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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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You have been summoned by Venture-Captain Muesello to board a vessel, the Kingfisher, and set sail from Absalom. After a week of sailing the ocean blue, your adventure begins off the shores of the island of Burozi. Muesello has called you to the deck, where he is assembling a strange clockwork contraption. On the top deck of the Kingfisher, Venture-Captain Muesello wipes the grease off his hands onto a rag. The pockmarked mechanist spent the early morning running a chain through a twelve-foot tall clockwork contraption mounted on the deck. Stuffing the dirty rag into his smock, he turns to address the group.
"Welcome on board the Kingfisher, Pathfinders. Before I proceed with the briefing, I suggest you get to know each other first, as you will be working together"
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A small gnome, pale with naught but a distracted look about them sits, playing quietly on a a flute. As they play small phantom butterfly like creatures seem to shimmer in the air, as if not quiet in this world, but still attracted by the music.
They turn around, a slightly confused look on their face, as if not sure how they found themselves aboard a ship to begin with.
"I'm Slipp. I play the flute. And got a little too close to the troll god of forest fires. So sometimes bad things happen around me."
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A Qadiran woman dressed heavily in a mix of teal and orange approaches. She's covered from head to toe in cloth, with scale mail showing at some places. Her face is the only skin thats visible and she has two smallish tattoos below her eyelids. She sports a scimitar on her waist and wears a wooden symbol of Sarenrae as a necklace. There is an air of confidence about her, and it is visible in her stride.
"Hallo! I'm Kyra! I have your back, and I trust that you have mine!" she asserts.
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A red-haired dwarf has spent most of his waking hours at the railing during the voyage here. It has only been a couple days since he stopped "chumming the waters."
Perhaps that explains the fierce scowl on his face, though it seems that it may just be the natural set of his features. The expression leaves his already small eyes almost completely hidden. He has long red hair but a receding hair line. His long beard is carefully braided and obviously better cared for than the hair on his head.
He bears the weapons of his ancestors, a war axe strapped to his back and a well used clan dagger at his belt.
"Ulfgar," he mutters as though uttering that every syllable spoken bears a high price.
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A somewhat relaxed pale skinned elf wearing a leather armor that seems too heavy for his slim frame approaches the group and introduces himself to everyone.
"Hello fellow pathfinders, my name is Qidan and I'm a freelance archaeologist for the society ... or at least that's how it started. Nowadays I'm working full time here specially when dealing with ruins, ancient civilizations and artifacts."
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"Ulfgar," he mutters as though uttering that every syllable spoken bears a high price.
A black-cloaked figure draws back his hood, revealing a face of pale-blue skin with golden-markings "tattooed" beneath his skin. "Your repeated acts of expectoration are undoubtedly depleting your system of beneficial nutritional content. You may be able to better optimize your biological responses by reducing the amount of your optical stimulation."
"Hello fellow pathfinders, my name is Qidan and I'm a freelance archaeologist for the society ... or at least that's how it started. Nowadays I'm working full time here specially when dealing with ruins, ancient civilizations and artifacts."
"My designation is a numeric sequence containing forty-six digits. However, I have found that most sentient beings prefer brevity to precision. Therefore, you may refer to me as 'Sev'."
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Once the introductions are out of the way, Venture Captain Musello clears his throat and begins his briefing.
"I'm sure you've guessed this isn't just a fishing trip. I would have filled you in sooner, but I was asked to keep everything confidential until we arrived. An expedition of Pathfinder initiates recently discovered this uncharted island, Burozi. The recruits found some Azlanti ruins, and we have a special assignment for your team."
Muesello turns to the shore just five hundred feet from the moored ship, the peak of the island barely visible against the orange glow of the morning sun behind it. He clicks open an intricate compass, and its needle snaps to the direction of the island.
"Open your wayfinder, and you'll see the same thing. This close to Burozi, all wayfinders point toward the island. As for the one in my hand here, this was found on Burozi—I've never seen one quite like it. The expedition team found it near a sealed hatch made out of reinforced skymetal. They couldn't get in, which might have been for the best. The recruits were inexperienced, and Azlanti devices can be incredibly dangerous! But you've got more experience under your belts, so I need you to find a way through that sealed door and investigate whatever is on the other side."
With a reassuring nod, Muesello returns to his work, meticulously checking each bolt as crew members emerge from below and begin preparing a sailboat for passage to the island. Once on the island, the excavated ruins of a tower rise from halfway up the island's sloping peak. All that remains of the tower is a semi-circle of white wall holding back centuries of dirt and debris. The skymetal hatch lies dead center in the tower's foundation. The 5-foot-wide hatch is decorated in thin silver filigree resembling gears in the shape of an eye.
You recognize the image as the holy symbol of Amaznen, the Azlanti god of magic. At the center of the eye is a socket that is obviously the same size and shape as the wayfinder you received from Muesello.
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Slipp plays a jaunty tune on their flue as they look around the coastline. Somewhat distracted they follow the team up to the tower and the mysterious hatch.
They look at the wayfinder and then at the hatch. And then at the shadows, as if seeing things that perhaps were not really here in this world.
"Has anyone tried touching them together?" asks the little gnome. "And ..Burozi? Who named it? Or was the name already found here somewhere?"
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At the mention of the ruins, Qidan eyes shine with glee. "Azlantian ruins you say? Finally another chance to take a look at the magnificent work of that civilization!"
He then sobers up a bit and adds "Though I must say that these are usually as interesting as they are dangerous, so everyone, be on your toes until we leave the place."
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When you approach the socket, the wayfinder glows with colorful light and on the door itself, glowing numbers count down from 30 seconds. A woman's voice starts speaking in a foreign language.
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"Well, that's Azlanti ... it from the ancient civilizations that once ruled the whole place with incredible magic and technology that no longer exists now, or at least that no one remembers. Truth be told its quite interesting." replies Qidan, still amazed at being in the same place as an ancient azlanti device working ... sort of.
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Ulfgar places the Wayfinder in the slot. When the wayfinder is slotted into the hatch, the colored light in the wayfinder activates and spreads down silver circuits 100 feet in each cardinal direction before reaching panels built along the perimeter of the ruined structure.
Surprise! It's skill check time. I know you are all shocked and amazed that there is a whole section specifically on skill checks and/or socialization. The listed skills are the obvious ones for each location, but creative solutions may be rewarded!
North Actuator: The magical energy flowing off this actuator is traveling in the wrong direction.
South Actuator: Access to this actuator is blocked.
East Actuator: A fuse on this actuator is broken. The PCs must succeed at Crafting checks or DC 16 Azlant Lore or Engineering Lore checks to repair the fuse.
West Actuator: The fuses on this actuator have become dislodged, and putting them back in place is a delicate operation.
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Unfortunately the timer runs out before you manage to fix the actuators. You hear a hissing noise as you manage to repair the last one. When you open the door, you notice that the interior of the workshop is foggy. The fog is not dangerous but it's a bit hard to see.
Descending to the bottom of the stairs, there is an open door.
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Slipp pokes their nose through the open door and is startled to find a humanoid figure, accompanied by what appears to be three mechanical dogs waiting.
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
Active Conditions:
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Those with ** may go
**Qidan - AC 24, 64/64
**Kyra - AC 22, 48/48
**Sev - AC 19, 32/32
Blue
Red
Prefect
Ufgar - AC 21, 62/62
White
Yakuthiel - AC 21, 60/60
Slipp - AC 18, 48/48
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Qidan speeds up time and makes everyone faster. Kyra enhances everyone's attacking ability before summoning a shield for protection.
Sev's lightning bolt hits Prefect but the white dog avoids the damage entirely.
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COMBAT TRACKER
Round: 1
Tactical Map
Active Conditions:
Loose Time's Arrow - All party members quickened until the end of Qidan's next turn
Bless - 5' around Kyra
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Those with ** may go
**Qidan - AC 24, 64/64 (1 action)
**Kyra - AC 22, 48/48 (AC 23; 1 action)
**Sev - AC 19, 32/32 (1 action)
Blue
Red
Prefect (-1)
Ufgar - AC 21, 62/62
White
Yakuthiel - AC 21, 60/60
Slipp - AC 18, 48/48