GM Miteke - The Twisted Circle (7-12) (Inactive)

Game Master miteke

Please dot and delete.

I am on vacation until this weekend at which point I will put an intro post in gameplay and you can all introduce yourselves in the briefing setting. Until then feel free to post pre-briefing RP with the understanding that you have all been summoned to the Winding Road Inn in Katapesh by Venture-Captain Roderus. Katapesh is known for it's free trade where just about anything is available for the right price. Priests of Abadar would feel right at home.

Warning! Baldrum is a not very social character, he's very blunt and no-nonsense. But he will not impede social interactions of the group with NPCs - he simply keeps his mouth shut then. His thoughts, on the other hand... ;-)

A muscular dwarf in a basic yet a little exotic outfit (sandals, breeches and a loose shirt, bound together with sashes) is sitting alone at a table, a mug with ale in front of him. His hair, beard and skin are light brown - nearly the same tone as his clothes.The dwarf is wearing a (holy?) symbol that seems to be a tiny stone dagger. Next to him a couple rather uncommon weapons can be spotted: three sticks made of metal, connected by short chains, and also a sword with several branches.

He grumpily looks around, clearly waiting for someone.

Where is everyone? I am right on time, so at least Venture-Captain Roderus should be here already...

Note that this is all pre-briefing. You can show up early, but you should not assume that the NPC will show up late or any of the PCs. For all you know any of them might have a punctuality thing but, even if not, you should not determine actions for other PCs. We could assume that you are an hour early and/or do not know exactly who you are looking for or you can adjust your post in some other way. Sorry if I sound stern or anything, but it is an important thing to keep in mind.

Apologies. You are absolutely right, I shouldn't do that.

He grumpily looks around, clearly waiting for someone.

Where is everyone? I am right on time, so at least Venture-Captain Roderus should be here already...

He just sits there, looking to be deep in thought, possibly even meditating. However, the occasional sip from his mug shows otherwise.

...or maybe there exists some kind of 'beer meditation'? If yes, I'm sure the dwarves invented it. ;-)

Good thing I am a few hours early. That way it might be possible to enjoy a few quiet beers alone. It's been a while since I was able to do that...

Venture-Captain Roderus (see slide 2) sits at his desk in the lodge beneath the popular Winding Road Inn in Katapesh. He looks more like a farmer than a man-of-action, but his reputation is sterling and he has been a part of the society for a long time (well, for a human). Maps cover every wall of his workspace, and precarious stacks of journals and papers nearly reach to the ceiling. The venture-captain glances up from his work. "Welcome, Pathfinders. I hope your journey here was not too arduous. I have a fascinating assignment for you." He plucks a single sheet of paper from the middle of pile on his desk. "This is a letter from the Osiriani investigator Amenira, who works with the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye. Mercy, the town she mentions in her reports, wasn’t even on our map until now. It’s a small settlement out in the Mana Wastes. Magic is unpredictable out in the Wastes, and it sometimes coalesces into deadly storms. People in Alkenstar reported seeing one of these magical disturbances heading in the direction of Mercy, but the town weathered the fearsome storm without so much as a scratch."

He hands over the sheet and waits for the PCs to read through the report (see slide 3) before continuing.

You may introduce your characters and ask Venture-Captain Roderus questions. Knowledge religion rolls for more info on the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye. I will not be posting any results/answers until Monday, of course, as that is the official game start.

Knowledge: Religion: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Baldrum thinks a bit about the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye as he is sure to have heard more about it than just the name. Frustrated that the memory seems to elude him, he casts a quick spell, followed by a short plea for enlightenment to his goddess.

casting guidance and using my Recall (Su) domain ability to retry the knowledge check:

Retry Knowledge: Religion, guidance, recall: 1d20 + 4 + 1 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 4 + 1 + 3 = 18

An artefact that protects a whole town from magic? That would be amazing.

"What exactly are the mana wastes?"

A female walks in with a large ironbound tome in hand and sit in the corner, listen quietly at the report. "Patchouli Rosenthal, at your service." she nods to Baldrum.

Aid Other, Knowledge Religion aiding Baldrum: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
After reading through the letter, she start to flips her tome searching for answer as well.

"What exactly are the mana wastes?"

Almost before Baldrum can finish, the Venture-Captain responds, almost as if he has been asked and answered this same question a thousand times before.

“It’s a dangerous place, particularly the farther you stray from pockets of civilization. The war between Geb and Nex millennia ago devastated the land, physically and metaphysically, and the scars linger to this day. Expect areas where magic doesn’t work or becomes unpredictable. Clouds of poison and storms of terrible power erupt spontaneously. There are mutated creatures, undead horrors, and monstrous scavengers, among other things. Far more experienced pathfinders than you have found their end during some freak mana storm out there. Use your best judgment, be ready for danger, and don’t go wandering off into the Wastes more than absolutely necessary. Hopefully your research will not involve that kind of travel.”

As Venture-Captain Roderus is explaining what the Mana Wastes are, four muscular men wearing sleeveless tunics arrive, bearing on their shoulders the poles to support a small palanquin. Seated atop it is a man wearing an immaculate white robe and elbow length white leather gloves. He looks pleased as he motions for the bearers to lower him to the ground. He dismisses them with a curt nod and small pouch of coins.

"Ah, Pathfinders! Master Nistivo Cirek, at your service. Where were we? Did I hear mention of the Mana Wastes? Fascinating! And, a potentially profitable business opportunity given most mundane trade routes steer well clear of it!"

I need to level Nistivo up to L3, and will do so ASAP.

Another dwarf enters the place, carrying a warhammer. He wears a protective sash around his belly, and a weasel in perched on his shoulder, full of curiosity.

Nice to meet you all, I'm Eredur Smagg, the younger. And this little lady is Lybna. I have to report to Venture-Captain Roderus, which I haven't had the pleasure to meet so far. But it's a reasonable assumptions you are the one and only.

He nods respectfully to the man sitting behind the desk

Know Religion: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

The Mana wastes you say? I've heard or read of the place as being quite dangerous, but I know not which specific dangers we might face.

A female waywang arrives astride a friendly hound. The emaciated young woman is dressed in a work apron with strange and silly looking tubes and bottles sticking out of her leather pockets.

"Sorry for the delay. I was working on an experiment."

"I am Grilgoth and this is Fluffy who is my canine transportation."

She then looks at the Venture Captain and speaks to herself under her breath.

"All right. Time to know something."

The tiny woman drinks down a cloudy substance and then is ready to answer all questions.

Dognatogen is consumed (Her Intelligence is now 24 and with her Perfect Recall ability her Intelligence bonus to knowledge checks is doubled).

25 Knowledge Religion on a take 10.

@Miteke - Mind Chemists are not as powerful as some other alchemist archetypes but are annoyingly good at knowledge checks. What else does my character know about the mana wastes or this mission?

Fluffy looks around the room. Bright eyed and friendly he seems to be a loyal party companion.

A Keleshite man, enters the chamber, bowing to the room, Greetings, I am Ezekial, called the Sun-Blessed. I was informed of my need to be here. Did I hear you say the Mana Wastes? This should be an interesting trip indeed. I have only heard legends of this place, but we shall do as instructed.

Nistivo reads the letter while rubbing his chin. "Industrial disputes, a mysterious ointment, illness, "Mana Storms", and the possibility of an artifact--oh my! Well, as long as we remain cautious in our use of magic and avoid these "Mana Storms" (which Mercy seems immune to), this should be a low-risk, potentially high-profit operation. As is written, 'Time and Abundance are two sides of the same coin.' Let us proceed forthwith."

He starts suddenly when he raises his eyes and sees the dog. Taking a step away, he curls his mouth in distate. "Please do not let canine hair, saliva, or waste near me!"

Patchouli notices the commotion brought by agents coming in. She closes the big tome of her and start dusting off the crystalline dust around her. After making herself presentable, she stands up from her seat to give a proper introduction. "Patchouli of the Rosenthal family, inquisitor of Milani, at your service. May the Everbloom guide your path."

She wears full plate armor and have a big ironbound tome with her. Her skin is literary golden color, and mysterious golden crystaline dust flows around her, which suggest her otherworldy heritage.

"The report suggested that an artifact could be near the town of Mercy that shield them from the mana storm. Hypothetically, if we get our hand on this artifact, it could prove useful for protecting Pathfinders' operation in the Mana Waste."

The venture-captain clears his throat. "One of my contacts at the temple received this missive from her four months ago, and he hasn’t heard anything from her since. I’m sending you to Mercy to figure out why. If she’s still there, ask her why she hasn’t contacted anyone in months and help her finish her investigation; if she isn’t, find out what happened to her. While you are there, see how much of the mystery of Mercy you can unravel. Several of the clergy within the temple are intensely curious about why the mana storm didn’t level the town, and so am I. I will gladly provide you with additional pay for the information that you retrieve. I’ve booked a ship to the city of Alkenstar, which is a few days’ journey from Mercy itself. The ship departs in three hours. If you have any questions, ask them now. You’ll have time to purchase supplies when you arrive."

"Do you have any other questions?"

Not really any opportunities for other knowledge rolls at this time. The town of Mercy is an unknown, not something put in any books or taught anywhere. You could ask for general information about any nations or history you are interested in if you would like, either by rolling or by asking the VC.

Do we know what she looks like? Ameniras, I mean?

"A young woman with brown curly hair. I don't have a picture of her, unfortunately."

Grilgoth tries to remember what she can of Alkenstar.

25 Knowledge local on a take 10 for Alkenstar.

"Do you know in what direction Mercy is from Alkenstar? It would not do to get lost in the mana wastes."

She looks around at the others.

"A spell to create water would be of use here. Carrying enough water to cross this wilderness would be difficult. The mana wastes is not a place where you want to attempt to forage for food or water."

Baldrum nods at Grilgoth.

"Good thinking, I agree. I will memorize the spell to provide water."

Baldrum will memorize create water instead of virtue. Will update his profile.

"Yes, we do know where the town is, at least generally."

"I'm afraid you will have to ask around for more information when you get to Alkenstar."

The VC produces a map (see slide 4) that shows the general location of the town of Mercy. It does not have much in the way of details, leaving you with the task of determining how to get from Alkenstar (where the ship will drop you off) to Mercy.

Thank you Venture-Captain, I'm certain the Dawnflower will aid us in our mission to find this missing Pathfinder and discover the mystery of Mercy. Ezekiel stands, heading for the ship.

Nistivo follows, keeping his distance from the surely flea-ridden dog.

Grilgoth frowns at Nistivio's fastidious behaviour and all in all considers it to be rather rude.

"Fluffy does not bite...much. Who has ever heard of a person that does not like a dog? Most peculiar."

The alchemist steers her animal transportation away from Nistivo so as not to cause a stir.

"Yes, we might as well get underway. We can buy whatever equipment we may need in Alkenstar. It is a decent sized city if memory serves."

Fluffy does not understand Taldane or even have an empathic link with his master. He does understand when he is not wanted. The canine turns his nose up at the weird uppity man.

You all board the ship posthaste, coming to the meeting already well equipped (as all good pathfinders should).

The ship travels down the coast of the Obari Ocean, tacks northwest up the Elemion River, then sails south down the Ustradi River, finally stopping at the city of Alkenstar. It docks slightly short of a five-hundred-foot-tall waterfall in the middle of the city, where southbound ships painstakingly ride a winding elevator to the river above. Nearby, carriages wait to lead passengers into the smog-covered city. This is a pretty big city by Golarian standards, sporting over 50,000 people, mostly humans, with a sizable number of dwarves and halflings as well, but sparsely frequented by mages (those that value their lives at least). Technology rules in this here burg.

Time to figure how to get to the town of Mercy as well as get info about the town! As you probably know that is done using the skills Knowledge (local) or Diplomacy (gather information).

Let us split up and see what we can learn about Mercy? I'll talk to shopkeepers along the docks and see what I come up with.. the paladin offers.

Diplomacy, gather info: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Diplo gather info: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28
Patchouli thinks checking out the local libaray as well as government buildings for info about a nearby town would be most sensible.

If I would have known (before posting) that Patchouli would have rolled so well I would not have bothered. :)

I too would like to have the power of foresight, but that is something beyond mortal like me XD

@miteke - The voyage by ship probably took a least two days if not please let me know and I will revise my post.

Grilgoth regains her strength on the voyage to Alkenstar. The night before arriving she downs two of her extracts to help her throughout the next day.

On arrival she goes to a local book vendor and purchases a book of lore as well as some snacks for the trip. She downs an extract of Heightened Awareness and examines her new book before determining what she knows about Mercy. The alchemist then spends a minute to prepare a fresh extract.

Knowledge Local of 25 on a take 10

MW-Tool:Knowledge (Local) purchased for 50 gold, 2 days rations purchased for a gold piece.

If I would have known (before posting) that Patchouli would have rolled so well I would not have bothered. :)

Trusting his companions to figure out how to get to Mercy, Nistivo researches what commodities would be most profitable to buy in Alkenstar and sell there.

This is really just background colour, but I'll roll for the heck of it.

Profession (merchant): 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Grilgoth studies her text and finds a blurb about Mercy, She determines that Mercy is located a little over 20 miles south of Alkenstar. The people there worship an obscure nature deity. Rumors speak of a vampire who occasionally hunts travelers along the road.

Patchouli spreads the charm and find folks willing to gossip. The people of Mercy have a reputation for being insular and extremely devout to their god Robori. The town has rigid, inflexible rules, but the quality of its
harvests encourages traders to occasionally stop by the town to purchase produce.

Finally finding someone who has met their quarry, she learns that for the past year Amenira came to Alkenstar every month. She traded for supplies and sent large collections of letters before returning to Mercy.

Master Nistivo learns that surrounding towns are always in need of medical supplies and weapons to fight off the creatures of the waste. Then there are the usual trade goods, like pots, pans, plows, axes, etc., though they warn him that what you can expect in return are foodstuffs and hand crafted items. There is no fortunes to be made in that particular trade.

Between the information Grilgotth finds in the book and the collective directions from the city folk Patchouli accumulates, you are sure you can find your way to the town.

Aid Diplomacy: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (16) - 3 = 13

Baldrum tries to help Patchouli gathering information in the library.
He also hands her his wand of bless.

"Use this at the beginning of any combat, please, as I will be busy doing something else."

When the party reunites, Baldrum hands another wand (of mage armor) to the wizard.

"Eredur, can you cast this spell on me at any sign of trouble, please? You can use it on yourself, too, if you want."

It doesn't seem that Amenira lived in the town. Maybe we should chek the local inns? If she rented a house in Mercy, or traded, she shoud have payed taxes... Maybe we could have some information in the town hall.

Grilgoth turns to Eredur.

"It is a good idea but we will learn more by going there than asking around further here. I guess it all depends on when we will be leaving for Mercy, today or tomorrow."

She turns to the slower moving members of the party.

"It is a fair distance so you might want to pick up a mount. Otherwise I doubt we can make it there in a day."

"There are spells for this as well but I am not sure if our wizard knows them."

Honestly I don't. It could be a useful spell to know. Maybe if I find a scroll with the spell on it I should be able to learn and cast it.

Yes, horses would probably be advisable for this journey. Although I doubt we'd find steeds like in my homelands, the fastest, leanest mounts one could ask for... Ezekial speaks, Let's be about horses and getting to Mercy that we may learn more.

He also hands her his wand of bless.

"Use this at the beginning of any combat, please, as I will be busy doing something else."

"Roger that."

You all ready to go on the road now? Spells prepared and whatnot?

Outside, Nistivo looks around for where his bearers left his carriage and steeds. He looks back at the others and sighs. "I suppose one or two of you can ride with me. But not the dog!"

The palanquin I made up for a fun entrance, but I really had bought him a wagon and two horses!

Grilgoth shakes her head at Nistivo continued rudeness. It is evident to all that Fluffy is a means of transportation and not simply a family pet. She takes the opportunity to stick it to the uptight young man.

"Do you have to steer the carriage yourself? A real person of importance would have staff on hand to do so."

Ezekial will purchase a horse, [b]Once I've got a mount I'll be ready to go.

Spend 126 gp on combat trained horse, and saddle, 2 days feed, blanket, bit and bridle, saddlebags,

Oblivious to Nistivo's rudeness, Baldrum answers: "I'll take that offer, Master Nistivo."

Ready to move on.

You all ready to go on the road now? Spells prepared and whatnot?

Patchouli will prepare two Shield of Faith, as well as Detect Magic, Create Water, Guidance, and Read Magic. She will grab 2 flask of acid while she's still in town.

Ready

Guided by the knowledge you picked up in town, it is a simple matter to pick the appropriate roads that will eventually lead you to Mercy. At first the roads are pretty well travelled, level, and straight, but as you get closer to your destination they turn into more lonely, rough, and twisted paths. Still more than a simple trail, but definitely less 'official'. The dirt path winds through rocky, tree-lined hills. Sporadic clearings occur where large sections of trees have been destroyed or damaged. Some are only missing a few branches, while others have been split almost in half vertically or chopped down to a short stump. The exposed wood is black and perfectly smooth (can't help it, I'm thinking light saber). One such clearing reveals the opening of a narrow cave in the hillside. The trail splits, leading both into the cave and off to the north.

Eredur buys a small horse-or a big pony, depends of your point of view- with all the needed equipment, and some food for the horse. He refill his waterskin.

His spells are well known and ready

Not sure if a dwarf can ride a horse, or only a pony. Waiting for GM advice to adjust the cost. No changes in spells

Knowledge T10: 10 + 7 = 17
Patchouli checks out the damaged trees, "There are scorch mark everywhere. I don't think anyone is insane enough to run off to the middle of nowhere in Mana Waste to set trees on fire, so it is probably due to natural causes. Or enviromental, should I say."

Grilgoth has a look as well.

21 on a take 10 for Knowledge Nature.

16 on a take 10 for Perception

"It looks like someone did carry away the top of the trees. Otherwise why are there no pieces of wood on the ground?"

"Perhaps we should look for tracks? I bet that some will lead to the cave over there. We should probably investigate."

The alchemist grabs a potion of Mage Armor from her leather apron and keeps it in hand and at the ready to gulp down at a moment's notice.

There is no such thing as an empty cave in fantasy RP. The fact that it was mentioned twice in the description is a dead giveaway that something must be up. :)

"I don't like having a possible threat behind me. Also, maybe we find something useful in there - or maybe Amenira needed to take shelter there on her way to (or from) Alkenstar? I think we should check out the cave in either case... Eredur, if we decide to do so, please use my wand of mage armor on me before we proceed."

Not sure if a dwarf can ride a horse, or only a pony. Waiting for GM advice to adjust the cost. No changes in spells

Since dwarves are medium sized, it would have to be something large. I know when you think 'dwarf' you think small, but nope. Not in Pathfinder.

@Grilgoth
You haughty metagamer, you.