- Mysterious Dance (Fran, Skills Used: Occultism, Arcana) Success
- Warrior Dance (Stitch, Melee vs AC, Athletics) Failure
- Courtly Dance (Nicole, Society) Success, DCs reduced by 1
- Acrobatic Dance (Vardarel, Acrobatics) Success, DCs reduced by 1
- Freestyle Dance (Roark)
- Freestyle Dance (Clover, >Prerolled<)
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Roark's dancing causes several adults to cover their children's eyes and gasp in shock. It also causes several heads to turn, fixated on his form, grace and tail feathers. Toshiro realizes no one is paying attention to him and it's clear Roark won this round.
Success, DCs reduced by 1!
"Iiiiiit's Mochi!" The finely dressed tanuki slides across the stage before popping up into a handstand. The villagers go wild as she lays on her side. "I'd wish you good luck, but.. Oh well! Have fun!" She begins breakdancing without a sweat.
Clover is more than ready to dance. >With a phenomenal< set of moves, motions and just a bit of magic she actually teaches Mochi a thing or two. By the end, the tanuki is clapping as hard as the audience is.
Success, DCs reduced by 1!
- Mysterious Dance (Fran, Skills Used: Occultism, Arcana) Success
- Warrior Dance (Stitch, Melee vs AC, Athletics) Failure
- Courtly Dance (Nicole, Society) Success, DCs reduced by 1
- Acrobatic Dance (Vardarel, Acrobatics) Success, DCs reduced by 1
- Freestyle Dance (Roark, Performance) Success, DCs reduced by 1
- Freestyle Dance (Clover, Performance) Success, DCs reduced by 1!
Moshi has worked up quite a sweat, but she takes a moment to bow. "Thank you for the opportunity to resolve this conflict without bloodshed."
Mimiko comes up as the villagers continue to clap and cheer. "I think it is clear who won..." Mimiko waits for several tanuki to pull out drums and begin a suspenseful drumroll. "The Pathfinders!" Clapping erupts from the audience to cheer you on.
"And as the victors, you set the terms. What is our fate, Pathfinders?"
Mimiko and Kenta clap in unison. "I knew you would make a wise decision. We will cut down on the number of pranks, and we hope to hear more from the Pathfinder Society. Feel free to join the party if you want!" The two elders interrupt each other but cobble together a coherent sentence.
After dancing, food, and Toshiro's many manic mixes, you return to the Open Road Lodge. Venture-Captain Sigvard has her head buried in a very large book. She peeks up long enough to see you. "Ah, you're back!" she slams the book shut with a satisfying WHUMP. "Were you able to find the source of the traps?"
"Ah, the Maze of the Open Road did expand into Tian Xia recently. They must have found entry. As long as they don't pull more pranks, they are welcome here." Sigvard ponders for a bit more. "Every day the Maze brings new visitors, some friendly and some rambunctious. Good job, Pathfinders. Feel free to rest up here while you wait for the next assignment- I've heard it's the perfect time beach weather."
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Bella sighs as her mother Crissi fixes her collar. "You'll be fine, dear. I have much to thank the Guest for. I never would have cared about your father if he weren't so rude."
Bella relaxes a bit and works out a smile.
Her mother returns a genuine smile. "Take some time by yourself. And remember we all miss the Lord, even your sister. She is more human than she thinks she is, and that makes her question everything. It is beautiful." And then a hug.
"I love you, mother. I'll write as soon as I can." Bella whispers before leaving the manor's gates and making way to the harbor. The voyage will give her time to calm down.
Bella didn't care much for the claim of power, it always has a price. However forcing the Witch to confess she wanted to anchor herself to this manor was a win. The border between this world and the First World was thin.
But the Rose Witch gave another offer: Using her power to revive her father. Dredging up memories she would best forget. It wasn't until Khiari held her wrist she noticed the tight grip on her dagger. Losing control like that was very undisciplined. Unfortunate. Shameful.
Even worse, Khiari was considering it. Fey don't die. Mother Crissi had to break up some of their shouting matches. The Rose Witch laid a trick. To believe her was folly. The Witch offered power as a showing of good faith.
Bella knew Khiari would take the offer, so both accepted. It was the best way to protect her sister. And Bella didn't trust herself alone with the dagger and the Witch.
The Rose Witch, responsible for cursing Dad. Mom would not have stuck around if the curse made him a jerk. Khiari wanted to thank her, but Bella seemed full of venom that day. Tearing her arguments apart, cutting through the wordplay, and even pulling out the dagger. Did Bella know her own rage?
The Rose Witch can bring back Dad. Fey don't die, right? But dad said to let go. And so she did. But she didn't. Khiari knows Bella disagrees, but what if she's wrong? What if they are both wrong?
Khiari could already feel the Rose Witch's gift. And Bella took it, too. Knowledge is fleeting but trust is eternal. Bella almost threw the dagger away, But Khiari told her to keep it. It's a motivator.
Khiari managed to stand still while Mom fixed her scarf, handed her a spare set of shirts (Khiari always gets them dirty quicker than Bella) and finally a tight hug. "I miss him as well, Khiari. Know that Our Guest may fail in her efforts. If she's genuine." Mom's face turns stern before she smiles. "Think about it, and then get back to your sister. She has more Fey blood than she will ever admit to, and it makes her stubborn."
"Thanks Mom. You're the best!" Khiari hops away. "Love you!" And with those words she steps past the manor gates and into Evavescent Green. She had to cram more research before the Pathfinder Society called her sister again.
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Nicole carefully double-checks her gear, her fingers tracing over each piece of equipment with a focused look. She pauses for a moment, mentally ticking off items from her list.
"I hope I didn’t forget anything," she mutters under her breath, a slight frown crossing her face. With a sigh, she finally closes her adventuring bag, securing it tightly before slinging it over her shoulder. The familiar weight brings her some comfort.
Turning to the group, her expression relaxes, and she gives a small, confident smile. "Alright, I think I’m ready," she says, nodding firmly as if to reassure herself as much as the others.
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Your adventure begins in a large encampment on the outskirts of the cyclops city of Min-Khadaim. Hundreds of Pathfinders have traveled from all over Golarion to explore the area’s surrounding Iobarian wilderness. In between missions exploring the forest and the nearby cyclops ruins, Pathfinders have spent time building structures and performing training exercises. You carry with you a missive from Urwal, the head of the Verdant Wheel faction.
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
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.
As you gather, you reconnect with your traveling companions.
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Bella and Khiari arrive at Min-Khadaim. The rose-shaped emblems still glow on their torsos, Bella's a faint purple and Khiari a faint green. The two seem to be friendly to others (especially the Greenspeaker Centaurs) but are still quiet towards each other. The tension is obvious.
"Salutations!" Bella waves to her teammates. "Our business at the Manor is concluded, and we're free to travel wherever we need to." Khiari wrinkles her nose at the word concluded, but decides not to butt in.
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"Miss Bella! Khiari!" Nicole squeals, rushing over to give them both a tight hug.
"How have you been?" she asks with a smile. "I’ve been spending my time outside of Pathfinder Society missions learning where my family came from. I never talked much about my family because I didn’t know anything, but I finally worked up the courage to dig into my roots."
Nicole shares how her journey took her to the distant lands of Tian Xia, where she discovered her long-lost relatives. After reuniting with them, they gifted her a treasured family heirloom—a hand cannon once owned by her great-great-great-grandfather. During her time there, she also taught them how to craft talismans, deepening their bond.
She learned that her family had long been allied with goblins, who showed her how to make her fire bombs even more powerful.
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Meat Wagon rolls into camp, a throng of long pine logs being towed behind on a makeshift dolly. Stitch stands atop his steed hollering down "Glad you could make it out. Some of us got put to work sooner, apparently Meat Wagon is good for more than just murder and mulching." He grins and shrugs before rolling off in a cloud of black smoke towards the saw mill.
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With the summons having been received, it doesn't take long for Fran and Mister Midnight to arrive at the camp as well. While neither outwardly seem any different, anyone with a sensitivity to magic can sense that the aura emanating from Fran is a little bit stronger now.
"H-Hello! Hi! It's so good to see everyone again," Fran waves excitedly. "As much as I enjoy research, it's, um, always nice to get out on the road again, too."
She looks around, taking in the scenery. "This is my first time here. Um, are the trees always this color?"
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"Forget the trees, I want to know who else is supposed to meet up with us," Mister Midnight remarks as he descends and settles on a nearby stump. "There's five, including you Fran, so that should leave one more, right? Wonder if it'll be Roark or Clover this time? For some reason, they never send all seven of you out together even though you'd think they would want the whole team. I mean, if you already have six, what's one more person, right?"
"Eh, don't worry about me." Khiari huffs from a tree she's leaning against. "I'm here to keep an eye on sis." She sticks out her tongue at Bella, who remains motionless.
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As you all reunite, 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 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." groups honored to complete it! Get through if you want.
A smaller leshy clears her throat, tugging on Blackberry’s shoulder. As the other leshy whispers in his ear, Blackberry’s good eye blinks. "My friends! 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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Reviewing Urwal’s note, Vardarel says “Astrology certainly isn’t my forte. I think the note is indicating the time is auspicious for a journey to discover magics most foul or tricky.”
“There has been abyssal corruption in these woods, including something that caused some leshy to become corrupted. The problem with the leshy has been resolved by a preceding team, but be on the lookout for any signs of the abyss. ”
“There has also been a rotting disease in the Finadar Forest. So far the druids have not been able to cure it. It is strange, but the rotting is lightest within the depths of the forest.”
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"The Cyclops who lived here left quite their mark. The relics left behind an Abyssal pollution within Finadar Forest." Bella scans the forest and a book she and Khiari read comes to mind. "Natural spirits like leshies were impacted here, but the Pathfinder Society came to the rescue and cleansed the spirits of the corruption."
"There is also a blight, a rotting sickness of some kind, within the forest." Bella speaks and has Khiari's full attention. "The blight is lightest from within the forest."
She pauses, realizes Vardarel said mostly the same thing right before her, and then carries on. "A trek through the forest is an excellent reprieve. And what better way to begin than an obstacle course?"
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Stitch finishes taking the towing gear off Meat Wagon's rear bumper, pulling a few stray saplings from the undercarriage at the same time "Obstacle courses.. what is it with the Society in those things?" He shakes his head knowing he better join in the event if they're ever to succeed and get to the good stuff.
"Soo.. don't Blackberries usually have thorns?" He stares at the pine cones, looking for any obvious thorns.
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"I know that 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. The Wanderer is the planet of Triaxus, a planet with an irregular orbit that takes 317 years to complete. The Wagon is one of the constellations of the Cosmic Caravan and is said to carry the other stars across the sky. The conjunction of the two is a rare event, and an excellent omen for a journey of discovery. The planet Aucturn is associated with foul magic and illusion." Nicole shares what she knows to others.
"Maybe what Urwal trying to say in the letter is that opposite forces are going to meet and collide and he wants to witness it?" she adds but is unsure that she shrugs at her idea.
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Blackberry leads you for a small hike through the forest. A pair of centaur construction workers sit on the sidelines of a clearing, drinking refreshments. "Another group! I am Tombu," a loud centaur proclaims. "Remember, we drink every time they get one 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. Every time you fail, you get–"
"Pie to the face!" the centaurs shout.
As Blackberry finishes his instructions, the exuberant Jackpot takes off running blindly forward. Jackpot is a leshy bard-in-training who loves overacting his difficulties and narrating the problems he endures during various hazards, complete with sound effects. The blindfold slows Jackpot down slightly, so you easily catch up to him.
The first obstacle in the course is a 20-foot-square pit with small wooden walls that prevent creatures from moving around it. Come up with a plan to get Jackpot to the other side. Jackpot runs straight for it:
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"We drink every time? Maybe we should Jackpot flounder." Khiari grins. "Or we guide him through... I'm still drinking afterwards though."
"I'm Khiari, Queen of the Jungle! Strong as she could be!"
She hollers, grabs a dangling branch and scoops Jackpot across the pit.
Bella remains quiet until "Watch out for that tree!"
Khiari sticks out her tongue at Bella and tries to correct herself.
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Vardarel comes up with the innovative solution of putting a safety harness on Jackpot. He manages to lasso the leshy and keep him from outpacing the party. Nicole puts the finishing touches on the bridge she's building. Unfortunately, one of the pieces comes loose just as Jackpot steps on it. As Jackpot begins to fall into the pit, Khiari swoops out of the trees riding a vine and grabs the falling Jackpot and carries him to safety! Bella covers her eyes as Khiari almost hits a tree but fortunately, no tragedy took place.
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"Instead of a traditional bridge how about more of a self weighted 'see-saw' type of design Nicky?" Stitch works to add in a pivot point in the center for easy up and down mechanics.
Its certainly in its early stages of draft and design, but maybe its good enough. "Meat Wagon, block the pumpkin's path to help slow him down.. keep the mower OFF!"
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Bella and Khiari make it to the shrubs at the same time, prepare to nudge Jackpot in the same direction, realize they're about to collide and glare at each other.
"Sister, I can direct Jackpot."
"No, I'll do it Bella! You sit back and stew some more."
Bella grunts. "Remain professional! We may discuss personal disagreements later."
Khiari snorts. "You're the one pulling out daggers during diplomatic meetings!"
Bella abruptly arches back to form an impromptu overpass, keeping the sticky bushes away from Jackpot.
Once Jackpot passes she stands back up. "That was- an exceptional circumstance!"
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Bella makes like a pretzel and keeps the shrubs off Jackpot. Clover unleashes a fireball and simply annihilates the obstacles, much to Blackberry's chagrin.
Berry scented smoke covers the area, making you wonder whether the 'sticky stuff' really was dangerous.
Jackpot can only smell the berry goodness as he makes a beeline for the river.
The river 20 feet wide and six feet deep, that flows through the end of the obstacle course. Get Jackpot across without him getting wet:
"Oh no, you don't! She's trying to help us help Dad! She's trying to make amends!" Khiari shouts some more at Bella as they move past the incinerated plants.
Bella shakes her head. "She's trying to manipulate us, she just wants our land!"
Khiari retorts. "Oh yeah, ALL fey want to manipulate. That's all we do! Just trick people all day." She throws up her hands, grabs Jackpot and locks him in her horns as she swims ahead through the water.
"And they say fey are stubborn!"
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"Drag pumpkin head up on Meaty and he'll do the rest." Orders Stitch, making space for the smaller leshy with the orange melon sized head.
Meat Wagon does his part, revving his engine and spinning tires to splash the crowd waiting to pelt them on the drive through the water. Loud and angry will love this.
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Vardarel finds a half-burnt log for Jackpot to use as a flotation device. However, Khiari simply lifts him bodily onto Meat Wagon, who makes like a powered barge and easily carries Jackpot to the finish line.
Upon setting Jackpot down, he pulls off the blindfold and realizes he's at the finish line. He drops to the ground with a loud cry. "I'm hurt! I'm hurt! LOOK AT ALL THIS BLOOD!!"
He pulls out a jar of jam and pours it all over himself while writhing dramatically on the ground.
The leshys cheer but the centaurs look disgruntled. Blackberry comes over and presents each of you with a jar of blackberry jam. This can be used as a gecko potion.
He then turns to Clover and proceeds to give her a piece of his mind for destroying the shrubs. "I had to carefully groom and shape those shrubs! When you are finished with the task Urwal set for you, you come back here and help me replant them!" He stomps off, muttering to himself about the carelessness of the tall folk...