[Gameday XIII] PFS1e 6-04 - Beacon Below (KS)

Game Master phaeton_nz

Gameplay Thread

Please fill out Slide 2 and introduce your PC while we wait for the start date.

Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir rubs sleep from his eyes as faint pre-dawn light filters into his office. He shutters the window as a thrush begins singing loudly in the garden below before gesturing for everyone to have a seat and addressing the matter at hand. I’ve received a request from the Diamond Sage, Tahonikepsu, the leader of the Jeweled Sages. You may be familiar with her as an associate of Amenopheus, longtime friend of the Society and our trusted expert on matters of Ancient Osirion. She has asked the Pathfinder Society to send its best Osirionologists to the Pillars of the Sun to help explore a sealed-off area in the sages’ stronghold there—so I have recommended you.

He searches his desk for quill and ink and scribbles out two notes, sealing one with wax imprinted with the Way of the Open Road. I’ve made arrangements with a caravan to Eto and provided directions from there to the Pillars of the Sun. Once you’ve reached the Pillars, Tahonikepsu has promised a guide to see you the rest of the way. We have maps and sketches from the last expedition if you want to familiarize yourself with the site, and I have also withdrawn several scrolls from our reserves in case your Ancient Osiriani is rusty. Feel free to arrange alternate transport—at your own expense. Don’t try using magic to reach the sanctum directly, though; there’s no telling where you’d end up.

The venture-captain rises from his seat to see everyone off, and hands over the two letters. Show the first letter to the caravan master. The sealed one is your letter of introduction to the Diamond Sage. Remember, the Jeweled Sages are invaluable allies in our exploration of Ancient Osirion, and it’s a privilege to be invited into their sanctum. Treat everything there with care, and help to preserve the region’s past.

Katswiri sits in a chair, watching the Venture-Captain and glancing at her fellow Pathfinders. She is a Garundi woman in her mid 30's, with her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. She wears silver rimmed glasses, a mithral breastplate and well worn traveler's clothes. She has a Handy Haversack on her back, and two Ioun stones whirl around her head, while a shield and morning star lay resting at her side.

When the Venture-Captain finishes, she gives him a warm smile and a nod.
"I think we'll be up to the task. It will be good to see Tahonikepsu again, and to go home to the desert sands. I always enjoy exploring ancient Osiriani structures, they have a deep and rich historical heritage."

Katswiri turns to her companions and gives a friendly wave. "I am Katswiri, the Desert Seer of the Scarab Sages. I am looking forward to working with all of you. The gods gifted me with second sight and spellcasting when I was young, but took my hearing. Once I started working with the society, I was able to acquire these glasses - " She pauses and taps the side of her glasses frames " - which magically let me see the words on your lips. It has been quite a bit easier to communicate than when I had to read them myself! Usually they are sufficient, but I would appreciate warning if you hear something from out of line of sight, or a magical weapon starts talking to us or something."

Gurgle shifts uneasily, his eyes darting from face to face, never resting too long in one place. His blue-green skin glistens in the light, the coral-colored spots on his arms and neck standing out against his mithril kikko armor. A brooch with the symbol of the Scarab Sages faction glints on his chest.

"Name’s Gurgle, The Twice Risen. That's right, I been killed twice." he mutters, his voice low and gravelly, like the sound of distant waves. "Been with the Pathfinders for a while now. Don’t make me your friend, but it makes me useful." His gaze flickers to the rapier at his side, then back to the group. "I'm blessed by Besmara, the Pirate Queen. Means I do things my way — and the sea’s way."

He tightens his grip on his stonebow, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I don’t trust easy, and I don’t expect you to either. But we’re here for a reason — treasure, glory, whatever keeps us moving. Stick with me, pull your weight, and we’ll be fine."

There’s a brief smirk on his lips, but it vanishes just as quickly. "And if you don’t? Well... that’s your problem." He taps the Scarab Sages brooch once, almost as if reminding himself why he’s still with the faction, then adds, "I’m here for loot, knowledge, and Besmara’s favor."

Gurgle takes mental notes of The Pillars, meeting up with Tahonikepsu's guide, and the two letters.

He requests to peruse the maps and sketches.
Knowledge (Geography +4, Local +7).
• Friend of Janira Gavix: +1 Knowledge checks attempted in the Grand Lodge.

"Who's takin' the comprehend languages scrolls?" he inquires, as he tries to nonchalantly secret one away into his cloak.

~~~~~~~~~~

Gurgle’s eyes narrow slightly as he studies Katswiri. He tilts his head, his eyes flicking to her glasses and back to Katswiri's face, watching her lips move for a moment. He crosses his arms, still looking wary, but there’s a glimmer of understanding in his gaze.

"So, those let you read lips, huh?" His voice is rough, but there's a touch less edge than usual. "Could be useful in a tight spot, especially if someone’s got words they don’t want heard. I’ll make sure you know if I catch something you don’t."

He pauses, glancing around as if checking for threats again. "Long as we’re clear though — you read my lips, it’s only what I want you to know." He taps the side of his nose with a crooked smile. "Still, pleasure to meet ya, Seer. I don’t mind someone who sees more than they hear. Could be we’ll need that, sooner or later."

With a final nod, he shifts his weight, eyes scanning the area once more.

A bit tickled at being called an Osirionologists, Guy gives a low chuckle. Guy is a swarthy mousy man the color of sand from head to toe. He carries a staff, has a couple of ioun stones circling his head, and carries a prominent holy symbol of Sarenrae.

"It's nice to be back in my home country after all the travelling."

We are being briefed in Sothis, Osiri, right? Where are the scrolls that were provided listed? Note: I took read lips as a language for Guy. I hear that was legal at one point but I'm not sure. Anyone know for certain?

"I do not need a scroll since I have a wand to cast the spell. Comprehend Languages is too useful, but not enough for a spell slot."

"Pleased to meet you both, Gurgle and Guy. They are handy, sometimes. Katswiri runs her finger down the edge of her glasses frame and smiles mischeviously. "I caught an Aspis agent out once when they were holding a whispered conversation across a ball room, and the glasses let me see their words easily. I practiced a lot reading lips before I joined the Society, but its much harder with distance without the magical aid and a good deal more work. I still need to do it the old fashioned way if I use a Clairvoyance spell though, since the magical augmentations don't worth through the sensor."

"You are from Osirion as well, Guy? I grew up in the desert wastes before I eventualy landed myself in Sothis in my teen years. I love seeing all the places the Society sends us, but there is nothing quite like being back on the sands of home."

"I also have a scroll of Comprehend Languages, so you're welcome to them Gurgle. I rarely need them however, as I greatly enjoy languages and am fluent in Ancient Osiriani as well as many of the other dead languages of distant empires past. I'm still learning Cyclops and Infernal, but can read Jistka, Ancient Osiriani, Tekritanin as well as the timeless classics like the elemental tongues, Draconic, Celestial, Aklo and Abyssal, which I find usually covers most of the languages we would encounter in Osiriani sites."

I think we are in Sothis. As far as I know, Read Lips is still a valid language choice; it looks like my FAQ link broke at some point, but the legacy FAQ has it mentioned here if you search for Read Lips: https://paizo.com/organizedplay/legacy/faq

Katswiri has that as a language choice as well, which is how she handled communication for her first few levels of Pathfinding. She upgraded to the Glasses once she could afford them since they let her do it much more effortlessly. Under normal circumstances, with the -1 per 10 ft distance modifiers she can take 10 to see what anyone is saying within 240 feet, or 150 feet minimum in battle or other stressful situations where she would have to roll.

"Hi all and blessings of Desna for this troupe. I seem to be the odd duck here, having nothing to do with Scarab Sages and all, but since I was around, someone decided to foist me on you in case you need to find the wonderful ancient Osirian traps on this outing." The talker is a robust-looking Varisian man with well-groomed moustachios and a practiced cheer on his face. His dark hair, usually well-tended, is suffering a bit from the heat. "I'm Taresh. Meladronai is my family name, though I answer to Taresh Mel. I'm a magician by trade, specializing in transmutation, courtesy of the bunch of gnomes who I traveled with while young. If you need something blown up or charmed, I'm not helpful. Otherwise, tell me what you need and I'll try to accommodate."

Taresh is wearing a plain old rucksack that has been overstuffed with all sorts of odds and ends, and has a well-worn sheath for a rapier on his left hip and a shortbow hanging from the rucksack. A brace of wands is dangling from his right hip. He's wearing no armor. Most of the colorful Varisian scarves and belts have been stuck into the bag because of the heat, except for the white one around his head.

While Taresh might seem cheerful almost to the point of annoyance, the creature sitting on his left shoulder is not. It appears to be a dragon made of shadows and darkness, with scales so fine it glistens. It has its tail coiled protectively around Taresh's neck, and occasionally the man flicks it with a finger, making the dragon narrow its eyes and poke him in the ear or cheek with a spine. Taresh continues, "This precious little cutie is Daosvaria. I found her on an earlier outing, and since her previous employer was no longer capable of taking care of her needs, I adopted her. She looks fierce, but is very helpful if you treat her well. Aren't you, Daosvaria?"

Daosvaria lifts her tiny head and looks at the rest of the group like she's evaluating their net worth or nutritional value. She speaks with a voice that's too precise and sharp for a creature that small. "I will help those who need help from the Master, but be aware that I am keeping track of your performance, soft humanoids." The dragon has a sash, and Taresh whistles atonally as he picks a few wands from her brace and sticks them to the sash.

"Pleased to be traveling with you, and so is Daosvaria, believe it or not!"
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"Don't know who's handing out scrolls, but I don't need any. If Katswiri can't read it, I have a wand for it." He looks lazily at Gurgle. "I thought all you Scarab people were deeply invested in the lore of the desert and the glories of old. You sound you expect to find gold instead of secrets."

"Does it bite? Not that I plan to stick my finger near it any time soon. To answer your question, I'm in this for the glory, not the gold."

"Say, Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir," Hmmm, I wonder if I I could get away with just callin him Norden, "for those who do not know can you explain what a Jeweled Sage is and some information about Tahonikepsu a Amenopheus beyond their titles?"

"I thought all you Scarab people were deeply invested in the lore of the desert and the glories of old. You sound [as if] you expect to find gold instead of secrets."

Gurgle slinks forward and sticks out a finger to poke with curiosity at Taresh's shadowy pet mini dragon. The little dragon hisses (most likely), startling Gurgle. He quickly retracts his arm.

Gurgle gives Taresh a crooked, toothy grin.
"Gold. Secrets... They're both worth something to someone, heh-heh."

"We're glad to have you with us, Taresh and Daosvaria. I personally have a bad habit of touching things that end up being cursed on these types of expeditions, and your expertise dealing with traps will be appreciated..." Her eyes seem to glance sideways, following an Ocher Ioun stone as it orbits around her field of vision before she shakes herself slightly.

"Regarding what we might need spell wise, perhaps we should all compare our resources and see how we can best complement each other. I have a fixed set of spells I have been gifted with by the gods, as well as a Mnemonic Vestment and a collection of the following scrolls..."

Katswiri's got her spell list on her character sheet linked from her profile. Don't hesitate to ask if a spell would be helpful for you. Her Inventory Tracking Sheet is also linked, and has a lot of scrolls listed.

Guy will also compare spell notes, making his selections known. Note: He has a number of open slots which he will prepare once he has a better idea of what they will encounter. Between Guy and Katswiri we have tons of healing.

You do start in Sothis.

The Diamond Sage can give you the official version. Put simply, the sages are a group of scholars who preserve Osirian history. Each possesses a potent magical jewel that contains the memories and knowledge of past sages.

I’m not sure where Amenopheus is—Absalom, I think. When he found the Diamond Sage a few months ago, they held a vote and, with the support of certain Pathfinders, she became leader of the group.

As promised, Venture-Captain Norden Balentiir gives you three scrolls of comprehend languages, a scroll of tongues, and a field primer that grants the user a +2 bonus on Linguistics checks to decipher Ancient Osiriani.

You also have a few hours to purchase supplies and research the Jeweled Sages or the Pillars of the Sun before the caravan departs.

Roll Knowledge History or Knowledge Local followed by a Knowledge Geography.