GM Frost's S01-06 Lost on the Spirit Road [PbP Outpost VI] (Inactive)

Game Master Frozen Frost

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The adventure begins in northern Minkai in Tian Xia. The adventurers actually arrived in Minkai within the past few months. Since then, they have been working with Venture-Captain Amara Li to help lay the groundwork for a lodge in Minkai, performing a variety of tasks that are well-suited to their individual skills. They know that Amara Li has been collecting relics from across the world to house in a new museum with a focus on relics from Minkaian history that have been kept in other nations. To this end, she has been traveling all over the nation to pursue leads. These relics have come from a combination of purchases and donations, and she has occasionally called on local Pathfinders to guard the relics.

The adventurers are currently working in Sakakabe, a prosperous city famous for its trade in silver and pearls. Venture-Captain Li summons them to meet with her in one of the gardens of the Kiniro Kyomai teahouse, a famous teahouse run by geisha. The quality of the Kiniro Kyomai’s tea, food, and samisen music make it a popular destination for locals and travelers alike. She waits for them to enjoy their tea before turning their attention to more serious matters.

Kindly introduce yourselves.

Corelion gives a bit of a dramatic bow, their wild blond hair flowing lusciously around them as a halberd pokes out from behind their back.

Strengthening up they introduce themselves, their voice reverberating almost as if in song. "Corelion here. I am an Elven Spellsinger."

Enjoying dainty bites of food and the quality music wafting throughout the meal Corelion's elven haughtiness comes though, clearly indicating his high opinion of himself.

A tall woman quickly stands from the corner table, almost knocking over the jezail leaning on the wall beside her.

"Zis tea and biscuits are tres bien! Bonjour Venture-Captain. I am Detective Zhamie Zhapp from Absalom. My colleague Isaku could not be 'ere at zis time but 'e sent me to 'elp."

Necco is paying no attention whatsoever to any easily portable valuables that might be lying about.

Necco, Necco Wafer, is the name. Greetings all. First time for me in this part of the world.

Don't suppose they have any coffee here?

She is a slim, medium-height, gray-haired catfolk. Periodically, she extends and retracts the claws in her hands, possibly some sort of nervous tic.

A human but with an ash gray skin wearing an hooded cape under which there is a leather armor bearing a pendant on the chest enters the room. He has a quiver with a shortbow at the belt.

I beg your pardon, my name's Kerlok Sholmes. Is it right here the meeting point with the venture-captain Amara Li?

A man wearing armor that bears the dents and scratches of several battles slowly walks across the bridge, deep in thought. The adornments on his armor--an emblem of the flaming sword symbol of Iomedae--are worn, poor in condition, and barely recognizable.

Recalling his upbringing, he responds to the hostess and servers with respect, but is unable to hide his discomfort. Few would guess that he is the scion of a once-noble house of Cheliax or that he once had once been among the hopeful at the gates of Lastwall.

"Venture-Captain Li," he says with a bow, before taking a seat and addressing the others. "I am Garrace Elaethros of House Elathros and Defender of Lastwall," he says by way of introduction. Though he gives the proffered tea a few polite sips, he does not seem to take any joy in its pleasant fragrance or taste.

While we wait for the others to make introductions, I will post this here.

Venture-Captain Li gives each of them a nod as they make introductions. She even waves her hand for the assistant to also provide coffee, which the assistant quickly follows and rushes out to get some coffee.

“Thank you for your urgent response and I have some news. And yes, this the place we meet." she gives Kerlok a timid smile before she continues. "I fear that misfortune may have struck some of your fellow agents. I hope that you can help them return here to safety, but I fear the task I have to request of you may instead center around recovering what you can from your fallen allies and, if it is safe to do so, completing the mission in their stead.”

“Last year, I received a donation of relics from Taldor. The route is lengthy and complicated, so I will spare you unnecessary details. A caravan carrying the relics safely arrived in Hongal to the north, where it met up with a pair of Pathfinder agents, Lin Po and Ti Lan. These agents inspected the cargo, sent me a missive indicating that all was in order, and joined a second caravan to take the Spirit Road through the Forest of Spirits. The journey is understandably long, taking over two months to complete. Still, the caravan is late, and I fear that they may have run into trouble along the way. They were supposed to reach Sakakabe two weeks ago.

“While it’s possible that they were waylaid in the northernmost parts of Minkai, I believe it’s far more likely that they ran into trouble in the Forest of Spirits, a mystical place that shelters departed souls and most of the world’s kami. Kami are spiritual guardians with a deep connection to certain living locations or living things. The locals pay great respect to the kami, never intruding further into the forest than their one coastal road, the Spirit Road, and a number of small settlements built around shrines. This should make tracking the caravan simple, since there’s only a single road along which they should have had to rest or resupply at some point. I need you to check each of the roadside settlements until you find the last one to have seen the caravan, then track it from there and figure out what happened.

“Be sure to respect the kami and the local traditions honoring them; I don’t want you to come to harm in your journey. The kami are mostly benevolent, so long as they receive the proper respect, but there are some dangers that might have harried the caravan. Bandits, hobgoblins, and giants, among other creatures, dwell within the forest. The forest also hosts some aggressive plants and animals, not to mention malign spirits such as the oni, the sworn enemies of the kami. The locals will know more than I of what perils to expect. Do you have questions?”

"Zee Forest of Spirits, including ze many kami and spirits can possess living creatures to share ze memories. Zey cannot control ze 'ost though. Sounds intriguing."

New Investigation: The Case of the Missing Caravan

A human with a Breastplate is waiting. At the belt there is a sling. Hello my name is Lendaru I am a varisian. The inventor has no questions.

Pursue a lead: the caravan

The duskwalker strikes his thin.

And what kind of relics are you waiting for? I mean that can help to recognize them if we find them somewhere else than in the caravan.

Necco is surprised and grateful for the coffee. She offers a small "Yowl" of thanks.

"They stole from us, so we steal it back from them. Nice and simple, I like it."

"Any local law enforcement, pesky extradition treaties, that sort of thing?"

"Anything to know about the weather, local coffeehouses, etc?"

Corelion nods and feigns disinterest as he waits for the answers to Necco's questions about local ammenities.

"Bandits, hobgoblins, giants, and even forest spirits all pose little concern," interjects Garrace, no longer partaking of the tea. "It is the undead that should give one pause." a look of sorrow overtakes the man, but he says nothing more.

"It is just a collection of artifacts from Tian Xia which are donated by a collector from Taldor." she tells Kerlok. "A collection of amulets, some bonsais, to name a few."

"All I can say is that the Forest of Spirits is a dense and frigid pine forest home to numerous supernatural forces." the venture-captain answers Necco. "Having said that, you might need to bring clothing against cold weather. I don't know what particular settlement you might encounter, but what I can only advise is that be sure to respect the kami."

"If you have no more questions, you can begin your search." she tells them in a tone that might sound like she wants them to already go. "To help with your long journey ahead, I am lending you a pair of horses and a sturdy wagon stocked with basic provisions, including food, water, a repair kit, and a map of Minkai and the Forest of Spirits." she tells them, motioning them that those are ready outside if they peek at the window, and gives one of them the map of the Forest of Spirits indicating that the only settlements within the woodland are along the Spirit Road. She also presents a large box of consumables for them to choose and take. "Just take what you only need."

Everyone starts with two hero points each. You can also declare what school consumables you are bringing and if you intend to buy any items before your exploration.

Being a tender young catfolk from southern Garund, Necco goes looking for a nice warm winter coat, something stylish would be nice.

Can I get winter clothing for 4 sp?

Necco entered the Pathfinder Society through a Field Commission granted by the kindly Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir, though the exact details are covered by an NDA.

No consumables for me.

Zhamie takes 2 minor healing potions as her school item. If needed, she will follow Necco's lead and get Winter clothing as well.

2nd Investigation: The Mystery of the Missing Relics

Garrace too purchases some winter gear as he retrieves an oil of mending provided to him by the Swords.

(Default) Exploration Activity: Defend

Field commissioned

Lendaru takes 2 minor healing potions from his school.

Corelion is field commissioned and happy with their items.

Noted on the school items and items bought.

The adventurers begin their journey. It takes several weeks of travel on a road that winds through the Osogen Grasslands to reach the Forest of Spirits. Along the way, they cross paths with travelers heading south into Minkai, as well as the nomadic herders who call the rolling plains home but none they meet in the grasslands has seen the caravan they are looking for. When they enter the Forest of Spirits, the atmosphere changes. The forest is cool and damp, and profoundly alive. Snow blankets the ground and clings to branches of towering pine and spruce trees. Birds, rodents, foxes, deer, bears, and numerous other creatures roam through the woods, keeping their distance from the road. The density of the trees suggests that logging is almost unheard of in this forest.

Eventually, they arrive at a village nestled deeper in the forest’s outskirts. They see a wooden sign on the village outskirts, written in Tien with a smaller Common Taldane scribble below: WELCOME TO BASARU.

Corelion takes in the fresh air, making sure to sing a beautiful Elven tune on occasion while travelling.

"I do wonder if they have any decent baths here in... BASARU."

I wonder if the capatalize all their village names here, or if its just a translation or laziness issue. thinks Corelion to themselves.

The duskwalker begins to ask people around if they have seen the caravan with the provided description pass by Basaru.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

The inventor follows Kerlok in search of information about the caravan.

Garrace follows along with those seeking information, hoping that the party has not wandered into a ghost town with actual ghosts.

"Bonjour! Have any of vous seen a caravan come by 'ere lately?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 21

Snug in her new winter coat, Necco will also go forth and try to chat with the good people of Basaru.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

"Well, several caravans from Avistan have passed along the Spirit Road in recent months." The local shakes his head when Kerlok describes the caravan they expect to arrive in the area. "I have not seen such a caravan in many weeks, I think. Maybe you can ask around, perhaps they might have encountered them." the local advises them.

At this point, you can follow up on the villagers’ knowledge of the caravan by making three different skill checks to interact with them. The skills appropriate for this village are Diplomacy, Medicine, and Survival. Fortunately, the village is hospitable and the villagers can understand both Tien and Taldane. But to impress or earn their trust, each of you should roll up to three different skill checks (Diplomacy, Medicine, Survival, in any order) in which the third check has a higher DC (to account for fewer locals knowing the information). You can choose to Aid or even refuse to roll. I know the skills are limited and not anyone might have all of them, thus, I will allow skills other than those mentioned provided it is justified by your roleplay, but, again at a higher DC. There are no rounds here so you can roll the three different skill checks in a single post.

For Kerlok, Zhamie, and Necco, I will count your Diplomacy checks toward your rolls for this part since they are all Successes and I would not waste that.

IMPRESS THE VILLAGE
Kerlok - 1 success, two remaining checks
Zhamie - 1 success, two remaining checks
Necco - 1 success, two remaining checks
Garrace - three remaining checks
Lendaru - three remaining checks
Corelion - three remaining checks

Zhamie pulls out her healer's tools and sets up an impromptu "medical mission" and treats the villagers' ailments.

Medicine: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11 Sacre Bleu!
Medicine, HP, Vestments: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23

Zhamie then attempts to look around for signs of their particular caravan's passing through the village.

Survival, Pursue a Lead: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 7 + 1 = 18

Given the roll, it's probably too muddy to tell

Medicine: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

Survival: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

The duskwalker tries to gain information showing his knowledge to the poor inhabitants of the village.

Necco looks around. She is confident that she'll be able to find a small group of kids in their early teens. They'll be hanging out together, embarrassed by their parents, trying to be as cool as possible.

Necco approaches them (assuming they can be found) and explains to them the noble art of pickpocketing.

Thievery: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

Not at all confident that they understood the finer points of crime, Necco will next spend some time expounding on her vast knowledge of medicine, including that particularly tricky surgery at sea in a storm.

Deception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

I'm going to Hero Point this last one, and before I roll, I'm racing off to put on my GenCon Paizo volunteer tee shirt to get the vestments +1

Deception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

A thoroughly embarrassed Necco will return to their wagon to hide in shame.

Garrace begins asking around the village about the caravan. He tries, at first, to be pleasant. However, realizing a possible need of the locals to address a minor fungal outbreak, he tries to offer his expertise in applying and foraging for herbal remedies to abate the issue.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19
Medicine: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Corelion uses their knowledge of the trail and what they've seen recently to start off with hopefully a good impression.

Survival: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

As the topic shifts to medicinal plants, Corelion's knoweldge is unfortunatly somewhat limited, but he does his best to keep up.

Medicine: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (14) + 0 = 14

Finally, once Corelion has a feel for what the villages might like they unleash their beautiful singing voice to truly impress these people.

diplomacy to make an impression: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18

The inventor tries to gather information.

Survival:1d20 + 0 ⇒ (20) + 0 = 20

Diplomacy:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Medicine:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

I'm back.

RESULTS TO IMPRESS THE VILLAGE
Kerlok - 2 successes
Zhamie - 2 successes
Necco - 1 success
Garrace - 2 successes
Lendaru - 2 successes
Corelion - 0 success

As a group, you succeed in Diplomacy, Medicine, and Survival skill checks. The villagers' hospitality provides comfort and care to travelers, improving their stamina. Each of you earns a charm that allows you to reroll a single saving throw once per encounter for the rest of the scenario.

Everyone takes their chances to impress and earn the respect of the locals by showing their skills. As they do so they learned information about the missing caravan that they are looking for. They learn that this village was the last place the caravan stopped to rest before continuing on the eastward branch of the Spirit Road, a branch that leads toward Minkai but forks in a few locations. The road’s exact path varies over time, with detours and new paths forming to more easily avoid disturbing the wildlife. Strangely, despite warnings from the villagers, the caravan chose to take an older path toward Minkai. The
caravan’s members were determined to take this alternate path, but they did not share their reasoning with the villagers.

Just as they conclude their investigation, villagers on the perimeter sound the alarm, causing townsfolk to scatter. The village is under attack!

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VILLAGE ASSAULT Round 1
Party Conditions: Free reroll of a single saving throw once per encounter
Terrain Features: Foliage on the map is Difficult Terrain.
ENCOUNTER MAP

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Character in ➤ BOLD can act!
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➤ Garrace (AC 19) (30/30 HP)
➤ Corelion (AC 20) (39/39 HP)
➤ Necco (AC 19) (30/30 HP)
➤ Lendaru (AC 20) (38/38 HP)
➤ Kerlok (AC 19) (48/48 HP)

Vulpine (- HP)
Black Fox (- HP)
Blue Fox (- HP)
Brown Fox (- HP)

Zhamie (AC 17) (32/32 HP)

Corelion spins their halberd from their back into their hands in a fluid motion, almost blurring with speed.

Corelion then narrows his focus, almost staring down the vulpine before belting out "Battle!" in an almost inspirational voice.

Draw halberd, cast Gravity Weapon, Hunt Prey(Vulpine)

1st time with 2e rogue, so I may get something wrong.

Necco has pulled herself out of the bottom of the wagon just in time for the attack, and she hopes she won't embarrass herself badly again.

She moves to under the eaves of the building to the south, looking to break line-of-sight to the attackers so she can catch them flat-footed next round.

I think this is a move action followed by a hide action, which the GM rolls in secret. My stealth is +8.

The rogue as Surprise attack. So they are flat footed to you this round already.

So, I could double move and attack them flat-footed? I’d like to change my turn to that if it’s OK.

Corelion then narrows his focus, almost staring down the vulpine before belting out "Battle!" in an almost inspirational voice.

Reacting almost instinctively to a cry similar to those in his past, Garrace draws his blade and heads toward the attackers.

The inventor takes out his weapon, enlarges it and moves.

Corelion draws weapon, empowers it with gravitational force, and assign Vulpine as his prey.

Necco, you can read about rules in Encounter Mode HERE to give you insight about encounters. TLDR, you get three actions every round. You can do basic actions such as Stride, Sneak, Strike, etc. that use a single action, among others.

Looking at your post, you used 1 action to Stride (that can be up to your Speed) and 1 action to Sneak. You have 1 action left which you can use to Interact to draw a weapon, or Sneak again if you wish. Or you can change your actions, I will allow that, to take advantage of the class features of being a rogue such as Surprise Attack, which says "You spring into combat faster than foes can react. On the first round of combat, if you roll Deception or Stealth for initiative, creatures that haven’t acted are flat-footed to you." You can check out about Rogues HERE.

Garrace draws his weapon as well and moves close to the ambushers. Same with Lendaru, enlarging the weapon before he engages in the encounter.

Necco, you are up if you wish to change your actions to take advantage of the class features of Rogue for the first round of Encounter. You do not have weapon drawn (because you were ambushed) so if you wish to attack with a weapon, you need to spend an action to draw the weapon.

We can't let Garrace go alone!

The duskwalker draws his shortbow and tries to see an opportunity to fire an arrow towards the brown one.

Divise a stratagem: 1d20 ⇒ 15

As it seems to be the case he fires an arrow.

So 26 to hit

Damage, Precise strike: 2d6 + 1d6 ⇒ (6, 1) + (5) = 12

There is a sudden shimmer around Necco as time goes backward for a second.

Then, Necco darts forward 40 feet. 2 stride actions

She smiles as her companions draw weapons of various sorts.

I'm assuming, hopefully not incorrectly, that I don't need to spend an action to draw a weapon if I am attacking with my claws. However, since I didn't roll Stealth or Deception for initiative, I'm guessing that our attackers are not flat-footed to me.

She slashes at the brown fox with her claws.

To Hit: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Necco giggles a little.

Damage S: 2d6 + 2 ⇒ (4, 2) + 2 = 8

Thanks for the opportunity to redo my turn.

She slashes at the brown fox with her claws.

[dice=To Hit]1d20+8

Necco giggles a little.

[dice=Damage S]2d6+2

Thanks for the opportunity to redo my turn.

The Natural 20 is a critical hit. Double damage! :)

The Natural 20 is a critical hit. Double damage! :)

Alas, that is double damage for Necco.

I'm assuming, hopefully not incorrectly, that I don't need to spend an action to draw a weapon if I am attacking with my claws. However, since I didn't roll Stealth or Deception for initiative, I'm guessing that our attackers are not flat-footed to me.

There is no action needed to spend for your claws, and since I automatically roll Initiatives for encounter, I used what you encoded in Exploration Activity in the Macros, which in your case is Stealth, making the enemies flat-footed to you. But it does not matter for now because you got a Nat20 attack roll.

Kerlok determines his target's weak point and strikes at Brown. (Success)

Necco makes a swift response to the ambushers, and claws her way to Brown and brings the fox down. (Crit Success, double damage, Brown is eliminated)

The other wolves grit their teeth and begin attacking! Vulpine pounces at Necco with her claws!
Claws Attack vs Necco AC 19: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
Claws Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10 slashing damage

Vulpine follows it up with another claw and bites!
Claws Attack vs Necco AC 19, Agile, MAP1: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 9 - 4 = 18
Jaw Attack vs Necco AC 19, MAP2: 1d20 + 9 - 4 - 5 ⇒ (11) + 9 - 4 - 5 = 11

Fortunately for Necco, both attacks miss.

Black pounces 1 Necco, 2 Garrace: 1d2 ⇒ 2 Garrace with her claws!
Claws Attack vs Garrace AC 19: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

And makes the same attack sequence as Vulpine.
Claws Attack vs Garrace AC 19, Agile, MAP1: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 9 - 4 = 16
Jaw Attack vs Garrace AC 19, MAP2: 1d20 + 9 - 4 - 5 ⇒ (19) + 9 - 4 - 5 = 19
Jaw Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 piercing damage plus 1d6 persistent bleed damage

Only the last attack connects but it causes him to bleed.
Blues slashes Garrace with their two claws and a bite!
Claws Attack vs Garrace AC 19: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20
Claws Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4 slashing damage
Claws Attack vs Garrace AC 19, Agile, MAP1: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 9 - 4 = 15
Jaw Attack vs Garrace AC 19, MAP2: 1d20 + 9 - 4 - 5 ⇒ (6) + 9 - 4 - 5 = 6

Only the first one connects.

❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
VILLAGE ASSAULT Round 1 and 2
Party Conditions: Free reroll of a single saving throw once per encounter
Terrain Features: Foliage on the map is Difficult Terrain.
ENCOUNTER MAP

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Character in ➤ BOLD can act!
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Round 2
➤ Garrace (AC 19) (22/30 HP) │ DC 15 flat check vs 1d6 persistent bleed damage after turn
➤ Corelion (AC 20) (39/39 HP)
➤ Necco (AC 19) (20/30 HP)
➤ Lendaru (AC 20) (38/38 HP)
➤ Kerlok (AC 19) (48/48 HP)

Vulpine (- HP)
Black Fox (- HP)
Blue Fox (- HP)

Round 1
➤ Zhamie (AC 17) (32/32 HP)

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CONDITIONS & EFFECTS REFERENCE
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Zhamie runs forward, unslinging her jezail off her back.

◆ Stride
◆ Interact to Draw
◆ Depends on the situation above