You are summoned to the Grand Lodge in Absalom by an urgent call from the former Master of Spells, Aram Zey. A chill runs down your spine as you wonder what dire news he carries this time...
The shaggy dog sitting next to her growls as anyone comes close to her.
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A young Tian-Min woman arrives and looks around the meeting spot at the Grand Lodge. Looking at the Tian-Min, she brings to mind nothing so much as the beauty of an ice sculpture. She is possessed of icy blue eyes and an equally icy demeanor, looking upon her surroundings with cold indifference through the bangs of a chin-length platinum bob. The woman is slender, with the lithe and toned body of a martial artist or swordswoman, and the calloused hands to match. She has a distinctive beauty mark to the right of her chin. Attired in the do-maru armor of a samurai over a short red yukata and the geta sandals of Minkai, the woman has a paired daisho at her right hip.
Spotting the Tien-La woman and her dog, she (correctly) assumes that they are answering the same summons and approaches her. Hearing the dog growl, of course, she eyes the canine warily and stops a short distance away. "You are here to answer Aram Zey's summons as well? I am Tamahi Kiyoko," she says by way of introduction, using the family name-given name order common of Tian Xia.
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Taryn greets the newcomer with a slight bow and responds to her introduction."I was told by a senior agent of the Dark Archives House to report here for a summons. It was my duty to attend. I am Onggur Xorxoi Taryn-chen the Zhimsen-gaval but most westerners simply call me Taryn Grimskull. I find that most have difficulty with Tien names so I do not correct them or I would spend all my time doing so. This is Harken, my companion. I am honored to meet you. I serve Shizuru." She motions to her dog to smell the one called Kiyoko and accept her as a friend.
Aram Zey, the former Master of Spells, grimaces in pain and speaks. “Pathfinders, an entire world is in danger! The Hao Jin Tapestry is on the brink of collapse. If we do not act now, all its wonders and its people will be lost to us forever. Find your assigned group, aid in our preparations to enter the demiplane however you can, and await further instructions.”
Countless Pathfinders stand ready in a large stone room deep beneath the Grand Lodge. A ragged tapestry covered in clashing colors and abstract symbols rests on an inclined slab in the center of the room, surrounded by scaffolds and ladders. Scholars frantically rush along the scaffolds, studying a flurry of rips appearing on the tapestry.
A harried oread woman approaches. “I am Master of Spells Sorrina Westyr. I won’t mince words—the situation is dire. This cloth is the famous Hao Jin Tapestry, an ancient relic the Pathfinder Society acquired in the Ruby Phoenix Tournament six years ago. It contains a vast wealth of locations, treasures, and peoples torn from Golarion by the sorceress Hao Jin. We have explored many regions of the tapestry, struggled to keep the Aspis Consortium from turning its populace against us, and devised a means to use the tapestry for fast travel across all of Golarion. But now, it has begun to unravel. We must act quickly to repair the tapestry—and that means sending agents into the demiplane itself. Our former Master of Spells, Aram Zey, knows more about the tapestry than anyone here. He is preparing a formal briefing. In the meantime, familiarize yourself with your team, discuss any previous experience you may have with the Hao Jin Tapestry, and gather what information and resources you can. "
"One more thing, and this is important: you will be able to retreat safely from the tapestry to Absalom. However, we cannot risk damaging the tapestry further by sending groups back and forth. Be sure that you gather everything you need before entering the tapestry, because once you return to Absalom, you will no longer be a part of this mission."
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A slender sylph with stained fingers and a pair of hefty tomes hurries up to the group.
Oooh, I missed introductions. We'll have to do them again.
She lifts one of the books.
You can call me Linka. I'm here to know things, create explosions, and fly. Well, I can only fly a little now. Some sylphs can just fly when they feel like it, and I definitely have the right stuff to get there some day, but I just figure out a recipe to give myself wings, so that will have to work until I can just float on the breeze.
She looks back and forth between Kiyoko and Taryn.
Oh! You're both from Tien. Did you know each other before the mission? I know Tian is a big place, but selection bias is a thing, and a lot of times similar circumstances will drive people along similar paths, but I also don't want to make assumptions. Now, if you could introduces yourselves again... please? I want to write it down for my chronicles.
She looks on eagerly with her book and inkpen ready.
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Kiyoko shakes her head at Garsita's question. She then glances at Linka, and shakes her head again.
Afte a moment's pause, she speaks. "I am unsure where"--what had Taryn said her full name was? It certainly didn't sound Minkaian--"Taryn is from. I am a samurai from Minkai. It is on a peninsula on the far east of Tian Xia. Kiyoko Tamahi is my name."
With that, the Tian-Min clams up.
After you get familiar with your teammates, there are many way you can access the current situation about the Hao Jin Tapestry......
Relevant Skills: Appraise, Disable Device, Perception, or Use Magic Device
TASK DETAILS
The PCs inspect the tapestry itself to help discern what might be happening to it.
Relevant Skills: Bluff or Intimidate
TASK DETAILS
The PCs interrogate a group of Aspis Consortium agents recently arrested in Absalom, attempting to discern if the Consortium is infiltrating the tapestry again. The agents insist that the Consortium is not involved.
Relevant Skills: Diplomacy (gather information) or Knowledge (local or planes)
TASK DETAILS
The PCs recall or gather information about the Hao Jin Tapestry.
Relevant Skills: Knowledge (arcana or planes), Perception, Sense Motive, or Spellcraft
TASK DETAILS
The PCs get a strange feeling of being watched and investigate to determine what is going on.
Relevant Skills: Appraise, Craft (any relevant skill), Knowledge (arcana), or Profession (any relevant skill)
TASK DETAILS
The PCs assess the repair team’s supplies, including climbing gear, traveling gear, food and drink, and supplies for magic rituals.
Relevant Skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge (history), or Perform
TASK DETAILS
The PCs briefly swap tales of the Pathfinder Society’s previous adventures in the tapestry.
Relevant Skills: Knowledge (geography or nature), Profession (any relevant profession), or Survival
TASK DETAILS
The PCs share tips for navigating and surviving a variety of terrains.
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"Hi everyone, I wish I am not late. I come to this lodge directly after traveling across Glarian. Oh, let me introduce myself. I am Mantis, as you could see, I am a Samsaran. I believe my pastlife was a cleric. But now I devote myself into the path of nature and peace."
This blue-skin lady rushes into the lodge. You could still see dusts on her clothes and tirednesson her face.
An earth elemental with sparkling blue eyes waves at the party in greeting.
Between Taryn, Linka, Mantis, and with the helps from Kiyoko and Garsita, you have gathered all the information that's available right now.
ASSESS THE DAMAGE
-The PCs notice that the largest holes appear around six of the regions that Pathfinder agents visited in the past few years.
-The PCs notice that the tapestry is radiating warmth.
-The PCs notice that, despite the tapestry’s warmth, there are spots around the largest tears that are chill as a grave. Once during the adventure, when the group encounters one or more undead opponents, the group can activate this reward to grant the PCs a +4 bonus on their initiative checks for that encounter.
INTERROGATE THE SNAKES
-The PCs believe the Consortium agents. The agents reveal that the Aspis Consortium recently tried to re-infiltrate the tapestry, but it was too unstable and they could not gain entry.
-As above, but the PCs also gain information about the Consortium’s past dealings with groups in the tapestry. Once during the adventure, one PC can gain a +2 bonus to a Charisma-based skill check made when interacting with a creature in the tapestry.
-When using the reward above, the PC can roll twice and take the better result (in addition to gaining the +2 bonus).
KNOWLEDGE OF THE WEAVE
-The PCs recall or learn that many regions in the tapestry are pulled directly from Golarion. However, most of its denizens have lived in the tapestry for their entire lives, and some can trace back many generations to ancestors who lived on the tapestry as well. Once during the adventure, one PC can reroll a failed Knowledge check and use the new result.
-When using the reward above, the PC can instead reroll any one skill check.
-When using the reward above, the PC can instead reroll any one d20 roll.
SOMETHING IS WATCHING
-The PCs feel suddenly anxious, like they’ve just awoken from a nightmare, but the feeling is fleeting.
-The PCs feel suddenly anxious and sense a malicious supernatural presence trying to enter their minds, but they manage to resist. Once during the adventure before rolling a Will save, one PC may add a +2 bonus.
-The PCs feel suddenly anxious and detect a malicious presence. Before fighting it off, they sense its intentions: to feed on the chaos and death in the tapestry. Once during this adventure before attempting a Will save, one PC can roll twice and choose the better result.
SUPPLY CHECK
-The repair team, grateful for the PCs’ aid, provides each PC with a potion of cure serious wounds.
-The repair team also provides each PC with an additional potion of the PC’s choice that does not have an expensive material component.
In Subtier 5–6, this is a 1st- or 2nd-level potion.
-The repair team is supplied well enough to set up a rudimentary shop in the Hao Jin Tapestry. Between encounters, the PCs may purchase items from the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook or Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Equipment with a price of 1,500 gp or less.
TALES FROM THE TAPESTRY
-The PCs recall several stories of Pathfinder agents adventuring in the tapestry and dealing with all manner of different peoples and creatures, from ratfolk and lizardfolk to ancient mummies and manipulative demons. Each time the PCs attempt a Knowledge check to identify a creature in the tapestry, one PC can choose to gain a +2 bonus on the check.
-Once during the scenario, each PC can roll twice and take the better result instead of gaining a +2 bonus.
-Instead of rolling the Knowledge check twice to identify the creature (see above), the PC can treat their result as if they had rolled a 20. Alternatively, the PC may gain the benefits of the Average result while treating the Knowledge skill as trained.
TRAVEL TIPS
-The PCs recall the various terrain types from the Pathfinder Society’s previous adventures in the tapestry: buildings, caves and tunnels, ancient ruins, mountains, and deserts. Many more are known to exist within the tapestry as well.
-The PCs share advice for dealing with different terrains. Once during the adventure, one PC can choose to re-roll a failed skill check made as part of their movement (such as Acrobatics, Climb, or Fly).
-The PCs share advice for rapidly adapting to new environments and situations. Each PC can use the benefit from the reward above.
Aram Zey cries out in alarm as a massive rip appears in the Hao Jin Tapestry. A silvery void dances within the breach. “The rifts are widening—we’re running out of time! Quickly, Pathfinders. Finish your preparations and gather around the tapestry.”
His gaze remains fixed on the tapestry as he addresses the crowd around him. He is harried and pale, with dark bags under his bloodshot eyes. His hands tremble slightly as he sets a mug of coffee down on a table already littered with empty cups. “Pathfinders, the Hao Jin Tapestry is falling to pieces. Both the physical object you see before you and the mystical realm it contains have been unraveling for several months, possibly even longer. My only hope is that there is still time to save the tapestry and those who live inside.”
The former Master of Spells glares at the tapestry for a moment, and then a new rip catches his attention. He jabs a finger at the frayed fabric. “There! You see? The degradation is causing—or perhaps caused by—rifts to the Astral Plane that are appearing throughout the demiplane. Fixing these tears is not as simple as stitching fabric or performing a few rituals. We must enter the tapestry itself, find the rifts, and repair them as best we can. But the tapestry is in chaos—undead horrors are emerging throughout the demiplane, and we do not quite understand why. On top of that, the people and creatures of the tapestry are reacting to the chaos, and they are only making matters worse! That, Pathfinders, is where you come in.”
Aram Zey finally turns to face the crowd gathered around him. “The tapestry is a massive realm, and we have spent years exploring it and using it for travel. I fear that our activities are at least partly responsible for the degradation. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that many of the six most damaged areas of the tapestry are sites of previous Pathfinder missions.”
Zey’s face twists into a pained expression, “My efforts to repair the demiplane over the course of the last several days have met with nothing but failure. The decline continues to accelerate. I have no choice but to send you into the tapestry to deal with the chaos around these six sites. I’ll be sending in other teams to perform the laborious work of patching the rifts once you’ve established control of the situation. Then I can work on a permanent solution. Time is of the essence. By my estimates, in a little over two day’s time, the entire demiplane will collapse without your efforts. I don’t care what motivates you, whether you want to preserve powerful artifacts, save innocent lives, or be a good Pathfinder—get in there and get the job done.” Aram Zey returns his gaze to the tapestry, raising his hand to his forehead and wincing in pain. In a low grumble, he adds, “You all are this demiplane’s last hope. Don’t let them down.”
Mantis will grab a potion of see invisibility, so that in some cases she would still find where her teammates are.
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After the ex-Master of Spell address the groups, the crowd break into multiple smaller teams with venture-captains for further instruction.
“As Aram Zey said, we have identified the six most damaged areas of the tapestry. Unfortunately, each of these areas is populated. In some of them, you’ll find allies who require aid, and in others long-time foes who would thwart our efforts. We must defeat these foes or win them over to our side. Choose your missions carefully! If you have visited the tapestry before, its people are likely to remember you—for good or ill."
“I do have one piece of good news—the tapestry’s attempts to repair itself have caused loose threads from these six locations to connect to each other. What that means for you is that traveling between those locations once you’re inside should be straightforward. Advance scouts tell us these connections look like bridges made of tattered fabric decorated to resemble the two locations in the tapestry that the bridge connects."
“As for getting back home, when you enter, you’ll leave a little blue portal behind you. It’s called an astral eddy, and it’s your personal connection to the Material Plane. Walk back into it, and you’ll reappear in Absalom. Once you’ve come home, though, we won’t be sending you back in."
“You have two days to complete as many missions as you can, but don’t be so hasty that you throw away your lives. Take the time to rest if you find a safe place.”
Venture-Captain Colin pulls out a sheet of paper and have it pass along the team members, on the paper is the compiled list of missions available "Completing any of the missions below can assist in the Pathfinder Society’s efforts to secure a region of the tapestry. Choose carefully, as you likely do not have time to tackle every mission."
Visit the Muckmouth lizardfolk allies. Help them fight back an undead incursion and secure a source of magical relics for their tribe.
Answer the call from the ratfolk of Round Mountain. The entire mountain is unstable, and dangerous creatures abound! Secure safe passage to the Pagoda of the Rat.
Return to the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment. Since being cleansed of corruption, the temple has flourished—but its leader now falters in the face of the tapestry’s chaos. Set things right.
Investigate the duergar of Slave Mountain. They are growing more desperate and aggressive, enslaving victims and performing a disturbing ritual. Uncover their dark plot and stop the ritual!
Counter the Aspis Consortium’s influence. Though many tapestry residents distrust the Society, three factions have agreed to meet with us. Convince them to stand with the Society in this desperate hour.
Secure the mystical fountain. This eternal water source could aid the tapestry’s repairs, but it has stopped working. Restore the fountain and claim its power for the cause.
Mantis will grab a potion of see invisibility, so that in some cases she would still find where her teammates are.Mantis will grab a potion of False Life
By votes of majority, the team have decided to go to deal with the duergar of Slave Mountain. Venture-Captain let you finish any last minute preparation you need to make, then usher you into the Tapestry....
After stepping into the tapestry, you arrive at a cavern. Incoherent murmurs and groans echo through this large, dark cave. Tall stalagmites emerge from the cave floor, surrounded by shallow pools of water. Ahead, a dim purplish light emanating from a multifaceted black gemstone the size of a human skull illuminates several humanoid forms heaped around the stone.
These natural stone caves are dark, except for dim light in a 20-foot radius around the gemstone. The ceilings are 20 feet high.
You're greeted by full hostility of the duergar, which means......
The orange duergar move forward and throws a bomb at Taryn and hits her! The bomb explodes among the Pathfinders, sending acid everywhere. The red duergar drinks a potion and disappeared. Purple charges forward but fails to bite through Kiyoko's armor.
Initiative, round 1
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Orange
Red
Purple
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Rogarch -1
Taryn -7
Harken -3
Mantis -1
Linka -1
Pebble
Kiyoko -3
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Yellow
Blue
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Garsita
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Bold can act!
There are about a dozen humanoid that's tied up and piled up where the duergar were.
Linka's bomb almost knocks orange down, leaving enemy barely standing.
She also remembers that Duergar a.k.a the evil dwarf, are immune to paralysis, phantasms, and poison. They could have a variety of racial spell-like abilities, but the most common one have Invisibility and Enlarge Person. Purple and blue are your everyday ghoul, with paralysis on bite and carries ghoul fever on all natural attacks.
Initiative, round 1
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Orange -18, disabled
Red
Purple
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Rogarch -1
Taryn -7
Harken -3
Mantis -1
Linka -1
Pebble
Kiyoko -3
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Yellow
Blue
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Garsita
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Bold can act!
Kiyoko's 居合術 sends the ghoul's head flying, and the headless ghoul drops to the ground. Mantis' spell land with no problem.
Initiative, round 1
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Orange -18, disabled
Red
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Rogarch -1
Taryn -7
Harken -3
Mantis -1
Linka -1
Pebble
Kiyoko -3
-----
Yellow
Blue
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Garsita
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Bold can act!
Rogarch will charge the ghoul with Lucerne Hammer......
......and smashes it into a paste.
Putting the captives/hostages/body pile between Pathfinders and herself, yellow throws an acid bomb at Rogarch.
Initiative, round 1
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Orange -18, disabled
Red
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Rogarch -8
Taryn -7
Harken -3
Mantis -1
Linka -1
Pebble
Kiyoko -3
-----
Yellow
-----
Garsita
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Bold can act!
Taryn calls for Harken to follow her and she moves to the left to prevent additional AOEs or splash damage. She and Harken prepare to attack any hostiles that come within reach.
Red strikes out of invisibility at Garsita, but her armor protects her from any harm.
Initiative, round 2
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Orange -18, disabled
Red
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Rogarch -8
Taryn -7
Harken -3
Mantis -1
Linka -1
Pebble
Kiyoko -3
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Yellow
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Garsita
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Bold can act!