Today is much slower going; while neither Gurmire and Packet don;t cause any rockslides, the burden of navigation falls on Pip and Tanio.
A Dry Climb: Day 1
Gurmire
Packet
Pip
Iniquity
Tanio
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"Ah! Free of that soup of a swamp and good, solid rock to tread upon!" Iniquity says with a grin. "I should be able to keep better pace in the highlands."
He demonstrates a deceptive strength as he climbs and navigates the rough terrain in full armor, treating his glaive like a light walking stick at times. All in all, he is in a rather chipper mood compared to the swamps.
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Thanks to Iniquity, you can get there with time to spare, and look around!
You come across a stone obelisk that overlooks a dry ravine. Statues of armored humanoids with snake heads form a perimeter, facing inward.
Gurmire and Pip notice that the obelisk looks much newer than the Serpentfolk ruins you have seen up until now.
Pip, Packet, and Iniquity notice surmise that the obelisk as a formal structure reserved for ceremonial or royal ritual. Such structures were often protected with magic.
You find a piece of strangely heavy metal in the obelisk, and pry it free!
Having ensured the party's safety thus far, Tanio shares some brief notes with the team to help them continue on their way. With a tip of his sun hat, he returns back to the supply caravan.
Months later, you hear of a Tanio Volsa who disappeared during a particularly violent clash between some Sargavan holdouts in Vidrian and iruxi forces. Rumor has it that Tanio sabotaged the Sargavans' food store, forcing them to surrender. Whether they will atone for the crimes committed under the Sargavan flag and become Vidrian citizens in good standing is anyone's guess.
In any case, Tanio has not been seen since the rebellion was quashed.
Packet and Pip determine that this obelisk has a bizarre aura — well, the area around it does — it's out of time! That's why it looks newer… it's inside a temporal anomaly where time flows differently!
You leave the temporal anomaly behind, feeling strangely relieved. You also say goodby to Tanio, who returns to the caravan to assist with the scholarly work on the logbooks.
The next morning, you make your way to the Spire. Above you soars a tall, foliage-covered spire of gray rock. It stands among similar, smaller formations and larger hills. An ascending pathway has been carved in the natural tower’s sides.
This is it. You make your way up. The spire ascends 100 feet above the ground, at which point you see a dark cave. Hidden here must be the next clue! You draw your weapons and approach.
However, as you approach three small-sized beings made of pure cloud drift forth from the cave, coming to attack! They hover inches off the ground. Two of them look tough, and the third one looks a bit weaker.
Packet blends into the shadows of the rocks, and they don't seem to notice him yet.
Zephyrs in the Clouds: Round 1
Packet
Gurmire
Hawk 1
Hawk 2
Weak Hawk
Pip
Iniquity
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"Those are Zephyr hawks. They're elementals who like to push people off cliffs!" She sighs. "So pretty for being so treacherous. I wish I knew some Auran so I could tell them to shoo. I should buckle down on my linguistic studies!*"
◈ Inspire Courage
♫ Soaring!
Wild creatures of air
Swooping!
Devil-may-care
Don't look at me that way
Not gonna be your prey
Now... Go away! ♫
◇ Lingering Performance
She also shoots at number 2.
◈
Hawk one floats in an erratic circle around Packet, dazed from the critical assault and buffeting him with its razor-sharp wings! The detective is only is slashed once.
The second hawk shoots over towards Pip and tries to shove her toward the cliff edge, but fails miserably and lands prone!
The little hawk flies up the cliffside, picks up a rock in its talins, and hovers over Packet's head…
Pip identified the creatures and tells you about Zephyr Hawks, then shoots an arrow in #2. Her devil-may-care composition resonates in the air!
Zephyrs in the Clouds: Round 1-2
Packet
Gurmire
Hawk 1
Hawk 2
Weak Hawk
Pip
Iniquity
Gurmire's fire explodes Zephyr 1, and it vanishes in a poof of wind and fire!
Zephyrs in the Clouds: Round 1-2
Packet
Gurmire
Hawk 2
Weak Hawk
Pip
Iniquity
Iniquity smashes his glaive into the ground once , but then hits the hawk on his second attempt. The champion then steps to where Packet and Gurmire are both protected under his wing.
The hawk rights itself and flaps at Packet again, slashing the detective in a flurry of wing-flaps! Iniquity helps protect Packet, however, showing the elemental a glimpse of its past missteps.
The smaller hawk flies over Gurmire and drops the rock! It plummets toward his head…
Zephyrs in the Clouds: Round 1-2
Packet
Gurmire
Hawk 2
Weak Hawk
Pip
Iniquity
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Hero Point
Gurmire gets hit on the head by the rock. He shakes his fist at the arrowhawk and says something in goblin.
Although tempted to throw something back, he decides Pip probably has that taken care of. He draws his dagger and goes up to the badly injured one to attack it. He takes a position where he figures Packet can easily get into flanking to finish it off.
Gurmire and Pip are both stymied in their efforts by the quick elementals, but Packet finally lands a blow that dissipates the hawk!
Zephyrs in the Clouds: Round 2
All allies inspired; lingering 3 rounds.
Packet
Gurmire
Weak Hawk
Pip
Iniquity
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Stymied by the flying hawk--or rather unwilling to let go of his glaive on the precarious slopes--he grabs the wooden symbol of Shelyn and prays, "Eternal rose, muse of muses, defend us from this flighted enemy!"
He releases his holy symbol as a flicker of rainbow colored lights appears under his hand, with a tossing motion towards the hawk, and a splash of blue paint appears to strike the hawk and the explode into scattering, stylized blue jays.
He then begins to twirl his glaive and dance within his space on the cliff.
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Sadly, the hawk seems unperturbed by Iniquity's creative display. (Though, his fellow party members might be impressed!)
The territorial elemental then drops toward Packet, trying to shove him off the cliff! But the elemental only beats its wings futilely against the detective.
Zephyrs in the Clouds: Round 2
Packet
Gurmire
Weak Hawk
Pip
Iniquity
Iniquity strikes twice; the hawk is still up, but starting to lose cohesion. Soon, it will be back home on the plane of air where it belongs…
Thanks to the inspiration and flank, Packet finally manages to take out the incredibly hard-to-hit Weak Zephyr Hawk! It goes away just as Packet wishes, back to the plane of air where it belongs. The halfling's shortsword burns with faint cloud-wisps as he sheathes it.
You can spend time as much time as you like healing up.
★★★
After you heal up, you take stock of your immediate surroundings. The cave entrance ahead bears an engraving chiseled into the rock. It's in a strange language.
Iniquity and Pip notice something else: these words are bookended by two half-circles of brassy metal — ones that match the sketches of the amulet pieces from the logbook! It looks like they would pop out of the stone face with a little effort.
Within the shallow cave itself is a stone coffin. On the lid in is an inscription in the same strange writing.
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◈◈ Comprehend Language
Pip comes forward. "It says, 'Urshoje, honored friend. Let her rest here, close to the skies she so loved.'" Then she pauses, and peers more carefully at the tomb. "Packet, Gurmire, Iniquity... What do you make of this? It says, 'What was hers may still serve Pathfinders.'” Then she points at the two half circles and starts looking around, to see if there is anything that might be used here to unlock them -- literally or figuratively.
Gurmire senses no traps, and Pip finds a thin rock on the ground nearby that might be used to pop the half-circles out. She extracts the circles and then snaps them together — they easily join, but lack the central knob essential to decoding the cipher.
There is still one piece left to find, one more destination.
Meanwhile, several Pathfinders ponder the tomb, and the name "Urshoje."
East southeast of the last location, as the hills climb from the Sodden Lands to the Mwangi Jungle, about 20 miles. Voth writes “...marking the Honor Spire.” After forming the Open Road Pact, Voth’s group buried an iruxi named Urshoje at a place they called the Honor Spire to honor her and her love of overlooking views. Items likely hidden in or around the burial site.
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Inside are the skeletal remains of an Iruxi. Next to it is a Wondrous Figurine, Jade Serpent and a brass flask that contains a potion of water breathing. It's apparent these items are meant for you, fellow Pathfinders.
You are not ready to move on to the final location and pause at the top of Honor Spire to appreciate the view. You can see the distant Defaka River to the southeast, and a broad pathway through the jungle nearby. This road descends into the Mwangi Jungle and winds toward Defaka Outpost. It looks like your travels will be smooth from here on out!
You need to locate Warlock’s Barrow, but aren't sure where it is. You just know it's somewhere near the outpost (you may want to check the handout on Slide 3)
You will need to talk to the locals to find it!
It a much easier trek through the jungle — you follow a worn and well-marked (though empty), path. One road marker has several symbols on it and an arrow pointing southeast.
Soon enough, the jungle gives way to a clearing covered in old stumps and undergrowth. Downhill is a small settlement with palisade walls of tarred wood and structures with similar walls and thatched roofs. Many of the buildings stand on stilts. The Defaka River flows lazily past the village, which has docks and a small lagoon nestled in the middle of the structures. Down the slope, the path runs to a gateway flanked by wooden watchtowers built on a berm. In fact, all the town walls are built atop such an embankment.
You enter via the northwestern gate. Iruxi guards who speak Common and Mwangi stand in the watchtowers. Visitors? Head to Shik's. They direct you to a tavern not far from the gates. Between your view of the city and what you see now, you can surmise that Defaka Outpost is a trading village with about 250 permanent inhabitants, mostly Iruxis and Mwangi humans. You arrive at sunset — just in time for dinner!
Shik's is run by an imposing Iruxi matron named Shikshesh. It's the largest building in the outpost, though it only a few private rooms. Shik’s staff is mostly human. Shikshesh doesn’t allow trouble in her hostel and is quick to call in guards—most in Defaka Outpost respect her and come to her aid.
You order dinner (fresh-caught Tambaqui, Electric Eel, or Pancake Stingray), and learn some more about the town. You know you will have to find leads on the Barrow, and it would be a good idea to impress the people of the town and get what information you can from them — however, they may be reticent to discuss a place with a name like "Warlock's barrow" and you may need to spend several days plying them for information.
Performance: Amusing customers with a show might entice them to tell their own stories.
Lore (Hunting, Mercantile, Serpentfolk, Undead), Nature, Religion, Society: Talk shop and ask some leading questions! Perhaps someone has heard of a haunted barrow while hunting or traveling.
Perception: Listen to the local gossip!
Crafting: Craftspeople among the PCs can socialize with the like-minded artisans in the outpost, talking shop while throwing in queries about local lore.
Abadar Lore, Gozreh Lore, Nature, or Religion: It might be a small jump from religion to talking about haunted barrows!
The area also has a storehouse, in which people can rent storage space, owned by Drokrasa, an Iruxi man who also runs the Cracked Egg. The Egg, for short, is a seedy tavern with three-foot-by-three-foot eggshell nailed to a post as signage. It’s little more than a roof on four posts with cloth-netting walls to keep out mosquitoes.
Deception: Most people in the Egg appreciate a good con or a well-spun lie.
Intimidation: Swagger matters in the Egg. The hardest people receive the best treatment!
Sailing Lore: Many sailors who ply the Defaka River never bother to go as far into the outpost as Shik’s. They hang out at the Egg and are willing to trade tales over a brew or three.
Locating the Spooky Barrow: Day 1
Packet
Gurmire
Pip
Iniquity
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"Ah ha! Civilization! And more importantly, an audience!" Iniquity says as they arrive at the Defaka trading outpost. "Oh, and a tavern! Oh, I do hope there's a place to bath, too, but I shouldn't be too greedy."
Once he realizes that he has a chance to ply his old trade while they look for rumors of the Warlock's Barrow, he is quick to ready a one (or more) man play. Using minimalist make-up changes to alter between pre-cleansing Valais, the babau, the kalavakus, and nameless Pathfinders, he presents the tale of Valais, her fractured soul, cleansing, and restoration in Heaven.
After settling in, Iniquity performs a touching tale of redemption. The crowd at Shik's is at times frightened and at times moved by Valais's tragedy and triumph! People begin visiting to Shik's just to see Iniquity perform. Iniquity listens to the crowds, and discusses his art with patrons afterward…
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When he hears about all the crafters, Gurmire tells the others “Going there, talk to crafts people.”
Having some interest in the tanning process and the smells do not seem that bad to him. He starts there, chatting with the tanner about the process and comparing methods.
After that he heads back into the main portion of the town and chats up some of the other crafts people. The woodworkers and potters are the next ones he visits with. His enthusiasm for crafting is plain to any who are willing to speak with him.
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Wolke, a friendly catfolk tanner who asks lots of enthusiastic questions (to the point of annoyance), runs this leatherworks. She operates a fastidiously clean space, though her puffy cheeks are sometimes stained because she constantly rubs her paws on them as a kind of nervous tick whenever she's not working.
Her products are exceptionally fine, patterned and dyed with colorful geometric patterns.
Gurmire manages to show her a new technique, using an acetone solvent to extract tannins from Quebracho bark. She is very excited, and happily chats with the goblin about all sorts of things!
★★★
Locating the Spooky Barrow: Day 1
Iniquity
Gurmire
Packet
Pip
The docs are owned by an Iruxi man named Drokrasa — he also owns the Cracked Egg. Unfortunately, their boss is in a surly mood and they are too busy working to hear Packet's tales. At least, today.
Locating the Spooky Barrow: Day 1
Iniquity
Gurmire
Packet
Pip