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1) I am based in Southeast Asia (UTC +8) so my posting hours may be unusual (especially for those in North America). I usually update at least one or twice per day. Just to keep the game moving, please post at least once every day and at least once during the weekend.
2) Please label all three of your actions. Even if you think what you are doing is obvious.
3) If I am unavailable for longer than 24 hours, I will let you know in the Discussion Tab. Out of respect for your fellow players and myself, I ask that you do the same. Real life happens, and real life will always take priority over the game, but out of fairness for your fellow players, please let us know if you will be unavailable for an extended period of time.
4) Please note that on the following days, my posting can get unpredictable:
Tuesday/Thursdays - all day, as they are the 2 busiest days of my work week
4) Please complete the Macros and the Slides linked at the top of the page.
5) Questions, concerns? Feel free to share them in the Discussion tab.
6) Let's have some fun and tell a great story together! After all, that's what we are here for.
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Your adventure begins in the Grand Lodge, after responding to Gorm Greathammer's frantic request for experienced agents to meet him in the Archive immediately for an urgent mission.
Gorm Greathammer stands near a strange shimmering portal. Several Swordmasters stand guard, ensuring no one enters by accident. Gorm nods approvingly at the assembled Pathfinder agents. "Wonderful. I'm so glad you were all available on such short notice. I'm not sure I've seen such an accomplished group of agents together before. I'm sure you've heard the rumors already about today's events, and you may even know more than I do. Here's what I've been able to piece together so far. Effeflinn Whyst, one of the Scrollmasters, the elf who's always singing strange old songs, she found something in the Grand Archive that took her by surprise. A hand-written journal of some kind. She ran off with the journal in hand, started singing, and made…this." He gestures toward the portal.
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A young woman wearing robes that reveal her association with Absalom's famous Arcanamirium stands at the door of the room looking into a mirror that she holds in her hand. A raven sits on her shoulder, the edges of its wings and the feathers on its chin a dull silver. Within the mirror is someone or some thing that looks exactly like the young woman. But the clothing the reflection wears are from a different time, a different style and color altogether. The background is not the hallway she stand in but a grand library stretching into the distance as far as the eye can see and beyond, full of bookshelves stuffed with tomes and scrolls and still others floating, seemingly weightless, around the room. The person in the mirror speaks, her voice can be clearly heard.
Woman in the Mirror: "You've progressed in your studies well, not that I had any doubt. You are starting to develop a connection of your own to the Akashic Record. Soon you won't even need this device to access this storehouse of knowledge infinitely more vast than even the Forae Logos."
Marta: "Yet the mirror still serves a purpose."
Woman in the Mirror: "Yes, until all is revealed. For now, you can be content in your progress and the fact that you have unlocked some of the mirror's power. Until then..."
The image in the mirror fades and Marta hangs it from her bracers where it shrinks in size to only a few inches. She grabs her staff which looks like a bundle of scrolls that has been tied together, takes a deep breath, and opens the door, her gaze immediately drawn to the portal.
"Hello, sir. I'm Marta Sanz. You requested someone seasoned in unlocking knowledge? That happens to be my specialty."
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A grungy looking dwarf clomps in after the smartypants type, pulling a twig or two out of her hair as she does (though leaving the rest of them untouched). Clean does not describe her at all; it's hard to tell where her gray tinged hair stops and the dingy, greyish, well worn clothing begins. They sniffle mightily, wiping their nose on the back of their sleeve.
Behind her, a small halfling woman in neatly kept sky blue robes sighs, despair at the lack of couth obvious. "You make my job so much harder than it needs to be, Durg. Did you even hear my suggestion to take a bath before returning to the Grand Lodge?"
Durg looks at the woman in surprise. "It rained last week. What else could you want, Gretchen?" Gretchen sighs once again in resignation.
The dwarf crouches down against the wall and settles herself, waiting for the Important People to start talking again.
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A blue-skinned goblin rushes into the room. He is dressed in well-worm traveler's clothes, but has a pink cummerbund sticking out of his pack. "Yes, Gorm, I know this is important, but how often do you get to play for a..." He stops short, noticing the portal in the room. "Oh. Yeah, I can see why you're in a hurry."
He turns to the other agents. "Call me Jiki. I have an associate who will be joining us shortly, but I feel like we need to get started."
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A short black-cloaked figure makes its way quietly to the Grand Lodge in Absalom passing quietly.
Observing the lodge from a corner, the Gnome waits a moment before emerging from cover. Gone are the dark colors replaced by a vibrant lime-colored business suit and equally vibrant purple hair. He walks through the door like a person who has done so every day nodding as he passes a trio of people chatting about the weather.
Turning the corner into an empty hallway, the Gnome’s clothes change to resemble blue work overalls his hair taking on an orange color as he quietly heads deeper into the lodge heading towards the sound of a gathering.
Passing through the entranceway into the Archive room, you see a four-foot-tall gnome with strawberry-colored hair wearing a fine yellow explorer's suit sporting a rapier at his hip and an assortment of other light weapons. He smiles charmingly ” Greetings and salutations. You can call me Gib, I’m a skilled specialist and medic If it comes to a fight I prefer to be flanking. I do hope the mission will be ….” His usual chatter dies off as he sees the strange shimmering portal and his eyes light up with excitement as he takes a step forward ” Oh what pretty portal, do we get to see what’s on the other side?”
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I'm fairly sure that's the idea a female halfling says who is dressed in formfitting black from the neck down. She had been swapping her gaze from the portal to the blue clad halfling with a twinge of sympathy.
Jiki is also greeted in goblin.
Anyway, I'm Katrina, rogue, circus performer, acrobat, escape artist. Maybe you've caught my act sometime.
For weapons, you can see a dagger, a short sword and a starknife - and yes she is wearing a HS of Desna.
Erm .... does anyone know if an armour proficiency rune stacks with Mage Armour?
She then looks over at Gorm. So I take it she sang up this portal then went through it?
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Gorm Greathammer stands near a strange shimmering portal. Several Swordmasters stand guard, ensuring no one enters by accident. Gorm nods approvingly at the assembled Pathfinder agents. "Wonderful. I'm so glad you were all available on such short notice. I'm not sure I've seen such an accomplished group of agents together before. I'm sure you've heard the rumors already about today's events, and you may even know more than I do. Here's what I've been able to piece together so far. Effeflinn Whyst, one of the Scrollmasters, the elf who's always singing strange old songs, she found something in the Grand Archive that took her by surprise. A hand-written journal of some kind. She ran off with the journal in hand, started singing, and made…this." He gestures toward the portal.
"That's odd enough, but then perhaps twenty minutes later, after word started to spread around the Lodge, our Master of Scrolls, Kreighton Shaine, ran into the portal after her, looking furious. We haven't seen either of them since." He shuffles through some parchments. "We've done some divinations, and about all that we know is that it connects to the Darklands. Probably Orv, but some portion we've never heard of before." He sighs. "Frankly, we have no idea what's going on. We could just wait for Effeflinn and Kreighton to return, but I don't like the idea of what might come out of this portal in the meantime. I'd like you to go through, find them both, and figure out what the heck is going on. Hopefully, there'll at least be a good story in it for you. I remember once, when I was in Osirion—"
Gorm's words are cut off when Kreighton Shaine's head suddenly pops through the portal and looks at the gathered agents. "Good, you've got them. The song is finished, but now it's lost. We've got to find them. Hurry!" As quickly as Kreighton's head appears, it vanishes once again.
Gorm stares at the portal, speechless for a moment. "Well, I suppose you should get moving, then. You should take a few minutes to go buy any supplies you think you'll need. We're not sure how stable it is, so you should avoid going back and forth through the portal until you're ready to come back for good. Without disturbances, we think it should stay open for at least a couple of days. Why don't you try to be back in 48 hours? I wouldn't stay much longer than that, but do spend enough time there to see anything interesting. We're looking at something very strange here, Pathfinders. Good luck."
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Gorm produces a small sack and offers each of you a choice of either:
Greater Antidote
Greater Antiplague
He also hands the group two each of Moderate Alchemist Fire and Moderate Frost Vial.
The Darklands are an interconnected network of caverns and passageways deep underground, spanning multiple continents. Residents include xulgaths, deep gnomes, derros, duergar, and calignis, as well as strange and powerful aberrations. You also know that Orv is the bottom level of the Darklands, comprised of many distinct, enormous caverns called vaults. Each vault tends to have its own ecosystem.
That specific section of the library has personal accounts of dealings with Nivi Rhombodazzle. Nivi Rhombodazzle is the god of gems, stealth, and gambling. She spent much time in the Darklands avoiding her creditors and is known as the first deep gnome. She approves of using stealth and guile over violence where possible.
The Darklands are an interconnected network of caverns and passageways deep underground, spanning multiple continents. Residents include xulgaths, deep gnomes, derros, duergar, and calignis, as well as strange and powerful aberrations.
That part of the library includes firsthand accounts from people who interacted with deities when they were mortals.
You speak to a student who heard some of the song. While the student can't recite any stanzas exactly, they remember hearing lyrics about ‘debts' and ‘treasures'.
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"I could be feasting and singing, but instead I get to go through a portal that may lead to the Darklands and may stay open for two days. I should have stayed in Жарчовск; at least they wait until drinks are over to send you into danger. I suppose it's the usual 'we have no idea what's there, so prepare for anything'?"
He grabs an antiplague.
"'Debts' and 'treasures', eh? Sounds dwarfy. Or generically Pathfindery, to be honest."
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The small gnome grins excitedly as he picks a vial of Greater Antidote and slips it into a sleeve. ” I’ve been in caves but never so deep as the Darklands! At least I don’t think so, where would the Darklands begin and a regular underground end? Maybe we'll get to see a Xulgaths or a Calignis whatever that is.” Gib seems to be chatting to himself mostly as he brushes his explorer’s suit out turning it into a dark pattern of black and brown. Then flicks his hair as it too turns a dark purple. ” Time to go to work!”
Holding his nose with one hand he leaps through the portal ” Wheee….”
A gnoll wearing a set of well-worn artisan's clothes and a toll belt enters the room. His only ornamentation is a small pin with the bird insignia of Shelyn on the collar. He glances at the portal, then at Jiki, and says flatly, "This what you need fixed, boss?"
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You pass through the portal into darkness. You exit the portal into a Darklands cavern surrounded by branching tunnels, and Kreighton Shaine is nearby.
Kreighton Shaine addresses you without turning to look at you. "You've come at last. We must find Effeflinn at once. I've forgotten the song; I've forgotten the song. It doesn't matter, we need to find all of them! After all these years!"
Kreighton Shaine calms slightly as he slips into the role of a teacher. "It was so many years ago. Almost a century. Effeflinn Whyst and I, we were on a mission to reach the part of the Darklands where Nivi Rhombodazzle once lived. When she was mortal, she hid in the Darklands for many years to avoid her creditors. She didn't always win her games, after all. She magically sealed it away to prevent being found. We had a song that should have opened a portal to reach this cavern. It worked, briefly. Part of our team made it through, but then the portal suddenly closed! Nothing we tried could open it again. The rest of the team was lost. I know that Effeflinn did something wrong. She was the song expert; she was supposed to know how to do it right! She must have found the rest of the song, to open the portal again. The strangest thing is that I can't remember any of the song now, after it haunted me for all these years. It doesn't matter. We've got to find the rest of the team. They might still be alive!"
He then goes on to describe the team he took with him.
• Kreighton Shaine (CG male elf scholar), expert on rituals
• Effeflinn Whyst (CG female elf poet), expert on songs
• Irlah Kestiwhitt (CG female gnome cleric), Nivi Rhombodazzle lore expert
• Piltineff Gosk (NG male gnome fighter), physical protection
• Eltha Embercall (N female dwarf druid), expert on survival
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Kreighton Shaine looks at Jiki with a blank expression. "I'm afraid not. I knew the song but for some reason I totally forgot it once I entered the portal."
You notice signs of a nearby creature that passed through only a few hours ago and left a trail of kicked up stones and scuffed earth. The trail is relatively easy to follow.
Marta's light reveals the characteristics of the cavern you're in. Many of the rock structures have streaks of vibrant hues. Stalactites and stalagmites nearly meet each other, but then grow in spiral patterns around each other. Drops of liquid that condensed on the ceilings above fall on your heads. Occasional breezes carry scents of metal and blood. You frequently spot Kreighton disappearing and reappearing down side tunnels as they make their way through the strange Darklands, but he doesn't report anything of note.
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Gib leaves his Wayfinder light off, relying on his low-light vision and Marta's wonderful light so that he may continue to avoid notice as the group moves.
Absentmindedly the gnome begins humming and tapping his toe in time with the faint song he hears, as he marvels at the vibrant spiral patterns around the stalagmites " So it's a game of hide and seek started years ago? That reminds me of one game I played as a child and found a pretty butterfly that I followed for days. I wonder if the other kids are still hiding too?"
The small Gnome starts to follow the trail of kicked stones, " Should we tie a rope to Kreighton Shaine to keep from losing him? Who is Nivi Rhombodazzle? The name sounds like I should know it."
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Durg smiles as the cool damp air of caves surrounds her. Gretchen on the other hand shivers and pulls out a cloak.
The dwarf points off in the direction of the stones and gestures to the group to follow. She shrugs at Gib's questions. More things she doesn't know about. "If he falls, we can find him then." Moving carefully along the path, Durg keeps an eye in as many directions as possible, knowing that caves present their own hazards.
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"Everness," Marta addresses the raven, watching her reaction.
She then begins to speak to it in an old tongue.
Marta places her mirror on the ground and waves her staff over it. She lightly taps the lit end of the staff on the surface of the mirror and it ripples like the ocean. When the ripples clear you can see a great library beyond, the same one Marta was seeing during her briefing.
Marta lifts the mirror up near her shoulder. Everness peers into the mirror as though she is looking for something...
Timely Tutor Spell 2
Divination, Mental
Source Secrets of Magic pg. 137
Traditions arcane, occult
Cast ◆ somatic
Range touch; Targets your eidolon or familiar
Duration sustained up to 1 minute
You serve as an astral connection between your eidolon or familiar and the Akashic Record—a demiplane consisting of a comprehensive psychic library—then turn to the creature for advice. If you cast this spell on your familiar, your familiar adds your spellcasting ability modifier on checks to Recall Knowledge with the Lore skill of your choice, much like it does for Acrobatics and Stealth. Your familiar must have the speech familiar ability in order to share any information it learns with you. If you cast this spell on your eidolon, it instead becomes trained in the Lore skill.
If you lose physical contact with the target, its connection to the Akashic Record is severed and timely tutor immediately ends.
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You begin following the tracks. You see Kreighton ahead of you darting in and out of side passages. Unfortunately, the portal's presence has also attracted some unwanted attention. About thirty minutes into your travels, some of the unwanted attention has found you... it's unlikely they're here for a friendly chat...
A blue ... thing ... emerges and shambles at the rear of the party. It reaches out with a tentacle and tries to swat Jiki.
Another creature, with some white spots shambles out of a side cavern and attempts to swat:
A third creature with red stripes emerges and strikes at
As Jiki and Durg get walloped, they start feeling strange...
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
Before your Turn:
DC 28 Fort vs Disease: Jiki (x2), Durg(x2)
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Those with ** may go
Blue
Red
White
**Katrina Caldwell - AC 25, 87/87
**Gib (Gnome in Black) - AC 27, 98/98
**Othello Verese - AC 29, 125/125
**Jiki the Flatulist - AC 26, 58/96
**Durg Jarlsbart - AC 29 (27 in wild shape), 66/109
**Marta Sanz - AC 26, 80/80 (Fort +4 vs Disease, +10 Speed)
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You recognize the creatures as Languid Isqulugs. Weaker versions of Isqulugs. They can regenerate, though are vulnerable to cold. They also cause a pretty nasty disease.
From your research, the place you're in was once inhabited by the gnome goddess Nivi Rhombodazzle. This realm is a place she lived as a mortal while on the run from her many creditors, and she made it as difficult to find as possible, accessible only with a song.
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Othello's reaction causes Red to reconsider and it slows its tentacle enough that it only brushes Durg's armor.
Othello calls upon Abadar's goodness and strikes Red, hitting once and doing damage.
Marta moves away and pulls out a scroll.
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
Before your Turn:
DC 28 Fort vs Disease: Jiki (x2), Durg(x1)
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Those with ** may go
Blue
Red (-15)
White
**Katrina Caldwell - AC 25, 87/87
**Gib (Gnome in Black) - AC 27, 98/98
Othello Verese - AC 29, 125/125
**Jiki the Flatulist - AC 26, 58/96
**Durg Jarlsbart - AC 29 (27 in wild shape), 85/109
Marta Sanz - AC 26, 80/80 (Fort +4 vs Disease, +10 Speed)
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Jiki and Durg manage to beat the disease. Jiki gets out of the way and begins a burping tune which doesn't work as well as he'd like. Durg skips out of the way and unleashes a blast of cold.
All three Isqulugs manage to avoid the worst of the cold damage, but they appear to take more damage from the cold, indicating a weakness to it.
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
Before your Turn:
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Those with ** may go
Blue (-29)
Red (-44)
White (-29)
**Katrina Caldwell - AC 25, 87/87
**Gib (Gnome in Black) - AC 27, 98/98
Othello Verese - AC 29, 125/125
Jiki the Flatulist - AC 26, 58/96 (AC 27)
Durg Jarlsbart - AC 29 (27 in wild shape), 85/109
Marta Sanz - AC 26, 80/80 (Fort +4 vs Disease, +10 Speed)