnar mutters a venomous curse in Skald and spits on the floor. “I do not share your enthusiasm, captain,” he says with an archaic Ulfen accent. “This place is full of ghosts—both literal and those from my past. I despise this place. And now that it is to be my permanent home, I despise it even more.”
Benarry nods. “That’s to be expected, Hrethnar. And you have my sympathies,” she says before she turns to face the Pathfinders. “Since we rescued him, Hrethnar has been an invaluable resource. He’s answered many questions about the Gloomspires and Old Sevenfingers, and he’s promised to help us with one final task. And that’s where you come in. You’re going to explore Sevenfingers’s final resting place. You get to sack Sevenfingers’s tomb!”
Benarry allows her words to sink in before continuing. “I bet you’re both excited and terrified of this opportunity. And you’d be right to be afraid. Many folks—and not a few Pathfinders—have met a grisly end here. And it’s quite possible that you will too, if you don’t keep your wits about you,” she adds with a vaguely menacing grin. Benarry then gestures to Hrethnar and waves her hand at the man’s chest. Partially hidden by his shirt are dozens of tattooed symbols and runes, all glowing softly. “Hrethnar himself is the key to opening Sevenfingers’s final resting place. The sigils and runes inked on his flesh form the only key to Sevenfingers’s tomb in existence. And it can only be opened one day each year, the date on which Hrethnar mounted his failed mutiny against his old master. And it just so happens that day is...today. Bet you didn’t see that coming.”
Benarry chuckles before continuing. “Once Hrethnar opens the way to the tomb, you’ll enter and explore the place. I want a full investigation. I want maps. And I want you to grab anything valuable that isn’t nailed down. The stories of Sevenfingers’s treasure are famous. Find it and bring it back!”
Benarry asks Hrethnar to step outside the room while she confers with the team. After he departs, her face bears a sour look. “Unfortunately, I’m not joining you. I’ll remain behind to keep an eye on our friend,” she says. “Hrethnar is the key to entering the tomb, but I want to keep an eye on him and make sure you have a way to get back here. Hrethnar says he’ll only be able to keep the portal open from dawn until dusk, so that gives you twelve hours. If you run out of time and get trapped in there, we won’t be able to get to you until this time next year. So don’t be late!” She sighs.
“OK,” she says. "Dawn is about a half hour away. Any questions?”
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”I have heard of him. Sempet Sevenfingers was a legendary pirate who was active in the Shackles 300 years ago. From his flagship, the Voracious, Sevenfingers commanded a small fleet of pirate ships. His practice of using kuru cannibals to augment his boarding parties inspired fear and hatred across the Shackles.
Sevenfingers was a powerful wizard who dabbled in necromancy and communed with evil outsiders, entities from the Dark Tapestry, and sinister beings from unspeakable realms beyond Golarion.“ Zaarah says scratching his head.
”So guys, what happened the last time?!“
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If there is still an hour and a half before it is time to depart, Ridley will drink his cognatogen and use a charge from his wand of heightened awareness before musing on what he remembers. After Zaarah finishes, Ridley adds
And he dealt with the denizens of leng often. His ship was actually a gift from them, a Black Ship of Leng.
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Faerin's face falls as she turns to her companions.
"The first time I heard of this, it involved me carrying back a companion." she sighs.
"The second time I agreed to go on the previous mission, I ended up carrying not one but two of my companions out...."
"The last time, I was the only one still walking....and that was because the others got bitten badly..." she shrugs.
"I wasn't doing too well the last adventure as well but I managed to escape and maybe this time I might be the one getting carried out."
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Hearing Faerin's grim tale, Thunderhoof nods solemnly.
"I have never braved its depths myself but I know the Gloomspire is a place few would tread willingly. For some, it's a prison. For others, it's a reminder of tragic loss. But fear has never kept us from our goals and no deadly traps or terrible guardians left by cursed Severfingers will either. We will overcome them", the huge shoanti declares boldly. "Together."
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Benarry nods to you. "Dawn is nearly here; time for you to go. Hrethnar will soon create the blood portal. Fare thee well!"
Soon thereafter, Hrethnar moves both of his hands in a complicated pattern and wordlessly mouths a series of silent incantations. A moment later, his shimmering tattoos begin to glow red. Drops of blood trickle from his nostrils and weep from his eyes. The bloody droplets stream from his face and form levitating rivulets that merge into a hovering scarlet pool a few feet off the floor. Several heartbeats later with Hrethnar and the room forming a sickening bloody scene, the pool of blood forms a perfect mirror-like rectangle, roughly three feet wide and eight feet high.
Benarry’s voice suddenly booms. “Now’s your chance,” she yells. “Step through the portal and into the history books!”
Stepping through Hrethnar's blood-portal, you feel your body stretch to infinite lengths as layers of space twirl and churn before you feel yourself reassembled into a dark corridor...
Once your eyes adjust, you find yourself in a small chamber; it is mostly dark but dim light coming from the chamber the stairs lead down to filters up, giving you very limited vision (unless you have darkvision)...
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Before we depart, I will ask Hrenthar if he has any idea what elements the Wizard Sevenfingers favors in his spellcasting.
In the moments before stepping through the portal, Ridley will down extracts of see invisibility, false life, heroism, and barkskin. He will also tap himself with his want of heightened awareness before hopping through the portal.
Well, this is a cheery place... who wants to take the lead? Thunderhoof? You look like the burly manly type who would get a kick out of setting off a trap and taking a ballista bolt to the chest.
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A human carrying a book and followed by a pseudodragon walks into the Venture Captain's office.
"Sorry I'm late, but I had to finish reorganizing some shelves at the Grand Lodge's library. I saw the notice said something about Sevenfingers? I read a couple books on him, necromancer that likes to make deals with devils. Probably undead since he is over 300 years old. Anyway, whats the mission and where did the rest of the agents get off to?" Thendros says as he reads a Pathfinder Chronicle that mentions Sevenfingers in one hand while skimming his spellbook in the other.
After the captain gives the quick and dirty that the mission is essentially and explore and suppress mission with a time limit, Thendros quickly thumbs through his spellbook for a moment before heading through the portal.
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Seeing the other pathfinders, "Hello everyone, sorry I'm a little late, but I'm always kept busy in the library. My name is Thendros and this little guy is Pokey." he says as he gestures towards his Pseudodragon that very quickly rambles off a bunch of near gibberish, "SoWheresAllTheFunGuysI'mReadyToFightANecromancerOrSomethingLetMeTellYouDon 'tWorryIMostlyJustUseWandsForThendrosButI'llBeReallyHelpfulIpromiseAndMyFav oriteColorIsGoldOrSometimesBlue."
Pokey whips out a wand of mage armor and taps Thendros with it before swapping back to stumble gap.
Thendros then casts mirror image on himself.
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Before stepping into the portal, Hrethnar curtly answers Ridley's question on Sevenfingers. "I know only that he is a sorcerer of arcane magics...he can cast bolts of magic from his fingertips..."
Once in the portal, Lurgh produces light with his ioun stone and Faerin urges everyone forward...
You go down the stairs and in the next chamber, you see...
A shallow basin filled with colorful coral and exotic fish forms the floor of this large hall. A few inches above the waterline, a narrow stone walkway spans the basin and leads to a stone door on the opposite side of the hall. The hall appears to be open to the sky—a night sky filled with twinkling stars and a full moon that bathes everything in a pale yellow glow. A chilly sea breeze flows gently through the hall...
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I can lead the way looking for traps, as long as someone stays close by in case we are attacked...
I have the highest perception modifier (+19 with Heroism and Heightened Awareness), so I'm happy to play the role of trapfinder. I've also got a good disable device, and can make extracts of Aram Zey's Focus if we encounter any magical traps that need to be disabled.
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Faerin detects no evil while Zaarah detects an aura upon the night sky and stars...or at least what appears to be the night sky and stars...
Ridley recognizes that a large portion of the northeastern part of the chamber, within the coral outcroppings, does not appear to be a naturally-grown colony of coral...
Ridley also notices upon stepping out onto the narrow walkway that it is treacherous; it is only two feet wide, very slippery, and it tends to wobble alarmingly. While he thinks it could hold the entire party, he also thinks that each additional person would make it even more treacherous to navigate...
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Nothing too alarming in here... the walkway here is treacherous. And that coral in the Northeast isn't natural...
How deep is the water here GM?
What is the DC on the acrobatics check?
Ridley will also shine his lantern of auras on the coral in the corner and see if there is any magic associated with it.
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Suddenly needed elsewhere, Thunderhoof excuses himself.
He’s promptly replaced by another shoanti warrior, this one decidedly less jovial. ”I’ve been looking to bust some skulls. Let’s see what old Sevenfingers left behind to guard his tomb.”
”Taurus”, the big man offers before moving toward the front of the formation.
Taurus has dusky sunburnt skin that is heavily tattooed with tribal designs and is shaved bald except for the shadow of dark growth across his chin. His powerful body hulks in a way that promises deadly power and tireless stamina. He is without weapons but the huge man's club-like fists suggest he's never truly unarmed.
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Ridley's bomb explodes on the unnatural coral thingy...and it rises and roars in pain...
Combat! Round 1 - The bold may post!
Lurgh
Coral Creature (-16)
Zaarah
Thendros
Taurus
Faerin
Ridley
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Lurgh moves to stand by Ridley's side and prepares for the upcoming fight...
The golem moves forward 30' and, with its long reach, strikes at Ridley...
...and rakes him across his legs...
Combat! End Round 1 / Begin Round 2 - The bold may post!
Lurgh
Coral Golem (-16)
Zaarah
Thendros
Taurus
Faerin
Ridley (-11, bleeding)