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At the briefing, our striking Rainkin Dromaar looks befitting in his current-mode fashion Taldane masculine suit, handsome and ample tusks meticulously cleaned and possessed of sheer ivory lustre, long knotted neatly-bound hair adding an almost feminine excitement to the otherwise 'business as usual' air of subtle menace that only men who present themselves as wealthy, knowledgable and competent can project.
Beside him, another orc, dressed as if she had just stepped out of a workshop, neat too, but sporting more comfortably practical wear, of equal height, but without the presence of commanding attention with any speck of ostentation, stands beside him, a bo-staff with soft purple runes affixed to her back.
She asks him "Joli, do you think we will need the carriage?"
He raises one eyebrow while scanning the room...
Kernel Klank’s firm handshake is reciprocated jubilantly.
To her boss ”I dunno, Joli. Depends on how far we are traveling” to the dwarf ”The pleasure is mine, Mr Klank. We will do our best to keep up with you. My friend here always sees the best in people to a fault. Good to have another set of eyes on everything” she visually inspects his armor while she chats.
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"An adventure? How quaint."
Mrs. Perkins sits in the corner, idly sewing a new spell onto her mathematical quilt, which sighs impatiently, occasionally flinching when Mrs. Perkins threads a needle through a sensitive spot.
"Very well, then. Let's get this over with."
She puts the quilt away, and greets Joli in Common, and Kernal Klank in Dwarven.
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A rather bedraggled and ancient looking elf belatedly enters. "Greetings, fellow pathfinders, so sorry to be late - I was investigating this and that and before I knew it, well, there I was, or here I wasn't, I suppose I should say... But never mind those ramblings, where are my manners, surely I should not shame my forebears by losing all sense of the finer points of etiquette - I am Evindal Mog, disciple of the great Mogmurch, or the Mogmurchs I suppose I should say, for such geniuses do not live long, sad to say, while I myself, very far from a genius I assure you, have lived a very long time, and was fortunate enough to apprentice at the feet of many Mogmurchs." Evindal sighs, as if remembering happier times. "Alas, eventually the goblins enlisted me in a life of crime, where I learned all manner of unsavory tricks, and after my umpteenth arrest I persuaded the magistrate to let me try my hand at the other side of the law - who better to investigate the criminals, eh? - and hence I find myself er how shall I put it - enrolled - in the Pathfinder Society in hopes of ahem repaying my debts to society..."
At the looming foot of Droskar’s Crag, a dormant volcano, the Pathfinder Society’s base camp bustles with activity. Wagons arrive with new goods as merchants set up shop. A steady stream of Pathfinders trickles into the camp, and joyful greetings fill the air, together with whispered rumors about the mission ahead. Venture-Captain Luna Aldred has called everyone here for a major expedition, and if the rumors are to be believed, the secret road to a legendary lost city awaits!
One group of Pathfinders assemble closely and begin introducing themselves.
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Klank responds to the other newcomers with firm handshakes and well wishes.
---
Klank flips up the visor on his helm as they approach the camp. The Dwarf has kept up an amazing pace. Considering he's marching in a thick shell of steel you'd never have noticed. "We're getting close to the borders of my homeland.. the Five Kings Mountains."
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Joli bows respectfully to his elder Mrs. Perkins, while his hireling Mayheb scopes her quilt before stowing it. He keeps his eye on the reformed criminal, and returns the bright-faced human’s smile with one equally warm, if toothy, due to the pronouncement of his tusks.
A faint aura of magic tickles around his being. His walking stick but otherwise lack of weapons seems to convey that he comes in peace.
Joli and Mayheb arrange for their carriage to stable, then glance up the peak…
Mayheb watches as Joli asks around.
Perhaps, despite his attempts at mellowing his imposing appearance, the legacy between his race and that of these dwarven lands is still too onerous to allow him to present himself with non-violence…
She shakes her head. At him, partially. But also at that…
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A stocky but kind-looking man steps into the scene, his strong build giving way to a gentle presence. He’s dressed in clean white clothes, with spotless gloves, and carries a well-used healer’s kit. Around his neck hangs a religious symbol, shining softly next to his wayfinder, a sign of both his faith and experience as an adventurer.
"Greetings!" he says in a low, calm voice, looking over the group with a reassuring smile. "I am Henri Hart, specialized in medical treatment in the field. It’s an honor to be part of this mission with everyone." His presence brings a sense of calm and safety, showing he’s ready to help wherever he’s needed.
Mrs. Perkins is well aware of those region due to her previous adventures.
Kernal Klank and Evindal Mog heard that, and they also heard some more information.
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Evindal relays the information that he has heard and scratches his head pensively. "Hmmm, perhaps I should add a few more alchemical formulae before we set out. But I wonder what would be best for threats like flooding and magma and unstable ground...?"
He adds, "By the way, if there are any items that would be particularly useful to any of you please let me know and I'll see what I can whip up. We alchemists you know, always tinkering in our labs!"
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"Droskar’s Crag, also known as the Pallid Peak, is a dormant volcano. It erupted nearly 800 years ago in a cataclysm known as the Rending, which toppled the great dwarven empire of Tar Khardurrm. Expeditions into the Pallid Peak have uncovered a wide range of dangers, from vermin to duergars to fiends. Listen up, young'uns: Expeditions should be well-stocked and prepared with deal with a variety of different threats!"
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"Duergar are no friend of mine, vile beings. If I see any I'll be sure to end their forever toil with my hammer. Its the least I can do." Klank speaks plainly on the subject, there's no love lost between those distant Dwarven cousins.
"As far as useful alchemy tools, I'd say dealing with much water could be a problem. Or things that fly. I'm usually ok with uneven ground, so long as its solid." He then nods in agreement with Mrs Perkins.
## __HOUSE GM ANNOUNCEMENT__
Venture-Captain Luna Aldred bangs on her shield to gain the attention of the gathered crowd. As the noise dies down, she points to a piece of stretched canvas with a whittled stick. "When I was first told about the discovery of a ruined outpost under this mountain, I assigned a few agents to explore it."
On the canvas, charcoal and chalk outline a sprawling underground complex. The map already lists names, discoveries, and potential hazards. However, three highlighted routes lead past the end of the explored segments. Each route is labelled with a name and shaded with a distinctive color: yellow for the Labyrinth, blue for the Sunken Halls, and white for Unsealed Way.
"Their preliminary explorations found extensive ruins, as well as signs that this path will lead us to a find that’s worthy of the Pathfinder Chronicles: the lost city of Raseri Kanton, which has been missing for almost a thousand years! This expedition warrants a large team. I reckon this group is enough, though I won’t turn away any stragglers." Venture-Captain Luna chuckles.
Her tone darkens as she continues, "This expedition was set to take months. However, the Aspis Consortium has heard of our plans, and they’ll surely be dispatching their own teams. We need to act quickly before those destructive louts claim the ruins. Move quickly, but not recklessly. Report back regularly. And for all that Aroden left us, don’t die."
"You know what to do. Explore. Report. Cooperate."
A Pathfinder Society agent makes a note of everyone present and the locations they intend to explore before running through a memorized set of instructions. “Keep in mind that this is a coordinated expedition. If anything strange happens, report it back. If you fully explore an area, report back. If you find additional passageways, report it back. If Venture-Captain Aldred gives you instructions or you receive a courier to change locations, follow them immediately. If you ever find yourself in over your heads, retreat and rest. If you’re not sure what to do... I guess you should report that back as well. Best of luck!.”
The Sunken Halls: “Strangely, one of our members heard a voice coming from the lake. When we went to examine it, we found a tunnel at the bottom of the lake. We secured the area but turned back when we found
carnivorous fish.”
The Labyrinth: “At the end of these passageways is a sort of door. A tombstone stretches from floor to ceiling and seals off the next set of halls. It reacts to the touch, but we haven’t found a way to open it yet.”
The Unsealed Way: “We used the rest of our munitions to clear the rubble from these hallways. They seem clear enough now, but we can’t figure out why it was sealed before. We recommend a larger team investigate.”
- Labyrithn Area
- Sunken Halls
- Unsealed Way
"Cave-ins happen for myriad reasons, I bet I could help put my eyes on the rubble" Mayheb suggests pro-actively.
Her companion Joli nods, hearing no diplomatic efforts are needed (his preference), and defers to her judgement.
She hands a scroll to Potipher Perkins and says "I understand the value of magic, milady, and you said to be prepared!"
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Mayheb spearheads the talk ”Unorthodox” Jolinaxus exclaims not without some hesitation, hearing about how “you wear this” and “don’t worry” to “and I will be back there lobbing bombs at enemies next to you”; he wrinkles his brow.
But, accustomed to stepping out of his comfort level, not to mention confident in his own resilience to pain, he accepts the backfire mantle, strapping it underneath his fashionable clothes.
”Do I have it on properly?” he asks the elf.
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"I'll accept your gift Evindal. It should help make your life easier, and hopefully mine less painful." Klank equips the mantle.
When the topic of direct comes up Klank visibly shies away from the Sunken Halls "This Dwarf works in metal. While I'm a good swimmer, one can only hold their breath for so long."
Unsealed Way
Early scouting reports indicate these stone chambers should lead to two different roads to Raseri Kanton. You'll have to clear the dangers first. All of the rooms here are dark and quiet, and the ceiling are about 15 feet high.
As you descend into the depths, you immediately see a fork in the road. Do you head South, or East?
Looking to the South, you see a slender post spanning from floor to ceiling in each corner of the stone chamber. The bracket that holds the posts in the floor is chipped, leaving the posts only loosely attached.
To the East, moldering bags and gear pile in the southwestern corner of the square room. Stone stairs lead upward to the south. Passageways show glimpses of rooms to the northwest and south.
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Klank marches on with his cold-iron warhammer in one hand, and sturdy steel shield in the other. He doesn't worry about the darkness, being blessed with Dwarven eyes. "That pile of gear may give us quick answers, but overall we should explore the entire area to make sure its safe for the groups behind us."
Klank looks to the others before moving East towards the piles of gear.
Lying near the gear you see Dwarven skeletal remains. It may provide a clue, but - wait, did they just move? Six of them stand up. Two of them carry scimitars while four more hold shields, swords and javelins.
Evindal Mog sees the threat as it unfolds- what will he do?
Evindal
Gray Yellow
Shayla
Mrs. Perkins
Henri
Blue
Joli (Staff Raised)
Kernal Klank
Red
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"The dead rise! Time to put their poor souls to rest." Klank spends too much time talking and not enough getting ready to fight.
Attack of Opportunity: ↺*Trigger: A creature within your reach uses a manipulate action or a move action, makes a ranged attack, or leaves a square during a move action it’s using.* You lash out at a foe that leaves an opening. Make a melee Strike against the triggering creature. If your attack is a critical hit and the trigger was a manipulate action, you disrupt that action. This Strike doesn’t count toward your multiple attack penalty, and your multiple attack penalty doesn’t apply to this Strike.
Reactive Shield: ↺*Trigger: An enemy hits you with a melee Strike*
You can snap your shield into place just as you would take a blow, avoiding the hit at the last second. You immediately use the Raise a Shield action and gain your shield’s bonus to AC. The circumstance bonus from the shield applies to your AC when you’re determining the outcome of the triggering attack.
Shield Block: ↺*Trigger: While you have your shield raised, you would take damage from a physical attack*
You snap your shield in place to ward off a blow. Your shield prevents you from taking an amount of damage up to the shield’s Hardness. You and the shield each take any remaining damage, possibly breaking or destroying the shield.
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Joli's hands instinctively clench around Peacemaker
He cracks his neck, and channels a deep, full breath, conjuring some latent anger that he massages through practiced meditation into his bloodstream through inhalation - when he exhales, he feels his body lighten, his mind sharpen towards the oncoming threats, and his muscles swell with alacrity!
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As the group heads towards the unsealed way, Evindal contemplates the mystery of why it was sealed in the first place.
As they head into the darkness, Evindal activates his wayfinder to cast light.
...
As the Skeletons stand up, Evindal quickly tries to remember what he has learned about the creatures.
Then he tries to work up a strategy for how best to attack them, giving particular attention to one of the ones wielding a scimitar.
Then he quickly creates and hurls a bomb at the same scimitar-wielding skeleton.
+ 4 Vitality splash dmg to the target and everyone adjacent (but vitality dmg should not affect Kernal Klank). The target is also enfeebled 1 until the start of Evindal's next turn
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Henri activates the Light of his Wayfinder before heading into exploration. He follows behind everyone, keeping his eyes peeled for any unusual signs and danger.
Henri raises his hand when Evindal offers a darkvision elixir. He needs it, especially in dark places where he can't see without a light. Once given, he will drink it.
The rising skeletons give him eerie vibes.
Evindal Mog sees the threats. They don't look related to the sealed gates, so it takes him a little time to analyze them.
He realizes the two skeletons clad in Blue are holding Scimitars and seem much more frail than the other four. When it comes to physical force, they resist slashing, piercing, cold, electricity and fire (they are skeletons, after all. Bludgeoning should be fine. They feed off of negative void energy, but positive vitality will weaken them.
At any rate, he lobs a Ghost Charge bomb, obliterating both of the Blue clad skeletons. The skeleton with a Purple helmet also takes damage from the blast, its undead eyes turning towards the bomb.
The Gray and Green skeletons raise their shields and begin marching towards the frontline.
The Gray skeleton swings once at Kernal Klank. Klank reactively pulls up his Shield, but it's not enough to halt the skeleton's brute strength.
The one in Green chooses between doubling up on Klank or turning to Joli.
It chooses poorly...
Evindal
Gray (Shield Raised)
Green (Shield Raised)
Shayla
Mrs. Perkins
Henri
Joli (Staff Raised, 9 Temp HP)
Kernal Klank (Shield Raised, Incoming 11 damage to Shield Block)
Red
Purple (4 damage)
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"Nice shot" Joli praises Evindal Mog.
And with their advancement closer, he takes his swings!
◆) Strike
◆) Strike
◆) Parry
Whirling his bo staff with deadly accuracy, he sends it first with a whirling crash into the nearest skeleton's skull, and follows up with a blunt single-thrust into the next's chest cavity.