Within the jungles of the Mwangi Expanse, a large group of Pathfinders stands ready.
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"Nita, my precious child, tomorrow morning I journey for the Expanse to do battle with Qxal. The Blessed Inheritor has made my path clear, and should I falter, I will falter on the path of righteousness. May you serve the people of Bhopan with honor, but I pray that your journey will someday bring you back to Jaribuni."
Having spent the last of her dream messages, Nina blew out the candles and drifted off to sleep.
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A hooded figure carrying a white staff approaches the meeting point, and a pair of glowing eyes scans for dangers before emerging from the cloak. Nina's jewelry suggests a more noble background than her mud-stained clothing suggests, but a fresh wound from a serrated knife on her neck suggests that she is not as helpless as some assume.
"Nina Jaribu," she announces to those gathered.
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A rather sodden-looking gnome reaches the shore with the others, looking non-too-pleased at having to have waded through the water just to get to land. After a brief examination, he gasps in despair and mutters the incantations for a simple spell, which seems to cause all the water in his clothes to simply fall off, leaving him dry and crip-looking.
The silver-haired gnome beams with delight then gives a well-practiced bow to those gathered. "Greeting!" he says in a most jovial tone of voice. "I am Gregol Silverbeard, thespian and wizard extraordinaire! It's is wonderful to meet your acquaintances!"
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Farryn is carefully carried ashore by a muscular looking half-elf. Set down on the sand, his companion begins wringing out his sopping clothes as the halfling introduces himself, "Farryn Sarjyre at your service. I don't really have any pull here, but if you all find yourself in Taldor at some point I'll certainly be able to at least get you a nice place to stay."
He kicks off a bit of sand from his boots, "ANYWAY. I know a lot of shiz about stuff and can handle myself in a fight. Little bit of magic, little bit of alchemy, little bit of wound mending." His bouncy curly hair flops around in the humid weather. "Last time I was on an island, I almost died. I'd say lightning can't strike twice, but I quite often strike enemies twice with lightning so..."
The half-elf moves up behind him, "Ah, this is Chaz, my companion. He handles anything excessively physical for me and is compensated for his troubles quite well. He's working his way through college."
Pathfinders hurry around the makeshift camp, packing and unpacking supplies, making repairs, and scribing scrolls. The atmosphere is excited but tinged with some trepidation.
Venture-Captain Oraiah Tolal from Nirmathas takes the lead, ensuring everyone has an assignment and is working on it. A religious symbol of Alseta—goddess of doorways, portals, thresholds, and transitions—hangs from her neck, showing two faces in profile.
Picture of Venture-Captain Oraiah Tolal now on Slides.
There is much work to be done in preparation of the expedition. Venture-Captains Oraiah Tolal, Bjersig Torrsen, and Khoumrock Blackthane plan to accompany the Pathfinders on this mission, along with faction leaders Calisro Benarry of the Horizon Hunters, Fola Barun of the Envoy’s Alliance, Urwal of the Verdant Wheel, and Valais Durant of the Radiant Oath.
Descriptions of the tasks can be found on the Slides.
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Approaching the group is an elf that towers over even other elves. He has an air of beauty about him that is juxtaposed by the large sword strapped to his back. A necklace depicting the triple daggers of Calistria clatters against the chains of his armor. For those who have met the elf previously, his demeanor is shocking, as instead of his normally-hedonistic persona the elf’s face is steeled and solid as he stares intensely at his compatriots.
”Celister Merionis. Nice to meet you. The VCs need us, now.”
With the brief introduction out of the way, Celister makes his way to the Venture-Captains and faction leaders in need of assistance. The elf looks off in the distance occasionally with a steely gaze. We’re coming for you, you overgrown butterfly. In the name of Calistria, vengeance shall be met for what you’ve done at Bhopan!
Morale; Deception. Using Assurance to get an 18
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"The Thorned Monarch is a fey. Being originally named Qxal, the Thorned Monarch sought to conquer Golarion before returning to usurp the First World from the Eldest. They poured much of their power into a demiplane to prepare for an attack on Golarion. Their symbol of rulership, the Perennial Crown, is an artifact that is the key to controlling the demiplane. It was only thanks to the efforts of heroes from the ancient empire of Bhopan, who managed t wrest the crown away from Qxal, that their attack was unable to proceed. The enraged Qxal destroyed most of the empire in fury, forcing its people to retreat to the island that still bears the empire’s name."
Nina helps Urwal pack everything in the correct order.
Nina is well-versed with healing and guides Fola.
Nina is from Vidrian, and knows the terrain fairly well. She points out a few mistakes to Torrsen, and gives Mahki a treat.
Nina makes the rounds, telling newer Pathfinders of her encounter with Qxal on the island of Bhopan, and reminding them that bravery and fear are not mutually exclusive.
Nina's doula comes over and helps Nina with repairs, but if it doesn't involve repairing perineums, she's not as useful.
Nina's local knowledge of plants and animals helps Valais.
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Gregol moves about, helping where he can, to the best of his ability.
Inventory
He goes around making sure that all of the supplies will be useful for the expedition.
Magical Supplies
He uses his expertise to help in creating magical supplies.
Mapping
Gregol's keen senses can be put to use for mapping.
Morale
Gregol puts on miniature one-man plays for the entertainment of the troops.
Repairs
Lacking the skills, Gregol uses what physical ability he can to help with repairs.
Research
Gregol puts pen to paper in helping with the research.
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A very practical dressed and direct dark tan dwarven woman greets you. She wears functional but otherwise unadorned breast plate. Tailored well to not limit her mobility. On her belt are some simple tools of a farmer, a hammer, knife, a sickle. "Well more hedge pruning it seems. Never really cared for the fey folk. But normally they stay on their side. I'm Helga of the Pahmet."
After her brief introduction she gets to work on the tasks at hand:
Inventory
Helga shakes her head at some of the novices and even some of the more experienced agents. And mutters something about soft city born adventurers.
Magical Supplies
To show up those book folk, Helga quickly accounts and reorganizes much of the items to be more practical. "Ya don't want to burn the whole place down.
Mapping
After dealing with the supplies Helga heads out for some scouting but spends more times fighting with the trees than noticing anything useful.
Morale
It is a passable bit inspiration, but her boot camp drill sergeant is not for everyone.
Repairs
Helga move heavy things.
Research
Worn out from the previous labor, she does not concentrate as well with the book things.
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The halfling dives right into the tasks, moving quickly between them until all the preparation is complete.
Inventory
He looks over the inventory and list of adventurer's, pointing out issues with any food that isn't edible for certain races. "No no, halflings can eat pretty much anything. I'm just worried about the elves."
Magical Supplies
"Hmmm... well, I like what you've done, but you need to be careful about these reagents here. They bite."
Mapping
He glances over the maps, "Is that a ravine or a mountain? I never quite figured out which way elevation lines go."
Morale
Farryn leaves this task for others who are a bit less condescending than him.
Repairs
"OH HECK YAH! This is my jam. See, this needs fixed and here is how..." He isn't very helpful.
Research
"Reading, that is... definitely a thing I can do. And do often, yup. That's me. A big reader. Alright, I'll shut up now and read."
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At the last moment a young woman appears who by her symbols seems to be one of Sarensae's devotees, "Hello everyone my name is Kyra I was busy in some matters of my order when I was summoned by the Venture Captain, I hope our mission is pleasant and we can get to know each other better"
He quickly greets everyone trying to be as courteous and friendly as possible and places himself at the orders of Oraiah.
Inventory
Magical supplies
Maping
Morale
Repairs
Research
Preparation Rewards posted on Slides.
With preparations completed and with such swiftness and efficiency, Venture-Captain Oraiah Tolal calls for all of the Pathfinders at the camp to gather for an announcement.
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Everyone gathers around a makeshift stage as the sun starts to slip below the horizon. Pathfinders whisper to each other in anticipation.
Venture-Captain Oraiah Tolal addresses the group. “Pathfinders, our expedition begins tomorrow. We have a day’s travel to reach the site where we will find the Door of Seasons. The founders of our Society may have been unable to reach the realm that lies beyond this magical gateway, but we have something they lacked.” The Venture-Captain holds a verdant crown aloft. “This is the Perennial Crown, an artifact that will serve as the key to opening the door. I hope that Alseta will bless us as we find this doorway to a new place. From what we’ve been able to gather, there’s a demiplane on the other side. The demiplane and the crown alike are closely tied to the Thorned Monarch, Qxal, an evil fey who once terrorized this region. The Pathfinders who recovered this crown faced steep opposition from the Monarch, and I have no doubt they will defend the Door of Seasons even more fiercely. Be wary any fey you see along the way; they are likely to be working for Qxal. Stay in groups of four or more for safety and help each other. Make any final preparations that you require and get a good night’s sleep; your next few nights will be on the trail. We leave an hour after dawn.”
Day breaks, and the excitement around the camp is too high to allow any Pathfinder to oversleep. Agents perform morning rituals, eat breakfast, and take a final look through maps and plans. Venture-Captain Oraiah Tolal gathers everyone together one last time. “I know that we’ve prepared well. We’re going to stop this Thorned Monarch. I have a small gift for each of you: a signal whistle with an engraving of the Perennial Crown. Use it to signal your fellow Pathfinders if you need help. And now, into the wilderness!”
Picture of the Perennial Crown now on Slides/
True to her word, the Venture-Captain sees to it that you each receive a signal whistle. This whistle does not force other Pathfinders to come to your aid, but it just may get their attention when you are in dire need of it.
Rules for boosting and using Aid Tokens are now on Slides.
The expedition begins quietly. A dwarven man in armor reminiscent of a metal diving suit sets his helmet in place as a half-orc woman in a tricorne hat lends a hand.
She ponders, “I like your style, Blackthane, but isn’t this a little more suited to underwater?”
Khoumrock Blackthane responds, “It’s good armor still, and I’ve made a few adjustments so it works better on land. I’ve come out of retirement for the sixth time, and I’m going to be comfortable.”
Calisro Benarry responds, “Can’t argue with that. I’m always comfortable.” She turns to address the gathered Pathfinders. “Pathfinders, we’re setting out. Our goal is a horizon that no one of this world’s ever seen. But Qxal is aiming to make sure we don’t get there. Everyone, stay sharp and work together.”
Blackthane adds, “And mind your equipment!"
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2: Things aren't what they seem in another part of the jungle.
3: Some animals are acting weird.
4: Some plants are acting weird.
5: Some new Pathfinders could use some help.
6: A new course needs to be charted through the wilderness.
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1: A mushroom gate is acting as a portal to allow fey creatures in.
2: Things aren't what they seem in another part of the jungle.
3: Some new Pathfinders could use some help.
4: A new course needs to be charted through the wilderness.
5: Some animals are acting weird.
6: Some plants are acting weird.
Calisro Benarry looks through a spyglass. “Fey. Lots of them. They’ve got to be coming through some kind of portal from the First World. I’ll take care of that lot while you look for the source. Watch for more coming through!"
"I suspect the Thorned Monarch is using mushroom rings to draw reinforcements from the First World." she speculates. "If we can destroy the rings, we can prevent some of the Thorned Monarch’s forces from even making it to the fight. The rings easily blend into the wilderness. If we want to put a stop to the rings, we first have to find them."
A youthful Taldan with dark hair. His leather armor is barely scratched, and the gloves tucked in his belt look barely stretched in. A distinctive curved dueling sword hangs at his hip.
"I'm Locke," he says to the other Pathfinders, breaking himself away from his concern with personal decorum. "I'm from, well, I guess it doesn't matter where I'm from at the moment. I'm a duelist and a lock breaker. I have your back if you need it."
Only the sharp-eyed elf spots the ring quickly, before any ferocious fey have appeared.
In the middle of a small pond, a ring of large toadstools glows with a slight magical energy. The ground inside wobbles, appearing almost translucent, as if it were possible to step right through it.
Given his observations and knowledge of nature, Gregol concludes that the mushroom ring forms a portal to the First World, allowing the Thorned Monarch’s reinforcements into the Material Plane.
Map of ring now revealed on Slides.
BREAKING UP THE MUSHROOM RING! - Round One Begins!
Farryn Sarjyre
Gregol Silverbeard
Nina Jaribu
Kyra
Celister
?
Helga Gulp
The halfling jumps into action, darting forward and trying his best to disable the connection to the first world, "Just... just keep them off my back! I don't want to die in the first sortie, maybe the third or fourth at the earliest."
Farryn does not die. At least, not immediately. However, despite the movement of many mushrooms the ring remains ready.
BREAKING UP THE MUSHROOM RING! - Round One Cont'd!
Farryn Sarjyre
Gregol Silverbeard
Nina Jaribu
Kyra
Celister
?
Helga Gulp
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Gregol wiggles his fingers, chanting a spell with familiarity, before he moves into something more complex. Once he is done, he points his crystal-tipped staff at the ring of mushrooms, sending a surge of magical energies meant to undo what has been done.
◆ Shield
◆◆ Dispel Magic
Gregol wiggles his fingers, chanting a spell with familiarity, before he moves into something more complex. Once he is done, he points his crystal-tipped staff at the ring of mushrooms, sending a surge of magical energies meant to undo what has been done.
A small, hirsute creature emerges from the ring. Upon spying you all, the hairy starts to bellow...
When the elven Pathfinder rushes forward, circling the newcomer with his blade.
Though wounded, the creature tilts back his head and laughs.
It, then, slams its club in the direction of his attacker.
BREAKING UP THE MUSHROOM RING! - Round One Cont'd/Round Two Begins!
[b]Helga Gulp[
Farryn Sarjyre
Gregol Silverbeard
Nina Jaribu
Kyra
Celister -13 HP
Fey -38 HP
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Now, if the mushroom ring was a separate initiative from the fey (such as if it were treated as a hazard), then it might resolve as you wrote in your post, in which case that’s fair, but makes it confusing since the mushroom gate isn’t listed in the initiative card that you put at the end of your post. AND by RAW I can’t un-Delay until “the end of a creature’s turn” (emphasis: mine), and since the mushroom gate isn’t a creature then I couldn’t un-Delay after its turn (but it would be fair to make a GM call that I could, because that’s CLEARLY not RAI).
Regardless, Celister is smart (or perhaps foolish) enough to at least watch what this thing does before he un-Delays.
Gregol wiggles his fingers, chanting a spell with familiarity, before he moves into something more complex. Once he is done, he points his crystal-tipped staff at the ring of mushrooms, sending a surge of magical energies meant to undo what has been done.
Tangential stuff about Delaying
A small, hirsute creature emerges from the ring. Upon spying you all, the hairy starts to bellow...
When the elven Pathfinder rushes forward, circling the newcomer with his blade.T
hough wounded, the creature tilts back his head and laughs.
It, then, slams its club in the direction of his
attacker.
When the creature appears, its long, animated hair reaches out and interferes with creatures in the area.
The halfling is not harried by the trespasser's tresses.
The fey slams its club at the only Pathfinder within his
Now, the elven Pathfinder rushes forward, circling the newcomer with his blade, bringing Celister within reach of the laugher's locks!
The fey manes, but the elf remains!
"Think it's funny, do you?" Gregol calls out. "Perhaps this will inspire a round of applause!"
The ome early iites the creature's hair, but makes no flames among the fey's follicles.
Kyra focuses to dispel the magic
She then take a swipe at the creature with her clan dagger.
The blade strikes true and becomes buried in the fey's curls.
BREAKING UP THE MUSHROOM RING! - Round One Cont'd/Round Two Begins!
Farryn Sarjyre -13 HP
Gregol Silverbeard
Nina Jaribu
Kyra
Fey -50 HP
Celister
Helga Gulp