[Outpost VIII] Mistress of the Maze (Inactive)

Game Master Super Zero

Please dot in.

The party meets with Eliza Petulengro in the Grand Lodge, where she has summoned them to serve as escorts through the Maze of the Open Road. The maze appears to have grown dangerously unstable while it has been sealed away for the last few years.

Inside the foyer of Skyreach at the Grand Lodge, a masked servitor awaits. A specter in white, save for the ribbon of scarlet around their neck, the servant bows and gestures to the central staircase, silently leading the way upstairs to a large study.

Eliza Petulengro, the unmasked member of the Decemvirate, sits behind a wooden desk covered in neatly arrayed stacks of books and hand-written reports. She gazes quietly across the edge of her teacup. Setting the tea down, she glances to the side at a rune-etched sphere studded with strange metal canisters.

“I expect you know who I am, so I shall dispense with unnecessary formalities. Mostly, I deal in two things—truth and potential. I haven’t the time to shield the first, but I see the second in you. I need you to join me in traveling the Maze of the Open Road. It was once a great asset to the Society. For many years, the Decemvirate and trusted agents could travel all of Golarion in moments. A gift from an ancient druid king, the maze lent us power, discretion, and speed. In time, it also allowed for a terrible betrayal.

[b]“Regrettably, this stabilization device,” Eliza indicates a hovering sphere honeycombed with canisters, “will require almost all of my concentration. I will need you ready to protect me as we gather samples along the path through the maze to the Woodsedge Lodge in Galt.
Thankfully, Venture-Captain Armeline Jirneau is sending an agent to meet
us, who should smooth our progress considerably. You have my trust in this. Any questions before we begin?”

A reticent looking dwarf mumbles something indiscernible. Across his back is a large instrument of pounding; across his front is a large hunk of flattened metal; at his side is a quiver of javelins; and at his feet a backpack. In spite of being seated he still manages an impressive slouch.

At his side is an earthy looking fellow.

Hancock's companion, Bruce, stands in stark contrast to the dwarf. Though not tall for a human, he does 'dwarf' the dwarf; furthermore, he sports a smile broad enough to make up for the both of them.

"My partner here," which illicits a scowl from the dwarf for some reason, "has a bit of a problem making his questions understandable. Fortunately, I, his partner..."
Again the scowl. Something about that word partner.
"... am able to make sense of things and translate. My name is Bruce and this is Hancock. He has no questions and just wants you to get on with things. I, however, do have questions. I am not a combatant," he says with some nervousness, "and will probably hang back a ... little. Will I be safe?"

Bruce is Hancock's hireling.

Hancock rolls his eyes at his 'partner', waiting for the inevitable tongue-lashing for a statement like that from a self-styled pathfinder.

Despite being 12 feet tall, Narkru stands reserved and quiet. Nodding along with the request, she replies "I think this sounds reasonable. I would love to see if the "Maze" part of the Open Road is literal or more of a magical suggestion."

A tall elven woman arrives with an owl perched on her shoulder. Her facial expression is rather serious, and she walks slowly as if she has all the time in the world. She nods to the next Pathfinder and introduces herself.

"Avery," she says, her tone carrying a sense of seniority. "This is my trusted companion, Sophia." The owl hoots softly in response.

"What betrayal are you speaking of?" she asks bluntly.

"Will I be safe?"

“Oh, not at all. I'm sure it will be fine. I can spare the concentration to move, but any more and the field that stabilizes the samples would collapse. And with such strong samples, a collapse could be disastrous for the device. In the unlikely event that the mission proves too dangerous, I can evacuate us all to the Grand Lodge, but there may

"I would love to see if the "Maze" part of the Open Road is literal or more of a magical suggestion."

"It is, yes."

"What betrayal are you speaking of?"

“An unfortunate series of events a decade ago that cost the lives of several members of the Decemvirate. I’d prefer not to dwell on it.”

"Any other questions?"

Hancock glares at anyone that opens their mouth to ask another question. Not for the first time, he wishes they would just hand them a written briefing and skip all this talking crap.

Narkru mildly shrugs. "I'm ready to go whenever you are. Don't really have much to pack."

Avery shrugs at the comment, but gives Eliza a silent nod. She does not want to push further the Decemvirate member for more details.

Eliza takes the party to the verdant entrance of the Maze of the Open Road and leads them through. A single step somehow stretches across the length of timeless moments until a strange sky snaps into place above you. Eliza winces a bit and gives the stabilization sphere a look of concern. Blue sky has been replaced by pale lavender with a fringe of starry indigo. The orderly emerald walls of the maze are spotted with irregularities as ragged branches tear at the open air like talons and sections of new growth swell like verdant tumors.

A cheerful if somewhat road-worn halfling crawls from between wild and unruly plant growth. He spends a second brushing stray twigs from his curly hair before giving up on appearing presentable. Picking up his satchel and an unusually large, chittering squirrel, he addresses Eliza.
“You aren’t monsters! Could it be? Eliza, your picture does not do you credit! I am so glad I found you. The way to the Woodsedge Portal is particularly plagued by planar anomalies. We considered the Edme cavern portal instead, but as you know overland travel in Galt is nearly as troublesome. That device is fascinating! But since time is of essence, you can explain how it works as we travel.”

He offers a letter marked with the seal of the Woodsedge Lodge, “My credentials.”

Image and letter handed to the Slides, though the letter is also here:

"Apologies Mr. Ranfickle," says Eliza, "I have to stay focused."

"Oh. Uh, okay." Rindle scratches his head, then redirects his focus to the party. "I can how you where to go, since I just came from that way. It's this way--do you have any questions for me?"

"What changes have you found in the Maze so far?" Avery asks straightforwardly as she flips her hair to the back to get Mr. Ranfickle's attention.

Retcon

A tall willowy woman follows Avery into the room. She is not quite as tall but still moves with the grace of an elf. She smiles at the assembled party and bows. "Kaitlyn Deathsbane, but you may call me Kat."

"I love maps. Do you have a map? I'm Bruce, by the way, and my partner here is Hancock."

The emphasis on the word partner elicits a growl from Hancock.

Sotto voce he adds, "Sometimes styled 'the angry' for obvious reasons." as he looks at Hancock pointedly.

“I have a map of the shortest route to the Woodsedge portal," says Rindle, answering both questions, "There’s some weird stuff along the way… Strange symbols, luminous orbs, tears in reality, that kind of thing. At one point, I was almost buried in a wall of red sand. Shouldn’t be too bad, really, as long as we keep our eyes on the path forward and don’t get lost.”

If there are no other questions, Rindle nods to his squirrel companion. "Lead the way, Mr. Chitters!"

Around this particular corner of the maze, a statue of a robed spellcaster rendered in the act of drawing forth a wand stands in a readied pose. Some of the statue’s fingers have been snapped off. Lichens spot its stone body here and there. Glinting sparkles shift in the topiary walls and a soft breeze comes from some unknown place, bearing clashing scents of cinnamon and tar.

"Can you help me find a suitable sample of the Maze for the stabilization device?" Eliza asks the party.

Within the branches of the rose bushes lining the walls of the maze, there are clusters of crystallized sap resembling emerald-hued amber growing directly from the limbs of the plants. The crystals exhibit a strange humming sound and grow out from the branches in rigid angles.

"Huh, those are neat," says Rindle, pointing at the crystals, "and probably part of the Maze's weird magic. Those should work, right?"

Arcana or Nature--secret checks, so roll in a spoiler box or just post your bonus if you'd like to make the check to Recall Knowledge.

Narkru glances at the statue, admiring its craftsmanship from the stonework. She then proceeds to look around to see if something catches her eye.

"What kind of sample are you looking for? Is it a specific material or item?

"Strange that this is humming." Avery is curious why is that so. She observes it around to find what else it exhibits, or perhaps deduce something out of the crystals.

Hancock takes out his clan dagger and starts extracting the 'stuff' while Bruce stands off a bit and gives him unwanted advice.

Nature +11

Kat remains silent, not exactly sure what she's looking for...

"Just something representative of the Maze, that we can magically analyze to help understand what's going wrong here."

Examining the right angles and straight edges of crystal, it becomes clear to Avery that the influence of some greater force weighs on the ecosystem of the maze. Energies consistent with Axis, the Plane of Law, might explain the changes to the local flora. She knows that humming is symptomatic of resonance between the crystals, called phytoliths. Taking one as a sample might cause a disruption that will likely be harmless here but could cause a cascade of planar energies with unforeseeable effects further along the pathway. Collecting the soil at the base of the plants should provide a safe sample without exacerbating the energy imbalances affecting the maze.

Kat, on the other hand, is convinced that the phytoliths are key to understanding the mystery of the maze’s current predicament and believes gathering as many of them as possible from this and future sample sites will give the best information.

Narkru and Hancock (and Bruce) believe that the phytoliths are a normal part of the maze and doesn’t have any insight to offer Eliza in her sample collections.

"So you want me to dig up some dirt? I can do that! Or Hancock here. He is a dwarf, after all," he adds knowingly.

"Dirt is not my specialty, but if there are some small stones, I can gather those pretty quickly. Does anyone have a container to hold on to this? Narkru crouches down toward the ground; she still takes up more height than the average dwarf.

"I think we should be careful in taking crystal samples. Do you hear that humming? It resonates with energies that are not here. Disrupting that will be disastrous, so we better take soil samples instead." she advises them and begins collecting the soil underneath, joining the minotaur with the collection.

The Pathfinders collect a soil sample.

Rindle seems a little miffed that his suggestion was overruled, but rallies. "Okay, next we go this--"

With a single step, the world explodes into darkness and light. Walls of green become swirls of verdant light. A dizzying array of symbols and runes swims through the air, accompanied by the aromas of dried spice and parchment.

The planar rupture here has caused arcane languages to become both the literal representation and underpinning of reality. Even the bodies of the Pathfinders are now made up of these symbols. Even basic movement is difficult, but perhaps the Pathfinders can reconcile their relationship with the esoteric symbols... Thanks to the magic of the stabilization device, Eliza is protected from the transformative effects and retains her human form.
Petulengro informs the team that there is no other way forward. "It wasn't like this when I came through here before," spells the series of letter that occupy the space where Rindle was standing. "The rupture must have grown!"

"At least it's obvious where to go from here," says Eliza, "Oh... but maybe not to you?"

Though now that she says it... everything is made of light and darkness and runes, but the runes convey meaning. One doesn't have to be able to read them exactly, but can feel them... ultimately the sensation is strange, but it conveys as much as normal sight.
The first length of hallway appears in the shape of an Elysian field with a large stone archway at the far end, flanked by the area’s guardians.
Each PC must first learn how to control their runic soul-body before they cross this room, and is immobilized until they either attempt an Arcana or Religion check to Recall Knowledge or attempt a Will saving throw to take control of their new form by sheer force of will.

"Well..." says Rindle's voice, "from what I've read, a planar location like this is shaped by willpower. We could probably reshape it be will, too, and recover ourselves that way!"

"I suspect that will be effective," Eliza agrees, "but those two guardians don't seem to be paying us any mind now. That might change if we start reshaping the place in front of them. Do what you need to do so we can move on."

For this section, you can each attempt a skill check to navigate each corridor; which skills are effective will vary between corridors. You can always substitute a Will save, which will be effective but risks angering the guardians.
There is a map of the current area on the Slides.
(Technically you're all Immobilized until you figure out how to move in this form, but even a failure means you figure it out eventually so you'll recover from that either way.)

"This is not my style of focus, but let's see if I can.. pull myself together as they say."

Will: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

will: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

Is Hancock able to take control of his new form and try to move? I assume from the text that using will to control his body will not provoke the guardians, but using will to move will?

Apparently my attempt to be more clear introduced confusing redundancy; there's only one check. This is the first of several gates. For each gate there are skills you can use to navigate. You can always substitute Will (and it's easier), but succeeding at Will saves risks angering the guardians who otherwise seem content to let you pass unhindered.

Narkru manages to control her runic body through sheer force of will, reshaping herself into something she recognizes more. The guardians take notice, looking up at her, though they don't do anything else.

Hancock manages the same thing, slower and with more difficulty. His body still looks quite strange, but he manages to move well enough. That might be better, as the genies pay him no mind.

Narkru succeeds and can act normally, though since she used Will this angers the guardians. Hancock fails, though he recovers enough to move.

Hancock will move, tugging Bruce symbols along behind him.

Religion: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16

Avery assesses the situation, confused as to why this suddenly happened. Perhaps this is the Maze's way to deter intruders, but they are here to fix it. She hopes the Maze can know who has good and bad intents from those who enter it.

Avery also attracts a glowering glare from one of the genies (who turns out to be a lot bigger then she looked at first).

"LIKE THIS?" shouts Rindle as he stumbles, warping the shape of the runic maze walls around him as he reverts to solid form and stumbles.

"Stop that!" answers the large genie as ferocious winds whip up around her, "The shape of Ahkenefti is as Nethys wills! If you cannot control your own forms without changing the environment, you cannot be here!"

"Oh," says Eliza as the genies reach for their weapons, "Remember, I can't help with this without releasing the stabilization device, and that would be dangerous. I'll just... wait over here."

"Me too!" squeaks Rindle, "Stay put, Mr. Chitters!"

Kaitlyn should still make an Arcana/Religion/Will check, but angering the guardians is now moot so it only really matters if she critically succeeds or fails.

Kaitlyn's turn. Everything is difficult terrain within Green's 20-foot Whirlwind aura, including to flying, unless you have the Air trait.
Initiative:
Kaitlyn (AC 25, 80/80 HP)
Green Djinni (20-foot Whirlwind aura)
Blue Janni
Avery (AC 24/25, 72/72 HP)
Hancock (AC 22/22, 90/90 HP)
Narkru (AC 24, 70/70 HP)

Will: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17

Kat attempts to move but unfortunately she appears dazed by the way the gate is moving.

Kat manages to break free of that effect in time to react quickly to the guardians' attack.

That's not a critical failure, so there are no additional consequences. You can take your turn.

Not sure what I can do here. Are we in combat with these two?

Yes, they are attacking you.

Kat pulls out her crossbow, loads a bolt but drops into a combat stance, waiting for their foes to close.

◆◆ Interact to Draw and Load
◆ Tiger Stance

"Winds, aid me against these destructive interlopers!" calls the larger of the guardians. Wind and clouds form into the shape of a large bird behind Hancock. The hawk's wings slice through the air at him and Narkru, though it doesn't manage to damage either of them.
The genie also sends a burst of wind towards Narkru, which the minotaur narrowly avoids.
◆◆ Form elemental, which Strikes Avery/Hancock/Narkru: 1d3 ⇒ 2 Attack: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21 and Avery/Narkru: 1d2 ⇒ 2 Attack: 1d20 + 13 - 5 ⇒ (8) + 13 - 5 = 16
◆ Strike Hancock/Narkru: 1d2 ⇒ 2 Crashing Wind: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23

The smaller genie hurries forward, struggling against the wind. The elemental hawk may not have managed to hurt Narkru, but it still distracts her enough that--no, he still doesn't manage to hit her.
◆ Stride to flank Narkru/Hancock: 1d2 ⇒ 1
◆ Stride, provoking RS from Narkru
◆ Strike Scimitar: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21
◆ Strike Fist: 1d20 + 14 - 4 ⇒ (1) + 14 - 4 = 11 Whoops, he doesn't have the air trait--can't get there in one Stride with the difficult terrain.

All PCs' turns. Everything is difficult terrain within Green's 20-foot Whirlwind aura, including to flying, unless you have the Air trait.
Initiative:
Kaitlyn (AC 25, 80/80 HP, Tiger Stance)
Green Djinni (20-foot Whirlwind aura)
- elemental
Blue Janni
Avery (AC 24/25, 72/72 HP)
Hancock (AC 22, 90/90 HP)
Narkru (AC 24, 70/70 HP)

The air strikes hit against the stone wall that is Narkru. With her wits about her, she summons her own element and proceeds to strike out at the genie that is attacking her.

◆ Channel Elements, 1-action blast Elemental Blast: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 242d8 + 4 ⇒ (8, 7) + 4 = 19
◆◆ 2-action blast, weapon infusion agile Elemental Blast: 1d20 + 12 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 12 - 4 = 182d8 + 8 ⇒ (6, 1) + 8 = 15

The dust slightly hardens, giving a +1 circumstance bonus to AC until the start of Narkru's next turn.

damage is bludgeoning for both strikes

Hancock flies into a rage. His posture stiffens and he rises to his full height. He returns fire on the elemental that just attacked him with vigor!

Kat shoots the hawk with her crossbow.

+1 Striking Hand Crossbow: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (16) + 15 = 31 for Piercing Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 5) = 11 If crit, doubled to 22

She follows up by zapping both Blue and Green.

Electric Arc, DC 18 Basic Reflex: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 3) = 5

◆ Strike
◆◆ Bzzap!

Avery draws her weapon and loads it. She then assigns the Green Djinni as her prey.

◆ Interact to draw weapon
◆ Load
◆ Hunt Prey (Green Djinni)

Narkruk bludgeons the genie, though he ducks under her second swing.
First attack is a hit, second misses.

Hancock smashes the hawk, which disperses back into nothing but air and mist. He engages the Janni, but isn't able to hit him.
Hancock Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
Your first attack hits and destroys the elemental. Redirecting further attacks hat were aimed at it to Green--that's a miss.

Kat's shot is more effective, drawing a strange fluid that probably isn't technically blood.
A crit against Green, which bloodies (reduces to half HP or less) him.
Blue Reflex: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27 Success, 2 damage
Green Reflex: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17 Failure, 5 damage

"Hmph," says the large djinni. She hurls another blast of wind, which this time hits Hancock dead center. She then smirks and casts a spell, then vanishes from sight.
◆ Strike Hancock/Narkru: 1d2 ⇒ 1 Crashing Wind: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35 Crits for 2xbludgeoning damage: 1d8 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9
◆◆ Cast invisibility

The wounded one's scimitar glances off of Narkru's earthen armor again. He glares at her, then issues a forceful command, which feels weighty in this realm of words: "Diminish."
◆ Strike Hancock/Narkru: 1d2 ⇒ 2 Scimitar: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (3) + 14 = 17 Miss
◆◆ Change Size against Narkru. She becomes Tiny, as the shrink spell except it can target unwilling creatures, unless she succeeds at a DC 21 Fortitude save

All PCs' turns. Everything is difficult terrain within Green's 20-foot Whirlwind aura, including to flying, unless you have the Air trait.
Initiative:
Kaitlyn (AC 25, 80/80 HP, Tiger Stance)
Green Djinni (-5 HP, 20-foot Whirlwind aura, Avery's prey, invisible)
Blue Janni (-43 HP, bloodied)
Avery (AC 24/25, 72/72 HP)
Hancock (AC 22, 81/90 HP)
Narkru (AC 24, 70/70 HP, DC 21 Fort vs shrink)

Kat steps up to Blue, rakes him with her claws and steps back.

Tiger Claw (Agile, Finesse), 1st attack: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33 for Tiger Claw Damage (Slashing): 2d8 + 2 ⇒ (4, 3) + 2 = 9 Crit: Double Damage + 1d4 Persistent Bleed
Tiger Claw (Agile, Finesse), 2nd attack: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18 for Tiger Claw Damage (Slashing): 2d8 + 2 ⇒ (8, 8) + 2 = 18 Crit: Double Damage + 1d4 Persistent Bleed

◆ Step (10' step in Tiger Stance)
◆ Flurry
◆ Step

The janni breaks apart into elemental language as Kat tears into him.
A crit and a miss, though the crit takes him out if that changes your third action.

Avery, Hancock, and Narkru's turns. Everything is difficult terrain within Green's 20-foot Whirlwind aura, including to flying, unless you have the Air trait.
Initiative:
Kaitlyn (AC 25, 80/80 HP, Tiger Stance)
Green Djinni (-5 HP, 20-foot Whirlwind aura, Avery's prey, invisible)
Avery (AC 24/25, 72/72 HP)
Hancock (AC 22, 81/90 HP)
Narkru (AC 24, 70/70 HP, DC 21 Fort vs shrink)

Instead of stepping back, Kat will just reload her crossbow

Fort: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17

Narkru flares her nose, sniffing in the direction where the large genie used to be.

◆◆ 2-Action Elemental Blast weapon infusion: thrown, imprecise scent which make the genie hidden instead of undetected. Bludgeoning damage, +1 AC
Flat Check: 1d20 ⇒ 19
Elemental Blast: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (11) + 12 = 232d8 + 8 ⇒ (1, 8) + 8 = 17
◆ Stride into the wind, moving only 10 feet

Spending a hero point to reroll Fort save
Fort: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (18) + 13 = 31

With a howl that is equal parts rage and glee, Hancock tears into green now.

Not sure if a move action is needed, but he will lead off with that or a sudden charge instead of 3 attacks if needed.

Strong winds and invisibility prove an insufficient defense, as both Narkru and Hancock land a hit.
23 and 25 are hits. 13 is a regular miss. The second hit also bloodies her.

Avery's turn. Everything is difficult terrain within Green's 20-foot Whirlwind aura, including to flying, unless you have the Air trait.
Initiative:
Kaitlyn (AC 25, 80/80 HP, Tiger Stance)
Green Djinni (-52 HP, bloodied, 20-foot Whirlwind aura, Avery's prey, invisible)
Avery (AC 24/25, 72/72 HP)
Hancock (AC 22, 81/90 HP)
Narkru (AC 24, 70/70 HP