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Seeing the threat that the weird red creature poses, Caitlin makes it her prey. She swiftly releases a pair of arrows towards the fell beast, with the intent of stopping it killing Dramir. She whispers encouragement to herself in Elven as she acts.
◆ Hunt Prey (weird red thing)
◆ Hunted Shot
Assuming a hit on first arrow plus =14 damage
If second arrow hits and they all add for damage resistance purposes.
◆ Step 5ft
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Seeing that there are a few foes to attack the cleric will begin to chant in arcane words and focus on the spider, figuring that it might not be that intelligent as the "mind" of the spider is clouded over by her spell
◆◆ Casting Daze DC 13 Will Save
3 mental damage Critical fail means it is stunned 1
She then chants more words and a magical shield manifests around her.
One of Caitlin's arrows pierces the strange creature's hide giving you hope that it can be wounded with normal weapons.
Atae casts daze on the same creature.
For some reason, the creature appears to be unaffected, but Atae can tell that the creature is a valid target for the spell since it didn't fizzle.
Initiative Order, Bold May Go!
Map Slide
Orange Spider
Nothero
Weird Red Thing, -14hp
Caitlin
Kernal
Zabu
Atae
Dramir, -14hp (out of 40), 2 fort saves against poison, immobilized.
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"I got yer Flank Dramir!" Hollers Klank as he draws out his warhammer and steps forward to hammer the orange spider into the floor boards.
Klank lays a solid blow with his well muscled smithing arm.
Attack of Opportunity: Reaction *Trigger: A creature within your reach uses a manipulate action or a move action, makes a ranged attack, or leaves a square during a move action it’s using.* You lash out at a foe that leaves an opening. Make a melee Strike against the triggering creature. If your attack is a critical hit and the trigger was a manipulate action, you disrupt that action. This Strike doesn’t count toward your multiple attack penalty, and your multiple attack penalty doesn’t apply to this Strike.
Reactive Shield: Reaction*Trigger: An enemy hits you with a melee Strike*
You can snap your shield into place just as you would take a blow, avoiding the hit at the last second. You immediately use the Raise a Shield action and gain your shield’s bonus to AC. The circumstance bonus from the shield applies to your AC when you’re determining the outcome of the triggering attack.
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"Praise Gorum and Pharasma! I thought we weren't going to get to fight there for a second!" Zabu says.
He rushes toward the spider-man to see if it can die like the spider can.
As he moves, he undergoes a strange transformation, his already feral features becoming even fiercer as his mouth grows into a muzzle full of sharp teeth and his nails grow into talons.
When he gets close, he leaps, fangs first for the creature.
Darmir's dwarven toughness assumes the venom is just alcohol and ignores it completely.
Kernal slams the orange spider with his hammer, nearly flattening it in a single blow.
Zabu leaps to bite spider-man (I'm going with it), but his spidey sense makes him dodge at the last second!
Finally, Dramir takes his revenge! He kills the orange spider and hacks into spider-man afterward!
Spider-man looks ready to retreat from his proficient assailants! What will Nothero do!?
Initiative Order, Bold May Go!
Map Slide
Nothero
Spider-man, -27hp
Caitlin
Kernal
Zabu
Atae
Dramir, -14hp (out of 40+4), immobilized.
Nothero lets loose another effective fiery bolt, and it sticks into spider-man. The creature looks extremely wounded and attempts to flee the battle.
Using its webbing, it climbs up to the ceiling then out a hole to hide on top of the roof.
Combat Over!
You check the body and discover a potion, a shortsword, a 6-inch-tall golden statue of a woman with outstretched hands, flowing hair, and a chilling expression on her face.
As you search around the lodge, you manage to find a hidden cellar with a metal chest. Inside contains documents and a journal.
The journal describes a cult of the Golden Daughter that tried to gain control of the region. Napsunar and her agents vehemently fought against the cult, but unfortunately, most of the villagers were seduced to join the flock of the Golden Daughter, who claimed to be a god made flesh. While the Golden Daughter did manifest strange powers, Napsunar was skeptical of her godly origin. The Golden Daughter led her followers on a pilgrimage toward the west, and Napsunar apparently lost track of her; at least, no records specifying the Golden Daughter’s fate are included in the journal. Napsunar abandoned the lodge when the village began to die out due to a hostile environment rife with bandits and monsters. The villagers that were left behind settled nearer to the Sellen River. One of the Pathfinder agents, Pavo Crispin, found a wife among the villagers and stayed behind with her when the other agents left with Napsunar.
Finally, you find a list of Pathfinder agents that operated in the lodge.
Atae is positive (critical success) that the blade is a +1 striking shortsword, though no one else can confirm the identification.
Zabu and Caitlin believe the potion to be a lesser healing potion.
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"Should burn this spider nest to the ground..." Thinks Klank out loud as the spider creature escapes. "But I guess if we miss anything and need to come back we shouldn't." He stows away his shield and hammer before helping search for clues.
"Quite the sword there, and this statue... wonder if its got something to do with that God in the flesh the journal talks about?" Klank again sounds like he's thinking out loud. Its become apparent he likes to work through things in his head vocally.
"Any of you like to use small swords? Magic weapons can really make quick work of some monsters." He nods in agreement with Dramir.
As you recover from your battle, a burly, red-haired man comes rushing into the lodge. "Is everyone ok!? I heard fighting and thought someone might need some help!"
None of you sense any falsehoods in his statements.
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Nothero gives the newcomer a hard look that is (to be honest) not that different from her regular gaze. “There was fighting against some spider-monstrosities, but as capable Pathfinders we were never in any real danger.”
“We are investigating this site on behalf of the society. It was our conclusion that this site was abandoned, but your appearance would contradict that. Please identify yourself and your purpose here.”
The burly man smiles, "Well, I'm just part of a group that isn't fans of the king. We are camping out not too far from here, and I was on patrol when I heard the commotion." he then holds out one of his hands for a shake, "The name's Chops. Pleased to meet you."
He continues looking around, "We don't get many people looking into these old ruins. I hope you found what you needed, I guess. Since you all seem to be pretty effective in a fight, you should come meet my boss. I'm sure she'd be happy to add you to the payroll for our upcoming mission."
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Zabu looks distinctly disappointed as the spider-man departs and only reluctantly lets his face and hands shift back to their normal shape.
He isn't particularly interested in the loot they find, though he checks out the statue in a less than religious way.
He only perks back up when the new guy comes in but deflates once more when it's clear they're not going to fight.
"Sure. Introduce us to your boss. We always like meeting new people," he says. "Especially if they buy us a drink."
Chops smiles at Atae before answering Caitlin, "Well, you guys seem nice enough, and your right! Wouldn't be the River Kingdoms if we didn't want to be free of the 'Kingdom' part!" he says with a laugh, "The leader of my group of Firebrands is Nalla, and I'm sure we have a few drinks to share."
Chops leads you outside the village and to his nearby camp, where a group hangs out by a fire. After looking around for a bit, Chops questions the group, "Hey, where'd Nalla go? I've got some potential new hired hands for the next mission."
One of the group responds, "She headed back to the Waterworks for tonight's meeting. Don't tell me you forgot already, Chops?"
Chops responds, "Damn, that's right." he says before turning to your group, "Well if you're still interested and heading back to Artume, meet me at the Firewater tavern before sundown."
One of the younger in the group adds, "It's time for King Edryd 'to go the way of Waike.' Tonight's mission is going to be big."
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"We'll meet your merry band Chops, but don't sign our names to anything." Klank follows the man closely, just in case his intentions aren't legit.
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Great, what kind of plot did we step in this time.. Klank mostly keeps his thoughts to himself, instead trying to get a good look at the group in case he needed to pick them out of a line up later on.
Best we just look for Pavo and keep clear of this uprising.
Chops shakes his head, "It ain't so much what Edryd's doing, it's that we want Artume to be in the hands of the people, not a monarch. We are hoping to 'restructure' the government into a voting-like place." he then adds with a laugh, "My friend always asks, 'How did he get to be king anyway? By exploiting the workers. By hanging on to outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in our society.' Right bastard he is with all those fancy words, but he speaks from the heart!"
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Listening to the answer to Caitlin’s question, Nothero will move to gather the other Pathfinders in a tight circle to converse privately.
In the Pathfinder huddle: “We have accomplished the task of locating and assessing the status of the old lodge… it is time to head back to Artume and report to the venture-captain. While in Artume I would like to look into the fate of Pavo Crispin, as that will have bearing in regards to the history of the old lodge. Are there any other matters that should take precedence before the hike back to Artume?”
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"What he did was put a crown on his head. Around here, that's enough to get your head taken off," Zabu says as the explanation about their problem with Edryd is explained.
But he snorts a laugh at the "voting" idea. "So, you're going to let any idiot have a say in how things go? You know half the population is of below average intelligence, right?"
He's still chuckling to himself as he joins the huddle though he doesn't seem entirely opposed to the Firebrands.
"We're here. Why not meet with their leader before we go tromping back?"
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"Their leader is back in Artume. I agree with most of what Nothero said. I think reporting to the Venture-Captain should be our first priority and finding an heir of Pavo Crispin is important, too." She pauses and looks serious. "What we can't get away from is the fact that a revolution is happening and we are here. We know about it. We didn't come looking for it, but it's happening anyway. I think we should meet the Firebrand leader. I'm anonymous enough to get away with it. We should ask for the Venture-Captain's opinion, but it seems Edryd may get killed for very little reason. We might want to speak with him and warn him too. I don't think we should go randomly telling guards. That will just get us 'questioned'." She looks around at the gathered Pathfinders, trying to see which way the wind is blowing.
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" Chaos is the bane ti any civilisation. I won't take any action to further a civil war. The humans in this Torak forsaken place are worse than the most I encountered, ready to turn their flag with the wind, never resisting the gales of change.
If they did not found a due process to transfer of power, I won't force them with my Guisarme.
I also agree with Nothero, let's report back and concentrate on our job.
The VC should have an inclination to the bigger picture, if he wants to or want us to report what we found out here or apprehend this leader, he will advice us accordingly.
You arrive back in Artume and head over to meet with the Venture-Captain.
The River Steed Inn resides quite close to the Gildtmede Keep and near the cliffside. The sign of the inn has horse rising out of a flowing river. Several rooms have balconies overlooking the Sellen river.
Venture-Captain Smine sits at a desk writing a letter, the open balcony door behind him giving a view over the docks and the Sellen River. A paper bird flies through the open doors and unfolds into a letter on the table. Smine hold up his hand for silence as he eyes the letter before handing it over. “So, what did you find out?"
Dear Holgarin,
These so-called rebels you mentioned aren’t recognized by any group of Firebrands I’m acquainted with. I’m sympathetic to their yearning for people to choose their own fate but from what I’ve gathered, the majority of the people are happy with King Edryd. In my opinion, this means that even if their hearts are in the right place, their rebellion could lead to more harm than good. I have no operatives in the vicinity, so if you wouldn’t mind keeping an eye on things over there on my behalf, I would be thankful. If you are in need of my assistance in the future, I’ll be more than happy to oblige.
Regards, Ionnia Valanti
The Venture-Captain provides little direct advice, addresses you regardless, "A Pathfinder is one who is driven to explore the world, report on what they find, and always to strive for cooperation. Perhaps those rebels or the king could benefit from people so inclined. Particularly at a time like this."
He then shakes his head, "Sometimes the world changes us, sometimes we change the world. Do you think you negotiate peace between the two groups? If not, we should support the one that would best support us."
He then pulls out a document, "This can get you an audience with the king if you believe you want to meet with him. You're full agents now; it's up to you to decide the best course of action."
After traveling to the ruins, returning to Artume, and then meeting with the Venture-Captain, the sun lowers in the sky. Night will be falling across the land soon.
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"While the venture-captain was not forthcoming with direct advice, he did ask if we were able to negotiate peace between the two groups. Then, if that is not possible, we should support the group most inclined to support the presence and activities of the Pathfinder Society in this area."
"It's obvious that Holgrim's preference is for peace between the groups and as the local venture-captain he is the subject-matter expert best suited to judge the optimal outcome."
"However, negotiating a peace may not be possible. Pathfinders...how would we go about achieving successful negotiations? Is a peace between the groups possible or even desirable? What do you think our next move should be?