|
You have traveled to Lastwall, where you are now meeting with Venture-Captain Shevar Besnik in the back room of the Ace of Dreams, a gambling house that serves as the Pathfinder Society’s Uscalin Lodge.
Loud and raucous conversation filters through the door from the common room. “I know it’s here. I had it just a moment ago,” says Besnik.
Venture-Captain Shevar Besnik lifts piles of papers and numerous boxes off of his desk, stacking them on various side tables and chairs in his clean but overly cluttered office. The tall, Varisian man’s face parts in a toothy grin as he lifts up a solid oak box. “Found it!”
As if to punctuate his discovery, a crowd of players in the gambling hall erupts in cheers. Distracted for a moment, Besnik stares at the closed office door that leads to the common room. “Desna laughs. Well, she laughs at me, but she smiles on them.” The venture captain shrugs. “All they have is gold; what I have in here is far more valuable.”
Besnik opens the box’s lid painstakingly slowly, careful to keep the contents out of sight. With reverence, he lifts a large tome from the box and gently sets it on the table. “Careful, the binding hasn’t held up well. This is one of the few Tomes of Righteous Repose left in the world. I’m pretty sure there’s one in the library of the Sancta Iomedaea in Vigil, but I’m—well, let’s just say I’m no longer welcome there. That’s a story for another time.
“Up until today, I’ve only skimmed the pages. I didn’t want to damage it, but now that you’re here, I can’t wait any longer. Care to plumb the depths of this most ancient and wonderful storybook?
"Oh, the marvelous adventures we will soon read! This tome is a collection of tales describing how various crusaders died gloriously and honorably. I’m hoping to find some clues in the text that will lead us to an as-of-yet undiscovered site or relic. Maybe we can trade a bit of what we find with the Knights of Ozem and earn ourselves some goodwill. After what happened last time, we need it.
“Care to peruse the pages with me?”
******
********
You are aware that Rellakarabee Fustbickle is the author of of the Time of Righteous Repose. He is a gnome poet, known mostly among literary scholars. His subject matter revolves around heroic figures and tragic deaths. His style is too melodramatic to gain significant acclaim, though he is popular in some circles.
Fustbickle based his poems on true stories from the Shining Crusade. However, the finer details are ambiguous at best. Rumors suggest he was on speaking terms with the mortal Iomedae.
Lastwall was established in 3828 ar, when it seceded from Taldor. It is a military dictatorship, primary focused on keeping the Whispering Tyrant locked away and the orc hordes of Belkzen at bay.
Lastwall originated from the remnants of crusaders living in the area after the conclusion of the Shining Crusade, the great war against the evil wizard-king Tar-Baphon (also known as the Whispering Tyrant, who rose after his death as a lich).
Lately, Lastwall has had to recruit less pious individuals to fill its ranks. On the borders, followers of Gorum and Kurgess are more common than paladins of Iomedae and Sarenrae.
|
Aurus slides into the briefing late, as Shevnar is already begun speaking, dropping a few coppers he may have been gambling and still holding a half-drank beer. He nods and listens to Besnik, steadily on making it a fully-drank beer.
"Yeah, boss, this is great. But, uh... ain't the gnome who wrote this kind of... imprecise? I love a good story as much as the next guy, but I kinda thought we'd be pursuin' real leads, not chasin' after wild gnome tales." If anyone thinks to ask, he'll be happy to recite what he recalls hearing about Fustbickle, the Tome's author, and the nation of Lastwall.
|
|
Before going to Lastwall, Nemrok discussed with other Pathfinders about the history of the place and some stories around it.
After listening to the Venture-Captain and connecting some dot with the stories he's heard before, Nemrok asks after Aurus.
I agree with Aurus, this gnome don't seem to be a reliable source of knowledge... What make you sure that this book will help us ?
|
"Oh, Aurus, you know that these missions are never as easy as they seem at first. Personally, I wouldn't mind a nice simple diplomatic mission to someplace nice. Instead we are headed over near the orc hoards and lands of constant conflict and you are griping. Tsk, tsk..."
Turning to Besnik she adds, "We are headed there, right? Or are we just here to do research?"
Cloudia's voice rises hopefully as she says the last, in direct contrast to Aurus's dismay, as she considers getting a fluff mission.
She has let her hair grow out since you last saw her and her clothing is a bit more tidy than usual. One might suspect that she has already been working fluff missions, at least lately.
Cloudia is an attractive, but someone mousy and underconfident woman. Her gear includes no less than 6 wands, a longspear that looks a bit out of place on her, and respectable but not wealthy clothing. She has brown hair and brown eyes, but her clothing makes up for the lack of coloring in her features. Not garishly so, but lively.
|
|
[dice=Know: History]1d20
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20+6Aurus slides into the briefing late, as Shevnar is already begun speaking, dropping a few coppers he may have been gambling and still holding a half-drank beer. He nods and listens to Besnik, steadily on making it a fully-drank beer.
"Yeah, boss, this is great. But, uh... ain't the gnome who wrote this kind of... imprecise? I love a good story as much as the next guy, but I kinda thought we'd be pursuin' real leads, not chasin' after wild gnome tales." If anyone thinks to ask, he'll be happy to recite what he recalls hearing about Fustbickle, the Tome's author, and the nation of Lastwall.
Besnik grins at Aurus, happy to see the paladin partaking in the fine ale he serves at the Ace of Dreams.
"Yes, well, his poetry is certainly a bit purple. It's not really my style, but he did do his research. He interviewed dozens of crusaders and wrote about the most heroic and tragic deaths in the Tome itself. It wasn’t very widely published, so it’s been difficult to get my hands on. I'm convinced there's clues in his poetry that will help us uncover some of the Shining Crusade archeologic sites. Shall we try and interpret it together?"
|
A gnome with a backpack and bright red hair enters the room.
"Hi all Seebonickk here! I'm not too bad with traps, if the Venture Captain sends us somewhere with traps!"
He tries to remember what he knows about the area.
"Hey this Fustbickle was a gnome poet. He based his poems on true stories from the Shining Crusade."
|
|
Jack, not generally a man to be moved by cunning poetry, Gnomish tales, or, for that matter, religion, remains faintly unimpressed throughout much of the discussion.
When the possibility of archaeological sites to explore is brought up, however, he perks up considerably, but his expression remains wary.
"Do you really think you will be able to extract something useful, that hasn't been looked at before?"
|
|
Besnik grins at Aurus, happy to see the paladin partaking in the fine ale he serves at the Ace of Dreams.
"Yes, well, his poetry is certainly a bit purple. It's not really my style, but he did do his research. He interviewed dozens of crusaders and wrote about the most heroic and tragic deaths in the Tome itself. It wasn’t very widely published, so it’s been difficult to get my hands on. I'm convinced there's clues in his poetry that will help us uncover some of the Shining Crusade archeologic sites. Shall we try and interpret it together?"
"I mean, I'm no good with poetics that isn't a dirty limerick, but yeah, I guess we can take a loo-" Aurus starts to say before Seebonick's entrance causes him to turn around.
"Hey! Seebonickk! Haven't adventured with you in a dog's age! Glad one o' them traps didn't make you shorter by a head!" Aurus toasts the gnome as he enters and introduces himself.
|
|
”That’s just it!” says Besnik to Cloudia.
"We don’t yet have a crypt crawling with orcish hordes for you to explore at all. I had heard there was a bard traveling with your Pathfinder group by the name of Uldar. He has a reputation as a historian. I thought we would all take a look through the Tome together to see what we could interpret--gibberish poetry or not. Of course, he’s probably around here somewhere. Folks do have a habit of getting waylaid in the Ace of Dreams before setting off on an adventure," grins Besnik.
"Anyone need another while were waiting?" Besnik asks the party, raising a jug to fill their tankards.
|
|
Besnik continues his banter while pouring Cloudia a beer.
“Well, I’m sure he’ll be here any minute, the tome’s a bit delicate; no telling how long the pages will last. I haven’t searched for clues yet because I wanted to make sure we had multiple sets of eyes on it in case it gets damaged.”
Looking over his shoulder as Besnik flips through the pages of the Tome, you come across a significant piece of art next to one of the poems. The piece depicts three samurai in a Minkai art style. Venture-Captain Besnik reacts strongly to this piece. The Venture-Captain jolts upright.
“Minkai art! Let’s see, the Minkai Empire was founded in 3619, and the empire’s first explorers didn’t reach the west coast of the continent until at least 3691 ar, which leaves only sixty years before the beginning of the Shining Crusade itself. These women could have been among the first Minkai citizens to reach the Inner Sea!
“Let’s see, what secrets does the poem on this page hold?”
**********
**********
After you have all read the poem, Besnik comments.
“Mordesha? Is that the name of a place or a person? Are the samurai the heroes who the poem evokes? Wherever these terrible events took place holds the answers to our mystery. Once we can verify the location, we can share the information with the Knights of Ozem.
“If some dark force still haunts the place, remove it. I have a ritual that can unravel evil magic.” Besnik searches through his office, eventually producing a finger-length scroll case.
********
*********
KNOWLEDGE (LOCAL) 10+:
The government of Lastwall is run by the military
with a single elected leader, the watcher-lord. Though the
Knights of Ozem are prominent in both the military and
politics, not all citizens are knights, nor even soldiers.
KNOWLEDGE (LOCAL) 15+:
Followers of good deities are abundant Lastwall, but
so are followers of other militaristic deities such as Gorum.
Though known as a nation of paladins and clerics, many of
the soldiers in Lastwall are not very religious.
KNOWLEDGE (LOCAL) 20+:
Defenses against the orcs have been waning, and
many Lastfolk are concerned that if the orcs organize
enough to mount an offensive, Lastwall may not survive
the attack.
KNOWLEDGE (LOCAL) 25+:
The crusaders spend most of their resources guarding their borders, while dark forces go unnoticed inside the country. Yet if the knights move resources from the battlefront to patrol the interior, the borders could quickly crumble.
********
********
During the Shining Crusade, Tar-Baphon used the corpses of his rivals as new recruits for his ever-growing undead armies.
To protect their dead from joining the Whispering Tyrant’s army, the members of the Shining Crusade interred their dead in hidden crypts beneath consecrated cathedral grounds. Powerful necromancers could still overcome these protections and breach the crypts, however. Mordesha could be the name of one of these hidden sites.
********
|
|
Jack looks thoroughly bemused by what is going on, not really being much of a literature buff, but brightens a bit when there is mention of Soldiers from Tian-Xia.
"I haven't been to Minkai, but I heard plenty of stories about it when I was traveling through the continent it is on the east coast of. That's where I got Beaky!"
He then frowns.
"Maybe they are talking about undead? If so, I will gladly make sure that they are sent to the Boneyard..."
|
|
Aurus sputters into the dregs of his drink at Cloudia ordering a beer on ice. "And if you'd be inclined to pull a reglar beer, Captain Besnick, sir, I'd take another. Hardly do to upset Cayden Cailean before we take off..."
Aurus nods firmly at Jack's analysis. "Aye, sounds undead to me too. Thankfully... I'm somewhat equipped for that." Aurus' eyes twinkle, and for a brief moment, they turn a bright, deep gold - and his finger tips seem unusually sharp. But another second and the moment has passed.
|
|
I've never went to Minkai, but I've heard their warrior are proud and efficient.
Says Nemrok before taking the time to read the poem.
After a short time he adds after Jack and Aurus
May be people in this place could know more about the danger that lies ahead? I will asks around.
But, about the poem, I see something strange in it...
But nothing more than Aurus...
|
|
"You know, I think I see one of the Pathfinders most renowned experts on the area over there!"
Cloudia snatches the beer from Besnik's grasp and hurries over to another table where she shares the beer and chats up the Tianan pathfinder at the table. When she returns she has news. In an excited voice she contributes the following.
"Tomias over there was a wealth of knowledge about Lastwall. It's a very militaristic government as one might expect, being near to orcs and all. Their leader is called the watcher-lord and is both the governmental and military leader. The citizens, as a rule, are typically warriors too, lots of Knighes of Ozem, but not everyone. Religions tend towards battle minded deities and good deities. So if we DO run into undead, we should have a sympathetic countryside."
Cloudia takes a big drink of her cool beverage. No ice actually in it, but nice an chilly.
"Oddly enough, with all that going on, they seem to be easing up on their defenses. That part I didn't understand. He said that the folks are worried that if the orcs gear up to attack they won't survive it, so why bother. Seems pretty self-defeatist to me."
"Though they do seem to be in a no-win situation. If they concentrate on the orcs, then there are nasty things going on right on their back doorstep they cannot deal with. If they send their forces to deal with internal affairs, the orcs have a field day and they could see a lot more of the orcs than they would like, if you know what I mean."
|
|
Besnik ponders your words while pouring another pint into Aurus's flagon
"Yes, well, there certainly has always been an orc problem in Lastwall, and with all the interred Shining Crusaders the undead aren't a a surprise either.
"But this Mordesha, any clue at all? And speaking of orcs, where is that half-orc bard of yours, anyway? "
|
|
"But this Mordesha, any clue at all? And speaking of orcs, where is that half-orc bard of yours, anyway? "
”Sorry, I‘m here, just a bit distracted!
” To protect their dead from joining the Whispering Tyrant’s army, the members of the Shining Crusade interred their dead in hidden crypts beneath consecrated cathedral grounds. Powerful necromancers could still overcome these protections and breach the crypts, however. Mordesha could be the name of one of these hidden sites.”
|
|
"That would be my guess too, though I am certainly no expert. Well, if we are to be expecting undead, then I would suggest that those among you that fight get a couple oil of blessings perhaps some ghost blanch, and others perhaps make sure they have holy water. Of course we have to find the place first."
Cloudia examines the poem again and writes some notes, consults them, and shares her conclusions, occasionally twirling a lock of her hair in a finger as she ponders.
"Mordesha sounds like a site. It has halls, and a lower level, and it looks like a few of the Minkains were interned there with the hope that nobody would ever find them again. But they were and they were turned and set loose to roam the halls. Maybe held there by some magical prison or some weird twist of undead bondage from the sounds of the poem. Which means they could still be there."
"Now, our best clue about the location is this part about chimneys like skeletal fingers. If they are figurative and large enough, like mountains or something, they could serve as a landmark. If they are just chimneys, then it could still help if we could find a structure that has the distinctive features."
"So, who knows their geography? Is there anyone we could ask?"
Cloudia glance over at her previous consultant, wondering if he knows as much about geography and architecture as politics.
|
|
"I know!, says Besnik. "I feel like we're almost there. There has to be someplace near Lastwall that fits Cloudia's description."
Neither one of you finds this important information for the task at hand--puzzling over the poem--but both of you overhear a conversation in the Ace of Dreams between two drunk soldiers in the corner, that catches your ears because of the mention of Pathfinders. They leave before you’re able to speak to them. Perhaps you’ll find it worth mentioning later in the adventure…
Drunk #1: ”Heard Envius found another cache. Don’t know who’s worse the Catspaws or the Pathfinders. All of ‘em dirty grave diggers, if you ask me.”
Drunk #2: ”I’ll take the Pathfinders any day. The Catspaws’ll cut your throat the minute you turn you back on them.”
Uldar know that the Catspaws are an infamous theives’ guild operating in the region.
|
|
"Yeah, yeah! Mordesha! Little place, no official maps, kinda place where the town name got hung on a shingle. They got There's some rumors that where it used to be is either old druid stuff with some bad magic, or it's haunted - fire-blackened field north of Vellumis, tall cairns they call Yua's Fingers? The roads don't go near it, so we're going hiking." Aurus grins proudly. "Knew readin' those books was a good idea."
|
|
Cloudia gives Aurus a hug.
"Oh Aurus! That does sound like it must be the place. So smart!"
In spite of the displays of affection, there does not seem to be any romantic tell-tales from Cloudia towards Aurus. Just some history and affection.
"So, when do we leave? I'll need to let my family know I'll be away for a while and get my adventuring gear together. They worry, you know."
It looks like Cloudia worries too from the expression on her face. Those who know her know that she suffers from a lack of confidence.
"I wonder if my cousin will move up her baby shower. You remember my cousin, Aurus? We went to her wedding together. Seems like yesterday, doesn't it?! How long do we have before we need to leave, Besnik?"
|
|
Besnik is overjoyed at your discovery of the ruin, and eager to send you on your way to seal the rift, and to recover the ruin’s treasures and secrets. He's so happy with your discovery, that he digs through his office and hands you a traveler’s any-tool, a wand of cure moderate wounds(6 charges), a wand of protection from evil (7 charges), an oil of magic weapon, and two +1 flaming arrows to aid you on your journey.
Map in hand and eager to explore the ruins, you leave the Ace of Dreams to prepare.
*****
|
|
After two days of relatively uneventful travel--the orc hordes seem to be hibernating this time of year--you arrive during a thunderstorm to find a muddy field with pillars of blackened stone reaching to the sky like skeletal fingers. These forgotten chimneys are all that remain of the town of Mordesha.
As you walk among the chimneys, Seebonickk's keen eye picks out some rubble that has recently been cleared, uncovering a long set of stairs leading 100 feet underground. Surely, this is the entrance to crypt you are seeking.
*******
|
|
"I wonder if my cousin will move up her baby shower. You remember my cousin, Aurus? We went to her wedding together. Seems like yesterday, doesn't it?! How long do we have before we need to leave, Besnik?"
"Yeah, of course I remember - I was gonna ask how everyone was doin'! And man, baby shower? They really wasted no time, huh? What was that, just after the Blakros job, right?"
-----------------------------------------
Aurus will happily carry the any-tool, so that he can stop always borrowing Uldar's, and insists on being at the front of the party, utilizing his Light spell to keep the party able to see, casting it directly onto the pommel of his greatsword.
|
|
"Why yes! We saved that young Blakros, Pendleton or something. The Blakroses were so grateful they've offered to make me a part of the family. You too?"
1) Cloudia will maintain a light spell on her spear head when in dim areas though she will not wield it. Instead it sticks up high over her shoulder. She will travel with her wand of MM in one hand and her wand of bless in the other hand.
2) Cloudia will cast Mage Armor on herself from her wand when entering potentially dangerous areas.
3) Cloudia will cast Mage Armor on any monks or animal companions if possible.
4) Cloudia will cast bless as her first action and put the wand away unless she needs to move, which she will do instead of stowing the wand.
5) If botted, Cloudia will try to move to a safe location and fire her magic missile at the most injured enemy once the bless is cast. She will pull out her spear with any unused move action in case she needs it and drag it along behind her one handed.
When searching a room she contributes by casting a detect magic and identifying any magic sources.
Speaking of which Cloudia cast a Mage Armor on herself from her wand and readies her wand of MM and wand of Bless.
|
|
"Why yes! We saved that young Blakros, Pendleton or something. The Blakroses were so grateful they've offered to make me a part of the family. You too?"
"They may have? I gotta say, I never pay much attention to those sorts of things - being nobility or whatever they are seems like a whole lot of work."
I've saved the Twins in their freaking Museum... Bad people these family.
"Yeah, right?? Maybe not bad - I'da noticed if they was - but definitely unlucky to a fault. And like, what, if I'm part of the family, am I gonna have to drop everything when someone gets kidnapped or the museum goes all 'ancient evil?' Ain't nobody got time for that."
|
|
With sword and spear and wayfinder alight, the paladin, sorceress and ranger bring light into the darkness. You descend down the stairs of the entrance to the crypt. Upon reaching the bottom, you find yourself in a cavernous chamber that reaches east and west. Several smaller corridors branch outward from it. Dust and neglect mark this chamber, and darkness fills its corners. To the east lies a single stone sarcophagus. A long passage of text is carved into the wall behind the sarcophagus.
Before you get much further, perhaps not unexpectedly, a trio of undead bursts out from their hiding places from the darkness in the corners, armed heavily with breast plates and shields, and wielding masterwork long swords.
characters without dark vision or low light vision only
COMBAT TRACKER - Surprise Round - Bold may act, only one action during surprise round
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Uldar
--------------
Yellow
Blue
--------------
Aurus
Seebonickk
Jack
Nemrok
--------------
Red
First Round
Cloudia
Uldar
ONGOING EFFECTS / ENVIRONMENT
Dim light: Red and Blue
|
|
Lucky lays down a fat track, sharpening the party’s senses as they prepare for the onslaught.
A pair of undead charge from their positions, putting all their effort into the attack.
The first goes after Aurus, shouting as he approaches, ”Invaders of our crypt. We fought valiantly for the Shining Crusade, and yet you cometh and disturb our unrest, our bones forever cursed to fight, though our souls have long since departed. Death comes once again to the tombs under Mordesha, by our swords.”
The blow failing to pierce the dragon disciple's heavy armor and thick skin.
The second, Seebonickk
Seebonickk, however, takes a glancing blow. Not heavily wounded, but definitely awake.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
COMBAT TRACKER - Surprise Round - Bold may act, only one action during surprise round
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Uldar
--------------
Yellow
Blue
--------------
Aurus
Seebonickk
Jack
Nemrok
--------------
Red
First Round
Cloudia
Uldar
ONGOING EFFECTS / ENVIRONMENT
Dim light: Red
Inspire Courage: +1 to attack and damage rolls for party
|
|
Use bludgeoning weapons against these guys! They resist to other type of damages.
Says Nemrok who, seeing the undeads, think is not lucky to face such creature that resist most of his spells.
Nevertheless, he tries to control the one who has not yet act.
Be mine! Command Undead, Will DC17 on red
|
|
Aurus drops his sword and draws his flail, but is unable to get past the skeletal champion’s shield.
Jack's aim is true, however, his mighty arrow shattering the rib cage of the undead monstrosity. It still stands, saved only by its resistance to piercing.
Seebonick deftly tumbles around the first's twin, but is unable to get through its armor with his weapon.
Meanwhile, the final skeleton leaps out from behind his casket! Going after Aurus with his long sword.
”Fool! The dead have long departed! We are merely the bones, reanimated to take you with us.” says the former Shining Crusader as he steps forth.
The skeleton talks a big talk, but misses terribly wide with his long sword.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
COMBAT TRACKER – Round 1 - Bold may act
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Cloudia
Uldar
--------------
Yellow -2AC
Blue -2AC, -16HP
--------------
Aurus
Seebonickk -10HP
Jack
Nemrok
--------------
Red
ONGOING EFFECTS / ENVIRONMENT
Inspire Courage: +1 to attack and damage rolls for party