The rat scurries behind undead and bites the green foe. Nava herself reloads her stonebow.
[Dice=bite, flank]1d20+1+2
[Dice=damage]1d4
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The rat scurries behind undead and bites the green foe. Nava herself reloads her stonebow.
[Dice=bite, flank]1d20+1+2
[Dice=damage]1d4
Initially I planned the rat taking route indicated by arrows I drew. I'm not sure if 40 feet is enough in difficult terrain so I moved it two squares down where it would take AoO only from mint undead.
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Initially I planned the rat taking route indicated by arrows I drew. I'm not sure if 40 feet is enough in difficult terrain so I moved it two squares down where it would take AoO only from mint undead.The rat scurries behind undead and bites the green foe. Nava herself reloads her stonebow.
[Dice=bite, flank]1d20+1+2
[Dice=damage]1d4
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Brat steps towards the cavern wall and lobs a magical glob of acid at Amber...
for
The cavern itself feels unnatural—cursed or blessed, depending on one’s view. Some unseen force seems to shield you, turning aside danger. Blades glance off their marks, and missiles shatter harmlessly against the stone walls.
From the shadows, a trembling worker cries out, voice cracking in terror:
“Ghouls! Watch yerselves—they’ll paralyze ye if they land a hit!”
The shrieks and howls of the undead echo through the cavern as the creatures press their assault.
The amber-tinged ghoul lunges at Merisiel with frenzied fury, striking with everything it has.
Landing a solid hit on Merisiel.
The pallid-green ghoul swipes a claw at Nava’s summoned rat...
...then wheels with startling speed, snapping its teeth and raking a claw toward Moe!
Brat:
Aurelia:
Merisiel: -7 hp
Navatsiyk:
Rat: -4 hp
Ekadan:
Moe: -6 hp
Amber undead: -7 hp
Mint undead:
The waters of the Eternal Lake flow once more, and our repair teams have patched the nearby rift. The kappas make for strange companions, but they have pledged unending loyalty to the Society. The Eternal Lake is secured!
The repair teams have patched the rift at Slave Mountain. Many slaves are now free, and they have pledged their aid! Slave Mountain is secured!
It appears the tide has turned for the Pathfinders.
Gouts of flame are unleashed, fists are thrown, a bullet strikes its target, and blades find their mark.
The Pathfinders quickly dispatch the undead!
|
Brat looks at the still smoking remains of the undead and a creepy smile forms on the gnome's face.
She blows on her fingertips and states: "Well done, everyone!"
The repair teams have patched the rift at Round Mountain. Be on the lookout! Before closing the rift, the team glimpsed a mysterious sailing vessel lurking in the Astral Plane. Round Mountain is secured!
If your PCs need to rest, there is a spot here at Round Mountain where PCs will get 8 hours of uninterrupted rest before we move on to the next encounter.
Also, if you don't think you're going to need that Aid token, we can pass it to another table.
I'll move us along soon!
TERROR AT THE TEMPLE OF EMPYREAL ENLIGHTENMENT
The Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment, crafted of white marble, rests atop a forested hill. Three aasimars stand guard before ornate double doors that bear an image of four spheres resting inside a lotus flower. Recognizing agents of the Pathfinder Society, the aasimars open the doors and lead the way to the temple’s garden courtyard. The garden’s plants are brown and withered. A Tian man sits at the edge of a dried-up fountain, staring forlornly at the noble turtle in its center. The man has hazel eyes and a streak of white in his hair. Several temple acolytes are busy preparing incense, meditating, and inscribing symbols on the fountain. One of the aasimar speaks. “This is Zhuang, our leader. After you Pathfinders defeated the demon, Dakang, and purged the temple of corruption, Zhuang was determined to set us on a better path. We now aid wayward travelers in the tapestry and spread Korada’s teachings. However, Dakang’s deceptions have always plagued Zhuang, and he is on the verge of abandoning the temple. He has been sitting like this for many days, and neither speaks nor eats. Will you help us with a ritual to bring peace to his mind?”
First Challenge!
Crypt (C1): Dozens of skeletal figures claw at one another, trying to crawl their way out of overflowing sarcophagi.
You can either attempt to...
Beat them Back: DC 18 melee attack roll.
or
Quick, Shut the Lids!: DC 15 Initiative check.
With Brat quickly jumping into action, the group hurries to shut the lids of the sarcophagi, trapping the undead within! The mindscape shifts the group to the temple's Library.
Second Challenge!
Library (C2): Two young acolytes sit facing each other on the floor. They read aloud from unholy texts, and tears of blood drip onto the pages from their unblinking eyes.
Find a Holy Text: DC 21 Perception check.
Or
Speak the Words of Korada: DC 18 Knowledge (religion) check.
The group finds a holy text of Korada and read passages from it. The young acolytes fade away. The group is suddenly whisked through the mindscape and appear in a meditation room...
Third Challenge!
Meditation Room (C3): Several monks perform grotesque contortions and toss glass spheres to one another while reciting the mantra, “bind my soul to Sifkesh.” Countless worms carpet the floor and walls.
Spin the Sacred Spheres: DC 18 Sleight of Hand check,
Or
Practice Proper Techniques: DC 18 Acrobatics check.
And just like that, Aurelia performs flawless Tai Chi moves. The vision fades and the group is whisked to...
The Fourth Challenge!
Chapel (C4): A bloated corpse stands upon a balcony at the front of this vaulted chapel, preaching heresy and ugly truths to a crowd of rapt worshipers.
Drown Him Out: DC 18 Perform (oratory or sing) check.
Or
Distract the Congregation: DC 21 Bluff check.
The repair teams have patched the rift at the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment. The nightmare is over, and Korada’s faithful now lend us their aid! The Temple is secured!
Don't bother making any more rolls. Three other tables have completed the Temple of empyreal enlightenment mission. I'll move us along to the next and final mission of this chapter soon.
With Zhuang’s demons defeated, he comes out of his twisted nightmares. He gathers his pupils around him and begs forgiveness. Then he turns to the PCs, bowing and offering his deepest gratitude. He states that the temple will forever remain a haven for Pathfinders and offers his service to their mission. The PCs unlock a special boost option for the Burst of Healing Aid Token. If any PCs played The Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment, Zhuang turns to them, bows, and calls them “a blessing from Korada’s open hand.”
MISSION 5: ALLIES ON THE FRINGE
During their time within the tapestry, the Aspis Consortium sowed discord, turning several factions against the Pathfinder Society to gain allies for their assault on the Grand Lodge. Though some of those groups joined the battle, others remained behind—and their bitterness has not faded.
Even now, whispers of distrust linger. Some believe the Aspis’s claims that the Society is nothing more than a band of thieves and murderers. Others blame the Pathfinders directly, accusing them of ruining the Aspis’s escape and trapping them within this fraying demiplane.
Yet, with the tapestry unraveling around them, even old enemies see the need for dialogue. Reluctantly, they have agreed to meet with you...
This area of the tapestry is a strange patchwork of several environments: sand dunes abut jagged hills, and massive evergreen trees rise from a dry riverbed. Tense silence permeates the area, filling the space between three groups of humanoids: a group of stoic soldiers enshrouded in strips of cloth, a group of winged people with draconic features, and a group of lanky, owl- headed scholars.
MISSION 5: ALLIES ON THE FRINGE
During their time within the tapestry, the Aspis Consortium sowed discord, turning several factions against the Pathfinder Society to gain allies for their assault on the Grand Lodge. Though some of those groups joined the battle, others remained behind—and their bitterness has not faded.
Even now, whispers of distrust linger. Some believe the Aspis’s claims that the Society is nothing more than a band of thieves and murderers. Others blame the Pathfinders directly, accusing them of ruining the Aspis’s escape and trapping them within this fraying demiplane.
Yet, with the tapestry unraveling around them, even old enemies see the need for dialogue. Reluctantly, they have agreed to meet with you...
This area of the tapestry is a strange patchwork of several environments: sand dunes abut jagged hills, and massive evergreen trees rise from a dry riverbed. Tense silence permeates the area, filling the space between three groups of humanoids: a group of stoic soldiers enshrouded in strips of cloth, a group of winged people with draconic features, and a group of lanky, owl- headed scholars.
The Faithful of Xiwu: This sect of Tian soldiers came from the Lung Wa Empire, from a region that is now part of Lingshen. They used an obscure rite of self-mummification to extend their loyal service into eternity. The corruption of their spirits has increased with their centuries in the tapestry. They may be calm one moment, and then enraged the next. As their spirits have slowly unraveled, they have forgotten their names.
Give Aid: With a successful DC 15 Heal or Knowledge (religion) check, you can help the Xiwunese repair their frayed magical wrappings, which have suffered from centuries of degradation. This calms the soldiers’ spirits, making them more reasonable.
Sense Loyalty: With a successful DC 15 Sense Motive check, you can sense that these soldiers are fiercely loyal to the Lung Wa Empire, and are (perhaps willfully) ignorant of its downfall. The PC knows to play on the soldiers’ sense of duty but avoid mentioning their lost empire.
Command: With a successful DC 15 Intimidate or Profession (soldier) check, a PC can take charge of the soldiers, commanding them to be honorable in this time of need. This check is DC 12 if the PCs succeeded at the Sense Loyalty check (see above).
The Hhruul: These owl-headed syrinxes hail from Arcadia and are eager to return to their ancestral homeland, but they have no sense of where they are in space and time. The Hhruul make a show of being calm and collected, but are obviously excited to speak with people from outside the tapestry and often interrupt the conversation to ask questions like, “what’s the sky like where you come from?” or “how many star cycles does it take you to get home from here?” This excitement is tempered only by their wariness of the PCs.
Impressive Knowledge: The PCs can succeed at a DC 15 Knowledge (geography) or Profession (sailor) check to describe where Arcadia is and how to get there.
Promise Assistance: The PCs can’t know precisely how to help the Hhruul get home, but with a successful DC 15 Bluff check they can give assurances that the Pathfinder Society possesses the knowledge and means to help. This check is DC 12 if the PCs succeeded at the Impressive Knowledge check (see above).
Philosophical Appeal: The syrinxes bluntly ask the Pathfinders about the philosophical implications of siding with the Society instead of fending for themselves. The PCs can succeed at a DC12 Will save to prevail in a drawn-out philosophical debate with the syrinx.
The Raegrigx Clan: These wyvarans are territorial and greedy. The Aspis Consortium convinced them that the Pathfinder Society abducted them centuries ago to steal their treasures. They distrust the Pathfinder Society even more since several of their kin went to attack the Grand Lodge and never returned. However, given the current state of the tapestry, they are willing to hear out the Pathfinders. The wyvarans insult and antagonize the PCs, calling them weak and blaming them for the tapestry’s problems. They begin the conversation by demanding to know why they should listen to “a band of thieves and murderers.”
Straight Talk: With a successful DC 15 Diplomacy check, a PC can explain the truth about the Pathfinder Society and its long enmity with the Aspis Consortium, convincing the wyvarans that the Aspis told them outright lies.
Excessive Praise: With a successful DC 15 Knowledge (arcana or local) check, a PC recognizes that wyvarans are quite proud, like dragons. Heaping praise and adulation upon them can help win them over.
Proper Tribute: A PC who succeeds at a DC 18 Diplomacy or Bluff check can convince the wyvarans that, if they help, the Pathfinder Society will grant them treasure and territory as compensation. A PC who personally offers valuable tribute to the wyvarans (items or coins worth an amount of gp equal to 20 × the party’s APL) gains a +4 bonus on this check.
Our new allies on the patchwork plane have granted the repair teams access to the rift, and it is repaired. These allies can help in the coming battles. The Patchwork Allies are secured!
Aram Zey stands once more before the tapestry, a renewed light in his sunken eyes. “The Hao Jin Tapestry is stable at last. While you were performing your duties, I have reached a better understanding of the chaos you faced. The tapestry is still in dire condition. Lacking Hao Jin’s own magic, the tapestry has been using small pieces of departing souls to maintain itself over the centuries. This mechanism is depleting the tapestry’s water sources and spawning undead horrors. However, thanks to you, we have time to search for a more permanent fix. For now, get some rest, and—”
The former Master of Spells staggers back as a three-foot tear down the center of the fabric gouts sudden flame. Pathfinder agents flock around him, scrambling to assess the damage. A vein pops out on his forehead, and he yells sharply, “Pathfinders! What have you done?” He cuts himself short, taking a deep breath and muttering to himself, “Keep it together. Don’t take it out on the agents.” Frowning, he returns his gaze to the tapestry, his eyes darting wildly across its surface. When he speaks again, his voice is low and determined, “This new rift is no accident. Something is attacking the tapestry from the Astral Plane. Damage of this magnitude must have spawned hundreds more undead. Quickly, re-enter the demiplane and fend off the invaders!”
A gaping hole mars the sky of the tapestry. Beyond the rift, dozens of strange vessels float in the Astral Plane, crawling with invaders. Every surface of the tapestry realm stretches and tears as it tries to repair itself, creating more rifts in a slow but devastating chain reaction. The vessels deploy invaders to wreak havoc as the demiplane disintegrates.
It takes you 10 minutes to reach the area where you intercept the invaders at a set of ancient ruins in the desert.
As a horde towering humanoids approaches, Aram Zey’s voice booms. “Pathfinders, these giants may be simpleminded, but our allies can’t outwit them without your help. Get out there and teach them a lesson.”
Moe
Moss Green
Aurelia
Ekadan
Merisiel
Brat
Navatsiyk
|
that had Moe leant our previously.
Anticipating a fight, Moe takes a drink, raises his fists in anticipation, and shuffles forward.