[PFS1] 6-21 Tapestry's Toil (GM Watery Soup) (Inactive)

Game Master Watery Soup

As you all know each other, I'm jumping right in.

The Hao Jin Tapestry hangs on the wall of this stuffy basement room in the Grand Lodge.

The tattered piece of fabric, five feet wide and seven feet long, looks more like a worn tablecloth than a storied artifact. The Pathfinder Society’s Master of Spells Aram Zey stands before tapestry, his arms folded across his chest. He speaks without greeting. “I read your report from the Green Market, and especially the part about the Aspis claiming to have located a piece of the Sky Key. As you know, the Society labors at some cost to assemble the dwarven relic.”

The Master of Spells produces an intricately sculpted piece of metal decorated with fluid carvings. A sudden flash of excitement fills his weary eyes. “The object I hold in my hands is one of five pieces of that curiosity. The pieces that the Society has obtained so far share the same luster and artistic sensibilities, but have different shapes and functions within the assembled artifact. Today, hopefully, you will retrieve another piece. The rumors that a fragment of the Sky Key lies within the tapestry seems to have been substatiated. Our sources place it in the company of a dwarven clan that left Golarion for Hao Jin’s realm some time ago. Your task is to enter the tapestry and make contact with these dwarves, discern what they know about the Sky Key, and negotiate for their piece, should they still have it.”

The taciturn sage produces a hexagonal beard clasp of thick, polished metal. “Pathfinder agents retrieved this beard clasp from one of the sites that we suspected of holding the Sky Key fragment. It belonged to an ancestor of the dwarves who live in the tapestry, and it may assist you in your negotiations. Return it to me if it does not gain you the fragment you seek. We hold no particular ire for the dwarves. Retrieve the Sky Key fragment if possible, but try not to murder anyone.”

Aram Zey adds grudgingly, “Does anyone have any questions before I send you into tapestry?”

"Do you know anything about what we might expect upon our arrival? And environmental concerns?"

You know, Ansha's presence here could cause a continuity error since she's been to the Hao Jin Tapestry before (from The Hao Jin Hierophant). 'Hey, we discovered this new demiplane!' 'Oh, that? I've been there before.'

Ansha shakes her head. She'd figure it out. (Also, y'know, she's been there before.)

Udder dan dem skeevy Aspis, any particular opposition ya ken? Be anthin else ya learned bout it? An what's it look like so's we not be cheated.

Rakesh gives a small smile, happy to see some familiar faces. He gives a slight nod in greeting to each of his adventuring companions then listens to the Venture Captains give the briefing. He scowls when the Aspis are mentioned.

Do you know the name of the dwarf clan or the names of any of the individuals?

"Yah, good idea. How will we know we have met friends and not foes?"

Very slight retcon.

While waiting for the Master of Spells to make an appearance, Rakesh and Ehm huddle in the corner to discuss potential tactics.

Roderick enters while lighting his pipe and taking a puff.

”I apologize for my tardiness. I was training a bit after our last misadventure and lost track of the time. “

He puffs again and raises an eyebrow

”What is all of this about a Sky Key and Tapestry? While I have heard the Society has been involved with both, I personally have only been directly involved with a couple missions with the Sky Key years ago but not with the Tapestry . “

He played Scion of Sky 1-3 if that matters

"Oh, dwarves. I hope they enjoy more than recitations of history and war lore. Still.. Better than dealing with dead people. So, what can you tell us about the clan? Besides the name and people in it, who are most likely long dead anyway."

Kit busies herself fashioning finger puppets to resemble dwarves. She pauses for a second and asks,

"I don't suppose you know anything about their fashions? It always helps to be accurate," she adds as she waves a half completed dwarf finger.

”What is all of this about a Sky Key and Tapestry?“

“The Sky Key is an artifact. It once belonged to the dwarves of Jormurdun. The last king of Jormurdun, King Gutheran, split the Sky Key into five pieces, keeping one for himself and giving a piece to each of his four children. The Society is tracking down these pieces so that we can reassemble the artifact.”

Do you know the name of the dwarf clan or the names of any of the individuals?

“We don't know their names, but we know they are the descendants of those who followed Prince Naldak, son of the last ruler of Jormurdun, King Gutheran.”

"How will we know we have met friends and not foes?"

"That's a difficult questions to answer. The Tapestry may have changed its inhabitants - reminding them of the past may help. The beard clasp I gave you is one such reminder."

"environmental concerns?"

"I don't suppose you know anything about their fashions? It always helps to be accurate,"

"Dwarves tend to live underground, so their fashions are not flashy. Darkvision doesn't differentiate between colors, so patterns are likely more common than colors." n.b. there's no mechanical benefit to having Kitoro's finger puppets dress appropriately, this is just a fancy way of saying you'll probably need darkvision lol

---

When all of the Pathfinders are ready to depart, he teaches them a command word and instructs them to place their fingers one at a time on a specific spot in the tapestry.

Time for last minute purchases and/or preparations. I'll try to get slides up later today.

Kit picks up some oil of daylight before being ready.

Ansha nods, ready to depart, and places her finger on a specific spot in the tapestry as instructed.

Roderick stows his pipe and places finger on the tapestry as directed

”Cheers! “

The hot, humid air announces an abrupt change in the local scenery. A large earthen hill fades into view, surrounded on each side by hills covered in vines, grass, and stands of jungle trees. In one direction, mountains rise until they meet a haze of thick clouds. In the other direction, the deep blue sky is barely visible through an expanse of thick jungle. Just ahead lies a small village, its stone buildings overrun with vegetation.

On the edge of the village, a horse-sized creature sits atop a pillar, watching the Pathfinders explore the ruined village. It has the face of a dwarven woman wearing a silver nose ring. Her body resembles that of a large bear with scaly wings. A barbed tail writhes wildly behind her as she threatens with a sonorous growl.

See Slide 3. Feel free to place yourselves anywhere on the map outside a respectful radius around the creature. You're not in combat (yet), but you're free to initiate at any time.

Relevant knowledge is planes.

Knowledge (planes): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24

Ansha steps to one side as she appears, then casts about, looking at her surroundings. "That's...new. Some sort of guardian daemon?" she wonders aloud, looking at the chicken-duck-woman-thing.

She makes no threatening gesture in return, but calls to mind a defensive ward or two, just in case.

"Oooh. I sure hope that this place doesn't have that affect on us. I like the wings though."

"Say, do you have a name? My name is Kit and I do performances. See?"

Kit starts making her fingers dance and taps Rakesh with a heroism spell using Spellsong to disguise the casting.

perform comedy: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (6) + 22 = 28

Ansha recognizes this as an unfettered eidolon - a summoned creature that has been, for whatever reason, left behind by its summoner. Its alignment is CN, and speaks Common.

Perception: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (17) + 20 = 37

The unfettered eidolon realizes Kitoro is casting a spell. She unfurls her wings and flies 20' into the air, growling louder.

Perception, initial: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (14) + 18 = 32
Perception, spell: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (19) + 18 = 37

"Someone's been graver-robbing... was that you?"

Seeing the creature rise up, he asks "I think he noticed your comedy was a little too special."

The unfettered eidolon is pretty wary of outsiders (pun intended), and unlikely to answer any questions while it's unfriendly.

”Let us not escalate to hostilities so soon after arriving. We may have a chance to learn something from this creature.“

"Whoa, whoa--let's all calm down here," Ansha says, attempting to placate the unfettered eidolon. "We're not here to harm anyone. We just want to talk. I understand that your kind speaks Common. We are here to speak to the villagers about a key that we want to trade for."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (8) + 26 = 34

Perception: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (8) + 16 = 24

Rakesh comes to a full stop when he sees the strange creature soar into the air. He puts a hand up in greeting and addresses her.
"Greetingsss. Excuse us for trespassing, but we are looking for a clan of dwarves. You appear to be one of those creatures that will allow us to pass unmolested if we answer your riddle correctly..."
Rakesh pauses for a moment.
"Well, then. What is your riddle?"

"Well, ain't you the perceptive one. My apologies. I was just casting a spell to aid my friend here, not to harm you."

diplomacy aid: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (8) + 18 = 26 (or just a straight up diplomacy if multiple sucesses help more)

"We'd really like to be friends, you know, and have something to trade with the dwarves for that key if you think they would be interested. Something of historical value. Would you like to see it?"

"What is your riddle?"

The eidolon glares at Rakesh and growls.

"We'd really like to be friends, you know, and have something to trade with the dwarves for that key if you think they would be interested. Something of historical value. Would you like to see it?"

At the mention of dwarves, the eidolon seems to get curious, and seems more indifferent to your presence than unfriendly.

“No more dwarves. Master was last of Naldak’s Point dwarves. They were good and proud until evil came and took the youth away. Now they live in the mountain to the east. Their heads are bald and their skin is gray. They should cut their beards in shame.”

The eidolon points to the overgrown eastward path that the “gray dwarves” took when they left Naldak’s Point.

"We are here to speak to the villagers about a key that we want to trade for."

"Trade. Trade good."

The eidolon beckons Ansha to follow with a friendly wave, escorting her to a house. While most items inside are of little material value, she picks out and hands Ansha a scabbard of vigor and a wand.

"Take them, for trade or for use."

Can't fail that Spellcraft check.

Ansha follows after the eidolon quietly, and holds up the wand, masking a detection spell--the only indication she cast a spell was when her eyes started glowing blue (detect magic).

"Huh. Interesting," the elf says. She looks to the dwarf-faced thing again. "Are these 'grey dwarves' evil, then? Did they do all this?" she asks, indicating the damage and rubble in the village. As she speaks, she holsters the wand on her belt and tosses the scabbard toward Rakesh, recalling that he used a longsword.

Kit follows along jauntily, still playing with her puppets but no longer trying to slip a spell past the watchful eye of the winged dwow.

"Cut their beards!? With no other facial hair, the beards are all they got, and being dwarves, even if a bit on the pale side, well... Say, this place looks a bit messy for dwarves. They would never leave a mess like this unless they were fleeing. What happened to them?"

Rakesh bows respectfully to the creature.
"I am Rakesh Manidhar. Please forgive me for my rash comments. I did not mean to offend. We thank you for your assistance and the gifts."

"Ahh. That is a scabbard of vigor. Enhances your blade with magic."
Rakesh says as he gestures towards his own.

"Bald and grey dwarves? Beardless? I may have heard of these kind of dwarves."

Sounds like slavery to me. And that is something I will not tolerate, for anyone, including dwarves. Roderick bristles at the thought.

And in your estimation, how long ago were the young taken from Naldak's Point?

"Bald and grey dwarves? Beardless? I may have heard of these kind of dwarves."

They are duergar.

"What happened to them?"

Okay, so this first part doesn't answer the question, exactly, but it does tie in to the Season 6 metaplot and there's quite possibly no other way for you to find this information otherwise.

"When Jormundun fell, its heirs fled with the pieces of its most prized treasure—the Sky Key. One of these heirs, Naldak, made his own village, Naldak’s Point, in what you may call Irrisen.

Then, Baba Yaga brought her eternal winter to Irrisen, but Hao Jin convinced the leaders of Naldak's Point to allow her to whisk their home into her tapestry."

"The village prospered and provided a peaceful life for the tapestry’s dwarven residents for centuries, but after Hao Jin herself vanished, the demiplane slowly began to deteriorate. Dwarves embraced Droskar’s embrace, and started taking each other as slaves.

Only a small group of dwarves, all from the town’s oldest generation, refused Droskar’s offer and fought off slavers. The people of Naldak’s Point aged and died, leaving behind a few empty ruins and one immortal tenant."

And in your estimation, how long ago were the young taken from Naldak's Point?

"Ten or eleven conjunctions of the astral tides."

As an immortal, extraplanar being, the eidolon has no concept of time. Also, the scenario doesn't say and I don't want to establish canon. :D

"Are these 'grey dwarves' evil, then? Did they do all this?"

"The grey dwarves did not do this. Less than one conjunction ago, others arrived. Others, like you. Mortals. They search for the Sky Key as well.

I scared some, I killed some, but they have done their damage. They headed east."

Kit winces at the news, suspecting the other group is from the Aspice Consortium, but knowing that would mean nothing to the creature anyway.

"East you say. It does sound like they are on the same trail and have a head start. And if they listened to Droskar, they would listen to these guys too."

Ehm considers his usual luck with words and decides (for once) to keep his trap shut. he just watches for anyone trying to sneak up on the group.
perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23

You have been most helpful. You have our gratitude, for the information and the gifts. We will bring these slavers to an end. That will be assured.

"Would you mind showing us where the bodies are of the ones you killed? I must know if they are Aspisss Agentsss."
He hisses.
"They will have badges proving their affiliation."

And there might be loot in those ruins.

"And the smell. You can tell Aspis agents by the smell."

Rakesh nods at Fuzzfoot with his mouth open in silent laughter.
"Yesss, yesss.
Haha."

Ansha rolls her eyes at Rakesh and Fuzzfoot. She turns her attention back to the eidolon. "You have been most helpful. Thank you," she says offering a smile. "And, simply out of curiosity: What happened to the one who summoned you here? Do you know?"

"Would you mind showing us where the bodies are of the ones you killed?"

"They took the bodies with them. Probably buried them elsewhere."

Consider the loot that you got part of what the eidolon scavenged from the battle.

"What happened to the one who summoned you here? Do you know?"

"He died, of old age."

---

I'm going to flick the lights on and off here and move the party onward in the morning unless there's something else very pressing.

Works for me.

"I...see." Ansha furrows her brow, then nods. "We should get going. Thank you again."

With that, the elven enchantress starts heading toward the east.

Fuzzfoot watches where Ansha goes, and then tries to lead the way. "Can't be too careful these days," he says, as he starts poking around looking for any traps.

Perception: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (18) + 19 = 37

Kit takes out her whip and cracks it at some weeds growing along their path, noticing that her skill with the thing has gotten stale.

"Funny how things change. Now that I've gotten so fixated on bardic magic, I rarely have time for this any more." she murmurs.

Roderick nods and pulls out his pipe as they depart.

Definitely gives one room for thought. Something does not quite fit in this puzzle.

He takes a puff, then ducks.

Miss Kitoro! Please be careful with that thing!

Indeed the warning is well said as her antics with the whip are certainly getting close to unintended targets.

*crack*

One less flower on the roadside with Kit looking inordinately pleased with herself.

The group heads east.

The mountain reaches overhead, covered in lush trees and white mist. As warm winds whip around the mount’s rises, wisps of cloud separate from the thick cover and float away. A brief plateau about halfway up the mountain features a sheer cliff, otherwise inscrutable from a distance.

The roar of the waterfall overhead explains the thick mist that covers much of the mountain. The vapors become gray clouds as they rise in altitude, but near the base of the mountain they are white wisps rolling out from the pool. The pool’s water is clear and deep, with the spill forcing white bubbles back to a rippling surface. Deep into the pool, away from the frothy cascade, a glint of gold beckons the eye.

See Slide 4. You may place yourselves wherever you want on the southernwestern land mass - you're headed to the northeast.

Environmental Hazards: The stones that cross this river are particularly slippery. The DC of all Acrobatics checks to leap between the stones increases by 5. In addition, the river flows swiftly. Any creature that falls in the water must succeed at a Swim check or be pulled downstream. The small waterfall depicted on the map is an area of rapids - failing a Swim check in this area will incur additional damage.

Due to the hazardous nature of the crossing, and definitely not because you're going to get attacked, I'm moving everyone into initiative order.

--Round 0 (rearrange yourselves on the map)
Kitoro
Fuzzfoot
Ehm
Roderick
Ansha
Rakesh
--Round 1
Kitoro
GM :)
Fuzzfoot
Ehm
Roderick
Ansha
Rakesh
GM :)

Ansha retrieves a scroll of fly from the scroll cases at her hip. Reading the scroll, it crumbles to ash and the elf flies up a few feet (15 feet) to look around at their surroundings.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12

Rakesh climbs up onto a large boulder on the river's edge. He scans the water for any creatures or dangers other than the swift flowing river and rapids.
perception: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (19) + 16 = 35

"Looks quite dangerous. Oh, good. Ansha is flying."
He watches Ansha take to the air.
"I do have a touch of the sea potion. I'll drink it before attempting to leap from rock to rock."

Buffs:
fly - dur 8 min

Hell to the no! Me powder dinna like gittin wet. Ehm downs a vial of sticky liquid and floats into the air. One o ye be wantin me self to carry a rope fer ya?
Drink extract of Fly.

The first thing Kit does is to take out a wand of heightened awareness and zap herself. "If anyone wan't to try those things, I have just the dance for you."

She is offering to do an Inspire Competence performance to help anyone who wants to try the whole acrobatics thing.

I plan on hopping across. A little inspiration from you would be nice, Kitoro.

I have a flight grapnel, Ehm. I don't see any trees on the other side that are close enough to attach it to.

Rakesh squints and holds up a hand to block the sun's rays.
Actually, I do see a couple. If I can get to that large rock in the middle, I might be able to grapnel that tree.

"Absolutely! Would you also like to feel more capable as well as be more capable? I have a spell for that too."

She needs 3 actions to do all that (put her wand away, start a performance, and cast a heroism spell) and he would need to be next to her or that will take another move action.