[ACO] PF2e 05-08 - Protecting the Firelight (P1) (Inactive)

Game Master UncleFroggy

Zibini manages to convince the kids that the game they're playing is more interesting and they agree to stay.

Peyqua's eyes are wide as saucers as Zibini convinces the other kids to stay. "You better be careful that the wannikawi doesn't eat you in a single gulp. I heard a legend that claims the four founders defeated the wanikkawi by tying it up, which made it powerless. They demanded it leave anyone from Niishan alone and released it when it agreed, but didn’t realize it was lying."

When the mayor returns, she's surprised to see Peyqua and the children well behaved. "My! You did a good job keeping my daughter and the other kids busy. I think you're done here. There's something else I need you to do." With a cryptic smile she adds, "I hope you can cook!"

"Now then, Niishan celebrates with a joyful communal meal to start the Festival of Fire. Brownjax, our chef, is busily preparing the meal."

A small, wooden humanoid calls out from beside a large cook fire, "Pathfinders, over here. You have to try this!" The figure lacks a face, but otherwise looks like many of the townsfolk. He’s dressed in Mahwek clothing and has "hair" and "mutton chops" made out of moss and leaves. He lifts a wooden spoon the size of a halfling’s arm out of a large clay pot. "I’m Brownjax," he says. "I’ve been put in charge of preparing for tonight’s feast. This is one of our favorite traditional dishes here. I don’t eat, so you have to tell me if it’s good!"

"I settled in Niishan to learn more about the people of Arcadia!" he says excitedly, while stirring the pot. "What are your favorite foods?! Care to share? Lots to do but many hands will make short work of this!" Brownjax then looks a bit embarrassed, "If you don't mind helping, of course!"

Describe your favorite foods with the following skill checks to participate in the cooking:
DC 18 Cooking Lore
DC 20 Athletics/Society/Medicine/Survival
Successes Needed: 3+

"Well, me ma did teach me a thing or two about cooking. Said someaught about if I were goin ta eat her out of hearth and home then I could at least do some cookin fer th' rest of th' clan at the same time. And then she made sure I could cook healthy."

medicine(expert): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (16) + 13 = 29

Society: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22

The dwarf looks to pick up some ingredients particularly adapted to the situation and the feast they are celebrating today.

Tarkii seems totally out of their element but does their best to help by stirring and stirring and stirring the brew.

Athletics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

"Oh, you don't want me anywhere near a pot! I'll just plunk myself down here out of the way and give you guys some background music with a good beat for chopping." Salaish conjures a lute to accompany a wordless, warbling song that bounces and trips along like a cheery brook.

Casting Inspire Competence to Aid Avery Wings' roll. A failure is automatically converted to a success. DC is based on Avery's level.
Inspire Competence: Performance DC 22: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (12) + 16 = 28
Success to Aid Avery Wings with a +1

"I just do this, right?"

"NO!" shouts Zibini's tagalong cousin, stepping in to help.

Survival (Hireling): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

While Tup is screwing up a little less badly than Zibini would have on his own, the scruffy goblin focuses feelings of hope and encouragement towards Avery. Which, with his emotional magic, might actually help!

Guidance on Avery. It's a different bonus type!

Avery smiles at the goblin psychic for the guidance upon her, and to the bard gnome for inspiration. "Thank you to both of you."

The ancient elf shares her culinary preferences. "I have a strong affinity for dishes rich in herbs and spices. My diet leans heavily toward vegetables, though I do enjoy meat in moderation. I believe that consuming a balanced amount of meat can be beneficial to one's health."

DC 20 Medicine w Guidance and Inspire Competence: 1d20 + 15 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 15 + 1 + 1 = 18
Hero Point! DC 20 Medicine w Guidance and Inspire Competence: 1d20 + 15 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 15 + 1 + 1 = 37

From Nat1 to Nat20. Hero Point is well spent.

As you describe your favorite dishes, Brownjax has you working on dessert.

"Put your back into it." Brownjax encourages as he mashes up a huge bowl of snakebush berries, then adds them to a pot where pureed berries are already being cooked down. "Give it a try. We have some giant bee honey if we need to sweeten it."

Brownjax turns away and is in the process of preparing another dish while you taste dessert. It's not as sweet as he'd like so you begin adding honey. As you start adding the honey, a bunch of red chili peppers suddenly fly towards the pot.

Please make a DC 22 Reflex Save to prevent said peppers from ruining dessert!

reflex: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (12) + 14 = 26

The Tengu catches the salt and pepper on the fly to prevent them to ruin the dessert.

DC 22 Reflex save: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (11) + 14 = 25

Avery calmly and swiftly removes the other peppers away from the pot. She then looks around to see who might have done it. Perception +14 to Search

Reflex: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31

Peppers can only make it better, really. But Zibini has already knocked some away reflexively before thinking about it, because that's how he typically reacts to things flying at his face.

"Arghhh" says Khaul, spotting the flying peppers a might too late...

reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Myrsa however jerks his arm around, intercepting the flurry of peppers with steel-like precision.

"What would you have done if those were arrows? Practice being a pin-cushion?" she admonishes him.

"Whoa!" Salaish quickly swings her lute like a bat to knock away the peppers.

DC 22 Reflex Save: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34

Noting Avery looking around, Salaish does too. Where did those peppers come from? Perception +12 to Search

Tarkii Reflex: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (19) + 16 = 35

You all manage to prevent the peppers from contaminating dessert. With the clangs and bangs of peppers hitting shields and lutes, Brownjax turns around to see what all the ruckus is about. Seeing the peppers, he looks aghast. "Wha-?! Peppers? We don't put peppers in dessert. No no no! Add the honey if it's not sweet enough." He adds some honey himself and proclaims the cooking done. "Ah! There we go! You should offer these to help appease the spirits later when you stand your Fire Watch!" He hands you six portions of dessert.

Mayor Deyahi beams as she sees her chef happy. "Well done! It takes a lot to please him. There is one more task I'd like you to help with. ]Mekobin is one of my hunters. He is gathering ceremonial fuel for the fire. I would like you go to help him. He will meet you at the outskirts of town."

A tall, muscular man wearing pale blue hide clothing with a blue bison embroidered on his breech cloth frowns as he looks up. "One of the last things we do is gather ceremonial fuel for the fire. The mayor says I should have you accompany me, so you can learn what the prairies provide. What we gather, we give back in the fire. They say the founders used these same materials to help call the spirits and soothe them during the first Fire Watch."

Mekobin leads you out of town and explains how they collect and use the ceremonial fuel the same way the town’s four founders did long ago. "We are gathering Summer Mint. The savory herb reportedly drives away hostile spirits, making it a uniquely useful fuel for the ceremonial bonfire."

To Gather Fuel:
DC 21 Herbalism Lore
DC 23 Athletics/Crafting/Nature/Survival/Perception
Successes Needed: 3+ (as usual)

Khaul nods to Mekobin. "Herbs I ken be helpin yer with." he says.

"Grew up in a forest, and I know one from another. Wouldn't have lasted long if I didn't"

athletics: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28

"There yer go." he says proudly.

Avery receives a portion of dessert for later. After the instruction, she quietly proceeds to their next task, looking for the summer mint herbs.
DC 23 Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (12) + 14 = 26

She finds a spot where many herbs grow, picking the tender leaves in copious amounts.

"Forests aren't all the same!" says Zibini cheerfully. But he does know a few things about plants, too.

Don't suppose Forestry Lore would do?
Nature: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13
Hero Point: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14 Pft. Well, that pushed it out of critical failure anyway.

I'll let you use Forestry

In that case, a point less but it wasn't a critical failure anyway because of the lower DC.

Crafting: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 24

Let me make the fuel with the ingredients.

Salaish tucks away her portion of the dessert for later. "Mmmm! It smells so good! If the spirits don't want it, I'll happily make it disappear in the morning."

After listening to Mekobin's description of the Summer Mint, Salaish meanders around, eyes to the ground as she looks for the proper plant.

Perception DC 23: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
Failure.

All she finds is Lemon Mint. Yuck!

Tarkii looks for fuel.

Nature: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (13) + 12 = 25

Salaish gets sidetracked and finds Lemon Mint instead, which isn't what is needed. Zibini forgets what Summer Mint looks like and ends up picking mushrooms (shout out to Vilmur!). Khaul, Avery, Chupko and Tarkii all manage to find copious amounts of the herb.

As you return to Mekobin, you suddenly hear a crashing sound. As you turn to see what it is, a large bison suddenly charges out right in front of you! It slams into you, sending you flying in all directions like tenpins.

Bludgeoning, DC 22 Basic Reflex: 6d12 ⇒ (12, 4, 8, 1, 2, 4) = 31

Reflex: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18

What’s this? What are they doing? We are invited by the way.

DC 22 Reflex save: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32

"Where did that come from?" Avery exclaims, her voice tinged with surprise. Despite being caught off guard, she deftly twists mid-air, landing on her feet with flawless acrobatic precision.

DC 22 Basic Reflex vs. 31 Bludgeoning damage: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (4) + 14 = 18

The wind is knocked right out of her lungs. "*OW!* For the *love*!" Salaish cries out after she can finally breathe again.

reflex: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (16) + 16 = 32

Tarkii nearly floats out of the way, gravity seemingly only having a tentative hold on him.

Khaul tries to throw himself to one side...
reflex: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

With an exploration activity of defend, do I have the option of shield blocking any of the damage to either myself, and/or with Myrsa's action - to someone else? Or even better, using champions reaction on the first person hit by the bison to have it either not damage them at all, or have the enfeebled condition to reduce damage to everyone?

Reflex: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (9) + 14 = 23

"Oh no, I dropped the summer mushrooms!"

From nowhere a cry: nooo, not the mushrooms!

Khaul tries to throw himself to one side...

[dice=reflex]1d20+8

With an exploration activity of defend, do I have the option of shield blocking any of the damage to either myself, and/or with Myrsa's action - to someone else? Or even better, using champions reaction on the first person hit by the bison to have it either not damage them at all, or have the enfeebled condition to reduce damage to everyone?

We're not in combat. The bison is a one-of. You'll all get a chance to heal though. I'll allow the shield block though.

Tarkii and Avery both make it look easy as they avoid getting trampled but everyone else is bowled over. Well, except for Khaul, who presents Myrsa to the bison's thick skull. The bison slams into Khaul who goes flying in the opposite direction. Zibini's mushrooms also go flying in various directions...

When you return to Mekobin, he is aghast at your condition. "What happened to you?! You better head back into town to get healing! I see you got the summer mint! Excellent! You have my thanks!"

If you reply, just post it and I'll retcon it in.

Heading back to down, you're suddenly confronted by a small humanoid the color of sunset, he has the feathered head of an eagle and talons in place of hands and feet. His eyes are kernels of corn, and he wears clothing and a cape made of corn husks. Art on Slide 3

He takes no hostile action and is apparently waiting for you to make the first move.

Just to make it clear that Chupko has got a Pearly White spindle. So recover 1 hp/min

The Tengu simply replied to Mekobin: Oh that's nothing. Just a flying bison which didn't know where to process to landing.

Then to the small humanoid: Hello chaps, nice cape.

Salaish also has a Pearly White spindle.

"Hello!" Salaish chirps cheerfully as she waves, despite her bruises. They're already starting to feel a little bit better.

"Look out for Salish!" calls out Myrsa, pulling Khaul over to block the bison's trample on the small gnome.... and unfortunately opening up the dwarf to a good trampling of his own.

"Ouch... ahhh/"

So Khaul takes 18 damage, as does Salish, and Myrsa takes 36

Khaul, somewhat battered, takes a certain amount of satisfaction in Myrsa at least sharing in the suffering.

"Everyone okay?" he asks, taking out a hammer as if that might he used to fix broken bones.

quick repair DC23: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24
Repairs 15 damage

He is more than happy to quickly look over others in the group and patch them up as well. Perhaps to everyone's relief he puts away his hammer before doing that.

medicine healing Salish, assurance, expert: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (2, 8) + 10 = 20
medicine healing Chupko, assurance, expert: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (3, 6) + 10 = 19
medicine healing Zibini, assurance, expert: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (2, 6) + 10 = 18
medicine healing Khaul, assurance, expert: 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (8, 5) + 10 = 23

Looking at Tarkil and Avery he nods in appreciation at their ability to stay out of harms way.

I think that heals everyone, and even makes Myrsa a bit better. Depending on how long we have in town, he will try and finish patching her up too. With Quick repair, attempts only take one minute. So out of combat he should be able to fix her up pretty quickly.

"If we ain't goin ta get each other killed... again... " says Khaul to his shield. "We gona need to start working together a bit better."

Eyeing up the figure, Khaul ponders if this could be some type of Fey, or what it might be after... the berries?

recall knowledge nature: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

"Greetings.." he says, looking around a little suspiciously.

"Hi!" says Zibini with a jovial wave, "You look kind of strange. You must be one of the spirits that we're supposed to give dessert or fight. Do you have a preference?"

Tarkii also has Lay on Hands for 24hp every 10 minutes and a greater healing staff if time is an issue.

I also have Lay on hands, healing spells and battle medicine if required... Khaul is used to getting hurt :-)

Avery has Battle Medicine and Healer's Gloves when needed in combat. She also has Continual Recovery, Ward Medic, and Risky Surgery during Exploration.

Recall Knowledge at the creature

Avery stares silently at Birdperson bird-like person.

I'll hold on to your medicine checks for now. You'll have time to heal. Promise! :)

Khaul - if the repair takes a minute, that's fine. But you don't have 40 minutes...

The bird-like humanoid only looks at you and says, "Anohatsa, a spirit of the prairies. Anohatsa watches over Niishan and keeps it safe!"

Oh the same than we will watch over the firelight and keep it safe?

"Pleased to meet you, Anohatsa." Salaish responds with reverent respect. "We are honored to do our part to protect Niishan as well."

Yeap, just one minute for quick repair.

"We're the Pathfinder Society! We also keep people safe. And have parties!"

Zibini does not question why he keeps getting sent on missions that involve party planning, but someone else might.

"The spirits have longer memories than the Niishani, and we know what they do not. When the founders came to this place—the last outsiders to stand in the firelight here—one of them betrayed their companions. Now you are here, but Anohatsa will not let Niishan suffer if the spirits are not dealt with properly tonight."

Anohatsa's words sound distrustful. He clearly does not think you can do the job right.