(PFS2) WAR OF IMMORTALS @ LOST ON SPIRIT ROAD (Inactive)

Game Master rainzax

Spirits in the Woods

Following the villagers’ directions, the PCs travel the Spirit Road toward the east, taking the same path that the caravan traveled before them. Along the journey, the road branches off several times, typically only for a short distance before rejoining the main road or reaching a dead end. The seemingly endless rows of conifer trees create a serene yet monotonous backdrop.

The patch is choked with snowdrifts, making it too narrow for a wagon to traverse easily. The wagon regularly catches on roots or stalls in the snow. Overall, these impediments slow the wagon to a speed of 10 feet. If the PCs leave the wagon behind in the village, they can travel at their normal overland speed. While weather has obscured the trail, the PCs soon see obvious signs that the caravan before them ran into similar difficulties, such as an abandoned wheel along the side of the path and damaged branches. Occasional flurries of snow fall from trees the above as breezes shake their branches.

Up ahead, two vague incorporeal forms linger effervescently...

Nature (DC 10) or Religion (DC 10):

A PC who succeeds at a DC 10 Nature or Religion check recognizes that the spirit needs a host to
interact with the living world, and wants to possess a PC in order to share its experience; these types of spirits are not strong enough to take control of a body they possess, but they may influence their host’s thinking and behavior by superimposing their own consciousness.

If the PCs wish to avoid being possessed, they can easily circumvent the slow-moving spirits and be on their way. If a PC chooses to accept a spirit into their body, however, they experience a rush of memories, both from the spirit’s living days and its recent moments roaming the forest.

First PC to Volunteer (open spoiler)

Spoiler:

The first spirit the PCs encounter has recently seen the
caravan: the host PC sees flashes of memory as the caravan
is beset by creatures native to the forest—the same type
of creature that will attack again in Encounter B—all the
while harried by a humanoid thief that appears to have a
fox’s head and tail. A PC who succeeds at a DC 10 Society
check recognizes the creature as a kitsune, a race of crafty
shape-changing humanoids common throughout Tian
Xia, including the Forest of Spirits. The spirit observed
the kitsune infiltrate one of the wagons while the guards
were distracted repelling the attack, and then sneak away
holding a sack of clanging valuables and the relic Venture-
Captain Amara Li seeks. Hosting this spirit allows the PC
to attempt an appropriate Recall Knowledge check about
the threat they will face in Encounter B, and the spirit’s
guidance leads them to the caravan more quickly, allowing
the PCs to accept the caravaneer’s gifts prior to the
encounter. If the host PC describes their vision, other PCs
may attempt Recall Knowledge checks as well, but they
suffer a –2 penalty on the check due to the secondhand
nature of the account of the vision.

Second PC to Volunteer (open spoiler)

Spoiler:

The second spirit the PCs encounter witnessed the
kitsune’s escape from the battle, following him to a clearing
deeper in the woods. There, the spirit observed the kitsune
behave in a way that belies his motivation for stealing the
relic: an amateur mage kitsune immediately retrieves the
relic and a book from his satchel, poring over some text
and eagerly reciting incantations under his breath; a selfish
thief kitsune opens up the sack, grabs fistfuls of treasure,
and holds them up to sparkle in the light with a wicked
grin; and a champion of Pharasma kitsune stares at the
relic in his hand while silently running his thumb along a
holy symbol around his neck, nodding with an expression
of resolve. If the kitsune is the violent villain, the spirit
observed him stalking into the forest like a feral animal
clutching the clattering sack until a white, cat-like creature
with a mischievous sneer emerged from inside a nearby
tree trunk—seemingly having melded into the wood—
only to snatch the sack and disappear in a flash. Hosting
this spirit gives the PC insight into the thief’s motivations
(see Finding the Thief on page 11 for more details).