Dozens of stone pillars known as the Gloomspires rise from the ocean west of the Eye of Abendego. Built during the Age of Serpents by a humanoid race remembered only as the Makers, many of these columns contain numerous levels and chambers since used by both the devious and the desperate to hide themselves and their wealth. Since ancient times, the Gloomspires have intrigued explorers, yet the columns’ ever-present wind-resistant fog and their tendency to shift locations at random means studying any one in particular—much less getting an accurate count of their number—is extremely difficult. Only for three nights during the winter and summer solstices do the columns stay still.
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You see a frog like creature not more than 3 feet tall sitting on a bird approaching.
The Grippli looks quite strange as the right half of his face is completely burnt and this part of his face looks like black coal!
On top of the Grippli’s head you see the bones of a tiny animal which have been fixed like a crown or crude helmet to his head.
Aaftaab stays silent but bows slightly.
The large sized bird is a Roc and its beak is hooked like an eagle’s and designed for slashing and tearing.
The bird’s feathers appear black currently but seem to change colours.
Parvaaz looks up to the grippli sitting on his back and screeches.
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Wadley Winslow is have a good day. After another successful experiment, he feels he is close to a break through perfecting his undead creations. He arrives at the chosen location wearing an loose fitting suit that matches an undertaker outfit. He has a large black top hat with his stringy yellow hair. His ugly permanent grin on his face adds to the horror of his attire. His painfully thin body totes along a small stack of books tide with a belt bundle. Anyone can clearly see on of the tomes is made of flesh of some carcass or multiple carcasses with a closer inspection. Dark Archives has been quite pleased with Wadley’s progress and requested his presence to study this the gloomspire. The mysteries of this place excite Wadley to the point where his ugly smile widens revealing his crooked teeth. “How exciting! Hopefully there will be undead in there. That would better an already perfect day.”
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“Helloooooo! Aaftaab it’s been so long. I would never destroy such excellent taxidermy for your crown. Now if you were to fall in bad, would you be willing to donate your body for science? I would love to see how many experiments unfold with your bone structure.” Wadley walks over to greet them and offers a hand shake from his blood stained sleeve.
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“Helloooooo! Naevys, it is wonderful to see you all once again. It seems our venture Captains have seen the value of our group’s combination of abilities and continu to partnership. This tower seems like a ripe place for undead. Mmmmmm. Undead.” Wadley will offer a handshake to Naevys with his blood soaked sleeve
You find yourselves standing in front of Captain Calisro Benarry on a storm washed deck.
There! We've reached the Gloomspires.
As you look to the northwest you see countless spires of black rock. As you approach a sense of profound dread. The captain laughs.
Two months ago I sent a team into Sevenfinger's tomb. They never returned. Divinations were performed when they were delayed. We know the ship is lost, but none of the Pathfinders were on it. They were headed down to the Labyrinth of Hungry Ghosts. I put a veteran in charge, Jaohd Ilzinian. He's a paladin of Shelyn with experience handling things that should have known to stay dead.
His team took the Orb of Stars with them. It's an artifact that gets the spires to stay still. Without it they only hold still during the three days of the solstice. As you can see the orb isn't working.
As you watch the spires shift position.
Lucky for us the solstice starts in a few hours so you'll have no trouble getting there. Your mission is to climb up to Sevenfinger's Tomb, find out what happened to the other Pathfinders, and retrieve the Orb of
Stars. While you're at it see if you can find my folding boat, Old Flotsam. I lent it to Joahd and would really appreciate getting it back. Sounds simple enough, right? On your own you have three days. Find the orb and you have two weeks. I'll stay in the area for three just in case. Any questions before you set out?
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“Helloooooo! Aaftaab it’s been so long. I would never destroy such excellent taxidermy for your crown. Now if you were to fall in bad, would you be willing to donate your body for science? I would love to see how many experiments unfold with your bone structure.” Wadley walks over to greet them and offers a hand shake from his blood stained sleeve.
Aaftaab seems to be quite angry at this suggestion.
"I am still a prince Wadley! What are you thinking!? I need to be buried in my village!" he says when Naevys jumps in.
A tall, slender tiefling with a pistol on both hips walks in and sees the gathered pathfinders. Wadley, Aaftaab. Up to your old arguments again? Good to see you both.
Aaftaab looks at the Tiefling with an appreciating glance.
"I think it is better to not answer Wadley's question with more details because I would otherwise be tempted to start experimenting on him with my void blade! I mean that is negative energy, too! And you seem to like that energy form a lot Wadley! Want to taste it?!?" the grippli with the half-burnt skin says with a strange smile to Wadley while also looking at Naevys.
You find yourselves standing in front of Captain Calisro Benarry on a storm washed deck.
There! We've reached the Gloomspires.
As you look to the northwest you see countless spires of black rock. As you approach a sense of profound dread. The captain laughs.
Two months ago I sent a team into Sevenfinger's tomb. They never returned. Divinations were performed when they were delayed. We know the ship is lost, but none of the Pathfinders were on it. They were headed down to the Labyrinth of Hungry Ghosts. I put a veteran in charge, Jaohd Ilzinian. He's a paladin of Shelyn with experience handling things that should have known to stay dead.
His team took the Orb of Stars with them. It's an artifact that gets the spires to stay still. Without it they only hold still during the three days of the solstice. As you can see the orb isn't working.
As you watch the spires shift position.
Lucky for us the solstice starts in a few hours so you'll have no trouble getting there. Your mission is to climb up to Sevenfinger's Tomb, find out what happened to the other Pathfinders, and retrieve the Orb of
Stars. While you're at it see if you can find my folding boat, Old Flotsam. I lent it to Joahd and would really appreciate getting it back. Sounds simple enough, right? On your own you have three days. Find the orb and you have two weeks. I'll stay in the area for three just in case. Any questions before you set out?
Aaftaab thinks and his head hurts.
He starts to count with his fingers as he asks his questions.
"You have to start really slowly for me Captain. Who is Sevenfinger, what is your interest in the Gloomspires, what do we know about the other Pathfinders, how does the orb of stars look like, and what is a folding boat?" the grippli says while still mounted on his Roc.
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Climb up to Sevenfinger's Tomb? Climb? Oh my how much climbing? I don't like climbing. Is there not another way? Did I mention I don't like climbing. Vomer looks pensive and a bit distraught. We will find out what happened to the other Pathfinders, and retrieve the Orb of
Stars. But, climbing - - hmmm really, climbing. Vomer picks his huge nose. Why would someone need a folding boat to enter a tomb? Strange very strange..... So... you sent a paladin. No wonder things went wrong.
A goody goody who worships some sort of horrible being, I'm sure. Well, we can do it ... trust us to find this orb and this paladin. Did I mention I don't like climbing.
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Wadley grin widens as he sees Aaftaab offering to cut him with the void blade. “Don’t worry. I’ve been struck down before, but I mean no offense. Just simply making an offer. I do enjoy negative energy where I draw a lot of my power. If you want I have performed a variety of funerals for many druids and I would love to curate your funeral. Where is your village?”
Wadley sees a new friend as he looks towards Vomer. “Helloooooo! I’m Wadley Winslow. Adventurer, researcher, Undertaker, and Necromancer. Pleasure to meet a follow student of the arcane arts.” Wadley will offer a handshake with his blood soaked sleeve.
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Pious? Pious? he gives a dry chuckle. oh, no, no, no - - I believe in no gods. I thrive on on knowledge, wit and the art-science of magic. Vomer picks his huge nose. ... and who might you be my little green ... hmm "man" Vomer hunches down to be at eye level with the Grippli and gives him a big silly smile.
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Aaftaab looks at Vomer and shakes his head.
“Maybe you’ll let Chaldira into your heart! I am Aaftaab!“ he says while petting his large Roc animal companion. “This is Parvaaz!“
He jump on his companion’s back.
“I am the crown prince of a proud Grippli tribe but I have to prove myself and find luck in this life so that I can bring all fortune back to my people! Which tribe do you belong to?“ the grippli with the half burned face asks.
Aaftaab thinks and his head hurts.
He starts to count with his fingers as he asks his questions.
"You have to start really slowly for me Captain. Who is Sevenfinger, what is your interest in the Gloomspires, what do we know about the other Pathfinders, how does the orb of stars look like, and what is a folding boat?" the grippli says while still mounted on his Roc.
Sempet Sevenfingers was a powerful wizard and notorious pirate who sailed 300 years ago. After a very successful career he buried himself alive in one of the Gloomspires, the very one you're headed for.
The Gloomspires are a curiosity, a place where space doesn't work the way it does on the rest of the world. Each one looks the same on the outside, but inside they're filled will all manner or monsters, traps, and treasures. We're not sure how they work, or even how many there are. It's fascinating and frustrating in turn.
Jaohd Ilzinian is a Shelynite paladin. He's been with the society for over a decade and become an expert on spirits and haunts. He carries a longsword, Ether's Kiss, that can hurt them even when they can't be touched. He led four others, the twins, Alrasus and Naphinia, Taldan's with quick fingers and quicker wits, Zumek, a Kellid strong enough to wrestle a crocodile and win, plus Yetisiel, an elf with the power of storms.
It's an orb... with stars on it. Made of copper as far as I can tell.
The captain sighs, It's a magical boat. It folds up into a little box and unfolds into a boat. Handy if you need to cross a patch of land.
She brushes aside Vomer's concern. Yes, climbing and plenty of it. You'll be fine. There's a staircase that wraps around the spire.
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A crewmember in a hood laughs, her voice a light tinkle in the air as she listens to the banter of the Grippli and Wadley. Throwing back her hood you see a grinning woman with wands tucked in her sash. Dressed in the traditional desert garb of a blade dance from Qadira, she speaks up.
"Nice to see some of you haven't changed. I got the notice late and had to rush in from Katapesh though with the Society's aid I made it in time. It left me tired enough to just take the time to rest. Mission seems straight forward enough."
She twirls a little.
"Greetings to those joining us. I am Brie Magnum, Blade Singer."
Sevenfingers commanded a small fleet of pirate ships. His practice of using kuru cannibals to augment his boarding parties inspired fear and hatred across the Shackles. Sevenfingers was a powerful wizard who dabbled in necromancy and communed with evil outsiders, entities from the Dark Tapestry, and other beings from unspeakable realms beyond Golarion.
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“Now I remember reading about this pirate. Seven Fingers wrote an autobiography Tales from a Sea Corpse. Sevenfingers was a legendary pirate who was active in the region 300 years ago. From his dreaded flagship, the Voracious,
Sevenfingers commanded a small fleet of pirate ships. His practice of using kuru cannibals to augment his boarding parties inspired fear and hatred across the Shackles. Sevenfingers was a powerful wizard who dabbled in necromancy and communed with evil outsiders, entities from the Dark Tapestry, and other beings from unspeakable realms beyond Golarion. A fellow necromancers who also draw his power from dark entities. The Gloomspire is a whole new story. he Gloomspires are inundated with strange, reality-warping effects. The columns occasionally shift their positions, and many explorers report feeling a sense of wrongness and foreboding just from being in the area. This bizarre magic also makes teleportation and planetraveling magic very difficult, though summoning spells tend to function normally. A humanoid race of powerful sorcerers called the Makers constructed the Gloomspires during the Age of Serpents. The Makers are believed to have escaped enslavement in a nightmarish realm and fled to Golarion. The Gloomspires are an ancient field of massive stone columns that rise from the Arcadian Ocean. Most sages say they were already old when the Ghol-Gan Empire was young. The Gloomspires are hollow and contain many chambers and passages, all of which are believed to be cursed, monster-infested, or both. Since the time of the Ghol-Gan Empire, many of the Gloomspires have been explored, and some have even been claimed and repurposed by other beings. Of these, Sevenfingers’s tomb is the most well known. This is going to be amazing!”
All set then? A few things before you set out.
Captain Benarry hands over two pouches to grave salt and a wand of ghostbane dirge with a scrap of cloth wrapped around it.
That cloth is connected to old Sevenfingers himself. The old sea dog performed a ritual to connect it to the wand. It's supposed to make it more effective in the Gloomspires, as long as you leave it attached. Anything else you need talk to the quartermaster.
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Pondering... Vomer looks at his feet while he picks his huge nose .... He says to no one in particular Why would anyone in their right mind bury themselves alive..... hmmm..... this is strange indeed Vomer studies the wand for a moment. hmmm... I am not familiar this spell nor can I cast this spell "Ghostbane Dirge" He glances at his new pathfinder friends before looking down at his feet again. What is this spell and can any of you use this wand? Well to the quartermaster .... Vomer starts to talk to ... maybe himself?... hmmm let's see, maybe a couple of scrolls of command undead, some holy water, garlic, stakes, hide from undead scrolls, antiplague, scroll of protection from evil.... Vomer looks at the his new friends let's go shopping!!!!!
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Aaftaab looks at the wand and takes it.
“Seems like I would be the only one that can freely activate the wand so I will take it! If you think it’s time to use it and I’m not active enough then shout!“ the grippli says to the group with a smile that looks strange as the skin of the burnt side of his face can’t stretch as much as the other.
After hours of climbing you finally reach the top of the spire along it's southern edge and find it covered in a misty jungle. Both the undergrowth and fog are thick, but looking back over the edge is worse. You have a clear view of waves crashing into the base of the spire 500 ft below.
Aaftaab spots several sets of boot prints headed northeast, but the fog blocks his vision after a few paces. He thinks there's enough room in the undergrowth to push through if he wants to avoid the cleared path, but it would take some effort.
Click where it says Labyrinth of Hungry Ghosts under my name.
The canopy thickens over head as you move forward, but the faint glow of a fire beckons you to the east. You hear a shrill voice screaming.
Where is it? I know you have it!
Followed by the dulled sound of a heavy slap.
Initiative
The halfling turns.
He has a boat, but he won't tell us where it is and I'll cut off each of his toes until he does.
She turns and calls behind her.
Get rid of them!
Round 1
Brie
Atanda
Naevys
Aaftaab
Vomer
Sailors
Wadley
Spectral armor in place Brie watches as the halfling is replaced by a towering triceratops. Naevys and Aaftaab stand surprised as a huge, imposing foe is suddenly before them.
Round 1
Brie
Atanda
Naevys
Aaftaab
Vomer
Sailors
Wadley
As directed by Aaftaab the Roc, Parvaaz, moves to hit with a talon.
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Vomer takes a five foot step forward abra la pocus dabra hocus focus blah blah blah and brings forth magic. Vomer casts "Oppressive Boredom" on the dinosaur.
Spell Level:2
School:Enchantment
Range:40 (Close)
Effects/Target:one creature
Duration:1 round/level or until broken (see text)
Spell Resistance:Yes
Rolls
Caster Level Check +7=12
Concentration Check +13=28
DC 20 Will Save Negates.
You fill your target with boredom. The target loses all interest in its current task and must make a Will save against the spell’s effect in order to perform its next action. If the target fails, it takes no action that round. The boredom lasts until the duration expires or the target breaks the spell’s effect with a successful Will save.