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Monday, January 25, 2016

I recently returned from Columbia, South Carolina, where I was a guest at SCARAB, a gaming convention with a very strong Pathfinder Society presence operated by Regional Venture-Coordinator Delbert Collins II. This was my fifth year making the trip, and it's always a really great opportunity to see familiar faces, play a few adventures, and shout my throat raw while GMing. The kill count stayed relatively modest, barring two gentlemen laid low during Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-11: Ancients' Anguish who acknowledged their characters' demise with admirable grace and both came back to life in order to finish what they had started. I also enjoyed my first chance to actually play Pathfinder Society Special #6-98: Serpents Rise, as presented by Venture-Captain Matt Polkowsky.

The two slots on Monday were eerily repetitive yet uniquely enjoyable because I first played then GMed Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-13: Captive in Crystal. The first table (expertly run by Venture-Lieutenant Landon Hatfield) had some of the most bizarre characters, including a kitsune cleric of Daikitsu who stayed in Tiny fox form, a body-building monk/paladin of Kurgess (for some reason I never considered Kurgess as a patron of paladins, but it was fun), and an extraordinarily plucky investigator/swashbuckler fashioned after Nancy Drew—all teamed up with my "cleric" of the reformed Church of Razmir. When I ran the same adventure a few hours later, I had the pleasure of introducing a player's black blade magus to his intelligent sword ("What's your blade's agenda? Oh, would you like me to help you come up with one? Oh good..."), which kept whispering promises about something called "the Reclamation." We figured out that the chaotic good scimitar has somewhat cutthroat dreams of destroying Taldor and conquering it in Qadira's name, and by the end of the adventure, the magus had secured substantial resources that might fuel Kelishite aggression against their northern neighbors.

All in all, it was a great deal of fun. If you have a chance to make the trip to SCARAB in the future, I strongly encourage you check it out.

Illustrations by Marko Horvatin

In the meantime, why not plan ahead to experience some new stories together? This month we have two new adventures debuting this week. The first launches a three-part, Tier 1-5 series called "Faithless and Forgotten," in which infernal Cheliax opens its borders once more to Pathfinder explorers. During Let Bygones Be, the PCs are among the first sanctioned Pathfinders to travel Cheliax in decades, and their first destination is a relic of the Chelish civil war. In order to get there, they'll need to travel through the fortified port of Corentyn, where the streets are dangerous despite—or perhaps because of—the brutal regime's guards. It's up to the PCs to make a good first impression and make the most of this preliminary foray. Of course, the last time we traveled to Cheliax on official business, the Pathfinder Society had an official liaison to that nation: Paracountess Zarta Dralneen. Always one for formality, Cheliax has issued a new liaison to the Grand Lodge. As you can imagine, Zarta is going to be so thrilled to meet her replacement. This was also a great opportunity to revisit some known locations and personalities in Corentyn, including one Zefiro Balinger who plays a rather central role in the upcoming adventure.

About three years ago, the organized play campaign retired the Lantern Lodge as a playable faction, and it's certainly easy to assume that the Lantern Lodge itself (an estate in Goka) just faded into obscurity. In fact, the faction retired largely because it had fulfilled its goals of achieving recognition and resources for the Society's exploration of Tian Xia. I like to revisit the continent several times a season, and this month we're doing something a little different. Rather than just letting the players know that Venture-Captain Amara Li is still in charge of a thriving lodge, this time the PCs are working for her directly to hunt down an Aspis Consortium aggressor. What's more, this adventure has special metaplot opportunities for former members of the Lantern Lodge faction. That's not the only unique element in Pathfinder Society Scenario #7-15: The Deepmarket Deception. We're also exploring a hitherto unseen part of that metropolis: the Deepmarket tunnels that crisscross the city's foundation and overflow with smugglers and illicit commerce. Prepare for a Tier 3-7 challenge that expands on the events of Pathfinder Society Special #6-98: Serpents Rise!

John Compton
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