[PFS2] GM Steinkrug's Grehunde's Gorget (Quest #3) (Inactive)

Game Master steinkrug

Venture-Captain Bjersig Torrsen calls the PCs north to the town of Iceferry in the frigid Land of the Linnorm Kings. There, Bjersig informs the Pathfinders that he has a request from the family of a storied and long-dead Linnorm King. The family's patriarch, the warrior Hlavard Grenskuldr, appears to have perished in a shipwreck while wearing the family's heirloom, the gorget of the Linnorm King Grehunde the Sunchaser. For one hundred generations the family has passed this heirloom down from parent to child, until Hlavard sought to wear it on a journey to Valenhall as Grehunde herself had intended to do before perishing with the task unfinished. Unwilling to leave the relic to rust away in a watery grave, Hlavard's family has requested the Pathfinder Society's assistance in locating the shipwreck and retrieving the family treasure.

Written by Kate Baker.

You've arrived at the Pathfinder Lodge in the town of Iceferry in the Land of the Linnorm Kings. Those that recently adventured in Jalmeray have traveled far indeed and perhaps had other adventures on the way.

Upon entering the Lodge, you're greeted by a female gnome. "Ah! You must be those that Captain Torrsen called for! I'm Lirall!" She wears a wayfinder prominently. "Please come in, come in, come in. This is a warm day if you can believe it. No really, it is. It'll be just a moment. He's expecting you, of course. Thanks for coming."

As you enjoy the respite from the cold, Lirall pulls one of several colored cords near the door. The one she pulls is labeled "OFFICE." Almost immediately, the loud howl of a dog echoes throughout the building, followed by a trio of scampering, blue-skinned goblins dashing down a nearby hallway. A large husky bursts into the hallway, snarling at the goblins until a tall half-orc emerges a moment later and lays a calming hand on her back. He gestures for you to follow him into a meeting room, seemingly ignoring the goblins.

Picture of Venture-Captain Bjersig Torrsen and his dog added to slides. Feel free to take this opportunity to introduce you character, especially since we've got a few new folks joining us since last quest.

Ortho walks in. Typical goblin. Plenty of vials and such visible that you can easily tell his is an Alchemist. He almost joins the other Goblins chasing after the dog, but, barely, holds himself together, his training kicking in.

An elderly Taldan lady, with pale skin, blue eyes and white hair.
She does not smile much, standing ramrod straight, looking very prim.
Dressed in a fine pale grey dress, suitable for a noble, she has some simple and sober jewelry.
"I am delighted to meet you. How do you do, Lirall?"

She then bows her head before Torrsen.
"My name is Lady Mona of Menetou, but, here to serve you, Venture-Captain, please call me Milady."
She looks around:
"It might be a good idea to put out some mats for those blue-skinned goblins to be able to wipe their feet before dashing around like nincompoops."

A hunched figure enters the room, bedecked in a red robe and mask that cover his entire body. However, the headpiece bears tusks and a prominent brow and jaw that look to slide over the same features on one's face. This identifies him as a half-orc. He carries a flute in one hand and loosely holds an axe in the other.

He looks a bit taken aback at the display greeting him, but times are changing. "I am Kazikli," he says in a voice like gravel.

"How do you do, Kazikli? My name is Milady."

"At least this one introduces himself," she mutters, casting a cold glance at Ortho.

Lusinel bounces in with her sprightly elven gait, takes in the scene at a glance, grins, and winks at Kazikli. She arranges the drape of her long black cloak to best set off the embroidery on her midnight-blue fencer's costume, and performs a elaborate Taldan court bow to the elderly lady. Then, completely shifting her posture, she offers a rude-and-ready alchemists' salute - including a gesture that suggests the throwing of a bomb - to the goblin.

"Well met, colleagues. I am Lusinel, security consultant by trade."

"I am here, and ready to work," Kazikli replies simply. "I hope you are well." He raises his flute-hand in friendly greeting to Lusinel. "What are we needed for, Venture-Captain?"

Ortho finally calms down enough to speak after almost joining the other goblins.

"Ortho, ready to work"

Milady is very pleased by Lusinel's courtly bow.
"Oh, very well educated. Very nice!"

Barb, a somewhat imposing, female half-orc, nods at the gnome and responds, "Nice to meet you Lirall. Hush, Shri."

She smiles at Kazikli and Lusinel, "Good to see you again, friends. I spotted Feldspar but he seems to have become distracted and fallen behind."

She then addresses Ortho, "Nice to meet you, Ortho. I look forward to working together."

Finally, Barb turns to the Taldan, "Milady is your preferred form of address? I suspect you have some interesting tales you could share. I look forward to working together." The half-orc then provides a more formal nod toward the lady before following with the others behind Lirall.

When Torrsen arrives, Barb straightens up a little more, her shoulders rounding back, and a new light in her eyes. "Happy to be assigned here, Sir. How may we serve?"

"Yes, Milady is... most suitable, thank you."
She then blushes, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth.
"Tales?! Well... I dare say, maybe I will have some after all."

Feldspar, a young human of perhaps 20 years rushes in. He is carrying plain staff that he mostly fails to trip over.

"Feldspar of Oparra. At least the bits that haven't frozen off. Sorry, Venture-Captain. Ready to work."

He looks at the new members of the party. "An alchemist that still has his eyebrows. You must be pretty good. Never really got the hang of that myself."

He nods at Barb, Lusinel, and Kazikli before turning his attention to the Venture Captain.

Venture-Captain Bjersig Torrsen begins explaining the situation, his dog Mahki sitting attentively nearby. As he speaks aloud, the half-orc punctuates his words with phrases in a sign language.

“Apologies for the ruckus. The Frostfurs are talented scouts, but they have an adversarial relationship with Mahki. She doesn’t particularly like them either.

“To the reason I called you here! The Grenskuldr family traces their lineage back to the storied warrior Grehunde the Sun Chaser, a Linnorm King who ruled over the city of Jol and whose victories in battle were legendary. The family still has a lot of influence. I’ve asked them to help out the Society, and they’ve asked for a favor in exchange. That’s where you come in. Are you familiar with Valenhall?”

Assuming not everyone is...

Torrsen explains that over 5,000 years ago, Ulfen explorers traveled across the Arcadian Ocean to the continent of Arcadia, where they established Valenhall, a now nearly mythical realm where Ulfen heroes journey to finish their lives. Even to the present day, brave Ulfen dream fondly of finishing their last battle and sailing off to Valenhall.

"“Grehunde the Sunchaser never got to sail off to Valenhall—she died in what she planned to be her last battle. Her gorget was passed down to her descendants, most recently Hlavard Grenskuldr, also a Linnorm King. Hlavard was an impressive warrior in his youth, but a month ago he sailed off toward Valenhall to set up a shrine to Grehunde there and finish her journey. He planned to ensure the gorget found its final home in a place of honor. Unfortunately, something happened to his ship, the Shoreseeker, along the way. Merchants report that the ship is still partially above water, but they didn’t get close enough to find out what happened. While his children respected Hlavard’s decision, they would rather not have their father’s body and the priceless family heirloom at the bottom of the sea. I’d like you to find the ship and retrieve Hlavard and the gorget. I’ve arranged a ship for you, the Wandering Hearth, to follow the Shoreseeker’s path through the Steaming Sea.”

That said, the Venture-Captain pauses for any questions.

PCs may attempt a Society or Ulfen Lore Recall Knowledge check about Valenhall. PCs may also attempt a Nature Recall Knowledge check for more about the Steaming Sea. Information will depend on your level of success so I'll provide it after the rolls this time.

Milady listens intently, nodding along--
Society, untrained: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19
--"Valenhall. Yes... I imagine they must have a very good guest-seating system there."

Nature, untrained: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
"The steaming tea? Oh, that is wonderful. I will have mine with a splash of milk please."

Society: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
"I don't know much about Valenhall, but I do know..."

Nature: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Kazikli greets Barb and Feldspar before returning to the matter at hand. "I take it Hlavard's offspring would not want to see his body in such a state. We will do our best to appease."

"I am afraid this is all new territory to me, though I look forward to learning more of this country and its culture. Please, tell me all you can that may be of use."

Lusinel digs out her copy of Tourists' Guide to the Frozen North and flips through it.

Nature(T): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Society(T): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

"This is all mostly new to me as well, I'm afraid."

nature, untrained: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Society,trained: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

@Lusinel Ah, right. Thanks for the reminder.

Lusinel reads aloud the salient passages from her guidebook, confirming what some of the party already know.

Everyone may read both spoilers in GM's post above.

"I have no further questions. Shall we go?" It is clear Ortho is almost eager to leave if only to find his fellow goblins and join them in hunting down the dog seen earlier.

Barb looks at Ortho and mutters quietly, "Patience new friend"

She then turns to the Venture-Captain and asks, "Can you provide any more knowledge or equipment that would assist with this mission? I am particularly concerned that we will be trying to deal with both, for us, extreme cold and possible immersion in water."

She pauses for a moment before adding, "I find myself less prepared than I would like. Perhaps my companions have what we need?" As she adds the last she looks at the rest of the team with a hopeful expression.

Milady nods at Barb when she talks about preparation.
She opens her traveling chest, and removes a used chain shirt that she will wear under her dress once she finds a private place to change.
She also removes a pair of bandoliers, to wear over the dress.
One has a couple scrolls in it, and the other is filled with healer's tools.
"I spent twenty years as a volunteer nurse in the Puddles..."
Finally, she attaches a dagger and a pouch onto her belt.

"I hope we will not get too wet... I have not brought any specific dress for entering the sea."

Mahki starts to get restless under Ortho's gaze and Torrsen places a hand on his dog's head to calm her.

He gives Barb a sympathetic look. Aye, it's rough country up here. I'm afraid we don't have much in the way of supplies I can offer. But you can acquire some provisions in town before you leave. If nothing else, there's the Brittlebug Inn. I would say there is a good chance of at least some of you getting wet.

You can find any common adventuring gear in town if you'd like to make any purchases before setting out. Now's the time to declare any items you're going to acquisition from your training schools as well. And let me know any boons you're slotting.

Any other questions for the Venture-Captain? After any shopping, the next step would be to report to the ship the Wandering Hearth.

Milady will not go to check out the Brittlebug Inn - "What an awful name!" - but head for the Wandering Hearth.

Kazikli doesn't have anything to buy, but he picks up two scrolls from a Society quartermaster. "My armor is mostly done with its repairs," he enthuses to his frequent companions. "You've never seen it. Odd and dangerous, fighting without. But I wouldn't ever wear a different set."

Will take a quick look if I want to buy anything on the way to the ship.

Before leaving the VC Barb asks, "Can you tell us any more about what happened to the ship? Also, are there known predators or other dangers in those waters?"

Before leaving the VC Barb asks, "Can you tell us any more about what happened to the ship? Also, are there known predators or other dangers in those waters?"

“We don’t quite know what happened to the ship. The crew made it to shore on a lifeboat, but their stories conflict. Something may have attacked the ship, or it may have just run aground of something, and Hlavard told them to leave while he investigated. He never lit the signal light that said it was okay for the crew to return, so they made their way back home.”

"As for dangers, I don't have any specific to warn you about. Just be on your guard and remember your training."

More in the morning...

Sorry for the delay

Feldspar will also try to locate a set of winter clothing in town before joining the party at the Wandering Hearth

@Feldspar you can find some winter clothing in town no problem. Anyone else that does some shopping before heading out just note it in your next post.

The captain of the Wandering Hearth is Eynilla Vriggdahl, a middle-aged Ulfen woman.

"You sure you're ready for the Steaming Sea? Got everything you need? You come on this ship, I expect you to keep your eyes open and do your part. We don't take passengers, we take temporary crew. And this route is a dangerous one, so don't think I don't mean that."

True to the captain's words, after you've been at sea for a few hours, the skies darken and the crew start scrambling, securing equipment and making other preparations. Thunder crashes and moments later rain starts pouring down and the boat starts rocking in the volatile waters.

If you like you can try to help the crew deal with the storm. Each PC may attempt one of the following skill checks: Sailing Lore to help Captain Vriggdahl sail the ship, Athletics to secure crates and equipment or Climb the rigging, or Acrobatics to secure ropes at the sides of the ship without falling overboard.

Temporary crew? For the love of Abadar, what is this nonesense? I am not some sailor's wench!

"Good day, captain!"

When the storm starts, Milady is very unhappy she did not bring her umbrella along.
She will tell Captain Vriggdahl that: "It is important to enunciate clearly for good conversation. So I can help pass messages to people up in the ropes, or at the other end of the ship, despite all the thunder and such."
1 action to cast Message if ever needed in a round

Then, she will move around when necessary, to help bolster her comrade's actions: "May Abadar guide your actions. I am sure you have had some sort of religious education, so trust in the Golden Key!"
2 actions to give +1 status Bonus to any skill check to one person within 30 feet ; each round (only 1 time per person)

Kazikli tries to keep his footing and grab the ropes.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

As is his custom, he uses aerokinesis to help where it wouldn't and gets himself into trouble.

Lusinel helps secure the ropes.

Acrobatics(T): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

Whoever thinks they might crit-fail should take Milady's Guidance.

Ortho does what he can to secure the rigging, even though he is a Goblin and not very heavy to do such a task.
Acro(T): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

For me, either the Guidance goes to the first person (Kazikli here) if all are in the same round.
If it is not in rounds, then Milady would cast one per person.

Feldspar also tries to help secure ropes to the ships sides.

Athletics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

”I wonder why you don’t have a full crew.” he remarks, trying to avoid going over the side

While Barb hunts through the goods available for purchase, none that would address her primary concerns are within her financial grasp.

Some of the locals give her a wide berth and queer looks as she shoulders her pack and makes her way to the ship. They are the ones who heard her quietly arguing with herself or some unseen entity over some of the items she considered.

Once onboard Barb stows her gear where indicated and declares her willingness to assist however she may. "Just give me clear instructions and I'll give you all I've got."

When the storm starts up she jumps in with vigour, using her strength to help secure larger items.

Athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

I applied Milady's guidance to Kazikli to avoid a crit. failure.

Lusinel manages to deftly keep her balance while securing the ropes. Kazikli and Ortho try to do so as well, but are not as sure on their feet. They manage to avoid going overboard or injuring themselves at least.

While Milady offers her guidance to help everyone else scrambling about the boat and provide a beacon of calmness in the storm, Feldspar and Barb work hard to secure the ship's gear.

The storm ends almost as suddenly as it began. The captain approaches your group once the ship is again sailing on calm waters. "I'm impressed... with most of you anyway. We'll be sending you on your way with some gifts. Some gear that'd be sinking to the bottom of the sea now if it weren't for you anyway."

That's two successes and one critical success. The party gets 2 crowbars, 2 spears, 2 lesser elixirs of healing, and 2 lesser antidotes for use during the rest of the adventure.

The Wandering Hearth reaches its destination. The Shoreseeker lies half submerged in the sea, propped up by several more wrecked ships. The Ulfen longship is substantially damaged on the side. Captain Vriggdahl sails the ship to the opposite, more intact side, and sailors lay several boards to allow access to the ship. Map added to slides.

As the sailors are laying the boards, Lusinel and Milady notice gray mold covering a section of the deck on the other side. Indicated on map. Survival DC 13 to remove or neutralize the mold without disturbing it.

The Shoreseeker's deck seems otherwise unremarkable. There are openings with stairs leading to the lower decks.

Nature, Guidance: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 3 + 1 = 8 Sigh...

Kazikli watches the pointed-out mold, likely expecting Lusinel to work her magic. He has his axe ready. "The Ulfen shouldn't begrudge us this much. Can I help, or would scattering it cause more trouble?"

"Well, by Abadar, it is always nice to receive goods!"
Though Milady thanks the captain, she does not take anything.
"'Tis a bit dirty, it seems..."

Milady looks at the ship's less damage side--
Nature, untrained: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
--"This seems like she is ready to sail!"

"There is some mold over there... I am very good with a duster and a broom, for cleanliness is important! Let me try to get rid of it... or you will get it on your shoes and be tracking this all over the ship. And we cannot have that, now!"

If she has time (it takes 1 action, so, is getting rid of the mold 2 actions or less?) she will give a prayer to Abadard, and cast Guidance... in any case she will try to get rid of the mold without sending it up in the air.
Survival, untrained: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18 (+1 if Guidance)

@Kazikli: Guidance only lasts for 1 round when cast, and then we are blocked from using it again for 1 hour (so I imagine MIlady has not used it for you just now)

"That's a weird pile of wrecked ships. I wonder how that happened."

Nature(T): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 Nope.

Barb thanks the Captain for the gifts and offers to carry anything that others don't wish to take.

As the ships tie up she looks at the pile of wrecks.
Nature(U): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14

As Milady steps up to remove the mould she can be heard muttering, "Nothing cowardly about it. I would have tried but I am happy to honour the skill of my companions."

I figured I'd use it on myself after you reminded me I had it. Slightly ups my chance of success on my worse checks. I also assumed it'd been an hour (and I don't know how that works with someone else's guidance), but GM can rule on that.

Nature (U): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
No way!

Survival: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Ortho helps with the mould situation. He also grabs an elixir of healing - just in case.

Feldspar looks at the ships with an inexpert eye.

nature(u): 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18

"Hm. I think I read about things like this back at the library." He shares his observations with the team.

He then attempts to help clean up the mold if there is any remaining work to do.

Survival(t): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

"Sea serpents you say, hmm."