[ACO] PF2e - 06-05: Silver Bark, Golden Blades (P2; GM Eval 3) (Inactive)

Game Master UncleFroggy

Please dot (add a post) in here and then delete your post to add yourself to this campaign.

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.

"HELLO EVERYBODY!"

"Oops, indoor voice."

"Too quiet?"

"Just right."

Thevenin wonders, if a leshy falls in the middle of the woods, do they make a sound?

/dot

Bustling up to Thevenin is a plump, petite little old lady dressed in an absolutely ridiculously enormous blood-red sweater dress. It's so huge that she's tied it up in bunches all around her frame to keep herself from tripping on it or falling out of it. "OooOoo! I like it loud, dearie! Sounds like a party! Heehee!" She digs around in the folds of her garment, then holds out a piece of unwrapped hard candy with only a tiny bit of red fuzz on it. "I don't suppose you'd like a candy, dearie?"

Tirion eyes the fuzz covered candy warily. “Perhaps another time, my lady,” he says respectfully. “I should not wish to spoil my dinner.”The tall, green- skinned elf shifts his stance, so as to not draw any more attention to himself.

Your adventure begins in the Three Gates Lodge within Kayajima, Minkai, not far from the beginning of the Spirit Road. Venture-Captain Amara Li offers you tea and dumplings as she briefs you on the strange fog blocking all transit to Silvertree.

While you enjoy your tea and dumplings, please introduce yourselves (if you haven't already) :)

"I need you to investigate something for me," Amara Li says as she pours golden buckwheat tea into simple yet elegant cups. "Despite the vast and somewhat dangerous wilderness that surrounds it, the Spirit Road is the lifeblood of trade between Hongal and Minkai, and now it has been inexplicably blocked." She pauses. "The Forest of Spirits is home to departed souls and kami, the spiritual guardians of the forest. Travelers through this region rarely dare to stray from the road for fear of offending either."

She passes the cups along the table, and then continues. "Some merchants that I hired to transport goods to Hongal reported that a thick and disorienting fog laid across their route. One woman told me that she heard howling ghosts when she tried to enter, and another was bitten by relentless tiny teeth. The merchants soon found themselves leaving the fog where they had entered. Shaken by this experience, they turned around and reported back here." Amara Li sighs. "There is another group of merchants who left from Hongal, and have not been seen since, and other merchants coming from Minkai have reported being unable to pass through. "[b]It is always hard to map a region as ever-changing as the Forest of Spirits," Amara continues, "but consider this as close an approximation as we can get." Amara unrolls a delicately painted map. "As you can see, the Spirit Road connects Minkai to Hongal along the peninsula’s southwestern coastline. The largest settlement on the Spirit Road is the village of Ohira, right at the delta of the Bunkatsu river. But crossing the Bunkatsu at this time of year is dangerous, so most merchant caravans take their heavy wagons to the crossing slightly north of the Spirit Road at the bridge that leads to the tiny village of Silvertree." Amara taps her finger on the dot representing the village.

"There seems something sinister to this strange and persistent fog. We think the source of the fog must be somewhere near one of these two villages and the Bunkatsu river. With so many of my experienced agents dealing with literal fallout of Godsrain, I’m hoping that you can investigate the phenomenon and tell us what we need to do to end it."

The golden furred, black spotted amurrun shifts the massive blade attached to a pole resting on his shoulder. "It sounds like the spirits are angry," he comments, unconsciously in Tien.

Tirion listens to the Venture Captain as she relays the story. “You don’t have to worry, Venture- Captain Li,” he tells her. “We will get to the bottom of this mystery.”

“I don’t suppose any of the villagers might have more information?” he asks. “Any additional details could be valuable.”

"OooOoo! A mystery! Well, I wonder if we could chat with those merchants. Relentless tiny teeth, eh? Sounds fascinating! Heehee!" Mrs. Crinkle chuckles merrily. Is she even taking this seriously? "So, Venture-Captain, what are some of the ways to appease and offend the departed souls and kami? And what would happen if we, er, accidentally do the latter? Heehee!" There's a twinkle in her eye at the suggestion. It is said that wisdom comes with age; perhaps for this old lady, age came alone.

A green-skinned goblin emerges past the other party members. "Excuse me, I'm here for the briefing too," he says with a bow. "Pennypockets—though just Penny is fine," he announces. "And I bid you all warm greetings on behalf of the People's Democratic Republic of Thistletop."

He wears padded armour of a rather dashing cut, and carries a sword, buckler, and crossbow.

"What could it be in the fog?
A ghost, the fey, or a dog?
We have to go look,
And search every nook—
We're in for a bit of a slog"

"Place sounds haunted,"[b] states the dwarf with red hair bluntly. "[b]"So I guess the name checks out."

"We expect that, at the best, we wander in the woods finding now answers or, at the worst, we disappear for a hundred years or so," the amurrun answers the wrinkled old Pathfinder while running the fingers of his left hand over a stylized wooden mask hanging from his belt.

He then says to the green-skinned elf, "We expect that we are going to be questioning the villagers directly." He then looks to the Venture-Captain for confirmation of his assumption.

"ooOOOoooOOOo, scary," Thevenin says. They quickly correct themselves. "Not the ghosts. Will we need to speak Tien? Because ... I don't."

Amara Li smiles. "Fear not, Thevenin. Most folk along the spirit road speak common. You will not need to learn Tien. Yes, Onye, you will indeed be speaking to the villagers directly; though I suspect that the villagers will not know themselves what is going on. I would suggest you keep your eyes and ears open in case something presents itself to you."

"If you are in need of any provisions, please speak to the quartermaster. As the journey will be long, we will provide you a pair of horses, a wagon loaded with food, water, a repair kit, and a map of Minkai and the Forest of Spirits, including the only settlements along the Spirit Road. I wish you the best"

Please finalize your provisions if you have not already done so. Any last minute shopping, now's your chance! :)

"Do they sell anything to protect us from bandits, oni, fey, and wild animals? I hear those are the threats. If the balance of the forest has been upset, even kami and nature spirits can become aggressive and attack."

"I shall draw a healing potion from the Pathfinder Provisions, thank you" the bard replies.

Turning to the party he says "The most common threats found in the Forest of Spirits are bandits, oni, fey, and wild animals. If the balance of the forest has been upset, even kami and nature spirits can become aggressive and attack. There have been recent rumors of rare plants and animals smuggled from the Forest of Spirits being sold at markets in Minkai and Hongol by agents of the Golden League"

"Could be smugglers or poachers stirring up trouble—and if that's the case, we needn’t worry about knowing Tien. Violence is a universal language."

"Just keep to the path and watch out for the trees!"

With no further questions, Lande takes a Lesser Healing Potion and waits for the others.

"Given the fey in the forest, we will take this," the amurrun says to the quartermaster, handing them a cold iron sphere. "We understand all lodges have someone to affix this to our weapon." He hefts the improbably large blade off of his shoulder so the craftsmen can reach it.

While he waits, he says to the others, "We can understand why the spirits might be agitated if poachers are capturing and selling the beasts into captivity. It is not as bad as what the beasts from beyond the dark tapestry do, but it is not right."

"Just keep to the path and watch out for the trees!"

OOTS is great!

"Well, if it's poachers, I'm with Pennypockets here: Violence is the answer! Heehee!" The little old lady gleefully giggles, jolly laugh lines radiating from her eyes.

Pathfinder Provision: lesser healing potion

Tirion has everything he needs for the job- which isn’t much. He admittedly feels a bit out of sorts, as the least- experienced pathfinder here, but he hopes he can learn something from each one of them.

"Think I know what I need to know, let's head off" The goblin is upbeat and enthusiastic, especially about the homicidal grandmother Mrs Crinkle.

The journey from the Three Gates Lodge in Kayajima through the Osogen Grasslands is chilly but scenic, with brisk winds blowing through the swaying plants of the prairie and mountains soaring to either side of the plain. Along the way, friendly nomads and hearty herdsmen wave from a distance, and some locals approach on horseback to warn travelers with rumors that the Spirit Road has been blocked. Finally, the northern city of Hokkoshi comes into view. As the last stop for travelers venturing into the Forest of Spirits, Hokkoshi teems with Spirit Road guides and merchant caravans, all glumly stuck in town.

The merchants clamor to talk to any Pathfinders who approach them, telling them stories of the mysterious fog that is blocking all travel across the Bunkatsu river. Most of the merchants and guides are veterans with many prior crossings of the road; none have seen a fog this impenetrable or permanent. They confirm that the fog has blocked all travel for the past month. They also outright refuse to accompany you as long as the fog persists...

Once within the woods, almost all traffic on the Spirit Road dies away, though the sounds of birdsong and skittering wildlife fill the void. Old growth trees enclose the path on both sides, with the occasional a break in the trees revealing a view of the azure seawater of the Sapphire Sound. Down below, waves crash against a rocky shore and the air tastes not just of pine but also of finely misted salt spray.

One by one, snowy squirrel-like creatures with the twitching long ears of rabbits arrive on the path. The squirrel-rabbits watch you with intelligent eyes, always following at a watchful distance. As you travel onward, more and more squirrel-rabbits arrive, skittering overhead from branch to branch or hopping along the sides of the path.

Apologies -- last 2 days I've had 2-3 hour commutes home... Leave work at 1730h only to get home close to 2000h. I'm pretty much dead after that...

Nature: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22 vs DC 14

"Oh, hiiiilo, Mx. Risucho," Thevenin says, as they wave enthusiastically. Turning to their comrades, they explain, "Risucho are a network of tiny kami who deliver news and mail from village to village."

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27 vs DC 16

"The squirrels are intelligent and waiting patiently to see what we will do!"

Thevenin explains that the Pathfinders are looking for some missing people, and that they're friendly.

Thevenin knows Common and Fey, and will try both languages if they don't understand the first.

"Ooo, lovely! Hello dearies!" Mrs. Crinkle waves cheerily at the risucho gathering, then begins digging around in the folds of her enormous sweater dress. "Say, Thenevin, do they like snacks? I'm sure I have some nuts in here somewhere. They just might be a little fuzzy. --Ooo! A butterscotch! Heehee!" She pops it into her mouth, red fuzz and all, and sucks delightedly on it as she continues to fumble for nuts in the folds of her clothing.

The goblin pauses to see how the dialogue begins to play out - the fey translator can try their hand…

“ I wonder if perhaps they have been unable to cross the mist as well,” he muses tot eh group. “If they have need to deliver messages across the road, they may be able to give us information. After all, Kami are more spiritually aware then we are.”

A light mist gathers, swirling around the trees. A risucho hops in front of you, waits for half a minute, and then starts hopping slowly away, stopping every few seconds to look behind and check if anyone follows.

The squirrel-rabbit skitters to a halt as an antlered figure arises out of the mist to the mixed scents of cherry blossoms, sea spray and cloying blood. As the mists clear, her form becomes fully visible. With bright green fur and cherry blossoms sprouting out of her antlers, her face is that of a furious macaque monkey. "Well met, strangers, I am Sakura, the guardian kami of Silvertree." says she "Do you feel it? An unholy miasma resides in what was once a sacred wood. The village harbors it and it festers in my domain like a weeping sore."

Sakura continues, "I have laid this fog in to separate Silvertree from the rest of the Forest of Spirits. This is not just to punish the village, but also to protect the rest of the forest from infection. I will not remove the fog until the villagers rid themselves of this horrid thing. Can you find the source of unholy energy? Perhaps if you can find a way to navigate this fog, you can also find a way to free the village and remove the filthy source of miasma. I do not know exactly what the source of the foulness is, only that I sense it within the village and its presence is enraging, not just to me but to the other forest spirits. Some of them have been maddened by it, losing all sense and reason. I’m losing all sense and reason! Dig until you find it, and then destroy it!"

"Wasn't much of a thief, more of a fearful soul. Have you seen him since then? It's been a few years."

"Sounds like what we were sent to do! ...it's not like this is the first time a Goblin was semt to a village to go destroy something, but just being clear this time, I've been invited to yeah? People got really funny about Sandpoint and its relationship with the peaceful folk of the People's Democratic Republic of Thistletop"

Should we have to 1-06 Chronicle on *this* character, or on any one? Asking before I open the spoiler.

"Ooo! Villagers harboring a foul nastiness? Sounds like a job for a crack pest control team! Don't you worry, Sakura! We'll root out that evil whosiwhatsit before you can say 'Bob's your uncle'! Heehee!" If Mrs. Crinkle wonders whether that foulness is lycanthropic (or something that resembles that), one can't tell from her countenance.

Your current PC. Sorry.

Onye Dinta bows to the kami and listens. "We did not sense this thing, but we will work to stop the infection. We must cross the mist to reach the village where the corruption lies? And you said dig, so we expect the problem lies buried under the ground?"

“Can you tell us how to navigate the fog, honored one?” Tirion asks, bowing low. “If it is you who has caused the fog to be, would you not know its secrets around the fog?

The white squirrel-rabbits chitter at Sakura, and then hop hopefully to the edge of the solid fog barrier. Sakura’s eyes narrow as she studies the Pathfinders before her. "Very well. I will allow you within the fog, and we will see how you manage the challenge. Perhaps you can find your way." Then Sakura pauses. "Should you meet enraged kami, defend yourselves, but try not to kill them. They know not what they do."

Surprise! It's skill check time. I know you are all shocked and amazed that there is a whole section specifically on skill checks and/or socialization.
* Skill checks earn Navigation Points (NP) as follows: CS/S/F/CF: +2/+1/0/-1

------------------
TRACKER
Round: 1

Obstacle: FEELING ONE’S WAY

Overcome:
DC 15 Survival checks to Sense Direction in the fog,
DC 17 Nature to examine local flora for clues,
DC 19 Perception to notice sounds, smells, or other sensations in the fog.

Special: If you have a way to navigate non-magical fog, you can get a +2 bonus to all checks.

Successes: 0/3
------------------
Those with ** may go

**Pennypockets
**Lande Striden
**Mrs. Crinkle
**Onye Dawon
**Tirion Erithiel
**Thevenin Serkat

Nature 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Pennypockets looks about here and there, stopping to sniff the mysterious fog, run his fingers through the grasses, examine the flora, and pick his way along by checking the mosses on the trees to determine his heading—all while considering the mission at hand and the wishes of the (potentially!) friendly kami.

He coins another limerick:

"I'll examine and poke local flora,
The trouble with being an explorer.
I'm no great expert,
We might all get hurt,
And our health may end up the poorer!"

Despite his warning, he does seem to make a good job of it.

Lande exhales as the air slowly churns around him. He uses cues from the Land to determine his bearings.

Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Nothing to help see through fog, but Lande's kinetic aura is active.

Onye Dinta takes note of the position of the sun. He shifts the weight of the massive blade on his shoulder before walking into the enchanted fog.

Survival (T): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

Penny and Lande easily make their way through the fog.

Somewhere in the fog, you find a broken down cart with several half-eaten dead bodies. They are all that remain of a merchant caravan that failed to penetrate the fog. Their ghosts wail their frustrations about their interrupted lives and needless deaths.

Onye, if you can make it fit, you can keep the 18. :)

------------------
TRACKER
Round: 2

Obstacle: PHANTOMS IN THE FOG

Overcome:
DC 15 Religion to lay the spirits to rest;
DC 15 Mercantile Lore to soothe the angry spirits
DC 19 Deception/Diplomacy to soothe the angry spirits
DC 17 Other Lore to promise to help the ghosts with unfinished business (make it fit)

Special: If you have a way to navigate non-magical fog, you can get a +2 bonus to all checks.

Successes: 0/3
------------------
Those with ** may go

**Pennypockets
**Lande Striden
**Mrs. Crinkle
**Onye Dawon
**Tirion Erithiel
**Thevenin Serkat

Diplomacy 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

Penny considers the dead for a moment, then softens his expression into one of deep understanding and support. When he speaks, his voice is low and consoling, each word carrying a soothing tone.

"It's time for you to have rest,
The fog—you gave it your best.
We will make it to town
And put the cause down.
To Pharasma go, and be blessed."

Survival Religion (T): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

The amurrun pulls his stylized wooden mask over his face. Once he realizes that they are not immediately aggressive, he growls, "We must help these souls to pass on to the next life."

He chants in an unfamiliar language and begins to circle the ghosts and their mortal remains with a slinking march.

"Right, dearies, like he said. We're going to avenge your deaths, don't you worry! Heehee!" Mrs. Crinkle chuckles warmly, blithely assuming her laughter won't offend the spirits.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

"Oh, my. So angry. Maybe not be so angry? Do you need a huggy?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (19) + 13 = 32 vs DC 19

Onye, Penny and Mrs Crinkle convince the ghosts to move on.

Massive trunks from old growth trees rise out of the fog, suggesting there might be viewpoints higher up.

Thevenin, if you can make it fit, you can keep the 19.

------------------
TRACKER
Round: 3

Obstacle: SCOUTING HIGHER GROUND

Overcome:
DC 15 Lore (make it fit) to scout the forest
DC 17 Athletics checks to climb the highest trees
DC 17 Acrobatics to balance and swing on branches

Special: If you have a way to navigate non-magical fog, you can get a +2 bonus to all checks.

Successes: 0/2
------------------
Those with ** may go

**Pennypockets
**Lande Striden
**Mrs. Crinkle
**Onye Dawon
**Tirion Erithiel
**Thevenin Serkat

"Ooo! Last one to the top is a rotten egg!" Petite, elderly Mrs. Crinkle squats low, wiggles her tush, and leaps up to the lowest branch. She pulls herself up the limbs of the tree quickly, obviously quite spry for a lady her age. Unfortunately, she has all the modesty of a wild child: everyone below her can see her puffy white bloomers.

Athletics DC 17: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

"HI TREES!!!!!!!"

1d20 ⇒ 10
+8 Banana Lore vs DC 15, if there's any chance these trees could have had bananas.
+7 Leshy Lore vs DC 15, if they'd recognize Thevenin (they're from the Findahar Forest).
+7 Acrobatics vs DC 17, otherwise.

EDIT: I guess that's a Success in any case, but I'd still like to know if I can use Banana Lore.

Mrs Crinkle surprises everyone as she nimbly climbs one of the trees. Thevenin finds banana-like fruits hanging from the trees and somehow manages to determine the right direction from how they're pointing...

Without warning, a bunch of insects suddenly attack you.

This is not a combat encounter. Treat the attack roll as a skill check

------------------
TRACKER
Round: 4

Obstacle: MAWS IN THE MIST

Overcome:
DC 17 Stealth to slip away in the fog
DC 19 Intimidate to scare the creatures away
DC 21 attack roll to swat the creatures.

Special: If you have a way to navigate non-magical fog, you can get a +2 bonus to all checks.

Successes: 0/2
------------------
Those with ** may go

**Pennypockets
**Lande Striden
**Mrs. Crinkle
**Onye Dawon
**Tirion Erithiel
**Thevenin Serkat

Lande uses his connection to the air to create a fly swatter made out of pure electricity.

Elemental Blast (Weapon Infusion): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

"Ack! Too many of them!"

◆ Strike: +1 Giant Guisarme (T): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Onye hops down from the tree he was starting to climb with an envious glance toward the wrinkled human. "We are surprised by your spryness," he comments.

When the swarming insects roll out of the forest, he hefts his oversized blade from his shoulder. With intention, he turns the blade perpendicular to the ground, swings back, and then swings the blade forward to create a gust of air.

Intimidate 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

The goblin seems oddly excited by the swarm of bugs—instead of running away, he charges straight at them, eyes aglow with a gleeful hint of malice.

He grins wide and chants:

"Goblins love eating bugs,
They taste like delicious hugs.
We bite off your wings,
And chew on your stings—
Then dance as we slurp out the guts!"

Whilst not his best rhyme, there’s a dark viciousness in his tone that makes it clear - these bugs are far more likely to end up as dinner than danger.