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”Yes, Pathfinders” Master of Scrolls Kreighton Shaine muses. ”A lot of you, certainly. Lovely! Well, find your places in an orderly fashion. We’ve got some truly exciting news today and I can’t wait to get started!”
After months of repairs and weeks of careful testing, the Pathfinder Society finally feels the Sky Key is ready for large-scale testing. Sending word as far as their influence can reach, they have summoned every available agent to Absalom to have as many hands present as possible to begin examining whatever temporal flotsam they manage to summon forth from the past.
The Society arranges its gathering in a large, open field 5 miles north of Absalom. The towers of the Patchwork City are visible over the horizon, as are a few crumbling siege castles, but the field lies far enough from the city to keep curious onlookers from approaching—or being endangered should things go wrong.
The sun beats down across this muddy plain, a scant five miles from the walls of Absalom. Fellow Pathfinders gather on all sides including well-traveled field agents and more permanent staff from the Grand Lodge itself. In the center of the field stands a wooden platform, raised some ten feet off the ground. The excited chatter drowns out the buzz of summer insects as the gathered adventurers speculate on what’s to come.
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Homlicore it is a bearded human dressed in practical green and brown clothes and a beautiful bow in his back.
He walks between the crowd looking for a seller.
A gracious leopard walks beside him.
- Come on! Get out of my way fellows! Cat may feel hungry! Get out!
Let me think ... I need 2 potions of fly, 2 potions of protection vs. evil, 2 antiplague, 1 antitoxin more, 1 potion of magic fang, ...
Only counts as 10
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is wearing a dull organe tunic, trapped together by a blue bandolier holding all her equipment together. She is small, but well built for a female gnome her age. Her striking orange hair stands out like a sore thumnb, and she smiles and introduces herself to the group, "Oh, hello! Are you waiting on your next assignment too? I'm Yabatha by the way!"
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A Elf, dressed in impeccably-tailored robes, and wearing a ghastly, skull-like mask, strides into the room.
"Greetings. I am Varian. I am looking forward to this little sojourn; it should be utterly fascinating!"
At that point, the mask detaches, and starts flying around the room.
The Elf conversationally adds: "That's Tanbaru. He may look a trifle frightening, but he is perfectly harmless... for the most part."
Varian then expounds at length about what he can recall.
Homlicore seems too focused on purchases to pick up on any rumors, but it turns out that Varian has quite a bit of knowledge to share.
After analyzing the markings and layout of apparatuses in the field, he observes that the field has been marked out with a series of circles which are unusual for social gatherings but seem pretty standard for some arcane rituals. The assemblage of circles suggests a conjuration ritual, but there are enough variations that even this seems unlikely. However, the markings across the field don’t align quite correctly for any sort of magical ritual. It seems to be something completely new.
Varian also knows quite a bit of the history of this field:
- Locals call this field the Bloodwatered Meadow.
- Many of the invading armies that tried to conquer Absalom assembled here before being defeated. One of the most famous conflicts here didn't even involve Absalom’s army. The Linnorm King Yardvun Skolson clashed with the Thuvian warlord Attagesha hundreds of years ago as both attempted to besiege the city at the same time but refused to share the glory with each. They crippled each other’s forces and were forced to retreat without ever attacking Absalom.
- An archeological excavation led by the Pathfinder Society uncovered truly ancient sites in the Bloodwatered Meadow. The exact age is unknown, but several building foundations and pieces of pottery seemed reminiscent of old Azlanti designs.
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A bearded dwarf arrives among the crowd and soon finds himself with a group. Knowing the habits of the Decemvirate and the rumors that every time a gathering is called, an event is bound to occur.
If that's true, it's best to stick to a group.
With what information he gains, he of course shares with the group as a way of making small talk.
Simple Robes adorn his tough but slightly plump body. A dull metallic Breastplate over his chest, Warhammer engraved with runs in hand with a simple wooden shield strapped to his arm. Beorin doesn't look like a seasoned fighter at all though a mark of a Warhammer over his left eye dicates the power of his patron who has marked him into his service.
Beorin hears some rumors as he wanders through the field of agents, and shares some with this small group that has started to bunch together.
Something has been abuzz around the Grand Lodge the past several weeks, keeping many Society scholars and casters busy and away from the public eye. This follows a recent conflict at the Grand Lodge that the Society kept from spilling into the rest of the city. Supposedly the Society has reassembled the Sky Key, a dwarven relic it started piecing back together a year ago. The Society has been “secretly” buying up large quantities of sky metal whenever it appears in the market. The Pathfinders have also been recruiting dozens of arcane spellcasters, especially evokers.
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Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Scrolls and de facto Master of Spells in the wake of Aram Zey’s untimely assassination, steps forward. A broad smile graces his youthful, elven features, and his golden hair shines in the sunlight.
“Welcome, my countless eager scholars! Today we are about to witness a wondrous and strange new chapter in the Pathfinder Society’s history. But first, please everyone take a moment of silence to remember our lost Master of Spells and my close friend, Aram Zey. While many of you found his manner abrasive, he fully believed in the Society’s goals of exploration and cooperation, and I know his loss will be deeply felt by us all.” After a moment, Kreighton Shaine continues.
“You may have heard rumors about the Sky Key, an artifact coveted by the dwarves of Jormurdun. A few of you even managed to recover pieces of it. But—and this is the important part—the Sky Key is no dwarven relic. The dwarves found this artifact in one of Numeria’s many wrecks and struggled to master its abilities just as we have spent the past several months doing. But now… now we have this assembled... wonder.”
The Master of Scrolls pulls back a canvas tarp, revealing… a bed of withered roses. “The Key itself is secure in a small chamber we’ve constructed below this field, and it is connected to the surface here by a series of adamantine rods and mithral cables.” He taps a dark metal shaft beside him. “This formerly-award-winning bed of roses, however, we have left sitting here for two weeks without sun or water.”
His hands weave an arcane pattern, and arcs of lightning leap from his fingertips to the rod. A chest-shaking hum rises from somewhere below, and a bubble of green light enfolds the roses, revealing a flower bed of vibrant reds, purples, and yellows where only withered brown stood moments before.
“This is the power of the Sky Key: It creates a window into the past. No longer will the Society have to pick at the precious few scraps history leaves behind. Instead we can watch the greatest moments of Golarion’s history unfold before our eyes! We can watch the Eventongue Rebellion shatter Taldor into a dozen smaller states. We can witness Irrisen before the coming of Baba Yaga, or study the godcallers of Sarkoris before the Worldwound. We can witness the Starstone plunge Golarion into an age of endless night, or watch Aroden himself pull Kortos from the sea in its wake. Anything we want, we can study. And all it requires is lightning!
“Unfortunately, we must content ourselves with study. While our modern forms can enter these temporal bubbles unaffected—” he reaches a hand into the shimmering energy and plucks a rose. Pulling it from the iridescent field, the flower ages and crumbles into dust, “—anything removed collapses under the weight of time itself. We can witness anything we like, but any treasures of history, or great figures, belong to their own age, beyond our reach.”
“It takes the magic of one accomplished wizard to reach back thirteen days. How far, then, do you imagine twenty will reach? A hundred?” Several other teams across the field begin assembling adamantine rods. “Our math says: The Age of Serpents, some tens of thousand years before the present. And that is where all of you come in. If this works—and it will, mind you—then we estimate we’ll have four to five hours to see what Kortos looked like at the dawn of the Azlanti Empire, when our earliest ancestors still warred with the serpentfolk empire of old. We need all the eyes and ears the Society can muster to take notes and make observations. Oh, and keep those eyes and ears from getting killed. Anything in the bubble can’t get out, but these roses... they still have thorns.”
He nods, and Pathfinders across the field begin casting spells, directing arcs of lightning into the waiting sky metal rods. Something deep below the earth thrums, and across the field a massive bubble takes shape, expanding to reveal a cube of earth and stone hundreds of feet to a side, as if sliced from the land and laid out in celebration. Low, stone buildings peek over from the very top, while networks of caves riddle the lowest level. Ophidian faces peer out, then retreat back into the darkness.
“It seems the ground level was a bit higher before the Starstone drove it into the sea,” Shaine observes. “Regardless. We have three-hundred and seven minutes remaining. Let’s make the most of it!”
Yabatha, in addition to the rumors Beorin shares, you've heard that the Grand Lodge has been importing all kinds of experts on Dwarven artifice, which seems reasonable—but also experts on Numerian science, conjurers, mathematicians, and even historians who specialize in Absalom’s earliest history. Apparently today is about a “big test,” and it sounds like the Decemvirate needs a large number of assistants to handle whatever happens next.
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---House GM Announcement---
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You hear a groan from deep within the earth as the Bloodwatered Meadow settles under the weight of this massive cube of earth, transported through time. Detritus from the size of boulders down to fine sand rains down on the area at the base as the transported earth finds a new equilibrium, even as Kreighton Shaine urges the Pathfinders forward.
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Accepting the potion after satisfying the requirement, presenting the proper paperwork including answering awkward questions, Beorin turns to the rest.
"Shall we head down towards the tunnels then?" he asks.
It was as likely as the rumors said and once more they were in the thick of things. Hopefully he would be of use to the group.
The lowest level of this complex consists of sprawling networks of caverns and artificial tunnels. This level is accessible from ground level outside the time bubble.
The stink of animal scat and rotting meat fills this massive cavern. Shelves, passageways, and fixtures have been carved into the wall by careful hands, each stylized to resemble a serpent’s head or body.
The Pathfinders sight a reptilian humanoid ahead, leading a huge reptilian creature through the tunnels. They clearly sight you as you sight them, and they don't look friendly!
Round 1 (bold may act)
Yabatha
Beorin
Homlicore
Reptilian humanoid
Varian
Reptilian creature
The monstrous humanoid is a serpentfolk; if you exceed the DC by 5 or more I'll reveal more information about their capabilities.
The huge animal is an ankylosaurus (dinosaur); if you exceed the DC by 5 or more I'll reveal more information about their capabilities.
Homlicore's arrows and his leopard combine to wound the serpentfolk greviously; you can tell that already it's barely standing.
Round 1 (bold may act)
Yabatha
Beorin (delay)
Homlicore
Serpentfolk (-38 hp)
Varian
Ankylosaurus
The serpentfolk hisses something at the dinosaur as it steps away from Homlicore's leopard, and it does indeed try to active one of its abilites. Yabatha's missile slams into it, knocking it to the ground unconscious.
Round 1 (bold may act)
Yabatha
Beorin (delay)
Homlicore
Serpentfolk (-43 hp)
Varian
Ankylosaurus
The ankylosaurus pivots in place swiftly, bringing its heavy and armored tail down hard on the cat.
Round 2 (bold may act)
Varian
Yabatha
Beorin
Homlicore
- leopard (-17 hp; Fort save pending)
Serpentfolk (-43 hp; unconscious)
Ankylosaurus
The leopard yelps at the attack but then seems to lose track of where it is, or what it's doing; it stares off into space, wavering on its feet, clearly concussed.
Homlicore, enraged at the deadly attack on his companion, sends a trio of arrows (and one wide) deep into the unarmored soft flesh under the front leg.
Yabatha throws her quarterstaff with amazing mystical force, but the throw is wide. After clattering to the floor far behind the dinosaur, the staff blinks back into the gnome's hand.
Round 2 (bold may act)
Varian
Yabatha
Beorin
Homlicore
- leopard (-17 hp; dazed)
Serpentfolk (-43 hp; unconscious)
Ankylosaurus (-29 hp)
Moving steadily upward, its clear that the coordinated efforts of a multitude of Pathfinders have secured the deepest levels. As you continue to climb higher within the cube of earth, the stonework becomes more engineered than natural. Claustrophobic cells line the walls here, many crowded with three or four miserable-looking humans. The halls converge on a hewn-stone chamber lit with braziers and choked with herb-scented smoke.
You stumble into a room with three reptilian humanoids, each with dull grey skin and scales. One, larger, bristles with mutant limbs and mouths covering its torso; it appears to be led by the other two.
Round 1 (bold may act)
Beorin
Yabatha
Large reptilian humanoid
Homlicore
Medium reptilian humanoids (2)
Varian
Homlicore's leopard
Beorin and Yabatha both call on their magic to boost the party. Yabatha recognizes the two smaller humanoids as troglodytes; she knows that they carry an offensive stench that can sicken other creatures, but that they are also intelligent and their other abilities depend on their training.
Round 1 (bold may act)
Beorin
Yabatha
Large reptilian humanoid (delay)
Homlicore
Troglodytes (2)
Varian
Homlicore's leopard (shield of faith)
Active Conditions
bless (+1 morale on attack rolls and saves vs. fear)
The two smaller creatures hiss commands at the larger creature in some sibilant tongue. The larger creature moves forward as the other two spread out to either side of the room's entrance. As the creatures approach, an overwhelming stench assaults your senses.
Homlicore's leopard is no longer able to charge, but follows the spirit of the ranger's command, stepping forward and attempting to bite the closest troglodyte; despite the unease roiling in her gut, the leopard's bite tears deep into the reptilian's flesh, but she also draws attacks from that troglodyte and the larger monstrosity; both attacks hit, the bite from the larger creature very nearly proving critical!
Round 1 (bold may act)
Beorin (sickened)
Yabatha
Homlicore (sickened)
Troglodytes (1: -0 hp; 2: -10 hp)
Large reptilian humanoid (-37 hp)
Varian (sickened)
Homlicore's leopard (-19 hp; shield of faith, sickened, Fort save pending)
Active Conditions
bless (+1 morale on attack rolls and saves vs. fear)
sickened ( –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks)
Round 1 (bold may act)
Varian (sickened)
Homlicore's leopard (-19 hp; shield of faith, sickened, Fort save pending)
Round 2 (bold may act)
Beorin (sickened)
Yabatha
Homlicore (sickened)
Troglodytes (1: -0 hp; 2: -10 hp)
Large reptilian humanoid (-37 hp)
Active Conditions
bless (+1 morale on attack rolls and saves vs. fear)
sickened ( –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks)
Homlicore's leopard is able to resist the corrosive effects of the acidic bite.
Round 1 (bold may act)
Varian (sickened)
Homlicore's leopard (-19 hp; shield of faith, sickened)
Round 2 (bold may act)
Beorin (sickened)
Yabatha
Homlicore (sickened)
Troglodytes (1: -0 hp; 2: -10 hp)
Large reptilian humanoid (-37 hp)
Active Conditions
bless (+1 morale on attack rolls and saves vs. fear)
sickened ( –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks)