The Ruby Prince has banned much of the archaeology that once took place in the nation of Osirion. Rather than quelling the demand for access to the mysteries of ancient Osirion, this has simply created a new market among Osirion's neighbors.
After receiving a letter from Ambrus Valsin instructing you to travel to Aspenthar, you find yourselves in the city's streets, which serve as a showcase of the trappings of wealth and militarization in equal measure. The main road cutting through the heart of the city is patterned with brilliant mosaic stonework, and to each side are seemingly endless rows of proud and opulent structures.
A copy of Ambrus' letter is up on the Slides.
You understand that the Pathfinder Society needs you to explore a ruin with purported ties to Ancient Osirion, for which the Society recently acquired an exploration license.
The journey to Aspenthar has given you plenty of time to get to know one another and, possibly, to have learned more about Thuvia, Prince Zinlo, and the city-state of Aspenthar.
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Faethor was brought into the mission as a spellcaster. Which may seem odd to the other Pathfinders since he is a rather large fellow who carries a spear, though he is not wearing armor. His most striking feature is his hair. It is silver but he does not look old enough to have greyed yet. Faethor does have a strong personality, most would think of him as forceful however, not necessarily friendly.
Faethor does not recall any useful information.
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Zoosh looks around in wide-eyed fascination at the city. The green-skinned goblin sniffs loudly, his too-long tongue occasionally licking his chops, as something delicious wafts his way. He bears his armor and gear, including a greatsword sheathed over his back, with ease.
”Mmmm, smells good!”, he says. ”Lotsa good eats here!”
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Simi leans on his trident like it was a walking stick as he smiles and nods politely at any local he happens to my eye contact with. He begins to daydream but he's snapped out of it as he hears the nearby goblin's mention of food. Looking around he finally notices the other Pathfinders.
"How rude of me. I am Simi," he says with a slight bow. "It seems our Goblin friend here has the right idea. I think we should do some fact finding in the nearest restaurant. All of the food here smells so good!"
Simi does not know any additional information about Aspenthar.
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Gromfur hails from a the Ancient-Blooded Dwarf Clan. Gromfur barely made a living for himself in his clans mountain by means of gambling till an earth elemental influenced his body and abilities. Ancient-Blooded Dwarfs aren't too found of magic, and Gromfurs Clan didn't try to hide it, so he took upon adventuring.
Gromfur is tall for a dwarf, standing 5ft exact. From being influenced by the Earth elemental he has Dark grey markings and symbols starting from his torso, spreading to his limbs whose meanings are unknown.
He is a relatively happy fellow regardless of his hardships.
"AH YES, tha air is filled with smell of dilicous foods!"
" Since we got 5 days til we get our guide to tha site what will we be doin in this grand city?"
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Faethor gives a sniff of his own. "Smells like the meat is too cooked if you ask me. I doubt any restaurants have the information we need, we know where to meet our guide."
Zoosh looks at Faethor suspiciously. ”Too cooked? Bah!”, he retorts. ”If it’s still chewy, it’s fine!”
He wanders over to a street vendor, and get some meat on a stick.
With meat in hand, the party makes it way through the city. Neatly ordered streets give way to the city’s chaotic and bustling
docks, where a Garundi woman waits wearing subtle but expensive-looking clothing. She extends her hands in a grand welcoming gesture.
“Welcome, Pathfinders. I am Gol Amri." explains. The woman, clearly big on formalities, bows deeply in a grand gesture of hospitality. "I greet you as a representative of the great Prince Zinlo. Let us conduct our business! I am sure you are eager to search for hidden treasures, and I wish you no delay.”
"I have been sent by the prince to ensure a proper entrance and to connect you to your guide. Nothing more." Gol Amri says dismissively, the condescension clear in her voice. Amri offers little in more in words and instead grows more impatient until a dark-skinned dwarf with vibrantly colored hair arrives.
"Your guide has arrived." Amri announces, before clearly preparing to follow her words up with a reprimand.
aralu dwarf from the Mwangi Expanse wards off the reprimand with a charming smile.
"Sefu Moyo," says by way of greeting. "Ready to go?"
Upon receiving confirmation from the party, Sefu leads you away with a brief nod to Gol.
Sefu marches along the waterside edge of Aspenthar, leaving the city and continuing on for nearly an hour to a seemingly unremarkable stretch of land bordered by a cliffside overlook of the Inner Sea. The terrain grows gradually steeper, and by the time Sefu motions to stop, he stands in the biting wind as large waves crash and rumble against the cliff.
Leaning through the biting wind, Sefu points downward to a barely visible landing that juts out from the cliff face, about sixty feet down.
He grunts lightly. “It’s not exactly what I’d call a fun climb, but that’s the site down there."
Your guide produces a 60-foot-long rope ladder and a crate of metal anchors provided by the Pathfinder Society. "The exploration team needs a ladder securely attached to the site entrance, which means you must first climb down the hard way." As he speaks, the wind seems to pick up.
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"I have been sent by the prince to ensure a proper entrance and to connect you to your guide. Nothing more."
"So you're useless then. Understood," Faethor replies matching her condescension.
Faethor casts a spell before speaking, "I am a decent climber, I'll volunteer to go down." He doesn't seem daunted by heights in the least. "Though this would be easier if I could fly."
Upon seeing that the party is prepared to descend the cliff, your guide, Sefo, bids you farewell. "Good luck to you all!" he calls out as he departs back towards Aspenthar.
Picture of Sefo now on Slides.
On the descent, Faethor just manages the first stretch of the climb, but Zoosh slips on the rocks!
Thanks to the rope and his fellow agent's aid, the goblin in unharmed by the sudden slip.
During the following stretch, the goblin is far more cautious and speedy, but Faethor falls!
He, too, is spared harm due to preparedness and the value of the buddy system!
Having both slipped, the two Pathfinders are more careful and, thus, more successful in completing the final stretch.
Also, please fill out this slide with your PC's Perception modifier and default Exploration Mode.
"Great day for a climb, don't you think?"
The roguish dwarf makes it down the cliff face with little trouble, securing the rope ladder and allowing the rest of the party to climb down far more easily.
Upon seeing that the party is prepared to descend the cliff, your guide, Sefo, bids you farewell. "Good luck to you all!" he calls out as he departs back towards Aspenthar.
The party is left now in front of the entrance to the ancient ruin.
Please fill out this slide with your PC's Perception modifier and default Exploration Mode.
The party faces the walls of an ancient complex. Multiple potential entrances present themselves.
Map of the complex now on Slides.
Zoosh and Bogard each take up positions in front of doors.
Bogard examines the one before him. He spots no traps, but can see that the door is clearly stuck.
Zoosh, on the other hand, finds that the door before him is nearly falling off its hinges.
Scattered bits of ancient armor lie discarded haphazardly around this room. Ancient tools, some plainly built for alchemy or armor maintenance and others much less clear in origin, are stored on shelves along the walls, which are adorned with carvings of figures in ornate plate armor.
"This one seems stuck."
With a good shove, the dwarf is able to force the stuck door open.
The area beyond the once-stuck door opens into a hallway lined with several rooms, the thick coat of sand and dust make it clear that the area has not been disturbed for a considerable period of time. The hallway ends in another, closed door.
From his vantage at the doorway, Zoosh can see several small rooms lining a long hall, each containing the by-products of ancient alchemical experiments or broken mechanical devices.
Hallway now revealed on the Map.
In one of the last chambers, Zoosh finds a moderate quicksilver mutagen.
Bogard does not spot any traps and has little difficulty opening the door. Beyond the portal, wooden limbs and flasks containing alchemical reagents are strewn across the floor of the room.
Room revealed and PCs moved into room into marching order.
In a corner of the room, you spy an intact humanoid frame containing six alchemical chambers, each filled with a different substance. A dome-like head sits atop the frame, in which floats the remnants of some humanoid brain.
As the party ventures into the room, the humanoid frame rises to its artificial feet, stretching a needle-filled appendage in your direction!
SYRINGE-WORTHY! Round One Begins!
Gromfur
Faethor Silverbrow
Zoosh
Frame
Bogard Sanderstone
Dorian Gravendak
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Zoosh takes a moment to look over this new threat.
Hard. Goopy. Probably smells like the room, and tastes as bad as it smells.
Wrinkling his nose, he draws the greatsword from his back. He bounds off of the wall next to Bogard, landing in front of him at a sprint, and charges at the mechanical menace.
Faethor hears the commotion and rushes into the room to see what's going on. Seeing the creature he throws his spear at it. Not one to go unarmed he growls an incantation and his nails stretch into claws which chill the air around them.
The spear strikes the automaton, but does little damage to it's resistant exterior.
Wrinkling his nose, he draws the greatsword from his back. He bounds off of the wall next to Bogard, landing in front of him at a sprint, and charges at the mechanical menace.
The goblin's blade fails to connect with the construct.
SYRINGE-WORTHY! Round One Begins!
Gromfur
Faethor Silverbrow
Zoosh
Frame -1 HP
Bogard Sanderstone
Dorian Gravendak
I'd like to stick to the once per day minimum posting rate to maintain the game's momentum.
Gromfur listens to the sounds ahead, contemplating his approach.
With a target having presented itself, the construct brings its multi-needled appendage to bear against the goblin!
The construct's syringe strikes one of the goblin's veins. A thick, dark liquid flows out of one of the glass chambers within the construct's body, travels through the syringe, and begins to pour into Zoosh's body!
The construct continues its assault on the goblin.
However, it fails to connect a second time.
SYRINGE-WORTHY! Round One Cont'd/Round Two Begins!
Bogard Sanderstone
Dorian Gravendak
Gromfur
Faethor Silverbrow
Zoosh -20 HP
Frame -1 HP