GM Jhaeman's PFS Module: "Masks of the Living God" (Inactive)

Game Master Jhaeman

Drukpa awakens to an unfamiliar feeling in his head. "Wha' happened? Instead o' the rocks I usually feel like I've got stuffed in me head, today it's just wool - huh, I wonder if someone slipped some sort of braining elixir in them drinks? G'wan, ask me something - let's see if I can answer! Why, if Granpappy could see me now, he'd hardly believe how brainy I've gotten!"

Anibal wakes up to see a mouse (or a small rat) hide hole in the wall of his cell.

He wipes the saliva from his cheek, and stands up. He stretches a bit to get the blood flowing. "Ah ... this again."

He looks around the rooms arund him while picking up and puttin on the provided clothing. "How are you guy sholding up? And where's the mule that kicked me in the head?"

He contemplates meditating on the glory of Razmir, whatever that may be... But the headache is not helping.

DAY ONE

The minutes gradually turn into hours. Occasionally a robed figure enters the corridor with bowls of fresh water for each cell.

At a quiet time Relgar decides to check his pockets for the two good berries that he received from Alecto yesterday. Although he is a sturdy fellow and one day without food will do him no harm it is worth checking anyways.

Just RP life in a cell. It will be multiple days before food deprivation will be an issue for any of the characters. :)

Alecto looks around for a long time after she comes to her senses. In the end, after thinking about the situation, she will share her conclusion with her comrades: It seems we are in captivity.

After a few hours of being in the dark, absolutely without warning, Alecto begins to glow. It seems as if the light comes from somewhere inside, finding its way through the joints of vines and leaves that form her body in many ways. After about ten seconds, the light disappears, as if absorbed by her. Alecto does not comment on this event in any way, but she looks more content with life after that.

I am interested in this belief in Razmir. I wonder if he is a friend of foe to plant life?

"A nagaji, a gnome, at least two humans, a ghoran, and a half elf. All in captivity. Iam beginning to feel that this Razmir god, or at least some of his followers are foe to most things. They must be pilfering through our belonging as we speak.", he looks at Mallycorn with some concern, and when he gets the man's attention, he draws a spiral on his sternum with his fingers.

If there is a guard posted in the hallway, Anibal will try to address him. If there is none, he would wait until someone comes in to bring water again.

"Excuse me. The robes are very nice, but I am afraid I have ... bodily needs. I would hate to-", he ponders the words. "disrespect the cloth. Would there be any opportunity to ... relieve myself, by chance?"

If there are no guards posted, I would like to look over the cell, or thorugh the robes to find anything that would resemble a pin, or a nail. Multiple of them, if there are any around.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

Robed figures come by every six hours or so throughout the day with fresh water. When Anibal speaks to one, the priest shakes his head disapproving and pours his bowl of water out on the floor!

@Anibal: With a result like that, I'm happy to assume you're able to come up with a small bit of metal like a pin or nail.

@Everyone: I'm very much guided by you on how this bit proceeds. If you want to play along as initiates, we can "fast-forward" to the next morning when you've been told you'll be released. If you want to try something else instead (plan, prepare, escape, etc.) that's okay too. I'll wait a bit to see if there's a consensus and then go from there.

Despite the plan not going exactly to plan Relgar is curious about how this cult functions and the initiation process. He knows if the party attempts to break out now they might be able to retrieve their equipment and even complete their mission but they will miss out on this unique opportunity to see more of the underbelly of this strange cult.

I say stick with the initiation plan for now. I want to see Drukpa or should I say Acolyte Drupka of the First Step in action. :)

As a player, it is interesting for me to study the cult from the inside. Alecto doesn't mind either.

Mallycorn bids his time, keeping his prayers to Pharasma inside his soul.

Hope it's worth waiting to learn more about that cult, so we stand better chance to destroy it, or at least escape

Then Alecto gets his attention
I am wondering how you "eat"? And how did you do that?THta.. glow that came from inside? What is its purpose?

Anibal conceals the nails in his robes. You never know when they could come in useful. Looking at the rest of his jailed companions, he reads the scene a little.

"So we wait it out? I won't lie, I am getting a little hungry. But I'll manage for a few days. Not my first place in a cell, anyway."

He then turns to the half elf. "Friend, you seem to know a little about this here organisation. Any helpful insights to share? I must admit, being thrown into a cell naked was not what I expected when I was told I would bathe in fortune."

We must eat light as well as meat, Mallycorn. We think... not all of our brethren eat meat. Although we are not sure. But we're eating. And for balance, Mother gave us the opportunity to produce light for ourselves on our own. We can create daylight around us... or inside ourselves. - Alecto pronounces all this traditionally slowly and a little hypnotically. By the way, a pleasant floral fragrance begins to hover in the dungeon when she speaks. She seems to be pleased when someone pays attention to her.

Spending twenty-four hours in a sparse cell on a straw mat thick with fleas and nothing but occasional bowls of water to quench your thirst is certainly not a pleasant experience. But dawn comes, as it must, and with it several robed priests, including the black-robed one who seems to be in charge. He speaks "The time for the ceremony to swear you in as members of the temple has come. You will follow me."

Your cell doors are unlocked, and the priests lead you through a dank, cobwebbed corridor lit with only a single torch. After a couple of turns, one of the priests--not the leader, but a large, beefy-looking figure--takes out a set of keys and unlocks an iron door. On the other side, you see a long T-shaped hallway with several doors leading off it. The procession continues until it reaches a staircase leading upwards, finally emerging in what looks like a small, lavishly-appointed meeting room. Plush, gilded chairs, a fine table made from highly-polished Andoren darkwood, and a painting on each wall (each depicting the Living God as he battles all manner of foul beasts and bends them to his will) adorn it.

"Wait here, and prepare your minds to take the first step toward a life greater than you could ever imagine." The black-robed priest leads his brethren through a doorway and shuts it behind them, leaving the initiates alone to contemplate their fates.

In case you're curious about what you've seen of the temple so far, I'll put a map on the slides.

Relgar sense of curiosity is peaked by his surroundings in the room especially the paintings. He looks around as tries to determine if there are any magical auras in the room.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Detect Magic is cast.

I don't see why there would be anything of interest in here as a player but Relgar has been locked in a cell for 24 hours so being able to do something is what he will do. :)

"All of these superlatives, and I have only seen cell bars so far. Makes you wonder.", Anibal whispers to the group, but waits stoicly.

He looks at the paintings on the wall for now, observing the individual scenes.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (19) + 12 = 31

Anything of particular interest in relation to the origins?

Relgar and Anibal perform a quick search of the room. Nothing appears magical, and the paintings don't seem to depict anything necessarily historical, but instead symbolic representations of the Living God's ascension and power.

But a piece of parchment can be spied sticking out from under the edge of a rug! The parchment details the schedule of the city watch that patrols the neighborhood around the temple, with specific times circled.

"What are you doing?!?" snarls Evlar. "We shouldn't pry in the temple's affairs!"

"Examining our surroundings is hardly prying into anything. These paintings were meant to be appreciated or they would not be on display. So I have no clue what you are talking about."

"I think that it is you that is thinking of prying into the temple's affairs or you would not bring it up. I would be quiet if I were you for your own safety of course. If these priests knew what you were up to they would not be pleased."

19 Bluff on a take 10.

Relgar realises the possibility that Evlar might be a plant put in by the priests to get an inside perspective on the new recruits. Relgar has a difficult time reading people at the best of time but Evlar's behaviour and disposition aligns well with an established cult member placed in with their party to spy upon them.

Sense Motive: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (9) - 1 = 8

I might be completely off here but the pieces do seem to fit together nicely. His outrage at our characters poking our noses into temple business seems out of line for a new recruit but in-line with a priest of Razmir. Also why would we be left alone in this room with no active supervision?

Now that I think of it he did seem awfully certain that Shaggy was not harmed by the priests either. I think that is enough dots in a row to draw a line. :)

I'm starting to get tired of you, Evlar. It seems to me that you are too weak to serve the Living God. Maybe you should become a fertilizer for the church... or mine personally. Stand still, eyes on the floor.

This is the first time you see Alecto come out of her usual calm state. One of her arms half turns into a long vine and this vine moves exactly as a viper would move before jumping on its victim. There is no doubt that Evlar is in trouble.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

While Elvar is distracted by Alecto's threat, Anibal quickly kneels down to fix his robes near his knees. He attempts to picks up the parchment from under the rug innoticed, and tucks it into his sleeve.

Stealth: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

He then walks towards Alecto and puts his hand on her shoulder. " He was not pleasant company so far, I agree. But perhaps this is a little too much?"

Better the threat of violence than violence itself, beekeeper.

Evlar looks terrified of Alecto and backs up into a corner, his hands in the air as if to ward off an attack. "Okay, okay! I didn't see anything." Although clearly cowed, the hostile look in his eyes shows that the group may have made themselves an enemy down the line.

Meanwhile, Anibal tucks the parchment into his sleeve.

Alecto's Intimidate (Influence Opponent's Attitude) check is successful, and Evlar will cooperate with you for a certain period of time, and then his attitude will worsen. It's not immediately clear whether Evlar believed Relgar's lie or saw Anibal grab the parchment.

Alecto instantly calms down. It seems that literally after 10 seconds she completely forgets about the incident and plunges into looking at the paintings.

Relgar wonders how he got himself into this mess in the first place. He longs for the simple days of setting monsters on fire and simply being friendly to people.

He smiles at Alecto and winks at her for being a team player.

Evlar is a jerk regardless so I well understand Alecto's reaction. :)

A few minutes after the verbal altercation, the door to the meeting room opens and a priest summons everyone to follow him into what must be the main worship hall of the temple.

Rows of polished, black stone benches surround a vast staircase that ascends in the center of this grand worship chamber. The thirty-one white marble stairs, each carved with one of the tenets of Razmir, climb to the top of a pedestal that supports a gigantic golden mask, the symbol of the Living God.

As sunlight streams through the great stained glass window high on the eastern wall, it passes through the eyes of the mask and reflects through a great emerald set into its forehead, bathing the room in shafts of green light. Murals decorate the walls of this chamber.

A large crowd of masked priests is waiting; while white robes shroud most of them, some wear gray, and a few wear black. On the eighth step of the stairs, a black-robed priest says gravely, "Come forward."

As Evlar and the Pathfinders reach the bottom of the stairs, the priest says "Those of you with the foresight and wisdom to revere the Living God may now take the first step toward a life free of want and deprivation. Take this first step, and see a new life awaiting you!"

Priests in gray robes standing on the second step hold out iron masks as everyone in the hall waits to see if any of the initiates will take the first step and don the proffered mask to signify their commitment to the Living God.

Evlar steps up quickly and places the mask over his face.

"All hail Razmir! All hail the Living God!" shout the entire congregation.

Relgar ascends the first step as well donning an appropriately sized mask.

Drukpa is pleased to finally be released from the dank and moldering cell but he is puzzled by what he has seen of the religion so far. "Y' mean if I put on this mask Ima get some fruit with no toyl? Ye promised, right?" And with a trusting shrug, Drukpa dons the mask.

Without uttering a word, Alecto stands on the first step.

Anibal puts both feet on the first step, waiting for his mask. "Praise his perfection."

Mallycorn stays silent, but makes the first step

"All hail the Living God!" chants the assembled faithful as each initiate steps onto the first step and dons an iron mask. The black-robed priest on the eighth step announces in a booming voice. "Like coins in a vault, we become enriched with each new addition! As these new members of the congregation learn the ways of Razmir, may they always remember this glorious day when they took the first step on the climb toward divinity." A brass gong sounds from somewhere in the temple, and as one the church members in the pews stand up and begin to file out. The black-robed priest and others on the steps leave as well, though one bulky-looking priest stays behind.

The figure removes his mask to reveal a large man--large in both height and girth. "Okay, you lot, listen up!" he growls in a rough voice. "My name's Krant, and my job's to whip you into shape. You prove yourselves, you get some liberties and get your junk back. But until then, you do whatever anyone who's not one of you lot tells ya to do, on the double with no backtalk. Got it?" His glare challenges anyone to ask a question.

"Okay, good. Now here's the rules. Better learn 'em fast." Krant takes a rolled parchment from an inner pocket and begins to read.

I'll put a pic of Krant on the slides.

Relgar listens intently to the rules and is clearly paying attention. The sooner they placate the church hierarchy the sooner he will be reunited with Shaggy and they will be able to complete their mission.

After the rules are read, and everything falls silent, Anibal raises his hand to propose a question.

Drukpa's mind reels from the lengthy recitation of the "rules." "Them's a lot of rools! How many of 'em are we s'posed to learn?"

"Also, if Raz- Raz-, the Most High One is s'posed to be above all the other gods, ain't he worried 'bout someone lookin' up his robe? That Cal- Cal-, the sexy Elven lady, she'd be gawking no doubt 'bout it!" Drukpa blushes, his scales noticeably reddening, to even consider such divine shenanigans.

Relgar does his best to ignore both Anibal and Drukpa and keeps focusing on the task at hand namely listening intently to the man in charge who is reading out the rules.

He is not exactly sure if Drupka is going to get a whooping or if the Nagaji/Dragon to be will eat Krant for lunch.

This should be interesting. Good RP people. :)

Anibal's polite hand-raising is lost in the drama as Krant strides angrily over to Drukpa and punches him in the stomach! "You'll learn by shutting your trap, scaleface, and doin' what you're told! I don't know what the Nine Hells you're on about with robes and such, but sounds vaguely blasphemerious to me, and you better not let Egarthis hear it or you'll be fed to the snakes!"

Krant glares at everyone to see if anyone has a comment about what just happened. "Courtyard! Double-time!" He points toward the doors you came in through.

Drukpa, you take 9 points of nonlethal damage (remember, nonlethal damage counts "up" until it reaches your current hit points, as which point you fall unconscious). I don't think you have Uncanny Dodge or Combat Reflexes (allowing you take take AoOs while flat-footed), but if you do, Krant's punch would provoke one. You're free to respond however you like.

Yes, good role-playing everyone--this is a really fun group.

Relgar moves with alacrity to the courtyard. He might not be the fastest runner in the group but he responds quickly in a pinch and he has no wish to be punched in the stomach or anywhere else for that matter.

Relgar might have the magical chops to reduce this bully to a pile of ashes but he is still a gnome after all that is not even three feet tall! :)

Alecto watches Drukpa being beaten with a frozen expression on her face. And only the most attentive of you can notice that the fingers on her hand have lengthened a little and have just begun to fold into a vine that taps on her thigh like the tail of an angry cat...

Anibal watches Krant hit Drukpa and does his best to not clench his fist. Then he looks at where the man is pointing. "Excuse me... I'm not sure about any titles, so Mister Krant, I guess? I hate to admit that I have no idea where the courtyard is, but the door you are pointing to leads towards the holding cells. We just entered through those."

Anticipating a strike, Anibal shifts his feet, just a barely visible few inches.

Total Defense for AC 21, I guess.

Drukpa's expression cannot be seen behind the iron mask but from his body language it seems likely that Krant may be the first person ever to strike Drukpa and live to tell the tale. Though that too remains to be seen.

Be that as it may, Drukpa says nothing at all and simply moves towards the courtyard, his fists clenched as if he is willing his claws not to emerge.

Alecto silently follows her 'brother in mind'. The vine also disappears imperceptibly, becoming fingers again.

Krant looks almost disappointed that Drukpa didn't retaliate. It's clear the man was just looking for another excuse. He decides to take some of his aggression out on Anibal instead, pushing and pulling the Iobarian roughly through the vestibule and out a set of double-doors on the opposite end to show him the hard way where he was instructed to go.

There, crenelated walls surround a broad courtyard on three sides, with a stout barbican set in the south wall, its doors and gate closed to the outside world. Stables have been along the west wall. Although there aren't any horses in there, a distinctive bark makes it clear that Shaggy is! He's got food and water, and looks unharmed.

Krant follows everyone into the courtyard and shuts the gigantic gilded doors into the building behind him.

"Alright losers, time to earn your keep! Muck out the stables, polish the doors, and stifle your whinging! Make it through the day, and tomorrow ya get to be civilized folk."

Drukpa gets to work on the stables. It quickly becomes apparent that he has spent long years on a farm and is no stranger to such chores. Nor does he seem to mind them much.

"If this were back home, we'd have a big heap o' flapjacks after finishing our chores. I wonder what these Raz- Raz- these folks like t' eat fer lunch?"

Relgar feels relieved when he sees Shaggy is unharmed and fed. One day of mindless manual labour and dirty work is not as bad as the future that he had envisioned in the courtyard. He makes a beeline to the first work detail and begins to labour without question or comment.

Anibal somehow manages to keep his cool while being pushed into the courtyard. He gives the man Krant a nod once they arrive to the place.

"Ah, here we are. Thank you for the immaculate direction advice, Master Krant."

He picks up a shovel and starts moving dung immediately.

"I'm not sure about that, Drukpa. It seems we promoted from prisoners to slaves. I assume serfdom will be on the table tomorrow. Or in a few days. We'll see. I can only assume the Church of Razmir wants to make sure that the members experience many flavours of life."

He smiles. "That, or they just recruit people to serve the existing members."

"Proud to serve the Living God, however.", he states as he continues shoveling.

While working, Anibal scans the area for anything out of the ordinary.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28

Can't help but think of a little malicious compliance by shoveling all the dung into the main temple area, not gonna lie.

I don't mind menial work. It will even be most welcome to use our bodies instead of letting our minds wandering. It seems the lesser ranks of Razmir's servants are used as slaves, as you said, beekeeper, to the benefit of the higher ranks. Probably not the only religion to work that way, I guess

He looks at Drupka
If you want me to look at your bruises later, I'll do. I must confess I am interested in your anatomy.

Relgar has no idea why these larger people are still talking. Considering Krant's disposition and past actions he does not understand why they are deliberately trying to antagonise him with their flippant discussion and criticism of his faith and organisational methods.

The little gnome is sure to position himself as far as possible away from these trouble makers and is silently toiling attempting to make it through the day to reunite with Shaggy and his lost equipment in one piece.

Drukpa listens to Anibal's speculations with great interest. "Surfing? Really? Gee willickers , that would be A-mazing! D'ye think we'll go out on Lake En- En- the big lake? I'll bet the waves near that big island get pretty gnarly! Wow, I'm starting to really like this churchtemple!" Drukpa shovels some more dung enthusiastically.

When Mallycorn offers to attend to his bruises he is most appreciative, though he's not sure what to make about the talk of "gnats o' me." "I think them are from the dung - they ain't mine - least I think they ain't..." he concludes uncertainly.

Day Two (continued)

"Church of the Living God ain't no knitting circle, so more work, less chit-chat!" shouts Krant. He's pulled up a stool and is sitting, watching you work, while drinking cold, clear water from a large canteen. The day's work is long, hard, and dirty, and you haven't had anything to eat since the (drugged) food almost 36 hours ago! Krant is clearly enjoying the power he has over you.

Evlar doesn't seem to be reacting well to the menial labor. "I thought we were getting rich" he keeps mumbling out of earshot of Krant. "No one gets rich shoveling horse manure! This is worse than working at my pa's shop." But although he does his share of the work, Evlar keeps throwing angry glances in Alecto's direction--it seems what happened earlier hasn't been forgotten.

When the sun finally begins to descend over the horizon, Krant calls out. "Dinner time. But if anyone's had enough and wants to go home, the door's right there." Krant points towards the main gates to the south.

Evlar looks at himself--dirty, exhausted, hungry, and covered in manure--and throws down his shovel. "I'm outta here!" he says, heading for the door.

Krant grins, picks up the stool he was sitting on, and bashes Evlar in the back with it! The surly youth tumbles to the ground hard, and Krant grabs him by the hair. "Trick question, acolyte! Once in, you stay in. Only way out's a grave, and I'll be the one plantin' ya six feet deep." Krant laughs again, pushes Evlar's face in the dirt, and then stands up. "What's everyone waiting for! Wash up in the horse trough and get to dinner!"

Relgar washes up as best he can in the horse trough. At least he is tiny so there should be plenty of water for his gnome sized body. The sorcerer resists the temptation to use magic to facilitate the process expecting possible retaliation from Krant. Once he is done he heads inside as instructed to eat dinner.

One day of manual labour and the NPC breaks. How sad. The typical adventuring day is generally as physically demanding and much more dangerous. Originally I had thought we might help Evlar out but he has turned out to be quite a pitiable, mean spirited and weak character.

The writing in this module is fun and I am glad that we decided to go the acolyte's route so we can see how it turns out. I am curious to see what (if any) acolyte activities are in store for us tomorrow.

Drukpa elbows Evlar when he gets a chance. "Don't worry, I hear tomorrow is gonna be REAL fun!"