Elementals Armed to the Teeth

Monday, January 23, 2017

Illustrations by Enrique Barajas and Sebastian Rodriguez

It's been about a week since I returned from my sixth SCARAB, a delightful 4-day gaming convention in Columbia, South Carolina that I've been attending since before I started working at Paizo—and it's now one of the biggest Pathfinder Society Roleplaying Guild events worldwide. Each year it's been a great experience, and this year was no exception. I've definitely returned with some fun stories. I'll fondly remember the high-level group of adventurers who navigated a dungeon almost entirely by repeatedly casting augury, and the high-level group that nearly decided to throw both major NPCs under a bus and declare themselves queens of a small village makes for a thrilling tale. I can't forget the giantslayers who neither understood giant nor could identify a peryton, referring to instead as a "deer-headed marmot-squeezer." Perhaps best of all was getting through an entire scenario without rolling initiative because we decided that throwing a immense rival party on another plane of existence was a much more fun alternative to raiding someone's home. Thank you Del Collins II, Matt Polkowsky, and the SCARAB crew for putting on a great event, and thanks to David Shaw, Amanda Plageman, Brent Gass, Matt Beebe, Leslie Foster, Chris First, and many others for some great games.

Speaking of great games, the team has two more fun adventures debuting this week. The first is the conclusion of the 3-part series Tyranny of Winds, which has taken the PCs from the elemental wastelands of eastern Osirion to the stunning djinn capital of Armun Kelisk on the Plane of Air. In Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-12: Tyranny of Winds, Part 2: Caught in the Eclipse, a Tier 3-7 adventure by Jason Evans, the Society has learned of an immensely powerful enemy, and the Pathfinders' one-time foes have become allies of convenience to ensure their mutual survival. If the Society's to stand a chance, it needs to secure one of the few weapons that this new threat fears: the Horn of the Hurricane, which is trapped within the lawless harbor Port Eclipse. Not only is this a hotbed of enemy activity, but the Pathfinders' best contact for how to reach the weapon has disappeared there. Plan for subtlety but brace for a climatic finish with this exciting finale with ties to the Grand Lodge faction!

The Pathfinder Society's been busy on other elemental planes, too. Having recently concluded a dangerous deal on the Plane of Fire, the Decemvirate now knows of a powerful tool lost within the Kullan Dei mountains (something we first hinted at in Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-02: Ward Asunder). However, retrieving this doesn't just mean succeeding where a famed local hero could not; it also requires braving the icy mountains that still rumble with roiling magma. Tier 7-11 scenarios like Pathfinder Society Scenario #8-13: What Sleeps in Stone are so often a great opportunity to present adventures in extreme locations, and there's little more exciting than going into an active volcano. It gets even better when the volcano isn't just capable of swallowing the PCs—it's alive! Larry Wilhelm brings you a thrilling story, but if you want to survive, watch your step!

John Compton
Pathfinder Society Lead Developer