GM Tyranius (PF2) Dark Archive Case Files

Game Master Tyranius

Aegis' brain hurts as it debilitates him momentarily. Vesperscale's strike demolishes the remaining pot faster they the fey-child Link. With the larger dolls down you easily round up the two smaller ones with ease. They only have 1 hp each.

Having reduced the matryoshkas to kindling, the yound child reappears and gushes enthusiastically. "You must be some kind of heroes! One day I wish to be like you."

Vesperscale tries to shush them as soon as they start sayin Wi-

Tenpot instinctively opens his beak, as if to snatch from the air and eat the ill fortune portended by the child's innocent wish.

The boy seems enamored as he follows you. “My name’s Volkya! What’s your name? I just said that I wished these dolls weren’t so boring,” the boy says, nudging a piece of wood with a foot. “That was amazing. Can you do it again?” Vesperscale covers the boys outh before he nearly wishes the dolls back once more. “This is so exciting. So, there’s this pond just outside the village. Just a month ago, poof, there was a giant tree there, this big old birch, that wasn’t there before. So it’s a cursed tree!” He begins to ramble like an exciteable child that wants to share all the wonders they have laid eyes on.

"Cursed tree, huh?" Tenpot says, looking to his allies. "Maybe we should go take a look at it."

"I'll show you!" The boy seems very excited as he guides you towards the pond.

A glistening pool stands in the middle of a tiny clearing, the crystal-clear waters rimmed by ice and frost. A few trees grow along the edge of the pond, chief among them a tall, whitebarked birch tree. The burble of a spring fills the air, probably coming from the cluster of mossy rocks on the far side of the pond.

“Your turn,” a high, whispering voice says, sounding like the susurrus of the tree’s branches.

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking,” a gurgling sort of voice answers—it might almost be the spring speaking.

Then they become clear. It’s like one of those magic pictures where the eye suddenly realizes that the cluster of rocks and the birch tree are two old men hunched over a deck of cards— one tall and thin and with a beard of leaves, one short and squat, surrounded in a small cloud of algae.

Uhh hello!

The pair look over with a bit of shock and excitment. "This one sees us." the cloud of algae says.

The thin beard of leaves responds in kind. "Hello, there. What can we help you with?"

"Our world seems to be affected by a change in its rules. Who are you? I think you may be either cause or effect, but you're definitely linked."

"I think what my friend here means to say" Tenpot says, giving Aegis a bit of side-eye after his rude introduction, "is hello. We are wondering if you might be willing and able to help us decipher a situation affecting the surrounding area. It seems that idle wishes, spoken aloud, are warping reality, and the effect seems to have begun around the time of your recent arrival."

Aegis, knowing that he's not a people person, nods and points at Tenpot before backing off.

"Oh, yes. I put that spell on Krasnoprudny." The fey states, "Are the villagers enjoying my gift and their newfound fortune?"

"For many years my family lived happily enough, but then came word of a new queen in Whitethrone, and the children decided to venture to the capital and seek service as handmaidens to Anastasia, because a palace is better than a pond, even a very nice pond with a little ledge perfect for sitting."

"But it’s lonely living in a pond all by yourself, and Ded Bolota started to mope, and to sulk, and to drink too much. Until an old friend of his came to visit. The leshy grew worried about the vodyanoy’s state of mind. “Bolota,” the birch tree said, “You need to get out more, you need a hobby. There are all these mortals living by your banks, why don’t you do something nice for them?”

"And so the two of us put our heads together and set out to make Krasnoprudny the most fortunate village in all of Irrisen, a place where wishes come true."

Vesperscale grimaces and grumbles. "Idioms. Us humanoids are quite fond of them. Unfortunately your magic seems to take everything literally, with no concern for actual desires..."

"Indeed, wishes are a tricky thing. We also, weirdly, in Taldane sometimes use the word wish to denote something we only mildly want. Additionally.... idioms as Vesperscale said. Is it possible to undo this gift? Maybe we can do something else?"

The Algae pile grumbles "I can’t just go around lifting spells from villages for no good reason. Its un-fey-like! People would talk! He couldn’t look Ded Moroz in the face!"

The tree-fey looks down at you noticing the cards. "Perhaps a bet? If you win the curse will be lifted, and if we win then what is in it for us?

The fey will accept a gift (any permanent magic item of 9th level or higher will do), a single character’s service for a year and a day, or any other half-reasonable suggestion that the PCs might make.

I'll bet you! Service for a year

Aegis looks over at Toadclobber. "The speed of your generosity is telling my friend. I'll see that you don't need to make good on your half of the wager."

"Well then.... What's the wager?"

The fey smile. "A year of service or the wishes being lifted." The tree-like fey lays out four stacks of cards. "Four suits. the first to 8 wins."

There are four suits of cards. (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter). To
win you must each take turns selecting a suit to try to score Victory Points using the skills appropriate with that suit. The DC's for each skill start at 24 but increase by 2 for each Victory point in that suit. If you succeed at the DC 30 check for that suit then that suit is exhausted and can no longer accrue points. If you have an appropriate Lore skill that will lower the DC.

"The speed of your generosity is telling my friend."

Uhh… yeah. That's it! Secretly Toad wonders — after being trapped in a funhouse mirror by a monomaniacal art critic and then having his brain turned to oatmeal by a hippie cult — maybe a year of playing cards with old men in the forest would be nice.

I assume these are not knowledge checks so I can't use my Diverse Lore feat

Winter is scary. He looks at the scary dead black trees and sad faces scribbled in his Coloring Tome.

Intimidation (Tome; M): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (13) + 19 = 32

"The Fall disguises it's appearance, arriving in Summer's clothing."

Deception (M): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (12) + 20 = 32

Vesperscale tries to score points in Summer.

Summer Arcana: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34

Aegis is up.

With a mantra whose translation has been lost to mortal ken, Aegis opts for the Suit of Winter...
Occultism: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (4) + 18 = 22, but he fails even the most basic of tasks.

Not knowledge checks.

You each draw your cards in unison from the four stacks. Two Winter, one Fall, and one Summer. Toadclobber Winter Success +1 point, Vesperscale Summer Crit Success +2 points, and Tenpots Fall Success +1 point quickly earn points while the Fey are able to gain a point off of Aegis. Fail: Fey +1 point

The fey look to you. "Another draw it is."

Party is up again. Keep in mind the DC's have increased with your successes.

Occult Team Points: 4
Fey team Points: 1

Athletics (M): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (5) + 20 = 25

This game is fun!

Athletics (M), Heroic Point: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (18) + 20 = 38

"The falling leaves of autumn mask forest floor, concealing its secrets."

Deception (M): 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (14) + 20 = 34

Vesperscale tries to earn some Winter points as a change.

Winter Occultism: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (8) + 19 = 27

The next three cards you flip and fall into your favor as the fey look a bit disappointed. That brings your team to 8 points.

The fey stick to their bargain and lift the curse, all supernatural effects are instantly reversed, and you are hailed as heroes when you return to town. The village isn’t able to offer you any more rewards, but you are stuffed with as much food as you can eat (though it’s probably mostly buckwheat porridge).

That is the end of this Case File. Go ahead and level on up to Level 10. I will work on chronicles and have them out shortly.

Case File #7: Tomorrow's Feast!

As teh feast begins to wind down Vesperscale finds a case file hidden near the back of the book. One she hadn't noticed before. Pulling it loose it seems to activate the somnambulist bridge that has been transporting you all over the world.

The Golden Fortune case reported in Goka is one that’s caught my eye for some time, though I confess not for the most unbiased of reasons—it’s been far too long since I visited my father’s hometown, and I’m sure my uncles would appreciate a visit. Nevertheless, our archivists detected signs of a strange anomaly around one of its many restaurant boats: a stuttering region that swallows people and spits them out later, stumbling and disoriented. — K.H.W.

The somnambulist bridge created by the Dark Archive folio deposits you on a riverside dock near the Balance Bridge in Goka, the greatest metropolis in Tian Xia.

Goka’s docks buzz with busy energy as the sun sets. People load and unburden their ships with haste in preparation of trade.

Eventually, the anomaly becomes clear. An extravagant restaurant boat, the words Golden Fortune inscribed on its red‑lacquered hull between two carved windows in the shape of peonies, flickers erratically within a strange field of abjuration magic, likely an Archive containment protocol of some kind to ward off passers-by. Though fishers and dockworkers pass by the Golden Fortune, not seeming to even notice the ship, some people are disembarking, clearly unsteady and disoriented as they cross through back onto the dock.

Toad casts an 8-hour Longstrider on himself using one of his scrolls. Yum, that place must be so good it knocks peoples' brains out. Let's go eat!

Vesperscale grumbles "Lets have a nice meal and hope we're done with anything weird."

Aegis gathers the team together first and casts Telepathic Bond on everyone. "I wouldn't get that hope up Vesperscale." Aegis joins the others to board.

"Let's see if any of those folks can tell us anything useful first." Walking over toward the disoriented diners, he calls out. "Excuse me!" he calls out, hopeful that at least one of them speaks Taldane. "My friends and I were just looking at that boat. How was the meal?"

A man passing by gives Tenpot a strange look. "Uhm....I can't seem to remember. It must have been good though?" He shakes his head and keeps on walking.

Asking a few more leaaving the ship you get similar results.

Perception (M), Darkvision: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (15) + 18 = 33

Like I said the good must be so good it blew their minds! He tells everyone the man is telling the truth.

You make your way onto the Dining Deck to investigate what's happening.

The ramp leads to the main deck of the boat, where guests are taking their seats at opulent darkwood tables and chairs with intricate carvings. An amethyst geode flickers as a middle-aged man with a bushy salt-and-pepper beard makes his way to the entrance, adjusting his maroon robes. “Welcome to the Golden Fortune! I’ve never seen you in these parts before, but it’s never too late to make new friends! My name is Rui Longlai, the host and owner of this fine restaurant. Please, let me find you a seat so you can prepare for the finest dinner experience in all Goka!”

I’m ready to eat. I hear tour food is so good people can’t even remember what happened to them.

Rui helps you find your seat as he pulls each chair out for you one at a time and pushes it in to seat you. There are two servers carrying food and drinks back and forth between the deck and the kitchen. A very good looking man approaches your table with a small pad of paper and an even more charming smile. "What will you be having today?" He leans in. "Might I recommend the red spiny lobster with the thermidore sauce."

Ya. Extra humidor sauce please. And one expresso.

Toad looks for one of those fancy paper menus with the mazes and the shapes to color in, and is sad when he fails to find one. He places his crayons on the table and looks around, trying to entertain himself by observing his surroundings instead.

"I never thought, in all my training, that the skill of pretending to eat would come in quite so handy..."

Aegis only nods in agreement on the lobster, though he waves off the extra sauce. He devotes his concentration to try to Read the waiter's aura.

The waiter seems a bit indifferent towards you but he puts on a friendly demeanor. The waiter seems confident but also a little nervous though this makes sense a few moments later as Aegis watches him pickpocket another tables belongings from their pockets as he circles the table taking their order.

The kitchen door soon opens as very soft-spoken Matanji half-orc brings out your food and sets it in front of you. The passengers are excited for the journey and wait in anticipation for their meals.

"Desna weeps! Check your pockets and belt pouches."

Toad checks his pockets… if nothing is missing he digs in!

Toad checks his pockets… if nothing is missing he digs in!

Vesperscale cuts up some food and moves it around their plate, sticking a fork into their pocket for now, hoping to give a potential pickpocket an unpleasant surprise.

Surprisingly your belongings are all in place and nothing as been taken as you each rifle through your own belongings. Vesperscale sets a pleasant trap just in case.

Nature (T): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

Nature (E): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (14) + 15 = 29

"There's something not right about his boat" Tenpot says, nervously. "I've sailed many seas on many vessels, and I've never known one like this that moves out of sync with the water that bears it."

Nature: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (1) + 14 = 15 "I think you're just jumpy Tenpots."

not trained in nature.