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Quillen strides in front of the congregration, holding his rapier like a swagger stick under one arm. Clicking his heels, he begins his speech in a deep, gravelly halfling rasp.
"No bastard ever won a war by dying for a demon lord. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his demon lord..."
The stirring monologue, with the help and antics of everyone else, snaps the worshipers out of their blissful, oblivious rapture. Tearing their eyes away from the compelling, fat corpse at the pulpit, they rise to their feet and acclaim the pint-sized despot challenging their manhood.
The vaulted chapel ascends to the heavens, disappearing within the clouds...
You appear to be in the temple's refectory: A table covered in scorched dirt and vermin sits at the center of this dining room. Two dozen acolytes choke and gag as they feast on the roiling mess.
You can 'Flip the Table'
Or you can 'Treat the Sick'
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Dale's too busy to make a contribution to disrupting the sermon. Luckily, he's just in time to treat the sick at the disturbing meal.
"Hold on ladies and gentlemen, I'm pretty sure you've eaten some moldy crickets and over aged cockroaches... I've got just the thing in my medical bag here!" He drags out a rolled up bundle of dried leaves, stuffed full of a combination of jungle remedies and more traditional medicines.
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Dale the Medic dodges projectile vomiting and scurrying vermin trying to escape the ravenous acolytes.
A one-man Emergency Response Team, the alchemist triages the up-chucking monks and sets to work, emptying two entire bottles of Kaopectate and Pepto-Bismol down their heaving gullets.
A dozen stomachs rumble but finally settle, the silence interrupted only by an occasional belch, borborygmus, and flatus.
The refectory fades a way like the echo of a prayer to the porcelain god...
Finally, you find yourselves in the temple's... kitchen, of all places. A halfling sits in the center of the room, weeping in anguish. He waves his fingerless left hand and screams, "Korada has forsaken us! Abandon all hope!"
You can 'Instill Hope'
Or you can 'Talk Him Down'
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Kimiya approaches the desperate halfling, offering up a samurai's appeal to join in spiritual reflection upon the honor in the pursuit of Korada's goals of harmony and balance.
Dale the Wise-cracker adds a helpful dollop of humor to crack through the chef's despair.
The scene in the kitchen churns like kale in a yuppie vegan's smoothie...
The dreary dreamscape ejects you back into the world, and you reappear in the temple's garden.
Zhuang awakens from his twisted nightmares with a headache, but no lasting harm.
He gathers his pupils around him. "Acolytes of the Empyreal Lord Korada, I have not been myself. After the Pathfinders defeated the demon, Dakang, and purged the temple of corruption, I was determined to set us on a better path. However, Dakang’s deceptions have always plagued me, and I confess, I was on the verge of abandoning the temple."
The acolytes gasp and murmur at this confession.
"I am uncertain what came over me. I have much to atone for, it is true. I humbly beg your forgiveness."
Then he turns to you, bowing. "I offer you my deepest gratitude. The Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment will forever remain a haven for Pathfinders, and I offer the Society my service to your mission."
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Kimiya bows deeply before Zhuang, "the path would not be worth the journey if it was easy, brother. You honor us."
To the others, "We have been entangled with the Aspis since before many of us were born. Are we the Pathfinders that will finally set them straight? Or are we the humble servants who can assist those in need like our ratfolk allies?"
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Quillen nods his approval as Zhuang regains his senses after their dalliance within his addled mind.
"Ehh, a 'aven for ze Pathfinders az long az ze Tapestry remains intact, which iz... not a zure thing zese days."
With the precision of a drill sergeant, the halfling pivots and marches toward the next spectral thread.
"Ze Round Mountain, eh?"
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Kimiya urges the team to head to Round Mountain and help the ratfolk. Quillen seconds the motion.
Venture-Captain Zarta Dralneen had said, "Our ratfolk allies in Round Mountain sent out a call for help. The entire mountain is unstable, and dangerous creatures abound! Secure passage to the Pagoda of the Rat."
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Round Mountain is a sphere of stone over 10 miles in diameter that Hao Jin plucked from the Darklands. Over nearly five centuries, the ratfolk of Round Mountain built a great pagoda of stone at the sphere’s center; this building serves as their temple and warren. Six years ago, the Pathfinder Society freed the ratfolk from the rule of a rakshasa called Durriya. In so doing, they gained the allegiance of Krella, a ratfolk druid and the new leader of the ratfolk. These ratfolk are one of the most influential groups in the tapestry.
When you arrive at the designated spot where you're to meet Krella’s messengers in the tunnels of Round Mountain, the floor of the narrow tunnel trembles. Pebbles clatter across the ground, and a low rumbling sound echoes from the distance.
A group of ratfolk scouts stagger into the tunnel. One of them cries out, "I hope that was the last of it!"
"Hey, you, Pathfinders!" he calls when the dust settles enough for him to spot you. "Watch your step. Round Mountain is rolling! If you want to get to the Pagoda, we’ll need to secure safe passage through this tumbling cavern!"
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As you proceed towards the Pagoda of the Rat, Round Mountain begins to spin, slowly but erratically. Everyone in the cavern risks repeatedly falling prone or being knocked into walls.
You realize you must secure passage for the repair team. Five tasks seem critical to achieve that objective:
1. Find and point out the best handholds
2. Construct makeshift scaffolds of wood, ropes, or debris
3. Find and traverse the quickest route
4. Encourage the ratfolk to help
5. Discern a pattern in the mountain’s rotations
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N'Aranav scampers through the tunnels and determines the most efficient route through the spinning mountain.
Like a sensei drill instructor, Kimiya 'inspires' the ratfolk to drop their socks, grab their c**ks, and get to work.
Quillen sets his military mind to the task of determining the physics of Round Mountain's peculiar rotations. He conducts a series of experiments using the only tool at his disposal, his gymnast's body. He very nearly sticks the landing. He'll need a little help from the judges.
You've made progress to secure passage for the repair team. Three remaining tasks seem critical to achieve that objective:
1. Find and point out the best handholds
2. Construct makeshift scaffolds of wood, ropes, or debris
5. Discern a pattern in the mountain’s rotations
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Dale waves goodbye to the Temple "If I had more time I'd love to stay and have a look around, but maybe later after we save your world!" He is ushered off by the others.
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A giant floating island of rock? This is interesting stuff! "Woah, was that an after shock? Are we experiencing a seismic event here?" He's still talking when the others read between the lines and get to work. Guess I better help.
Dale gives Quillen some advice on angles, loads, and range of motion. Hoping it helps him do whatever he seems to be doing.
Afterwards, Dale draws out a mildew stained ruck sack and pulls out a veritable pile of survival supplies and puts them to use scouting out hand holds for the troupe to use. "One of my trips to the Mwangii had us racing through the jungle trying to avoid the jaws of an angry and overgrown lizard." He recalls scratching his chin "Recollecting I think she may have been displeased we collected some eggs from her territory. Regardless, I did get quite a bit of practice navigating through rough terrain!"
Lastly, Dale gets to do what he enjoys most: Building contraptions he's read about or seen in action. He draws out a small metal rod and starts fiddling with it, turning it into a long hammer.
"Ok let's see what we can't do to fight back against the laws of gravity shall we? Bring me that post and some rope!"
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Aroden likewise waves farewell to Zhuang. It is with great empathy that he says, "May Korada help you overcome your inner turmoil and find peace."
At Round Mountain, he witnesses the small creatures scurrying about. Truly, the world today is far more diverse than... those memories... but this isn't really Golarion, is it? Well, they are our allies and we should render aid.
The wizard looks for handholds in the rock.
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Satisfied the ratfolk will be able to work together now, Kimiya looks around to identify the best way to navigate the cavern.
As he's testing the path, he tries to figure out if there is any semblance of a pattern to the mountain's movement.
Unfortunately, focusing on two tasks at the same time means he's ineffective at both.
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Quillen waves away Dale's advice.
"Ah know what ah'm doing!"
The halfling's eyes hungrily scan the area, seeking for a purchase for a hand or boot.
"Ze crevice zere!"
Sheathing his weapon (he had been leaping about waving it), he shoves his hands into a gap and heaves himself upward, hoping the ratfolk and his allies follow suit.
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"There's one over there, too," Kahwen calls out as the path of handholds is found and tested. He's a little embarrassed that Quillen managed to find the quickest path before he could even start.
But he is exceptionally proud to be with a group that is so efficient and effective.
"Need me to hold the nails?" he asks Dale, offering about the only services he knows how to do when it comes to building things.
As the mountain shifts and turns under him, Kahwen cocks his head to the side, muttering to himself...saying directions then counting until there is motion then doing it again.
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Like an even crazier version of Béla Károlyi, Dale coaches Quillen to an acceptable 9.98. The ratfolk crowd explodes in applause, tossing bouquets of roses at the halfling representing Team Galt.
The alchemist, assisted by Kahwen, organizes a team of malingering ratfolk to use torches, 10ft poles, longspears, rope, twine and thread to create some helpful scaffolding inside the tunnels. It might not look like much, but it will do the job.
Then Dale uses a packet of dehydrated lizard eggs to mix some paint with his portable alchemist's lab and starts marking some of the best handholds. It's slow work, and he could use some help.
But before he can finish the painstaking task, Kahwen, with Aroden, Quillen, and Kimiya's help, finds a faster and safer way to bypass the hazardous obstacle.
Kimiya offers to help the rest of the team discern a pattern in the mountain’s rotations. The effort requires someone to take charge, and others can probably help. The samurai rolls his eyes and shakes his head, when he sees Kahwen give it the ol' college try. "Leadership, brains and common sense are what's called for to solve this particular problem," says the nagaji.
You've made great progress to secure passage for the Society's repair team. Only one critical task remains:
5. Discern a pattern in the mountain’s rotations
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Aroden's brain detonates like a supernova, metaphysically blowing everyone's mind with a big bang.
"If I may have your attention, please." The wizard taps his wand against the wall of the tunnel. "It's quite simple really. An otherworldly scholar named Newton unified Kepler’s laws of planetary motion with Galileo’s theory of falling bodies and published his laws of motion and universal gravitation in The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, commonly known as the Principia... "
As your eyes glaze over, and the wizard realizes that explaining the mountain's strange rotation is far beyond the capacity of his audience to understand it, he exhales a long sigh and throws up his hands. "Just follow me, move when I move, and step where I step."
This will make an excellent subject for my next lecture at the Arcanimirium. The honorarium should be exceedingly generous, this time.
In short order, the team secures passage through the cavern, enabling the Society's repair team to follow without delay.
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"If I may have your attention, please." The wizard taps his wand against the wall of the tunnel. "It's quite simple really. An otherworldly scholar named Newton unified Kepler’s laws of planetary motion with Galileo’s theory of falling bodies and published his laws of motion and universal gravitation in The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, commonly known as the Principia... "
"Oh, continue on please! Physics lessons were few and far between in the jungle, well, at least when I wasn't visiting Namtambu. Wonderful arcane school they have there!"
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The ratfolk lead you deeper into Round Mountain, into a cavern with a chasm and bridge at the center.
"It’s not far to go," the ratfolk squad leader says, "Nonetheless, I caution you. The mountain’s erratic movements have shaken loose many dangerous creatures."
Your path heads toward the northeast. The raised cliffs in the south and northeast are 15 feet above the surrounding cavern floor.
The chamber is rough natural stone with stalactite-covered ceilings that are roughly 30 feet high from the ground level, making them roughly 15 feet high above the cliffs. The torches on the central bridge are normal torches.
Despite the dim light, you notice two large, ray-like creatures with toothy maws leering at you with glaring red eyes. Behind them whip menacing tails of segmented bone. In the northeast area of the cavern, they seem to be lying in wait for prey, clinging to the cave ceiling above the raised cliff.
The stalactites above the northeastern cliff reach down to 5 feet above the ground.
Bypassing the creatures isn't a viable option, as the path must be safe for other Pathfinders and the ratfolk. The weary ratfolk rush into the shadows and hide.
Kahwen
Quillen
Dale
Kimiya
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2 Ray-like Creatures ??
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Aroden
N'Aranav
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Kahwen nods. "We can handle dangerous creatures. That's why we're here. To deal with them so that the repair team doesn't have to."
He eyes the flying stingrays askance. He doesn't know what they are but he knows they are flying so he draws his bow and moves up closer to the bridge in preparation of crossing it.
"Strange creatures, Companions! Beware!" he says to his fellows, pointing them out for anyone who didn't spot them.
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"Oh those, those are cloakers. An aberration. Probably disturbed or displaced by the quakes I would expect. They do look hungry though... we should be careful." He draws out a vial and drinks it down, doing his best to avoid getting pummeled.
Shield extract. 5mins. Although if they have some special attack I can mitigate I'd like to be able to change my extract choice.
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Kahwen draws his bow and advances toward the bridge, and Kimiya follows the tengu, weapon drawn.
Dale recognizes the two creatures as cloakers, large-sized aberrations. Ready to swallow an extract, he warns you about their two special attacks:
* Fear: All creatures in a 30-foot spread must save (Will negates) or become panicked for 2 rounds.
* Nausea: All creatures in a 30-foot cone must save (Fortitude negates) or fall prone and be nauseated for 1d4+1 rounds.
* Stupor: A single creature within 30 feet is affected by hold monster for 5 rounds (Will negates).
* Unnerve: Anyone within a 60-foot spread automatically takes a –2 penalty on attack and damage rolls. Those in the area for more than 6 consecutive rounds must save (Will negates) or enter a trance, helpless until the moaning stops.
Cloakers are immune to these sonic, mind-affecting attacks. A creature that successfully saves against the cloaker’s fear, nausea, or unnerve moans cannot be affected by that same moan effect from that cloaker for 24 hours. All of the save DCs against a cloaker’s moan are DC 15. DCs are Charisma-based.
Kahwen
Quillen
Dale
Kimiya
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Pink Cloaker
Red Cloaker
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Aroden
N'Aranav
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Dale decides against the extract for now and instead moves ahead and draws forth a wand of beautiful crystal, attempting to activate it at the red cloaker.
"Alakazam motha trucka!" He recites in his deepest voice, but all the wand does is smoke and fizzle. "Hrm, it did this last time too, I think its time for a recalibration check back at the lab."
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The cloakers let go of the stalactites they were clinging to and fly toward you, 20ft above the floor of the cavern and their toothy maws open, as if about to moan.
Round Mountain continues to spin erratically, threatening to knock you down.
Kahwen
Quillen
Dale
Kimiya
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Pink Cloaker
Red Cloaker
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Aroden
N'Aranav
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"FOR HUMANITY! Um... right.. also halfling and nagaji and tengu..."
Despite the wizard's possibly confused state of mind, holy power still somehow radiates from his sword display.
Taking a 5' step and using INSPIRING SWORD again for +2 sacred bonus to attacks, saves, and skill checks to all within 30'.
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Kimiya is drawn to Aroden's sword, puffing out his chest and striding to join the others, I can't hit them up there but I can certainly try and defend someone. He moves beside Kahwen and readies himself to try and bring one of the cloakers down.
Enforcer: You are skilled at causing fear in those you brutalize.
Prerequisite: Intimidate 1 rank.
Benefit: Whenever you deal nonlethal damage with a melee weapon, you can make an Intimidate check to demoralize your target as a free action. If you are successful, the target is shaken for a number of rounds equal to the damage dealt. If your attack was a critical hit, your target is frightened for 1 round with a successful Intimidate check, as well as being shaken for a number of rounds equal to the damage dealt.
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Quillen glares at the two creatures as they choose not to engage him. He pivots and marches along with Kimiya, once again seeking to place himself in between the enemy and his allies, particularly the feathered one shooting arrows at them.
"Did you not here me, toothy maws, or should I say..."
The halfling eyes Dale for confirmation.
"... cloakares?"
for
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"Yup, cloak-ares would be a reasonable nickname I guess. A common name more appropriately, or technically?" Dale wonders aloud as he drops his wand and moves to the north around a stalagmite formation and draws, shakes, and tosses a frosty blue sphere at the red Cloak-are.
Frost bomb*: When the alchemist creates a bomb, he can choose to have it inflict cold damage. Creatures that take a direct hit from a frost bomb are staggered on their next turn unless they succeed on a Fortitude save.
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Aroden swings his flashing sword, momentarily inspiring most of the team to greater heights of heroism. As far away as he is from the wizard, Dale feels left out.
Kahwen draws his bow and looses an arrow at the pink cloaker. It screeches when the missile nicks one wing.
Kimiya moves to protect the tengu from the attacking cloakers if they get within the reach of his naginata.
Everyone, including Quillen, realizes that bypassing the creatures isn't a viable option, as the path must be safe for other Pathfinders and the ratfolk. The halfling points his rapier at the cloakers, ready to thrust.
Dale hurls what looks like a red, white, and blue snow cone at the red cloaker. Even factoring the range to his target and without Aroden's morale boost, he still hits the aberration, covering it in a thin sheen of frost. The creature shivers, and the flakes float to the floor of the cavern like snow.
The floor of the gigantic cavern rumbles and shakes violently, and you struggle to maintain your balance.
Kahwen
Quillen
Dale
Kimiya
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Pink Cloaker
Red Cloaker
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Aroden
N'Aranav
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N'Aranav manages to stay on his feet, and with a brawler's flexibility, he's ready to extend his reach, should one of the cloakers gets close enough to strike.
The earth-rattling tremor knocks Kimiya to the ground, and the samurai gets up and retrieves his naginata.
With the help of Aroden's inspiring sword, Kahwen leaps into air to avoid the shock, and the tengu manages to inflict another scratch on the pink cloaker with his bow and arrow.
Kahwen
Quillen
Dale
Kimiya
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Pink Cloaker
Red Cloaker
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Aroden
N'Aranav
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"Sacrebleu!"
Quillen rides the "wave" that rides through the cavern while he continues to glower at the "cloak-ares" clinging to their safe perch.
"Zey cling like a babe to ze mother!"
The tiny Galtan continues his tirade, shaking his rapier as if to mimic a thousand tiny cuts he will inflict on the pair of aberrations.
Dale slips when the cavern lurches, then he gets back on his feet and hurls another frosty grenade at the red cloaker.
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Keeping his knees relaxed, Quillen absorbs the shockwave and twirls his rapier like a murderous majorette in front of a marching band. The cloakers overhead quake in fear at this comical but dazzling display of martial acumen.
Dale smacks the red cloaker upside the head with another snow cone.
20ft above your heads, the cloakers fly closer. The aberrations emit a pair of infrasonic moans, unnerving everyone. You also feel a wave of terror chill your bones. Then the cloakers shimmer, and their silhouettes blur.
The cavern continues to groan and rumble, and another tremor seems imminent.
Kahwen
Quillen
Dale
Kimiya
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Pink Cloaker
Red Cloaker
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Aroden
N'Aranav