A missive arrives from Urwal!
Allies in our Society!
The stars have aligned to show me that a momentous journey lies ahead of me, but it is one that requires strong allies. As the stars move, I see the constellations of the Wanderer approaching the Wagon, which surely means they will ride together for a half-turning of the moon. The Finadar Forest speaks to me, showing me these patterns and calling me to witness something of great import. However, the malign planet of Aucturn is ascendant, and with it rises my own unease.
Come to the Pathfinder basecamp in Iobaria by the Cyclops city of Min-Khadaim. We shall venture out into the Finadar Forest together and discover the source of the portents I see in the stars.
-Urwal of the Verdant Wheel
Urwal's missive is filled with references to astrology.
Urwal's missive also references the Findahar Forest.
"Screech!" A piercing cry rings out and a snowy owl bursts from a nearby stand of trees and snatches the treat out of the air. The owl lands beside the young woman and with one quick motion devours the treat whole.
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"Well that's the last of that tien barbeque that you like, Silence. There won't be any more until we get back to Absalom buy some more from Xiao-Feng. I should have bought more before we left but we had to hurry to catch our boat." She pulls out her shortbow and checks it thoroughly before turning to face the owl.
"Do you think Miss Astrid was mad at us? She got rid of us awfully quickly after we got back to camp."
Having finished his treat the owl begins to preen his feathers.
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Meadow sighs. "I suppose you're right but I still don't see why she would get mad. Everything worked out. I mean sure, Milo fell into a sinkhole and Olombe nearly got caught by one of those fire monsters but you managed to distract it long enough for him to get away. Okay, I did panic a bit when you got burned but I was fast enough that it couldn't catch me once I got its attention so you could get away so it all worked out, right? How's that healing by the way?" She checks the owl's wounds and nods, satisfied. "Jun-Mei's magic did a good job on you. I don't even see any scars."
She pulls out the missive from Urwal that summoned them here.
"Hmm...The Wanderer and the wagon. What do you think that means, Silence? Knowing Urwal I bet those must be stars or constellations or some such. I think I remember him mentioning something about the wanderer the last time we were here."
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Panarug the half-orc is small in stature and slight in build. Dressed in the traditional Kellid tribal wear, except for a necklace carved in Sarenrae's symbol hanging around his neck. Strange smells of herbs hang around him, while a stoat of the blackest fur rest peacefully on his lap.
He stares warily at the half-elf, and frowns deeper as she recounted (to the owl as if it could reply) her most recent adventures. He keeps his thoughts to himself, though his face speaks volumes.
He grunts before speaking up, in a deep rumbling voice that you would not expect from such a small figure. "We haven't introduced ourselves. My name is Panarug, of the A'thom tribe from the north." Gesturing to his stoat, he continues, "And this is Fharan." He then grunts again and stays silent, staring suspiciously at the rest of the party. Fharan, however, seems curious and draws closer to Silence, sniffing animatedly.
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A kobold with coppery, golden, and even some green scales sits very close to the fire. You might think he would be so close to be burned, but the intense heat doesn't seem to bother him. He watches Meadow feed Silence with a nod and smiles. "My goblin friend also has an owl. His is simply called Bitey. But I like Silence's name more."
He nods to the group and stands, stretching to a rather tall (for a kobold) height, but then almost immediately hunching back down so he seems smaller. "I am Rhaegal, also called The Dragon. You are lucky to have a Dragon's might with you. It grows in me." He bites at a stick of roasted chicken.
He nods at Fharan and Silence, actually acknowledging their presence more so than the half-elf or the half-orc. But then he turns to Meadow. "You have been here before?"
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Towards the rest walks a relatively tall and slim figure. His dark skin might mean that he comes from the south, but a dark green complexion could mean that he has some orc blood in him. His tusks are a bit longer and he has yellow eyes. His face looks smooth and friendly when he smiles, on his head, he carries a hat and as he walks he was playing on a flute a rather cheerful song. Seeing an Owl he would hide his flute and mimick the sound of owl
"Screech!"
He repeats it few times and smiles taking off his hat
"My name is Xun Saburo, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am here to record your doings and make you immortal by speaking of your doings in various inns and taverns. "
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Yngra Rambrok is a tall, athletic woman with bright red hair, a sturdy traveling cloak draped over a meticulously maintained suit of plate and a pair of shields hung on the side of a sturdy rucksack. Having just recently arrived in Iobaria from Absalom, she arrives with one of the small trains of supply carts heading out to the large base camp, before searching for the other field agents that she's intended to rendevous with.
A reedy, slightly nervous looking young man follows her, and she introduces both with a pronounced Ulfen accent. "I am Yngra Rambrok, daughter of Valendri. I am a shieldmaiden that has made my service to the society. He is a medical trainee." She turns up one corner of her mouth in a smile at Rhaegal's introduction and responds in Draconic, much more naturally accented than her Taldane, "I think that I know a thing or two of a dragon's might, myself."
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Rhaegal turns to look at Yngra when she speaks Draconic. He squints at her for a long moment, then his eyes light up and scampers over to greet her in their shared language. "You are a dragon-sister!? I have heard of smoothskins who carry the might of a dragon within them too! I had hoped to meet one when I ventured to the Land of the Linnorm Kings, but none revealed themselves to me!"
While the hunched and small kobold and the tall athletic woman could not have looked more different, the kobold beams at her and feels like he has found a sibling. "My own tribe would welcome you very much. They prize mighty warriors who are blessed with the dragon's power!"
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A female Gnome approaches the camp. She is slim, attractive and has green eyes and hair of a brilliant dark blue hue. She stands barely over 3' tall and wears regular travel clothes under a cloak. Other than a dagger and a few packs she carries just a long spear.
"Oh! Greeting! I am glad I made it. Was in Ustalav for a mission and barely set my pack done in Absalom before being told to report here!"
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He grunts before speaking up, in a deep rumbling voice that you would not expect from such a small figure. "We haven't introduced ourselves. My name is Panarug, of the A'thom tribe from the north." Gesturing to his stoat, he continues, "And this is Fharan." He then grunts again and stays silent, staring suspiciously at the rest of the party. Fharan, however, seems curious and draws closer to Silence, sniffing animatedly.
Meadow grimaces as Fharan approaches Silence but relaxes a bit as the owl calmly allows the stoat to investigate. "Be nice Silence. He's just curious."
Silence flaps his wings then turns his head almost upside down and examines Fharan.
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"Okay, okay, I know you know the difference between prey and familiars, now but I still get nervous. I don't want a repeat of 'the incident' all over again." She makes air quotes with her fingers.
He nods at Fharan and Silence, actually acknowledging their presence more so than the half-elf or the half-orc. But then he turns to Meadow. "You have been here before?"
She turns to the Kobold. "Yes. Silence and I have been here before. We helped Urwal and a nice centaur named Jaldan deal with some weird shenanigans in the forest."
GM, if it's ok with you, while Fharan is in Panarug's pouch, I would like him to hold onto a vial of minor healing potion. So that I can command him to feed it to a party member if needed.
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#1-15
You don't remember anything about the Findahar Forest.
Iobaria is home to a rare species of highly flammable conifer pine known as bruorsivi, also known as blood pine. The forest had always been prone to brief, intense fires that burned out naturally or were contained by elf druids and centaur sages. Recently, a massive fire swept through the Finadar Forest when a group of goblins living in the skeletal remains of an old draconic graveyard triggered an incomplete cyclopean ritual. Those who have seen the graveyard have marveled at how many generations of dragons must have lain buried there.
You don't remember anything about the Findahar Forest.
Aucturn shares its nickname, the Stranger, with one of the constellations of the Cosmic Caravan. It held special significance in Old Koloran, the pre-human empire of the cyclopes, and is associated with foreboding news. The city of Min-Khadaim, and by extension the Pathfinder Society’s Iobarian basecamp, are part of the lands that the empire once held.
You don't remember anything about the Findahar Forest.
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A sprawling camp of tents and wooden buildings overlooks a forest of red pines. Sounds of hammers and saws echo from afar, as construction crews of Pathfinders and centaurs raise buildings for classrooms and a makeshift infirmary. Veterans bearing coffee and breakfast greet new arrivals, eager to swap stories and add the newcomers to their exhausted work details. A stocky leshy clad in pinecone armor and a jaunty eyepatch emerges from the crowd. He clutches a clipboard and puffs out his chest. “I am Blackberry, the esteemed commander of the training course. My friend Urwal requested we construct a special obstacle challenge to test the newcomers’ mettle, and you will be among the first groups honored to complete it! Get through if you want to find Urwal.”
Blackberry gestures into the woods, but all that is visible from this point are Iobaria’s iconic blood-red bruorsivi pine trees. As if on cue, a group of bedraggled and dejected-looking Pathfinders, all spattered and dripping a thick purple liquid that looks suspiciously like jam, emerge from the forest from the direction that Blackberry is pointing. “Ah, perfect! The previous group just finished with the latest obstacle course!” Blackberry looks pleased. “You can proceed forward without any delays! I really hope that you put on a better performance than the last few groups.”
A smaller leshy clears her throat, tugging on Blackberry’s shoulder. As the other leshy whispers in his ear, Blackberry’s good eye blinks at Meadow. “My friends! One of the greatest heroes of the Finadar leshys! Forgive me for not recognizing you earlier! My vision is not what it once was ... and thank goodness! Word from the wise: if you can avoid it, don’t let a piece of the Abyss lodge itself in your face.”
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After introductions are finished, Blackberry leads the Pathfinders towards the obstacle course.
A pair of centaur construction workers sit on the sidelines of a clearing, drinking refreshments. “Another group! I am Tombu,” a loud centaur proclaims. “We will drink every time you get a pie to the face!”
Meanwhile, leshys in purple bandanas grab pies from a nearby table and walk to clearly marked obstacle checkpoints. Blackberry points to a plump, pumpkin-headed leshy who is tying an orange bandana around his eyes. “Your job, Pathfinders, is to escort Jackpot here through the obstacle course and help him keep heading in the general direction he chooses, without letting him take harm. You may steer him around hazards, but you must let him keep moving."
Blackberry warns, "Every time you fail, you get–”
“-a pie to the face!” the centaurs shout in unison.
"Are you ready?" asks Blackberry.
Before anyone can answer, the exuberant Jackpot takes off running blindly forward.
"" shouts Jackpot as he rushes blindly ahead. ""
Obstacle #1: The Pit
The first obstacle in the course is a 20-foot-square pit with small wooden walls that prevent creatures from moving around it. Jackpot runs towards the pit, perhaps unaware, or perhaps fully aware that he will fall in unless the Pathfinders save him.
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Yngra snatches up her freshly-breaded shield and takes off running after the pumpkin-headed menace! She scrambles to overtake him, and clamber down into the pit before the leshy arrives, bracing herself at the edge of the pit with her shield overhead, planning to catch the leshy with the makeshift platform when he steps over the ledge, run forward, and heave him back up on the other side, hoping that he won't find more trouble faster than she can climb up after him.
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Panarug sighs to himself as the party approaches the challenge area. I joined the Pathfinder Society for this? Then he sees the leshy running full steam ahead.
"You fool! Slow down or you'll break your neck! Vine? Ah whatever"
Panarug races ahead to overtake the leshy, grabbing planks along the way, interlocking them and laying them across the pit.
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Word from the wise: if you can avoid it, don’t let a piece of the Abyss lodge itself in your face.
"A word of wisdom indeed. Let me share something from my journeys, if you have to deal with the devil be very explicit about the terms"
He nods his head and heads towards the obstacle course.
"Sweet pumpkin! You are instance Jackpot!"
Xun runs after Panarug and Jackpot. He attempts to help Panarug building the bridge.
"Let me tie those ropes together, that crazy Pumpkin is almost here. Can someone steer him in circles so that we get more time?"
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Rhaegal rushes alongside the others, helping them pick out the more sturdy and unrotten pieces of wood. "Use this one! No, that one will crumble! Here, here's a piece of pine. He's a Leshy, he doesn't weigh that much."
Xun holds the pine and yells back at Rhaegal "What about that Crazy Gnome who just run through that bridge !?!"
Rhaegal grabs the correct wood while Yngra, Panarug, and Xun form up to build a bridge, Yngra briding the last gap with her shield.
Meadow tries to grab the leshy but misses, and Zallarra laughs at the scene.
""
Obstacle #2: The Shrubbery
The next section of the obstacle course is filled with shrubbery coated with wet jam. The Pathfinders must get Jackpot through the area without getting jam on Jackpot.
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Before continuing, Meadow takes off her cloak with the embroidered owl and lizard (or is it a cat?) and stows it in her backpack so it won't be ruined in a pie strike.
"Come on Silence, we'll follow behind him and try to steer him through the bushes."
Meadow easily manages to keep pace immediately behind the leshy. She gets a good grip on him and turns him away from any jam-coated shrubbery.
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Rhaegal stares at the portion ahead and all that jam-coated shrubbery. He realizes that normally, people try not to leave too many signs of their passage, but that's exactly what he needs to do here. He grabs his wooden shield in both hand and runs down the pathway ahead of Jackpot. He presses his shield against the shrubery as much as he can, trying to knock and smear as much jam as possible onto his own shield and clothing so it won't be there for when the leshy goes through.
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Yngra drags herself up out of the pit on the far side, to see Jackpot fleeing into the fields of jam. As Meadow slows the leshy and she, Zallarra and Xun starts turning him, Yngra runs ahead toward Panarug, off to the side, to try to spot any dead end his straightforward path might lead into, and ward off sticky disaster.
Yngra, Rhaegal, and Panarug fan out to scout the best routes through the bushes - and away from all the disappointed leshies waiting patiently to throw pies at the group.
Zallarra, Xun, and Meadow all attempt to keep Jackpot on track, but Silence spots a mouse and dives after it, distracting Meadow.
""
Obstacle #3: The River
The final obstacle is a river, 20 feet wide and six feet deep, that flows through the end of the obstacle course.
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Rhaegal's body distorts and his scales flex. He leaps towards the river, assured of his transformation. In mid-air you see his eyes bulge and where you might expect a dragon's claws, his hands and feet begins to stretch and webbing grows between them. He lands in the river gracefully, but what pops up is not a dragon, but a large...frog?
The frog glitters with the same coppery and gold kobold scales and you see it croak in frustration. Rhaegal looks down at his new form and tries to snarl, but it just comes out as a ribbit. He gives a sulken glare, but motions to the others to help Jackpot ride on his back across the river.
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Xun runs towards the river and looks for a trunk that would be able to float and stabilize it with branches. "That pumpkin will start bobbing on the current and we will never see that leshy."
"Darn! what an ugly dire frog. Why doesn't someone shoot it!"
Says only then realizing that it is Rhaegal "Sorry about that, you scared ome"
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Seeing the river and knowing her limitations, Zallarra has an idea when she sees the magnificent Dragon Frog take to the water. She grabs one of the leaves with the smelly jam on it, casts Mage Hand and floats it in front of the Leshy's nose.
"Follow the scent of the jam!"
She then floats the leaf in front of the Leshy, onto the large frog's back and keeps it close to his nose across the river...
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Meadow frowns as she ponders the situation for a moment. Suddenly her face brightens. "Hey I have an idea!" She reaches into her backpack and pulls out her waterskin. She quickly empties it then blows it up like a balloon. She then uses this as a flotation device to assist the leshy across the river.
Yngra and Frog-Rhaegal provide a platform for Jackpot, while Meadow, and Xun shape some floatation devices. Panarug finds some vines, but they end up being unused as Xun is extremely adept at what he does. Zallarra leads Jackpot across safely.
Jackpot races towards the finish line, but suddenly realizes he still has an unused jar of blackberry jam in his head. He pulls it out, dousing himself liberally.
""
Obstacle #4: Jackpot is "hurt"!