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1) I am based in Southeast Asia (UTC +8) so my posting hours may be unusual (especially for those in North America). I usually update at least one or twice per day. Just to keep the game moving, please post at least once every day and at least once during the weekend.
2) Please keep all posts and communication in all channels limited to a PG-13 level and be both positive and inclusive.
3) Please label all three of your actions. Even if you think what you are doing is obvious.
4) If I am unavailable for longer than 24 hours, I will let you know in the Discussion Tab. Out of respect for your fellow players and myself, I ask that you do the same. Real life happens, and real life will always take priority over the game, but out of fairness for your fellow players, please let us know if you will be unavailable for an extended period of time.
5) Please note that on the following days, my posting can get unpredictable:
Tuesday/Thursdays - all day, as they are the 2 busiest days of my work week
6) Please complete the Macros and the Slides linked at the top of the page.
7) Questions, concerns? Feel free to share them in the Discussion tab.
8) Let's have some fun and tell a great story together! After all, that's what we are here for.
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A weak sun glows faintly over the well-appointed courtyard surrounding royal summer estate of Queen Anastasia. Located a scant two miles from the western edge of Irrisen's Hoarwood Forest, the relatively modest manor has served as a quiet meeting place for many queens with business too sensitive for the machinations of Whitethrone. The warmth of the Irriseni summer has left the snow only ankle deep, with scant patches of frozen dirt and decayed pine needles littering the grounds. An impressive singular fountain stands in the center of the courtyard, the flow of water strong enough to prevent it from freezing over. Any noise it might generate is easily lost in almost a dozen different conversations dancing around from the several distinct groups, each parked in their own secretive corner of the grounds.
As you wait for your contact, you get to know your traveling companions.
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"It's colder in the Deep, so I hadn't really noticed."
The tall azarketi man has a regal bearing and speaks in a tone which drips with confidence bordering on hubris. A rare gillmen with hair, his is short and black with a widow's peak. He wears armor made of faded green and purple coral, carries a trident, and wears simple wooden sandals which seem to glow with a faint golden light as he walks.
"My name is Shift-tide, and I have come to the surface world at large and the Pathfinder Society specifically because it is clear you need my help. Devils, demons, undead, wars, etc. These things keep you surface dwellers constantly distracted from the true threat to this world: alghollthus. So, once I claimed my godspark during the Godsrain I knew that it was up to me to come here and clear the path so that you may all see the truth."
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Shift-tide walks to the fountain and gently runs his hand across the surface of the water.
"I must admit, of the few surface nations I have visited so far this is one of the most beautiful. I find the snow creates a peaceful ambience. Though, of course, it pales in comparison to any number of underwater cities belonging to my people or even the merfolk."
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Greeting all who enter the gates of the estate is a handsome young dromaar, impeccably dressed in a suit of icy blue and purple silks, complemented by a pair of dark leather gloves and a thin collar of white wolf fur. After greeting the others, he steps forward, giving a practiced bow that would put the politest Taldan courtier to shame.
"Good morning, Pathfinders," he says in a deep, calm, rumble. "I am Calix, advisor and gracious servant to Her Majesty Queen Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova, Fifteenth Winter Queen of Irrisen, Mistress of Thronehold, and your host for this historical event. Prior to this post, I was a member of the Pathfinder Society and translator for my cousin, Venture- Captain Bjersig Torrsen. Her Majesty is awaiting your arrival with great anticipation. Given the vagueness of your invite, I am sure you have much to discuss with her. If you would be so kind as to follow me, we will endeavor to answer whatever questions we can."
The inside of the estate is a maze of winding corridors and antechambers, each filled with finery such as gilded chandeliers and portraits of previous Winter Queens.
Calix leads the group in a straight path through the courtyard, past the fountain and up the polished marble and slate steps of the estate. After a few hallways and turns he pauses at a door carved out of blackened oak. The dromaar knocks ceremoniously before swinging it open and bowing deep in a single, effortless motion.
"Your Majesty, the analysts from the Pathfinder Society, as supplied by Venture-Captain Bjersig Torrsen, have arrived." Calix raises his head to peer into the room. After seeming to confirm something, he stands and motions to be followed. The room beyond is a spaciously appointed council chamber, complete with a meeting table made from lacquered cedar with matching chairs to seat a dozen. From a chair toward the center of the table rises Winter Queen Anastasia. A slim human woman with an ageless quality, her grace and complexion mark her as very young, while the streak of ice white hair and naturally weary cast to her face hold years of strife. She wears an elegant dress of deep blue, hemmed with white and cerulean, and an angular crown made of solid ice.
"Welcome, Pathfinders," she says, giving a shallow curtsy. "We apologize for the lack of information, we asked Venture- Captain Torrsen to keep his dispatch to you brief. Allow us to reveal why you're here. Our father ruled over a very large nation on our home planet of Earth. We didn't have any magic to speak of, such as you are accustomed to here, so to travel great distances we devised all manner of technologies from steel and other resources. One of these was our father's great passion, an invention called the ‘train.' It was like a linked stream of iron carriages that moved along a track, pulled by a device of fire and smoke at the front. We wish to bring this wonder to the people of Irrisen, and later, we hope, to the rest of Golarion.
"[b]The resources and technology of Earth are not the same as that of Golarion, and so we don't expect trains to be the same either. In fact, we can give little more direction on how it should work. That is why we have assembled a host of minds and peoples from across the Inner Sea to offer their ideas. You, as Pathfinders who have seen all parts of Golarion and know its peoples, are to help us judge which proposal has the most potential to succeed."
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Queen Anastasia was born on a distant world and brought to Golarion by adventurers just over ten years ago; she has served as Irrisen's queen ever since. She brought with her many strange ideas, as her home world had only humans and no magic. She has spent her time on the throne attempting to improve Irrisen's reputation on the international stage, though she has been met with resistance from the more traditional winter witches.
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Shift-tide does a dramatic bow and introduces himself. "Greetings, Winter Queen Anastasia. I am Shift-tide of the Arcadian Ocean. Forgive my impertinence, but this 'train' concept sounds rather... ambitious. On this world without magic you say you come from, were there any negative consequences from the use of this technology?"
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"Welcome Pathfinders. I'm glad that you wish to learn more of the 'train'. From what I saw the negative consequences of the 'train' technology in a non-magical world are that the train is restricted to certain places where it can operate. I would think that with the magic here on Golarion we can eliminate these restrictions."
You are here to judge the works/ideas of certain contractors that I have invited. Go and circulate among them and report back on which design you believe is optimal. If there are no more questions, Calix can lead you to the contractors who are gathered in the courtyard outside."
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Firozet Botosar is well-known elementalist from Rahadoum, whose claim to fame is the application of minor elemental spirits to power machinery. He competed fiercely with many other candidates to be here, but is finding the arctic weather difficult, to say the least. Woefully unprepared for the cold, he had to buy and beg for as many coats as the local villagers could spare.
Once satisfied, he excitedly discusses his designs.
Danixki (eager agender witchwarg packmaster) is the leader of this witchwarg pack, who once encountered Anastasia as a pup while the queen was on a nighttime ride. Taken by her kindness and dignified manner, the and does their best to accommodate the party. Their speech is punctuated with snarls and grumbles as if they are constantly hungry, eyes darting around in a light frenzy. Despite this, they're overly polite, creating an unnerving dichotomy.
Siraya speaks in a soft voice that shares the tone of leaves shifting in the wind. She introduces herself as a representative of the people of the Feyfrost and repeats the names of each of you, as if trying to commit them to memory.
Lieutenant Surkzin of the Oprak Engineering Corps salutes the party as you approach. Her speech is direct and clipped, but is nonetheless eager to show the Pathfinders her designs. The rest of the hobgoblins in her party enclose around the group, facing outward and scanning the horizon.
Any soldier types, both in game and IRL
Ivinder Greaseblood has been sent by King Anong Arunak of Dongun Hold with a team of engineers. An expert on the use of gunpowder and combustion for explosive works, he finds the idea of using such methods for something other than destruction an entertaining challenge. He first needs to be pulled away from a heated debate with members of his group about the optimal lubricant for the wheels of the train (obviously slurk grease) before he will begin to discuss their pitch for the train.
Coven Matriarch Szvetneera of the Wintercrux Sisterhood does not respond to anything but her full title, though she begrudgingly orders her bodyguards to allow the party's approach. She refers to the train project as "a child's whimsy" with barely contained derision and questions openly why the Pathfinders need to be involved. She is resolved that the Jadwiga are more than capable of creating such a device.
Before she speaks to you, a DC 16 Deception/Diplomacy/Society to placate her ego...
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THE GODLESS ARCANIST:
"The cold is not for everyone. It can be difficult being away from the familiar. I myself miss the freedom of water. Being able to travel in all directions at will."
THE WITCHWARG PACKMASTER:
Shift-tide approaches the witchwargs and engages in some seahorseplay to bond.
THE FEY LADY:
Shift-tide performs a deep bow, "Good Lady of Feyfrost. I am Shift-tide of the Arcadian Ocean, Sworn Enemy of the Alghollthu, Emissary of the the Deep. It is an honor to meet you."
He has some limited experience with fey and tries to lean in to that knowledge.
THE PLANAR ENGINEER:
Shift-tide returns the lieutenant's salute.
"You may stand at ease in my presence. I am Shift-tide of the Arcadian Ocean. Well-met. I don't know much about portals, beyond an awareness of some ancient Azlanti ruins and the alghollthu attempts at opening portals to the Plane of Water and...darker realms. I would love to learn more."
THE DWARVEN MACHINIST:
"There's not much gunpowder in the ocean. How does it work?"
THE COVEN MATRIARCH:
Shift-tide approaches the scowling Winter-Witch, and performs the deepest bow he's done so far.
"Coven Matriarch Szvetneera of the Wintercrux Sisterhood, lone adult surrounded by children, it is as much of a relief to meet you as it is an honor. While I understand the impulse towards 'innovation' this..
Queen Anastasia seems to have...ambitious goals indeed. Ambition can be a good thing...to a point. Wouldn't you say?"
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Arcanist:
"Cold is something I'm familiar with.."
Spurtz tries to warm up the Arcanist.
Witchwargs:
He knows a bit about scavenging, eyeing the Witchwargs a bit warily.
Fey Lady:
"Yes, you've pronounced the name right.." he says to the Fey Lady.
Engineer:
"Tracks? I know just the material! Same one I use for Skunk!"
Machinist:
Trying not to get nervous around a dwarf, Spurtz and him discuss various mechanisms.
"What a wonder! This could revolutionise the world!"
Matriarch:
"May a lowly kobold speak to you, milady?"
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Witchwargs: Danixki reveals that their plan is an easy one—their pack is more than capable of pulling a "chain of iron boxes" across ice, so long as well-waxed skis are laid beneath the cars.
Fey Lady: Siraya explains that the best way for a train to move through Irrisen's wilderness is for it to be adaptable. She proposes that a small group of sprites could craft the cars from wood and manipulate its form as needed. If pressed, she taps her wooden model—causing it to sprout a wooden set of dragonfly wings that thrum at a rapid cadence.
Dwarven Machinist: Using too much technical jargon, Ivinder explains that repeated, controlled explosions will send force out the back of the train, propelling it forward. He gestures to a dwarf with harsh burns down the length of their arm and insists they have tested it.
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I am confused, I think you are saying my Diplomacy check for the Godless Arcanist used for the High Matriarch? And if that is the case was the 22 not a success?
Surkzin lays the train model out on one of the tables and winds it up. As it moves on its own, she infuses an object in her hand with a bit of magic, causing an obsidian archway to appear in front of it. The model enters and comes out of a different archway on the table next to it. The lieutenant explains that the train can use the Stone Roads to travel vast distances in an instant.
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Damatros and Carotte manage to convince Firozet to talk about his design.
Firozet explains that through gentle applications of planar binding, minor elementals of air and fire can be used to create superheated air. This in turn is directed out through a large vent in the back of the train, causing a horizontal push that will propel the train.
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As the struggling sun reaches its zenith, Calix emerges from the main doors of the estate and tolls a large brass bell twice. The sound echoes across the courtyard, piercing through the chatter of the assembled parties and drawing all eyes to the dromaar. "Esteemed representatives, assembled staff, and, of course, our honored guests from the Pathfinder Society. I hope you have found the accommodations welcome and are all prepared to present your solutions to Her Majesty Queen Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova. The court will receive you in the estate's meeting room. If you would please gather your demonstrative models and accompany me closely. The estate has many rooms and corridors, and it would not do for any of you to lose your way."
With a scattered mixture of grumbling and excitement, the procession trails behind Calix until it arrives at the same oak doors from earlier—this time swung wide. The long table has been replaced by a circular one, chairs arrayed with name cards so each representative can find their mark easily. Tactfully positioned at an angle of the table that sets her apart from the rest, yet still in full view of the proceedings, sits Queen Anastasia on throne of crafted ice. She rises in a respectful show before motioning for the assembled parties to sit. Once the room has calmed, the Irriseni queen pulls herself to her full height.
"Our thanks again, to each of you in turn for replying to our summons. We understand the task we commission is not only strange but made more difficult without our ability to demonstrate the function of a train properly. Therefore, we knew it was best to allow the people of Golarion to set loose their vision and ingenuity in order to bring it about. We are sure we will not be disappointed in what we are about to see. If you would please lay out your demonstration models on the table before you." The assembled representatives produce their model locomotives and begin to set them up. Queen Anastasia opens her mouth to continue before the sound of wrenching metal and shattering glass cuts her off.
Cold wind surges through the wreckage of the meeting room's large windows, the panes reduced to jagged edges and fine powder on the floor. Before anyone in the room can react, a group of six goblins, their skin a pale blue and accented by patchy tufts of white fur, barge through the opening. They run into the room singing a silly goblin song.
Spread the rime, steal the wheels, Keep the longshanks on our heels. Tear the curtains, claw the floors, Break stuff like we’re charging boars! Rimesnap says the hummies pay, Chase us as we run away. Scare the maids but do not kill, Just cause trouble as we will. House too warm, back to th’woods, Make off with our shiny goods. Think we made that butler cry We be goblins! Now bye-bye!
The small creatures surge over the large table, knocking it over and scattering the models. The goblins slide across the floor, scooping up the models and dashing out of the room. They round a corner, the sound of shrieking house maids marking their passage through the estate.
Only Lieutenant Surkzin still holds her model, shock somehow an even odder emotion on her hobgoblin features than a smile. As she begins to formulate an explanation the chaos increases with the shouts of the other representatives. Accusations are quick to fly, with many of the group casting blame on the lieutenant and crying conspiracy.
Calix is the first to regain his composure. He gestures to the door leading out into the rest of the estate. "Pathfinders, if you please?" he entreats in a strained voice.
The main hallway of the estate is in much worse shape now, with claw marks dug across the walls and floor and a thin patch of slippery ice spread around.
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CHASE TRACKER
Round: 1
Obstacle: MAIN HALLWAY
Skills:
DC 16 Acrobatics to maintain balance
DC 15 Nature to identify the least slippery patches of ice.
Successes: 0/4
Goblins Location: 1 obstacle(s) ahead
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Those with ** may go
**Damatros Lunari
**Carotte
**Spurtz
**Shift-Tide
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Shift-tide attempts to rush down the hallway but slips. Although he manages to keep his balance, he makes no progress. Spurtz manages to run through the hallway, his claws easily finding purchase (). Damatros channels his best Doctor and shoots a line through the main hallway into the wall, narrowly missing an expensive looking painting...
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CHASE TRACKER
Round: 1
Obstacle: MAIN HALLWAY
Skills:
DC 16 Acrobatics to maintain balance
DC 15 Nature to identify the least slippery patches of ice.
Successes: 3/4
Goblins Location: 1 obstacle(s) ahead
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Those with ** may go
Damatros Lunari
**Carotte
Spurtz
Shift-Tide
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Carotte manages to maintain her footing and move ahead.
The once well-maintained sitting room appointed by fine furniture and expensive artifacts has been thoroughly ransacked.
"Here! CATCH!!" A lingering winter goblin hurls a parting shot of a bejeweled and gilded egg while the staff that’s been cleaning the room are in hysterics, blocking most movement through the room.
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CHASE TRACKER
Round: 1
Obstacle: SITTING ROOM
Skills:
DC 13 Thievery to catch the egg
DC 15 Diplomacy to calm the panicked staff
Successes: 0/4
Goblins Location: 1 obstacle(s) ahead
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Those with ** may go
**Damatros Lunari
**Carotte
**Spurtz
**Shift-Tide
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Shift-Tide and Damatros successfully calm the staff while Carotte easily catches the egg.
The party manages to catch up to the goblins and Spurtz manages to grab Firozet's train model from one of the goblins.
The goblins run through the next room with the party hot on their heels. This appears to be an entertaining room filled with large tables and assorted games from across the Inner Sea. The maids from the previous room can be heard shouting not to damage any of the game pieces or disturb the layout.
Train models recovered:
Firozet's Elemental Train
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CHASE TRACKER
Round: 3
Obstacle: GAME ROOM
Skills:
DC 13 Athletics to climb over the tables
DC 15 Society to realize which pieces are not fragile.
Successes: 0/4
Goblins Location: 1 obstacle(s) ahead
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Those with ** may go
**Damatros Lunari
**Carotte
**Spurtz
**Shift-Tide