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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."
TASK DETAILS:
The PCs briefly swap tales of the Pathfinder Society’s previous adventures in the tapestry.
TALES FROM THE TAPESTRY:
Relevant Skills: Diplomacy, Knowledge (history), or Perform.
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Merisiel is leaning against the wall, examining her knives as the Master of Spells delivers the speech explaining the situation, and she looks at the others in her group as it finishes
"Name's Merisiel." She offers, her voice serene, yet pointed, almost as if she's annoyed, though her serious expression doesn't portray that at all, as she casually gestures with her knives as she speaks. "Never been inside the Tapestry myself. Does any of you know more?"
She, however, tries to see if she happens to know anything about the Tapestry
TASK DETAILS:
You recall or gather information about the Hao Jin Tapestry.
KNOWLEDGE OF THE WEAVE:
Relevant Skills: Diplomacy (gather information) or Knowledge (local or planes).
TASK DETAILS:
You inspect the tapestry itself to help discern what might be happening to it.
ASSESS THE DAMAGE:
Relevant Skills: Appraise, Disable Device, Perception, or Use Magic Device.
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Aurelia Woodshadow, an elf, was keeping to herself mostly... wearing a nice spiffy hat, and cleaning her gun, just listening to everyone else speak for now...
She was feeling quite a bit of imposter syndrome right now, her first *real* adventure, in a place like this? And that was probably evident on her face as she addressed the group.
"Sadly, no, I'm not really a history buff."
She did, however, take a peek at the tapestry itself... trying to see what she can tell about what was happening to it.
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A physically weak looking gnome with purple hair pipes up: "My name is Brat, Brat Gnosor, and I like fire." She smiles and winks, then continues: "I've never been in there either. Give me a second to think about what I know ..."
The gnome strikes a thoughtful pose for a few seconds that allows you to examine her appearance. She is wearing just a haramaki for armor and a spell component pouch showing that she probably is some kind of magic user.
On her pink skin there are prominent tattoos. Many look like strange patterns, but the one on her right leg shows a tiny scorpion.
Thd gnome then tells a few stories about the tapestry that she picked up at the Grand Lodge.
"Well, that's all I know. But let me ask our more seasoned colleagues over there..."
After asking some well place questions the gnome also gets in line to inspect the tapestry itself and checks out the damage.
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Merisiel raises an eyebrow at the gnome — she wasn’t particularly strong herself, but she didn’t look physically weak either. ”Are you sure you should be playing with fire? You don’t look like you could take the burns.” She says in a neutral tone, as if just simply pointing out something obvious.
She does, however, also take a moment to examine the damage on the tapestry.
TASK DETAILS:
You get a strange feeling of being watched and investigate to determine what is going on.
SOMETHING IS WATCHING:
Relevant Skills: Knowledge (arcana or planes), Perception, Sense Motive, or Spellcraft.
TASK DETAILS:
You assess the repair team’s supplies, including climbing gear, traveling gear, food and drink, and supplies for magic rituals.
SUPPLY CHECK:
Relevant Skills: Appraise, Craft (any relevant skill), Knowledge (arcana), or Profession (any relevant skill).
TASK DETAILS:
You share tips for navigating and surviving a variety of terrains.
TRAVEL TIPS:
Relevant Skills: Knowledge (geography or nature), Profession (any relevant profession), or Survival.
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"Oh, it's not me who gets burned by my magic, so I'm not concerned at all", Brat answers with a wink.
"Huh. Suddenly, I feel like someone or something is watching me..." Brat casts detect magic and looks around.
"Do we have everything we need for this mission? I have supplies for my magic, but..."
"Is anyone experienced in the wilderness? I'm more of a city girl, but I can read maps."
KNOWLEDGE OF THE WEAVE:
• You 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 in 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.
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.
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, on a Knowledge check to identify a creature, 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.
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 Subtiers 1–2, this is a 1st-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.
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.
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"Ah, I was wondering if they'd assign us another person. Other teams seem to be made of six. Did you get lost on the way here? Merisiel smirk as she teases the dwarf. "Who are you?"A stout dwarf carrying multiple weapons barks out, "Someone called for help?"
"Yeah I got lost in my ales. I'm Ekadan Joshi, cleric of Abadar and barbarian of, well, breaking stuff. Nice to meet all of you. What's the mission this time?"
TASK DETAILS:
You are able to 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.
INTERROGATE THE SNAKES:
Relevant Skills: Bluff or Intimidate.
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).
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.”
Venture Captain Ambris Valsin, leader of the Grand Lodge faction approaches your group. He clears his throat and straightens his jacket before addressing you.
“As Aram Zey said, we have identified the six most damaged areas of the tapestry. Unfortunately, each of these areas are populated. In some of them, you’ll find allies who require aid, and in others long-time foes that 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.”
MISSION 1: WHAT LURKS BENEATH THE MUCKMOUTH
You step into the Muckmouth tribe’s corner of the tapestry, the shift into the demi-plane leaving you momentarily dizzy. As the haze clears, you glance back and catch sight of a small, glowing sphere of blue light hovering in the air—the astral eddy Captain Valsin warned you about. Should danger overwhelm you, that flickering beacon is your lifeline back to Golarion.
Turning forward, you find yourselves in a dim cavern tunnel. The air is musty and thick, and from the shadows emerge two gaunt, watchful lizardfolk guards. Without a word, they beckon you inward, urging you deeper into their domain.
The Muckmouth tribe’s caves are dry but littered with the bones of cave-dwelling fish. In the central cavern, a small band of bedraggled lizardfolk watch as their ancient leader limps forward. Long strings of tiny bones dangle from her armbands, clacking on the stone floor. “Welcome, Pathfinder friends. I am Oosthic, and I remember my tribe’s debt to you for rescuing our eggs and our home. We must call on your strength once more. Our water has vanished. Without water, the Muckmouth grow weak. Many have perished seeking water in the ancient ruins beneath our home. The ruins are crumbling, and the living dead slither from the walls. I fear the serpent empire seeks vengeance against the Muckmouth for disturbing its ruins, but we had no choice. Destroy the undead and secure the lost magic of the serpentfolk for our tribe. The Muckmouth must survive!”
The Muckmouth sentries guide you through a maze of twisting tunnels, their footsteps echoing against the damp stone. After what feels like half an hour of winding passage, the darkness suddenly breaks—you step out into a vast valley littered with the ruins of crumbling buildings. At its heart rises a towering ziggurat, ancient and imposing.
Before you can take in the sight, your lizardfolk guides let out piercing shrieks, claws stabbing the air as they point toward the oncoming threat—undead horrors lurching straight for you!
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"Well then, I suppose it's about time to get started, eh? Time to save the tapestry? Everyone else ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be. I do not understand the magic at work in this tapestry, and it unraveling...it seems sinister to me, something very powerful must be at work. I can only hope we succeed"
"Now, let's help those lizardfolk"
THE SUNDERED CITY
The undead lurch forward, eager to tear you apart...
Merisiel
Navatsiyk
Skellies
Brat
Ekadan
Aurelia
Moe
Zombies
Nava casts a spell, summoning a giant rat while Merisiel holds and readies an attack.
Pink skeleton trudges through the thick undergrowth towards Ekadan .
Green skeleton shambles forward to attack Merisiel...
She stabs the skeleton, however, it appears the blade isn't as effective against bone.
It claws at Merisiel,
Her armor protects her from the nasty strike.
The cyan skeleton follows and claws at Brat,
She manages to duck out of the way.
Merisiel
Navatsiyk
Cyan Skelly
Green skelly -3 hp
Pink skelly
Brat
Ekadan
Aurelia
Moe
Red zombie
Orange Zombie
The two skeletons are reduced to piles of charred bone and ash.
Merisiel
Navatsiyk
Cyan Skelly
Green skelly
Pink skelly
Brat
Ekadan
Aurelia
Moe
Red zombie
Orange Zombie
Moe slams his fist squarely into the skeleton’s face, but its skull is unnervingly solid, the blow glancing off with little effect.
Aurelia levels her boomstick and fires with a thunderous crack—the shot whizzes past its mark and vanishes into the tangled jungle beyond.
Ekadan surges forward, his strike crashing into the ribcage of the pink-tinged skeleton. With a shattering crunch, the creature explodes into fragments, bone shards scattering across the ground in a clattering heap.
With a sudden, jarring speed, the lizardfolk zombies surge forward—far quicker than the shambling corpses you’ve faced before. Their guttural snarls echo through the valley as they close the distance.
Red crashes through the overgrown weeds, pushing aside tangled vines and snapping stalks in its relentless charge .
Orange raises its fist high, the decayed muscles flexing with unnatural strength, and brings the blow crashing down toward Merisiel with bone-cracking force.
Merisiel dodges the vicious blow!
Merisiel
Navatsiyk
Cyan Skelly
Green skelly
Pink skelly
Brat
Ekadan
Aurelia
Moe
Red zombie
Orange Zombie