3-02 The East Hill Haunting and Part 2: Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-05: Inheritor's Rite (Levels 1–4) (Inactive)

Game Master Eric Parker 82

Zazu listens and nods his head. "Maybe the ghost believes that her loved one joined Pathfinders but he never did? At some point, I joined the circus, and such stories were the norm there. People would flee leaving false leads behind." he says wondering

"So someone disappeared a week ago, that would match what we are looking for..."

You reconvene your group a few blocks from the lodge and compare notes.

With an abrupt flash, the darkness caused by the cloud cover is overcome with a blinding light, as lightning strikes the ground only a few feet away. A thunderous boom echoes throughout the streets, shaking the ground as the cathedral bells chime once again. Where the lightning struck now stands a spectral form of a woman, glowing with energy. Her eyes are still cold as she raises her arms again before repeating her single, gasping utterance:
“Pathfinders!”

The ghost disappears after speaking. The wind picks up, swirling violently through the streets while picking up debris. Stones and wooden planks begin colliding with citizens in the street, violently jarring them from their shock at the appearance of a ghost. Amidst the maelstrom, one citizen regains their composure and points an accusatory finger, “This is the Pathfinders’ fault! It’s time you all leave East Hill!”

New Slide Added

Tifali and Lidya Irsiya realize the Ghost’s energy has activated a Haunt in the area.
The Haunt can be deactivated via some number (dependent on Challenge Points) of successes at the following checks:
Diplomacy DC 18 to convince the spirit to calm the winds
Athletics DC 16 to raise up a wooden bench to block the wind
Religion DC 16 to speak an appropriate rite to calm the spirit.
Each attempt takes two actions.

Initiative Bold May Act
NOTE: These are everyday Citizens who are confused and frightened by the phenomenon. They will be using non-lethal attacks to try and subdue you for questioning.
Killing any of them will result in Infamy.

Morthos Talandro
Commoner1
Commoner2
Zazu
Tifali
Commoner3
Lidya Irsiya (Morthos' eidolon)
Haunt
Keliara Irsiya
Tawnie Rumbuckle

GM, so this is my first time playing this class, but this quote seems to imply that a summoner and eidolon must share their actions on the same initiative count (reference):

You and your eidolon share your actions and multiple attack penalty. Each round, you can use any of your actions (including reactions and free actions) for yourself or your eidolon.

It's her again!

After the apparition disappears, Lidya looks back and forth at all of the erupting chaos and exclaims The ghost woman has haunted this place with these winds and chaos!

Hearing his sister, Morthos rushes to the front of the party to plead with the commoners.

◆ Stride 10'

Good people! You first saw this apparition over a week ago before we arrived. We are here now to help discern what the spirit wants, help her achieve it so that she may rest and leave you in peace! Look: I have a guide from the spirit world here with me to communicate with her!

◆◆ Act together: ◆◆ for Morthos and ◆ for Lidya.
Act together (◆◆) convince the spirit to calm the winds Diplomacy DC 18: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Per the above question, I believe this comes now but if I'm wrong this is what she does later.

Watching her brother move into action, Lidya also instinctively moves to the front of the party to bolster his claims.

Act together (◆) Stride 10'

Tawnie heads to the market and talks to the merchants. She then comes back with her colleagues about an hour later to share her findings.

Tifali returns an hour later. "A woman at the market says a young woman who went missing last week. She couldn't remember her exact name: Alice, Eloise, Elanor, something to that effect. Weird that she didn't know, given that she says its such a tight-knit community."

"Oh! Eloise! I heard of an Eloise! A merchant told me that a young girl in her early twenties disappeared last week and he couldn't remember if she was named Annie or Eloise. We could be looking for an Eloise! Such a beautiful name."

****

When the ghostly figure reappears, Tawnie waves at her, ready to try to discuss with her, but she disappears before Tawnie can utter a single word. As the wind picks up, Tawnie holds the leather strap of her lute tightly.

Initiative Bold May Act
NOTE: These are everyday Citizens who are confused and frightened by the phenomenon. They will be using non-lethal attacks to try and subdue you for questioning.
Killing any of them will result in Infamy.

Morthos Talandro and Lidya Irsiya (Morthos' eidolon)
Hui Kong
Commoner1
Commoner2
Zazu
Tifali
Commoner3
Hazard (2 Success)
Keliara Irsiya
Tawnie Rumbuckle

Zazu looks at the spirit and prepares himself for whatever is here to come. He has no experience dealing with such creatures, but an angry spirit never means anything good.

"I don't think Eloise wants to chat..."

Then he turns towards the commoners "Can we all calm down!" he tries to speak to their senses

"I can try to isolate them from us, so that we can focus on the ghost"

athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Hui Kong growls under his breath, looking back and forth between the spirits and the approaching villagers. Deciding the deluded though they are, the villagers are not the cause of the threat, he turns his attention to the rising winds and starts raisng up the benches to block the wind.

He then turns back to the villagers and with a brief shout of power, raises a magical shield that surrounds him.

Cast shield

Between Morthos diplomatic connection and Hui Kong’s display of athleticism, the cloud of Debris that had started to form settles back to the ground. The crowd sees that the spirit has been calmed, puts away the weapons they were starting to draw and disperses.

You are out of initiative.

A young girl is pushed forward by her mother as the crowd departs:
My Mom said to give you this, for calming the spirit. and she hands you a Crying Angel Pendant

A few moment later, a tall Half-Elven woman approaches you.
Um, Um, Hello, my name is Lysandria. I have heard you are looking for someone. Could you please come to my house so we can talk? I don’t live very far from here.

Tifali lets out a sigh of relief as the tension dissipates. "Lysandria? I'm Tifali, and this is Xixotli. Let's chat."

The tiefling smiles warmly and replies in kind. Yes, thank you. We appreciate someone being so helpful.

He quickly goes around the party and introduces everyone after Tifali.

Zabu looks at the people dispersing "You are leaving already? No apologies or anything? You attacked us!"

Zabu yells after them, he wonders how much was that the spirits doing and how much people actually dislike pathfinders here. He looks at Kong "Nice swinging with that bench I was certain that you are doing it for the piss, but it worked. 'How to stop a haunts with a wooden plank' - you should give a seminar for fellow pathfinders on that top..." when the half-elf begin to talk Zabu turns silent and spin towards her.

"We would love to stop by your house, the streets are not that safe around here. You may never know when mob will assemble to punch you..."

Lysandria image added to slides

Lysandria takes you to a small house nearby. Her home is quaint, with just a common space, a kitchen, and a bedroom. Candles fill open spaces on tables and mantles. Lysandria takes a seat in the common room and offers you the couch.

“I’ve heard you’ve been looking around East Hill for the ghost. I haven’t come across it, but I have tried looking for it multiple times.”

Lysandria begins before taking a break to sob slightly.

“Just over a week ago, my partner Eloise went missing. She was on her way to the Cathedral of Aroden to have some sort of test. She’d been in contact, via letters, with a member of the Society about joining. It had been a life dream of hers to join the Pathfinders.”

Lysandria smiles, then bites her lip.

“I can’t help but feel as if she’ll never get her dream. I don’t know what happened to her, but I fear it’s something terrible. I asked the lodge’s staff a few days ago if they’d heard from her, but they said they didn’t even know her! She would never just disappear without telling me...”

She stands, grabbing a picture frame from the mantle and offering it to you.

“I don’t know if this is of any use, but this is Eloise. We had it commissioned when we moved in here together.”

The portrait’s resemblance to the ghost is uncanny.

Zazu takes a seat and removes his hat, he puts it on his lap while his staff is resting next to this chair. He tries to find a comfortable position on a chair clearly adapted to humanoid creatures without a tail... "story of my life..."

Zazu just listens, letting others do the talking. "What an interesting twist..."

"Do you have any of the letters? It could be beneficial to find out who Eloise was writing with."

Lysandria sniffles as she goes over to a small wooden box and pulls out a letter. Eloise was so proud of this—she talked about having it framed if she became a Pathfinder.”

Eloise's Letter

Eloise,
I’d like to congratulate you on your recent responses to my prior inquiries. You’re exactly what the Society needs in a clerking agent right now. I’ve checked with my superior, Venture-Sergeant Brimson, and it looks like we might have a place for you in our ranks. You’ll need to come visit me at the lodge at the Cathedral of Aroden here in Almas tomorrow evening.

Yours sincerely,
Agent Cadmin

Image added to the slides

Tawnie can't settle down in the small house, walking around looking at things on the shelves while keeping an ear in the conversation. Her facial expressions show that she is really invested in the conversation.

"This letter looks fishy... And I'm not a fan of fishes. Has anybody ever heard of a Venture-Sergeant Brimson? Or of an Agent Cadmin?"

She wonders for a few seconds before approaching Lysandria.

"While my friends are pondering, can you tell me a bit more about your relationship with Eloise? Is she the woman of your life? How did you meet? Are you ready to do terrible things in order to hold her in your arms one last time? It's for a ballad you see..."

"Eloise is my other half. I don't know how I will go on if I have to go on without her. I have been canvasing the neighborhood since she didn't come back. I would do almost anything to see her again, but she wouldn't want me to do something terrible for her, but if I could see her again . . I just don't know?"
She breaks down into tears at the thought.

Keliara glances sideways at the gnome, pushing the poor woman on the brink of tears with her questions.

"I am so sorry for your loss." She begins. "I promise we'll do everything to find out what happened to Eloise." Keliara clenches her fist instinctively. She turns to the other Pathfinders.

"I guess the next logical step is the Cathedral of Aroden, then; we might get more information about what happened to Eloise. I agree with Tawnie, this letter does appear a bit suspicious. Apparently the Cathedral is situated on the Avenue of the Gods. It was renovated by the Venture-Captain's team after the Society acquired it."

According to the spoiler we got on last page.

Tifali listens to the woman with visible empathy. "Don't lose hope yet. We'll find out what happened. Starting with this Cadmin character."

Back to the Cathedral then?

Lysandria continues to sob.

“There was one thing... When I was canvassing close to the Cathedral of Aroden, I tried asking about Eloise at an old manor home. The owner gave me a very awkward response when I showed him Eloise’s portrait. I think he knew something, but I can’t be sure.”

Derp - didn't realize the lodge was in the Cathedral. Oh well!

Keliara raises an eyebrow. "Could you tell us where the manor is situated? Maybe we could pay the owner a visit."

Between sobs, Lysandria can give you the location of a run down manor where she met the suspicious occupant.

Please, please, please continue to investigate and find Eloise’s remains so she can be laid to rest. Eloise admired the Society and really, really wanted to join you. She would be honored if Pathfinders found her and put her to rest.

Tears are streaming down her face when she speaks proudly about Eloise's ambitions to be a Pathfinder.

Morthos mostly lets the more sympathetic members of the group console Lysandria. He does perk up at the mention of the awkward response at the manor home. His eyes narrow.

Hmm, I wonder how this character would react to the name Cadmin. Perhaps we should stop off there first, on the way back to the Cathedral.

"Sure. But I really curious to see what would happen if we started showing this letter around the lodge. Very suspicious indeed. I mean, like, who works in the evening?"

"I agree with Morthos. Let's check this manor first, see what's what there."

You arrive at the address Lysandria gave you. It’s an impressive manor home that rises up above several of the other nearby buildings.

The structure has fallen into visible disrepair, along with several surrounding properties. The property’s sparse greenery is overgrown in
most areas except for some notable pathways, and the windows are boarded up from the inside. The doors to the sunroom are both removed.

See new slide

What would you like to do?

Morthos frowns.

Hmm, this is not very inviting.

He brushes aside the first impression of the manor and walks up to the front door, knocking.

IF someone opens and answers...

Hello, we're a group of Pathfinders investigating a disappearance in the area. Would you mind answering the few questions?

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

No one answers the door, but as you knock, it starts to swing open

Morthos pushes the door fully open and looks inside. He turns back towards the party and gives a dubious expression.

Detect magic into the door and Search for traps (Perception +4)

Please move yourselves on the map Slide 8

What must have once been a welcoming reception area is now caked in layers of dust. The floor creaks slightly under shifting weight, and footsteps echo throughout the open space in conjunction with the sounds of rain, thunder, and wind pulling at the aging structure.

Remember, Detect Magic just gives you the presence or absence of Magic within 30 feet.

You Detect that there is magic within 30 feet.

Within 30' of Morthos' new location?

Keliara keeps close to her siblings as she enters the manor. Her fox, perched on her shoulder, quickly descends to hide in her bag.

"Don't be afraid, Talim." she says in a hushed voice. Peeking around the corner timidly, she tries to see if she can spot anything of interest.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

Morthos, you still Detect Magic within 30 feet of your new location.

Keliara, so you see that the Suits of Armor along the East Wall start to move toward you!

I moved the rest of the party closer to the action, since you triggered initiative

Feel free to make minor adjustments in your locations, doors are standing open.

Round 1, Bold May Act

Tifali
Zazu
Red Armor
Blue Armor
Hui Kong
Morthos Talandro
Keliara Irsiya
Tawnie Rumbuckle

Zazu moves past the door and waves his staff, soon on the ground begin to raise books, shelves and other parts of the furniture making the terrain difficult to walk through.

"That will slow them down!"

Move and cast Warped Terrain DC17 to disbelieve the illusion (Perception check - marked with purple square (2-actions 10ft burst)).

Question before it reaches Hui Kong's turn. Which door did some of the party go through, the single door on the left or the double door on the right? So I know which door is open.

The doors were not latched, and the slightest pressure on any of them opens them. I think Morthos came in the door to the left, but if you want to come in the center double doors, you can just move through without taking an action to open.

Tifali and Xixotli act in tandem, assuming a defensible position.

◆ Stride (Tifali), ◆ Stride (Xixotli), ◆ Cast a Spell (protect companion on Xixotli)

Red will try to stride, interacting with Zazu's Warped Terrain
Will Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

◆◆ Stride twice, double moving to approach Xixotli

◆ Positions a two-handed grip on a nasty looking glaive

Blue will try to stride, interacting with Zazu's Warped Terrain
Will Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

◆◆ Stride twice, double moving to approach the party

◆ Positions a two-handed grip on a nasty looking glaive

Still Round 1, Bold may Act

Tifali
Zazu
Red Armor
Blue Armor
Hui Kong
Morthos Talandro
Keliara Irsiya
Tawnie Rumbuckle

Seeing the threat appear, Morthos turns back to his sister, leans in and whispers some instructions. As he finishes, he speaks a spell that seems to embolden her.

Watch out for the pole-arm when you get close...

◆ Act together (one action for each)
Act together: ◆ Cast (verbal) Boost Eidolon

Passing off the last two actions ◆◆ to Lidya.

She leans in and listens to her brother for several moments, nodding after he finishes. The spectral woman brandishes two blades downward at her sides: a dagger and a firebrand sword.

She rushes at the nearby suit of armor and slashes at it with both of them.

Act together: ◆ Stride 15'
◆ Strike RED protector firebrand, F damage (boosted): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 191d6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 + 2 = 9 deadly d8 if applicable
◆ Strike RED protector dagger (agile), P damage (boosted): 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 7 - 4 = 101d6 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 + 2 = 5

Lidya's first strike solidly hits the armor with the Red Tabard, doing serious damage but not disabling it.

Lidya's second strike goes wide

Keliara closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

You can do this. Just like you practiced on the vessel.

She raises her hands towards the suit of armor stained with red in a slightly awkward gesture. She suddenly opens her eyes, changed into two dark blue pits, and focuses her energy towards the suit of armor.

◆◆ Casting Evil Eye, DC17

Haven't played PF2 in a really long time: do I need to sustain a spell on the turn I cast it? Or do I only have to do it on subsequent turns?

If it needs to be right now, Keliara will ◆Sustain Evil Eye, otherwise she will ◆Cast Shield

Keliara, only on subsequent turns.[/ooc[

From through the door, Hui Kong hears the sound of battle. Grasping his staff tightly with both hands, he pushes through only to see the two attacking suits of armor.

He slams the staff into the nearest arm, then whilst spinning his staff, summons up a magical shield for protection.

[ooc]Stride, Strike, Cast Spell - Shield

vs red: Staff (2H): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16 bludgeoning: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Keliara's unnerving gaze turns toward the Armor in the Red tabard, but the armor does not seem to notice!
The armor is mindless, which makes it immune to mental effects. Hui Kong is correct. Spells do not need to be maintained the turn they are cast.

Hui Kong strides into the room and smashes the armor to the floor, where it stops moving.

Round 1-2
Bold may act

Tifali
Zazu
Red Armor (-20 HP)
Blue Armor
Hui Kong
Morthos Talandro
Keliara Irsiya
Tawnie Rumbuckle

I moved red out of the map => since it is dead

Zazu makes symbols in the air that keep on shining, he first constructs a barrier to protect him from any threats. Cast shield

Then he begins to reach to magical energy and sends a bolt of flame at the armor

Produce flame@blue armor: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
Damage, flame: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Tawnie looks at the moving armors in shock, and then looks at her friends. She then starts snapping her fingers in rhythm and singing a melody resembling a lullaby:

"Zoop-a-didoo
Zoop-a-didoo
Lightning burns and heats the soup

Zoop-a-diday
Zoop-a-diday
Lightning always makes my day"

The little gnome then points at the Red Armor and and electric arc shoots from her finger.

Electric Arc: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22
Electricity Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Tifali channels a pulse of power to Xixotli, who slithers next to the remaining armor and delivers a swift bite.

◆ Cast a Spell (boost eidolon on Xixotli), ◆ Stride (Xixotli), ◆ Strike #1 jaws vs blue armor (Xixotli)

Strike #1 (jaws): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20
Damage (piercing, boost): 1d8 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 4 + 2 = 12 plus 1 good damage

Between Zazu's flames, Tawnie's electricity and Xixotli's jaws, the suit of armor drops to the ground in a heap and stops moving.

You are out of combat.

Lidya remains tense for several moments after the second suit of armor falls, looking back and forth and expecting more.

We made so much noise...

Finally she un-tenses and stows the firebrand blade and dagger away in shimmery, ectoplasmic sheaths at her side.

She turns to Morthos and Keliara, smiling as if proud of her first successful encounter as a Pathfinder.

Well, this is going better so far.