Gameplay thread.
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Manny enters the room, plucking away on his lute. He's stuck on one chord progression and retries it a few times before nodding and adding a "yeah!"
"'Sup everyone. The name's Manny, short for Emmanuel. The Holysmith Family says hello." The human reaches for as many handshakes and high fives as he's allowed.
"Certain death is what heroes do, man." He overhears the dwarf. "Besides, ladies love when you dive into danger head first." He winks. "Some guys, too."
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Slender human of Tian descent enters, as he speaks his voice carries a whisper of an accent, "Greetings, I am Zhang Wei. I would find it agreeable if you called me Wei." Wei bows then quickly stands and extends his hand in greeting. He looks to Orin and Manny, "Death is never certain. Certain danger... Much more so in our work."
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A goblin wearing a helmet that is clearly a size too big walks in, cautiously, as he can only see about half the room. He bumps into a table and bounces off, his hands going to a defensive posture as he checks for unseen enemies before relaxing.
"Hello! Me am Hookie, of Saranrae! Me am servant of Dawnflower and also me am Pathfinder (probationary)! Me am happy to meet you and am happy to make enemies see light of Dawnflower! Hookie am on first mission, so Hookie am hoping he am not making bad mistakes! Hoo hoo!" He croons as he tilts his head back to take in the room, and his helmet falls off with a clatter.
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A gnome scurries in. Her hair and skin are brightly colored and clashing even for a gnome, though the colors are nearly hidden underneath various pouches and bags. An incongruous spear with a blade and hook on the end is slung over her shoulder, sticking up well above her head.
"Greetings, all! Name is Chikamin! This is my first real Pathfinder mission."
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A human male, slightly taller than normal, enters quietly. Wearing a long dark blue coat made of tweed with leather patches on the elbows and chalk dust on the cuffs, he has a backpack slung over his shoulder overflowing with quills and papers, obviously packed in haste.
Brushing back dark hair with wisps of grey at his temples, he looks around the entry obviously lost, causing him to stroke his goatee in thought.
"Excuse me, sorry to be a bother. I was told to arrive here sharply for the Pathfinder Society. Something about a task that could benefit from the aid of an academic scholar..."
Uncomfortably switching his backpack to another shoulder, the gentleman with a hint of an accent looks each of you in turn, eyes darting quickly as he has a bit of a 'fish out of water' air to him.
Each of you have arrived in Sakakabe, a prosperous city in Minkai famous for its trade in silver and pearls, to help Venture-Captain Amara Li lay the groundwork for a lodge in Minkai. Amara Li has been collecting relics from across the world to house in a new museum with a focus on relics from Minkaian history that have been kept in other nations. To this end, she has been traveling all over the nation to pursue leads. Relics have come from a combination of purchases and donations, and she has occasionally called on local Pathfinders to guard the relics in transit.
Venture-Captain Li has summoned you all to meet with her in one of the gardens of the Kiniro Kyomai teahouse, a famous teahouse run by geisha. The quality of the Kiniro Kyomai’s tea, food, and samisen music make it a popular destination for locals and travelers alike.
“I fear that misfortune may have struck some of your fellow agents. I hope that you can help them return here to safety, but I fear the task I have to request of you may instead center around recovering what you can from your fallen allies and, if it is safe to do so, completing the mission in their stead."
“Last year, I received a donation of relics from Taldor. The route is lengthy and complicated, so I will spare you unnecessary details. A caravan carrying the relics safely arrived in Hongal to the north, where it met up with a pair of Pathfinder agents, Lin Po and Ti Lan. These agents inspected the cargo, sent me a missive indicating that all was in order, and joined a second caravan to take the Spirit Road through the Forest of Spirits. The journey is understandably long, taking over two months to complete. Still, the caravan is late, and I fear that they may have run into trouble along the way. They were supposed to reach Sakakabe two weeks ago."
“While it’s possible that they were waylaid in the northernmost parts of Minkai, I believe it’s far more likely that they ran into trouble in the Forest of Spirits, a mystical place that shelters departed souls and most of the world’s kami. Kami are spiritual guardians with a deep connection to certain living locations or living things. The locals pay great respect to the kami, never intruding further into the forest than their one coastal road, the Spirit Road, and a number of small settlements built around shrines. This should make tracking the caravan simple, since there’s only a single road along which they should have had to rest or resupply at some point. I need you to check each of the roadside settlements until you find the last one to have seen the caravan, then track it from there and figure out what happened.”
“Be sure to respect the kami and the local traditions honoring them; I don’t want you to come to harm in your journey. The kami are mostly benevolent, so long as they receive the proper respect, but there are some dangers that might have harried the caravan. Bandits, hobgoblins, and giants, among other creatures, dwell within the forest. The forest also hosts some aggressive plants and animals, not to mention malign spirits such as the oni, the sworn enemies of the kami. The locals will know more than I of what perils to expect.”
"Questions?"
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As Venture-Captain Li explains the details of the mission Ezekiel is furiously writing down notes, barely looking up from the flurry of his quill until she is finished with the briefing.
"Interesting, quite the potential for peril indeed on that road. While the most immediate concern would be the spirit forest itself, is it possible they were carrying something in the artifacts that other parties could be interested in who are maybe not as versed in the dangers of the Spirit Road? It's possible they were waylaid by forces of ill intent. Also, do we have a specific contact within any of the settlements of the Spirit Road that we should be working with?
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Mister Gunter arrives just in time to hear about the upcoming mission, but too late to meet his fellow path-finders. He stands towards the fringes of the group since that is his comfort zone in these urban areas.
He always sleeps soundly in the bosom of mother storm, but these urban monstrosities put him on edge...
Mister Gunter raises his hand to attract attention...
"Excuse me...Are there any settlements along the road that are unfriendly to pathfinders?"
(Nature +7)
Emory, Hookie, and Wei have heard of the Forest of Spirits. There are a large number of kami, benign spirits (for the most part) that can possess living creatures. They can share memories, but can't control their hosts' physical actions.
Orin:
"All we know is that the caravan left Hongal. The remainder of the caravan is banal - farmers and merchants moving routine goods."
Chikamin:
"The caravans aren't large. Usually they are 3-5 wagons. Because they don't all have the same destination or timelines, sometimes the caravan size changes over the course of the journey."
Emory:
"The villages can be quite different. They all have charm in some way, and foibles in some way. They could be indifferent, or friendly, but very rarely hostile. Some villages can be wary of you, and some might be superstitious. Be on your toes!"
Hookie:
"Kami and oni are both spirits. Kami are generally friendly or neutral, and oni are hostile."
Wei:
"Kami are generally seen - and see themselves - as caretakers of the woods. They will attack those they think are there to hurt the woods, or their neck of the woods. They are also protected by creatures in the woods, so if you are perceived as being a threat to the kami, you may be attacked."
"I can't imagine anyone deliberately targeting these artefacts. They have great cultural value, but little resale or black market value. Some items that I remember being on the list were a scarf, a latern, and a bonsai tree - it would really baffle me why someone would steal these items."
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"Let us go into the wilds dear friends...with the mother storm to guide us we have nothing to fear. We go now and be one with the forest..."
Mister Gunter closes his eyes in a brief moment of silence while he communes with nature in his own way. He now feels centered and ready to defend the forest, and assist the pathfinders in their cultural pursuits.
Wei: Amara can't think of anything else.
Although Sakakabe is the closest city to the forest of Spirits, it still takes several weeks of travel on a road that winds through the Osogen Grasslands to reach the Forest of Spirits.
Along the way, you cross paths with travelers heading south into Minkai, as well as the nomadic herders who call the rolling plains home. No one you meet in the grasslands has seen the caravan the PCs are looking for.
When you enter the Forest of Spirits, the atmosphere changes. The forest is cool and damp, and profoundly alive. Snow blankets the ground and clings to branches of towering pine and spruce trees. Birds, rodents, foxes, deer, bears, and numerous other creatures roam through the woods, keeping their distance from the road. The density of the trees suggests that logging is almost unheard of in this forest. Animals are not the only creatures moving out in the woods; you occasionally see unexplained movement in the trees and rocks or feel like someone is watching them. However, whenever you stop or look closely, you're always unable to see anything other than the woods.
As you progress through the forest, you visit several small villages, none of which have seen the caravan that you're looking for.
You eventually reach a larger village. A plaque on the outside of the village is written in Tien.
You approach some people in the town square to ask about the caravan, but they all look at you funny and ignore your attempts to communicate.
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Orin grumbles a bit, used to being ignored by locals he turns to his companions "Too ba' we left da wizards back home, they're always speakin' all sorts o' languages. Lets look for an inn or a trading post. The Spirit Road gets enough travel that somebody 'eres gotta be able to at least answer a few questions."
Orin does his best to find any welcoming looking establishments.
Hookie no lookie at crazy longshank language.
Manny pulls out a lute and starts singing. Even though nobody in the village can understand the words, the language of music is universal. One of the villagers even brings out his own instrument. It's a stringed instrument played with a bow. He calls it an "er hu."
The villager sings along. In the background, some people begin acting. It seems to be a song about a hunt.
Emory, with his druidic knowledge of nature, realizes that they are describing the environs around the village. The dancers line up in two lines, describing a fork in the road. There is the main road, on which you arrived, and an older road through the thick of the forest.
Orin listens to the song politely, but he prefers hard rock music.
Chikamin and Hookie realize they are acting out something that happened. A caravan of foreigners arrived but wanted to take the branch road. The villagers warned them against it but they went anyway.
You sketch out a crude map of the road system and point to the humanoid. They talk amongst themselves in Tien for a bit.
They come to some agreement and they draw a bunch of pine trees next to the village.
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Mister Gunter nods appreciateively at the villagers...
He takes his stick and draws a box with two wheels on it to represent the caravan near the pine trees, and then he stabs it with the end of his spear...completely obliterating the caravan...
He looks up at the villagers with a questioning look on his face...
As if to ask if they met their doom at the pine trees.
Unfortunately, you are waylaid before you make it to the forest. Two walking pine trees roar into the village, swinging their branches at people and buildings. The villagers scatter, running into their homes.
The green pine triple moves into the square.
Round 1, all the Pathfinders may go!
Green Pine
Emory
Wei
Orin
Hookie
Emmanuel
Chikamin
Yellow Pine
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"Okay, moving tree things. Got it." Manny calls out to his companions.
"Don't give up and let's take them down, quickly! Their flower power is no match for our glower power!"
Manny Inspires Courage in his friends within 60 feet, granting a +1 status bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves against fear effects.
He draws his shortbow and takes aim at the Green tree.
The arrow splashes into the fountain. "Whoops. My bad."
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With a quick flourishing hand jester and an unpronounceable word of power, a small ball of flame appears in Mister Gunter's hand.
He then hurls it at the walking tree! (Green)
"Mother Storm...guide my hand true, and protect these innocent peoples of Tien!"
Action 1-2: Cast Produce Flame
Action 3: quickly massages Orin's shoulders
Reaction: Aid grants a circumstance bonus to Orin's attack roll
Mister Gunter quickly and concisely massages Orin's shoulders and neck muscles in preparation for the upcoming fight to loosen his muscles and make them ready to strike hard and fast...
Cooperative Nature - Human Ancestry Feat (+4 to Aid Checks)
Add appropriate skill bonus to die roll.
Mister Gunter quickly and concisely massages Orin's shoulders and neck muscles in preparation for the upcoming fight to loosen his muscles and make them ready to strike hard and fast...
Let's call it Medicine. Not everyone knows how to give a proper two second massage!
Orin gets +1 to his next attack.
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Orin smiles back at Emory as he looses his pick and stays low to the ground as he kicks up dust suddenly rushing to the back of the green tree before taking a swing.
FIGHTER FLOURISH OPEN
With a quick sprint, you dash up to your foe and swing. Stride twice. If you end your movement within melee reach of at least one enemy, you can make a melee Strike against that enemy. You can use Sudden Charge while Burrowing, Climbing, Flying, or Swimming instead of Striding if you have the corresponding movement type.