Six weeks ago, you were roused from your quarters in the Sothis Pathfinder Lodge in Osirion and ordered to travel far to the north into the decidedly unfriendly Hold of Belkzen.
Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir gave you two missions: first, to uncover the whereabouts of a Pathfinder delver named Heralt who was last seen working out of a hidden Chelish fort called Skull Hill, and second, to investigate claims in a long-ago published volume of the Pathfinder Chronicles that a lost tomb rests beneath the fort’s timber tower—a tomb that holds the body of Akila, a legendary Osirian sorceress and her magic ring that was said to have brought death to Skull Hill the day Akila was laid to rest.
After weeks aboard a smelly Katapeshi galley crossing the Inner Sea, winding up the Sellen River, bravely traversing stormy Lake Encarthan, slipping up The Path, and finally docking in Vigil, you and your companions then crossed the Belkzen frontier into a region the orcs call the Skittering Mounds, carefully avoiding orcish patrols. Now you stand atop a ridge overlooking a low river valley and stare down at the fort called Skull Hill.
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Harbinger is a tall imposing man who is clad head to toe in what looks like immaculate ancient full plate, from what little of his face you can see you can tell he has pale skin and blue eyes. for what little he speaks his voice is gruff and strangely high pitched for his figure.
On the boat ride over he rarely speaks and when he does its just musings along the lines of wondering why the Decimvarate decided to book a months-long boat ride for a group of agents of whom's caliber may well be able to teleport over. He spends most of his time in his books or polishing his armor and tending to his things.
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A young Taldon man in blue and white robes bows to the gathered team. He has an impressively large hornbow* not often seen in the hall of the Grand Lodge. "I am Bo. We have the two goals in dangerous lands. This sounds challenging. However, 'The Path' often leads us through difficulty to reveal our strength or temper our weakness."
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Narayan approaches the group with his teeth bared in a grin that's... unsettling, but entirely heartfelt.
His jaw juts out over a very short neck, which with his broad shoulders gives him a somewhat squat appearance even though he stands comfortably over 6' tall. His clothing is simple and roughspun, but he has an small cache of various magical implements hung at his belt.
"Greetingss friends, I am Narayan Ssingh. May our mission be a joyouss one, for a chancce to ssave a fellow agent musst always be ssnatched up where posssible."
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"Oh, you're absolutely right about that!" a young woman answers, pushing up her spectacles absentmindedly as she looks down over the fort. "Though it would certainly help if we knew how to identify this Heralt, or what he was searching for here." She pauses to listen for orc war drums, then relaxes when she hears only silence.
That would take the fun out of it though! A tiny blue dragon with orange butterfly wings perches lazily on Not-Trixie's shoulder while his voice speaks silently inside the Pathfinders' minds. Just think of this as an opportunity to get to know lots of people as you ask each one if they're a secret Pathfinder scholar in need of rescue. You know, like everyone does!
Which objective is Trixie asking about?
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Ssseek Heralt. Ssself can do that. Find ring on corpssse in lossst tomb of Akila. Ssself can do that. Ssself goesss now to Ssskull Hill.
Hmm... What does Self remember about that area? ...
Companion Narayan Sssingh, Ssself isss impresssed with Sssingh'ss eassse of working with thessse mammalsss. Ssstill an effort for Ssself.
Not-Trixie, if opportunity presssentsss when ssscufflesss are ssstarting, pleassse ussse thisss on me if have change form of Ssself.
Heralt is a Pathfinder delver, known for his many explorations of regions that don’t look favorably on Pathfinders—regions such as the Hold of Belkzen, Druma, and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. He was last seen in Vigil, preparing to travel to the incredibly dangerous region of Belkzen called the Skittering Mounds. He was traveling to the Skittering Mounds to seek out a hidden Chelish fort called Skull Hill. Hewas said to be posing as an explorer from a minor noble house of Cheliax, and was there seeking a lost tomb for the Pathfinder Society. Heralt’s last report from Skull Hill was that he’d confirmed the existence of the tomb of the famed Osirian sorceress Akila, but that access to it was blocked and it was going to take some time to get inside. He promised to report again in a week and it’s been months since he was last heard from.
Skull Hill was a strategic Chelish fort in modern day Belkzen that the nation of Cheliax used for mercenary recruitment and weapons trading during the Everwar. It was reported destroyed when Cheliax ceded those lands to Belkzen, but Skull Hill still exists. The Chelish government has kept it secret for centuries and they use the hidden fort to keep tabs on the Belkzen orc tribes.
Trixie looks over the fort from the party's vantage on the ridge and notices a number of concerning things. Nothing moves within the palisade surrounding the fields and buildings within. Both the outer gate and the inner gate to the motte appear to have been smashed in, scorch marks plain to see on the outer walls. Several craters mar the grounds, one directly at the base of the motte's wooden tower. The only sign of life is a thin wisp of smoke rising from the tower's chimney.
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Back in the Captain's office Harbinger would have said"If I remember correctly Akila was the controller of this fort during the Everwar, she employed a private army that worked for the highest bidder without much loyalty, one day she died with no seaming cause and when she was being laid to rest her ring rang out a necrotic screech that killed everyone in the fort. So be sure to prepare for necrotic magics." then quieter to himself "What I wouldn't give to examine that ring"
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Not-Trixie nods and draws a few arcane symbols around herself. "...see the unseen, not scared of the dark, floor is lava, don't get hit..." she whispers under her breath as she works. "There, all set! Selter, just let me know when you need me to activate this wand for you."
Circling the fort, you can see that the moat stretches from 10-15 feet across, before the palisade wall rises up 10 feet as well. The wall and moat encircle the entirety of the fort, with the motte tower isolated by its own wall.
Narayan easily clears the moat, but finds the palisade wall a little trickier than expected. Skull Hill’s double gate lies open, one half broken off its hinges. A small watchtower sits above the gate, forming a short ten foot tunnel as one enters the bailey—scorch marks mar the gate and the tower. The drawbridge is down and appears to be in good condition.
Reaching the end, the bailey appears as desolate from the entry as it did from the ridge above. The dirt is scuffed by numerous footprints, many days old if not into weeks, the signs of battle clear on the grounds.
To either side are long low buildings with single doors facing the main road that runs north-south through the bailey while windows set in intervals along the southern wall. Both entrances are smashed in, allowing a small glimpse of smashed furniture and bloodsmears within. A small, two-story inn sits further along. All of the windows on the second floor are broken, their tattered curtains blowing through the openings. The windows on the first floor are intact, but it appears that someone nailed boards over the inside of those windows. The front door appears to have once been smashed off its hinges and then shoddily replaced. There are scorch marks and blood smears on the front porch of the inn. A sign swings on one broken chain in the wind—on it is an enormous human smile full of cartoonish teeth. Beneath the teeth it reads, “The Grinning Inn.”
As Bo Goh steps into the gatehouse tunnel, there is an audible crack beneath his feet. The entire structure collapses inward, coming down on he and Harbinger with an avalanche of broken beams!
As the thunderous collapse subsides, Bo appears unscathed while Harbinger has a few bumps and bruises. More importantly, both can hear the scrape of wood on wood further inside the bailey!
The door to the inn bursts open, revealing a pair of hulking figures, prominent tusks in brutish faces. "YOU! YOU DO THIS!" the lead figure roars, raising a wickedly sharp falchion as he steps into the light.
27 Not-Trixie
27 Narayan
21 Harbinger (Damage: 28)
19 Bo Goh
18 Selter
16 Sithiss
10 Vendalfek
10 Red
4 Blue
27 Not-Trixie
27 Narayan
21 Harbinger (Damage: 28)
19 Bo Goh
18 Selter
16 Sithiss
10 Vendalfek
10 Red
4 Blue
Vendalfek follows Not-Trixie to the top of the guardhouse, lazily flapping his butterfly-like wings. Yeah, what she said! he chimes in with far more cheerfulness than is strictly required for hostile negotiations.
Ignoring the Pathfinder's words completely, both orcs rush forward, raising falchions at Narayan with blood-curling creams of rage.
Dodging easily aside, Narayan remains unscathed!
27 Not-Trixie
27 Narayan
21 Harbinger (Damage: 28)
19 Bo Goh
18 Selter
16 Sithiss
10 Vendalfek
10 Red
4 Blue
Hsss!
, if hits, and trip
Harbinger slashes into the orc, who grunts in pain. His screams of rage are then cut short by Bo Goh's arrows. The remaining foe swipes at Sithiss but overcorrects his swing. The dino quickly puts him on his frontside with a swipe of her tail!
21 Harbinger (Damage: 28)
19 Bo Goh
18 Selter
16 Sithiss
15 Not-Trixie
14 Narayan
10 Vendalfek
4 Blue (Damage: 19, Prone)
Narayan proceeds to bludgeon the orc unconscious, even drawing a little further blood with his shuffling hook.