Wyrm Sniper

Bentuk's page

74 posts. Organized Play character for Human.


Full Name

Bentuk

Race

Human (Bekyar) Summoner 2 | HP 12/19 | AC 16/15/11 | Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +4 | Init +1 | Perception 0 | 1st-level 0/3 | Summon monster i 5/5

Classes/Levels

Ing:
HP 12/14 | 3 nonlethal, shaken | AC 19/16/13 | Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +3 | Init +3 | Perception +4

Gender

Male

Size

Medium

Age

21

Special Abilities

Eidolon, spells

Alignment

LG

Deity

Sarenrae

Languages

Abyssal, Common, Hallit, Polyglot

Occupation

Pathfinder (Silver Crusade)

Strength 9
Dexterity 12
Constitution 17
Intelligence 14
Wisdom 10
Charisma 15

About Bentuk

Bentuk was raised in the Bandu Hills. He worked for a pathfinder as a guide, and decided to use the compensation to get to Absalom and seek entry. Only 6'4", he is not as tall as most Bekyar, but has a heavy build and can withstand a good deal of punishment. He and his eidolon, Ing, are generous but not especially outspoken.

Stats:
Init +1; Perception 0

Defensive Abilities
AC 16, flat-footed 15, touch 11 (+5 armor, +1 Dex)
Max hp 19 (2d8+6 Con)
Fort +4 (+3 Con, +1 enhancement), Ref +2 (+1 Dex, +1 enhancement), Will +4 (+3 base, +1 enhancement)

Offensive Abilities
Speed 30 ft. base
Melee spear +0 (1d8-1/x3)
Ranged dart +2 (1d4-1, 20 ft.), spear +2 (1d8-1/x3, 20 ft.)
Summoner spells known (CL 2nd, concentration +4)

  • 0-level (at-will) detect magic, light, mending (DC 12), open/close (DC 12), read magic
  • 1st-level (3/day) grease (DC 14), rejuvenate eidolon (lesser), summon monster i (3 rounds)
Conditional modifiers +1 DC for conjuration, +1 CL for [good], +4 Str and Con for [summoning]
Spell-like abilities (CL 1, concentration +4)
  • 5/day summon monster i

BAB +1; CMB 0; CMD 11

Details
Skills
Diplomacy +8 (+2 Cha, +2 rank, +3 class, +1 trait)
Disable Device +3 (+1 Dex, +2 rank)
Handle Animal +7 (+2 Cha, +2 rank, +3 class)
Knowledge (arcana) +6 (+2 Int, +1 rank, +3 class)
Knowledge (local) +6 (+2 Int, +1 rank, +3 class)
Linguistics +7 (+2 Int, +2 rank, +3 class)
Spellcraft +6 (+2 Int, +1 rank, +3 class)
ACP -1

Feats
Augment Summoning (human bonus feat)
Spell Focus (conjuration)

Traits Ease of Faith (APG 328), Force for Good (+1 good CL, cleric aura)
Favored class (summoner): +1 eidolon hp (ARG 73), +1 skill point

Special abilities
Bond senses 2 rounds/day
Life link
Summon monster i 5/day (3 minutes)

Money (carried by Ing)
38 gp, 8 sp, 9 cp
Tracking: 1229.89-1191 Shades of Winter Part I

Gear
Backpack (2 lbs)
+1 chain shirt (10 lbs)
Cloak of resistance +1 (1000 gp, 1 lb)
Cold-weather outfit (7 lbs)
2 darts (0.5 lbea)
1 days trail rations (1 lbea)
Flint and steel (1 gp, -)
Inkpen (-)
Ink (-)
2 sheets of parchment (-)
3 scrolls of endure elements (75 gp, -)
Spear (6 lbs)
Spell component pouch (2 lbs)
Torch (1 lb)
Vial of antitoxin (-)
28 lbs total
Carrying Capacity: light < 30 lbs < medium < 60 lbs < heavy < 90 lbs < lift off ground < 180 lbs < push/drag < 450 lbs

Ing:
Init +3; Perception +4, darkvision 60 ft.

Defensive Abilities
AC 19, flat-footed 16, touch 13 (+3 Dex, +6 natural armor)
Max hp 14 (2d10+2 Con)
Fort +1, Ref +6 (+3 base, +3 Dex), Will +3
Defensive abilities evasion

Offensive Abilities
Speed 20 ft. base, climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +3 (1d8+1+trip, 10 ft. reach), tail slap -2 (1d6)
Special qualities Evolutions (improved damage (bite), improved natural armor, trip), link, share spells
BAB +2; CMB +3; CMD 16

Details
Str 13, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11
Skills
Acrobatics +8 (+3 Dex, +2 ranks, +3 class)
Climb +14 (+1 Str, +2 ranks, +8 climb speed, +3 class)
Knowledge (nobility) +2 (-2 Int, +1 rank, +3 class)
Perception +4 (+1 rank, +3 class)
Sleight of Hand +7 (+3 Dex, +1 rank, +3 class)
Stealth +7 (+3 Dex, +1 rank, +3 class)
Conditional modifiers+2 Acrobatics to balance, -2 to jump
Class skills Acrobatics, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Knowledge (nobility), Knowledge (planes), Perception, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Swim

Feats
Combat Reflexes

Special abilities
Darkvision 60 ft.
Link
Share spells
Evasion
Evolutions (4 points)

  • Improved damage (bite) - 1 point
  • Improved natural armor - 1 point
  • Trip - 2 points

Gear carried
3 alchemist's fire (1 lbea)
Bedroll (5 lbs)
4 darts (0.5 lbea)
1 days trail rations (1 lbea)
50 feet of silk rope (5 lbs)
Masterwork thieves' tools (100 gp, 2 lbs)
Pack saddle (15 gp, 20 lbs)
Peasant's outfit (1 sp, 2 lbs)
39 lbs total
Carrying Capacity: light < 50 lbs < medium < 100 lbs < heavy < 150 lbs < lift off ground < 300 lbs < push/drag < 750 lbs

Progression notes:
3rd level:
Bentuk takes Greater Spell Focus (conjuration)
Ing takes Weapon Focus (bite)
4th level
Bentuk increases Charisma
Ing increases Intelligence
Bentuk takes create pit and haste

Old notes:
Bentuk
LG human summoner 1
Silver Crusade faction; Medium; Male; 21; 6'4"; 240 lbs; Brown, wiry; Brown
Str 9
Dex 12
Con 17
Int 14
Wis 10
Cha 15
Bentuk was raised in a tribe of Bandu in the Bandu Hills, near the old Farsouth Mine. He stands six feet, four inches tall and has normal wiry black hair. His tribe worships Zura, currently, and though he respects their traditions and rituals he opposes killing innocents for victory feasts. He has not partaken of human flesh, having been "saved" from that fate by a servant (named Kutha; also a native Bekyar but one of a different tribe) of a Pathfinder Society agent investigating Farsouth Mine. Bentuk was employed by the agent and taught about Kutha's traditions on the way back to Sargava, and concurrently reached some kind of conclusion about his own tribe's traditions. His tribe HAD other mystic objects, and there were ruins and whispers of spirits throughout the hills. Bentuk attuned to these, and one night he was exploring a cave, alone, when a yellow light fell on him. He took that as a sign from Sarenrae, or some servant of hers. The agent did not agree to take him to Absalom, but he had enough money from the work, and signed up at the Grand Lodge when he arrived. He believes the fifth Mendevian Crusade is one of the most important tasks humanity will ever face, and has joined the Silver Crusade.
(involve pirates somehow?) (also personality) Bentuk believes in redemption for everyone, but he sometimes fails to actually petition for that kind of redemption. He is methodical but spiritual, and kind of a square - not possessed of extreme self-knowledge. People gravitate to him because he is kind and nonjudgemental, not because he is funny, attractive, or dynamic. His nose is kind of squashed-looking, but he has a wide smile and crow's feet for anyone who shows kindness. He is inquisitive, especially in matters of religion and the planes, which he is still uneducated in.
The agent who employed Bentuk and Kutha, a dour Chelaxian-Varisian named Mardeval, booked passage with the Awl of Man (innuendo against Rahadoum), a merchant and sometimes-pirate vessel that brought them safely to Osirion, with a small load of books, journals, and artifacts. Kutha elected to stay in Eleder and head out with the next expedition; she never told Bentuk why exactly she left her tribe, but she assured him he'd always be welcome there. Bentuk's own tribe will probably not be so welcoming, but he believes his father and mother would help him in a pinch. His sister is the tribe's second-best warrior, and unusually dedicated to Zura, so he thinks it's unlikely that she'd show the same kindness. But if he brought weapons and armor and a chance at greater prosperity, he could probably win the rest of the tribe over. Okay the priest of Zura would probably also be angry, and the tribe head might try to just kill him and take the gear, but that's why he'd bring protection.
Ing, Bentuk's eidolon, is a yellow serpent with scales somewhere between a gecko and a boa (its underside is coated with small patches of microscopic hair, which allows it to "stick" to most substrates). Its eyes are a blank white, lacking even veins and faintly glowing under starlight. The white rune on its forehead is a jagged horizontal line driven through the top half of a perfect circle, and it has a faint smell of tomb dust and steaming citron. Ing is genderless and rather bemused by its existence. It is not passive in the face of evil like Bentuk. Back in Heaven (literal heaven), Ing prefers the company of celestial animals and travelling angels to that of archons.

11 hp (1d8+3)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +1
AC 15 (+4 armor, +1 Dex), touch 11, flat-footed 14
Fortitude +3 (+3 Con), Reflex +1 (+1 Dex), Will +2 (+2 base)
Base Attack Bonus +0; CMB -1 (-1 Str); CMD 10 (-1 Str, +1 Dex)
Melee attacks spear -1 (1d8-1/x3, piercing, brace special)
Ranged attacks spear +1 (1d8-1/x3, piercing), club +1 (1d6-1/x2, 10 ft., bludgeoning)
Feats
Augment Summoning (human bonus feat)
Spell Focus (conjuration)
Traits
Force for Good (Silver Crusade basic trait)
Ease of Faith (Faith basic trait)
Skills (armor check penalty -2) (4+1 ranks/level)
Diplomacy +7 (+2 Cha, +3 class, +1 rank, +1 trait)
Handle Animal +6 (+2 Cha, +3 class, +1 rank)
Knowledge (arcana) +6 (+2 Int, +3 class, +1 rank)
Knowledge (local) +6 (+2 Int, +3 class, +1 rank)
Linguistics +6 (+2 Int, +3 class, +1 rank)
Languages: Abyssal, Common, Polyglot
Equipment (29.89 gp)
Chain shirt (100 gp, 10 lbs (max Dex +4, armor check penalty -2))
Spear (2 gp, 6 lbs)
3 throwing clubs (0 gp, 3 lbs each)
Backpack (2 gp, 2 lbs)
Bedroll (1 sp, 5 lbs)
Inkpen (1 sp, 0 lbs)
Ink (8 gp, 0 lbs)
2 sheets parchment (2 sp each, 0 lbs)
3 days' trail rations (5 sp each, 1 lbs each)
Torch (1 cp, 1 lb)
Spell component pouch (5 gp, 2 lbs)
30 lbs total
Spells
1st-level (2/day): grease, summon monster I
0-level (at-will): detect magic, light, open/close, read magic
Ing
Serpentine eidolon
LG Medium outsider
hp 6 (1d10+1)
AC 15 (+3 Dex, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 12
Saves Fort +1, Ref +6, Will +2
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
Attacks bite +3 (1d6+2), tail slap -2 (1d6+1)
Special Attacks push (bite)
Special qualities Ability increase (Str), darkvision, link, share spells
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11
BAB +1; CMD +2; CMD 15
Skills Disable Device +7, Fly +7, Knowledge (planes) +2, Stealth +7
Feats Combat Reflexes

next levels get toughness, protection from evil, rejuvenate eidolon, paladin, rogue, or alchemist level, knowledge (nobility), spellcraft
Ing: sleight of hand, toughness
buy: antitoxin, alchemist's fire, potion of invisibility?

crappppp:
Bentuk was raised in a tribe of Bekyar in the Bandu Hills, near the old Farsouth Mine. He stands six feet, four inches tall and has the wiry black hair typical of Bekyar. His tribe has worshipped the demon lord Zura for the last hundred and fifty years, and though he respects their traditions and rituals, he opposes their practice of killing innocents for victory feasts. It was after one such feast that he petitioned help from a servant (named Kutha; also a native Bekyar but one of a different tribe) of a Pathfinder Society agent investigating the old dwarven mining camp. Bentuk was employed by the agent and taught about Kutha's traditions on the way back to Sargava, and concurrently reached some kind of conclusion about his own tribe's traditions. Though demon-worshipping had been a part of their religion for millenia, there were also some strange tales of ancestor ghosts and even reverence for divinely good beings. On the journey back to Sargava, Bentuk investigated several ancient Mwangi ruins, and the mosaics and runes seemed to confirm Kutha's testimony: there is precedent for good-aligned Bekyar tribes.
In the last night outside Sargava's borders, while Kutha and Mardeval slept, Bentuk wrestled with a particularly inscrutable piece of charcoal-imprinted text - and with his reticence in the face of cannibalism and murder. He wandered outside the cave they had taken up in, turning the piece of paper over and over in his hands as the stars spun around. The moon was gone, and there was really nothing to see by, but after a time he realised that the piece of paper was glowing. And somehow, he could read it. It said, "There is always redemption for the penitent," and at the same time told him, "Its name is Ing." He took that as a sign from the divine, and prayed for the rest of the night. As the sun rose yellow and white above the clouds, he pulled something yellow and white from Beyond. Kutha, when she saw it, embraced Bentuk, and Mardeval told him that he should explore these powers further. The agent did not agree to take him to Absalom, but said he'd have enough money from the work, and would take him with her if he was willing to spend it.
When they reached Eleder, Mardeval took a short time to copy important notes into the lodge's library while Bentuk researched summoning in between trips to various temples with Kutha. The other Bekyar believed Bentuk had been chosen by some good deity to redeem his tribe, or perhaps to even do more than that, and she wanted him to find that deity as soon as possible. Bentuk listened to what the priests had to say, but none of them resonated with him the way those words had. Kutha agreed that they didn't seem right, and instead dragged him around to look at sights and talk to her friends. She has a favourite hostel - a dingy wattle home full of yelling Zenj, where she stays between jobs (as a guide, she does work for all kinds of consortiums and societies) - and a favourite pub - a slightly less dingy wooden building down in Outerwall, full of Mwangi sailors and the smell of fish much of the time - and a favourite spot to eat lunch (which is often a flatbread wrap with spiced meat and fruit) - on a flight of steep stone stairs that no one uses, situated just inside the Diomar Wall, where you can see the sun shining off the blue of Desolation Bay and the ships sailing up into the harbor. When Mardeval was ready to go, Kutha thanked Bentuk for his friendship and told him to find her again when he returned.
Mardeval had booked passage on the Awl of Man, a merchant and sometimes-pirate vessel carrying Mwangi hardwood, silver, and the personal library of a Pathfinder agent. She also carted aboard a small chest of artifacts from Farsouth Mine, which she would not allow anyone to look inside. From Eleder, the Awl sailed up through the Shackles. It took on provisions at Quent and skirted around the Eye's eastern side, only stopping to refill water stores near Hyrantam (where the sailors fended off a swarm of little red sac-monsters). The Awl of Man took them up around Rahadoum, stopped again in Merab, and ended its journey in Sothis. Here, finally, Bentuk found a church of Sarenrae, and summoned Ing again - permanently unlocking that ability.
After Mardeval made another brief entry in the lodgebooks, she procured passage on a galley that brought the group to Absalom. This voyage was in much more well-travelled waters, and largely uneventful - but for Bentuk's first summmoned dolphins and eagles, and an unfortunate incident with a grease spell and a rope. When they got off the ship, Mardeval frowned at Bentuk and said she had something to attend to, and disappeared into a press of Varisians. It took Bentuk several hours to get out of that district, where he nearly lost his (gifted, after a battle) chain shirt to a gang of thieves. When he finally reached the society headquarters, he was given a quick essay and practical exam, where he demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of south Garundi mysteries and legends and below-average skill with a spear. Fortunately, the society saw enough merit in his expertise to grant him . During the training process, Bentuk worked around headquarters as an unskilled laborer, repairing tack and cleaning the clothes of important agents. He read ancient books in the libraries and talked to seasoned agents in the dining halls. Hallit he picked up from talking to advance scouts from the edges of the Worldwound (who also largely convinced him of the importance of the Fifth Crusade), and Abyssal he learned from a librarian named Verimoepres (Bentuk already knew most of the basic pronunciation rules and many of the less mundane words, thanks to the flowery sermons of the priests in his tribe). He also found that his ability to influence animals - something quite commonplace back in the Bandu Hills - was something of a novelty in his batch of recruits.

After being granted agent status, Bentuk was deployed to the Oppara lodge with another fresh recruit - a half-orc from the Realm of the Mammoth Lords itself. (This violence-oriented individual is named Madrun.) When they got to the lodge, Bentuk went to work filing books and scrubbing floors, while Madrun looked futilely for jobs. He was not coming up with much until four seasoned agents (a cleric, a ranger, a sorcerer, and a barbarian-druid) all turned up in the space of a morning. According to the lodge's Venture-Captain Muesello, there was a worthy - though likely difficult - task in the Kitharodian Academy. In the briefing, he told Bentuk's group to find several historical texts on the first Mendevian Crusade, which would no doubt aid in the battle against the Worldwound, and to find a certain book important to an unnamed Taldane noble (who arranged for this opportunity). He also warned the group not to give any sign of forced entry, as an assault on one of the greatest colleges in the Inner Sea region would undoubtedly tarnish the Society's reputation, and warned Jesse (the most seasoned agent in the group) to look after the fresh meat.
The team next met with the Venture-Captain's contact, someone who spoke for the patron. He gave them a formal letter with a broken seal, which would grant them entry to the collections, and also a bag of magic items. Notable among these was a custom deck of illusions, which he said would create false images of every member of the team (including the animal companions and Ing) so that anyone who came upon them would see them reading books and copying scrolls (when really they were infiltrating a secret library beneath the Academy). The illusions would only last a couple hours, though, so any delays must be avoided. According to this contact, they would be going in during a music festival, and wouldn't have to worry about small noises being heard. They could still be seen, though - so the contact also gave them a potion granting invisibility, one to make the drinker move lightly without footprint, and a special dust that would change the appearance of the person it was scattered on. The contact told them to meet with a librarian named Tobias and show him their letter.
The next day, about midafternoon, the group entered campus. The sun was weak, but it was shining, and the stone buildings glinted in it. Song and chatter mingled in the air, making it seem much warmer than it actually was, and the group gravitated towards the main contest hall. They were about to go in when two guards asked for identification.
"We have a letter," Madrun began, signaling for Jesse to hold it up.
The guard looked at it and glanced down at Madrun's mastodon. "This is clearance for the Library of the Lions, not identification. You want to go over that way," she said, pointing. Adrian, one of the senior agents, nodded, and they turned uphill, away from the noise. The Academy here seemed desolate, though Bentuk guessed it was lively enough most days. A few minutes of walking brought them to the library steps, where they met Tobias. He was initially worried about the animal companions, but Madrun and the barbarian-druid convinced him that they were important for their emotional stability. The slight bespectacled man led them to a grey-walled room with hundreds or thousands of books and tables, lamps, and chairs for reading. A stone statue holding a stylus and a tablet occupied a space by the door, and soon the group determined how to use the stylus' position to unlock a secret door (thanks to a simple riddle on the back of the patron's letter).
The group placed their cards and took the stairs down into the older archives, where Taldor's tendency towards political revisionism had been averted. The stairs ended perhaps thirty feet down, in a small foyer that opened onto a long hallway. Lighting was provided by everburning torches, and the structure was of primarily varnished wood. When they reached the bottom, Bentuk summoned Ing, and they began exploring the long hallway. The barbarian-druid, whose name Bentuk didn't catch, investigated a mosaic of geometrically arranged dots on the far wall and figured out that they arranged themselves into words, which later proved key to unlocking the final room. Jesse then entered the room closest to the image, and the group explored it, finding some books on military history and an austere portrait of a prince of Taldor (with the legend, "Persevere, Persevere, Persevere"). With an alert ranger (Jesse), knowledgeable sorcerer (Adrian) and druid (Madrun), and linguistically gifted summoner (Bentuk), the group quickly found the useful information and copied it down.
The next room was also small, but seemed to have a different purpose. A large chalkboard dominated one wall, along with a similar portrait of the prince (Prince Stavian, Bentuk half-remembers), and much of the room was filled with small chairs (as if for a tiny lecture hall). Prince Stavian's portrait had a legend underneath saying, "Our monarch's virtues are our own." The books in this room often spoke of some organization called the "Lion Blades," and the party found several references to another tome that might prove useful.
When they were done in the lecture hall, the group turned to the set of two double doors on the other side of the hallway. As they discovered, the doors led to the same room - a gigantic library. Much like the first library room, this one had chairs and tables for note-taking, and great big bookshelves that Bentuk (and even Madrun) could barely reach the top of. On the far wall, they saw another set of doors and an embossed lion shield betwixt them. Bentuk started looking through the bookshelves while Jesse and Adrian stayed back by the doors, the druid-barbarian searched the walls, and Madrun investigated the shield. Suddenly, the druid-barbarian broke off her search and began creeping around the far side of the bookshelves from the lion.
"Its eyes are following us," she whispered.
Madrun, oblivious, walked straight up to it, and the lion snapped into life. "Are you a Lion Blade?" it asked. Madrun stammered for a bit, then said, "No."
Bentuk, a bit confused, approached as well. "We aren't lionbloods, but we're working for one, I think."
"You are not a Lion Blade," the lion said, furrowing its brow. Madrun backed away.
"But . . . you have really nice hair?" Bentuk asked.
The lion growled. "I will not be swayed by flattery. I have the only key through these doors, and you will never get it from me." It did seem to flick its head a little, though, waving its relief mane.
Jesse and the rest approached, apparently judging it safe to do so. "Look, we're just researching for a project, and we won't be here long. You seem like someone with a good sense of when to adjudicate rules - can't you just let us through for half an hour?"
"No one should be down here but Lion Blades. I will not let you pass. However . . ." he said, gazing at the bookshelves, "I won't call the guards just yet. You may research in this room, if you're quick about it."
So Bentuk, Adrian, Jesse, the barbarian-druid, and Madrun thoroughly yet rapidly searched the room. They found several Taldane ciphers, which the barbarian-druid and Madrun set to deciphering, and several books that mentioned items and tactics used in the Shining Crusade - information of interest to both the patron and the Society. As they wrapped up their research, they returned to the lion shield. The lion was just beginning to ask what they were doing when the barbarian-druid walked up, laid her hands on his face, and plunged them into it. The lion's features slackened, and then he began to cough. "This is it," he choked, and a shiny metal key popped out onto the floor.
"We'd better hurry. He'll only stay that way for an hour or so, I think," the barbarian-druid said.
They opened both doors and entered yet another hallway, which had three new doors. Jesse led the group to the one on the far right end, and opened it. Inside, they saw a woman with a blindfold standing and facing towards them.
Her room was austere, with only a small cot, a bookshelf devoid of books, a desk, and another portrait of Prince Stavian. This one had a brass plaque underneath saying, "A cunning lie is never told twice." Jesse and Adrian noticed that she had a ring of keys hanging from her belt.
"Who's there? I didn't expect anyone to be down here during the festival," the woman said.
Jesse said, "We've been working on a project that's due soon, and we need access to the special archives. Our instructor said we could come down."
"Why are you stuck down here all alone?" Bentuk asked.
"Well, someone has to keep watch. What kind of project is it? Can't you come back tomorrow?"
Bentuk evaluated her. They probably wouldn't be able to sneak off that keyring without her noticing. "No, we need to get it done by today. It's about the Mendevian Crusades."
"It's poor planning, sorry, but our instructor did say we could come down here. And we do have clearance!" Jesse put the letter into her hand. "And yeah, if you won't let us in, can you just tell us about the crusades? We're looking for information on Taldor's winning tactics."
"No, no, I'm sorry for being so suspicious. Here, I'll show you." The librarian rested a hand lightly on the doorframe and led them around the wall to the middle door, which she gracefully unlocked.
The room inside was small, but on the walls were gilt bookshelves covered in beautifully clear glass cases, holding hundreds of ancient-looking books. Each case had a small lock. "Can you open these for us?" Bentuk asked.
"Of course. I think this one is the best to start with," the librarian said, moving to one of the shelves. "Please be careful with these, by the way. They're the oldest books in the library."
Bentuk, Jesse, and Adrian spread about the room as she unlocked the shelves. They were finding some promising information when Adrian opened a bookshelf and gasped.
He stepped back, but not quickly enough to avoid the swarm of fluttering sharp-paged books that poured off the shelves. Jesse pulled out his bow and shot an arrow through three of them, but it was to little avail, and he started rifling through his backpack. The swarm moved over Bentuk, battering him and covering him in thousands of cross-hatched papercuts. He fell, bleeding out rapidly, and Adrian grimaced and released a cone of searing flame at both him and the swarm. "I'll heal us!" Galen the cleric shouted, but the swarm next caught him, Adrian, and the barbarian-druid. Ing, meanwhile, had disappeared.
The barbarian-druid and Madrun took turns hacking at the books, unable to reach their bleeding companion (and perhaps more focused on their own survival). Galen scrambled out of the swarm, but could not channel energy with the spinning, contorted paper so fresh in his mind. The books were moving back towards the dying summoner when Jesse ran back into the room, holding a green flask and stretching his arm back. He hurled the vial into the pages, where it exploded in a ball of sizzling fire. The books caught and began to burn, and when he threw another flask, they fell to the ground in a heap of ash and smoke. Galen quickly gathered his composure and summoned a soothing celestial energy that closed everyone's wounds. Bentuk staggered to his feet and asked where Ing had gone; no one had seen it. He tried to summon it again, but while he could still sense their connection, he could no longer pull Ing to him. He, Adrian, Jesse, and Madrun finished the search in that room, finding a few more snippets about Taldane tactics and the cipher
The librarian had fled back to her quarters, but she was willing to help with the last room. No one told her about the charred books, or the bookshelf Adrian had accidentally burned. In the final search (where they uncovered a final cipher clue but nothing else of note), Adrian found an odd lever behind a book. Slightly suspicious, he called over the seasoned ranger to deal with it. Everyone else cleared the room, and they heard only a short yelp before Jesse called them back in and beckoned them through an open door.
The corridor was darker than the rest of the complex - there were no torches here. The team stumbled through, Jesse wincing a little, into a brighter room with a carved lion head on the far wall. Between there and the entry door, three rows of filing cabinets bore little statues of lions. The six statues were in poses evoking virtues like courage, cunning, ambition, and perseverance, and had tall cylindrical bases. These, the group guessed, would fit into a set of four holes underneath the lionshead carving; the statues also seemed to correspond to the plaques underneath each painting of Prince Stavius. The problem was that there were five plaques, six statues, and only four holes, and that the plaques seemed to suggest some kind of order. The lock would be activated by a stone pad in front of the carving.
Having copied most of the portrait legends down, Bentuk arranged them in the order he believed to be correct - a bespectacled lion first ("must first know history"), then a royal lion ("a monarch's virtues are our own"), then a toiling lion ("persevere, persevere, persevere"), and finally a lion holding the flag of Taldor ("in the end, loyalty is its own reward"). He left out, "a cunning lie is never told twice."
"Are you sure this is right?" Adrian asked.
"'A cunning lie is NEVER told twice.' That's saying not to put it in the second spot, and since there's no other spot to put it, we have to leave it out."
"Still . . . I think Jesse should be the one who stands on the pad." Adrian and the rest backed to the far end of the room.
"Yes, I'm not certain." Bentuk moved past them, out into the corridor. He was the most vulnerable party member, and had already lost Ing. At least, that's why he told himself he was doing it. It did seem a little hypocritical to be the one to arrange them and then not be willing to test it with his skin. He was turning this over in his mind when Jesse stepped onto the pad, triggering a clanging grind and then a hiss. White mist poured out from around the carving, and the wall crumbled into gravel as a ten-foot-tall steel-grey lion shook itself. The mist gathered around one of the unused statues, too - the sneaking lion - and a similarly textured dog coalesced there, barking a low grunt.
The great lion swung at Jesse with a paw the size of his head, forcing him back towards its canine ally. Jesse stabbed at the dog with his swords, but its flesh was as hard as the stone it had formed from. It took his full strength, plus a spell from Adrian, to bring it down.
Meanwhile, the barbarian-druid threw a heavy mace into the lion's mouth, managing to knock out a handful of pearly grey teeth. Bentuk had conjured a film of slippery oil underneath the lion, which hampered its movement enough for Madrun and Jesse to close in and get the druid's spiked chain around its neck. Jesse hacked at the back of its stony neck until mist began to shroud it once again; in the space of half a breath, it and the dog's body had vanished. The wall was now a gaping ruin.
Bentuk dismissed the grease spell and followed the rest into the room beyond. Jesse gave him a sidelong glare, and Adrian sighed, looking at the hole in the wall. "Now they're really going to know someone was here," he said.
Bentuk didn't say anything; he just half-hid behind a bookshelf. The room was small, and only had two others. A small chest in the corner also contained two moderately powerful potions (as the more magical group members attested) and ten heavy platinum bars - doubtless a reserve treasury for the organization. Bentuk let everyone else take a share, then took only one of the bars for himself. "Since I blundered," he said. "Sorry, guys."
"No, I'll be okay. Galen, could we get some healing over here?"
"Oh! Yes." Galen channeled once again, and then went around laying his hands on the group members, blessing them with the divine and removing any trace of damage.
Jesse and Adrian searched the shelves and found a set of files matching the patron's description (this description is not copied here, for the continued goodwill of that patron). The group returned through the main library, back up the stairs, and met Tobias just as he was coming to shoo them out. While the barbarian-druid thanked him for letting her bring her pet cat, the rest of the group picked up their spent cards. When they got back out into the chilly sunlight, they could hear faint piping from the celebrations; Bentuk rather wanted to go listen, but the risk of capture was too great. The team left campus as soon as possible and met the patron's contact in a weathered bar in Eastport.
"So you destroyed a bookshelf and dominated a magical guard? Is that it?"
"There's also a huge hole in one of the walls," Madrun said, scratching his mastodon's head.
"But we did convince the librarian to help us!" the druid-barbarian said.
"Yes, and that was good. Still, you left far too many clues to your presence. I don't know what Captain Muesello will say, but next time we need an extraction, the Princess may think twice about hiring the Society." The contact shrugged into his cloak and stood up.
"Wait, a Princess?" the barbarian-druid asked.
"THE princess, but you didn't hear it from me." He nodded to the barkeep, placed some coins on the table, and walked out the door.
"We'd better see Muesello now," Jesse said. The group paid for their food and followed the ranger back towards the old fishing shop that concealed the lodge.
On the way, they passed a town crier delivering the day's news. "Cultists apprehended defacing a mausoleum in Memorial Park! Constabulary representatives confirm that a Keleshite conspiracy is to blame, and warn citizens to keep a lookout for symbols of Sarenrae and other suspicious signs." She paused to catch her breath, then began a new segment, saying, "Festivities at the Kitharodian Academy delighted Senate leaders and Grand Prince Stavian today. Bards from as far as Iobaria came to witness our nation's . . ."
Bentuk wrinkled his forehead. "Sarenrae? Is that what she said?"
"Yeah, they outlawed the 'Cult of the Dawnflower' a hundred years ago," the half-orc druid said.
"Oh. Understood," Bentuk said. "I need to get out of this country."
"I don't care for it either, myself. Everyone's staring at me and Tasha."
"That's only because you're so interesting to look at, though. A real half-orc!
Muesello met them at the front of the bait shop and ushered them straight around the back. He was a burly man, wearing slightly greasy velvet clothes and a straw hat with an upturned brim. As he opened the lodge door, he moved his lips slightly, and the dark spots vanished. "Did you retrieve the information?"
Jesse flopped down on a pink divan. "Yes, I think Adrian took notes. We already met with the contact."
"Your diligence is appreciated."
Adrian and Muesello went up into the loft to discuss their findings, while the druids shanghaied the cleric into a tavern crawl. (Bentuk heard Madrun grunting something about a cipher, but couldn't catch the barbarian-druid's response.) Jesse began snoring, so Bentuk went to his room. It was undecorated, of course - most of this lodge's income went into wayfinders - but cozy in the cold winter evening. He straightened the blanket and sat with his legs folded.
"The sun has gone behind the stars,
"Yet here inside, your light remains,
"Dawnflower, I ask a humble oath,
"To bring the sun and dawn's return."
Bentuk prayed for several minutes more, in silence. Ing had come to him in meditation like this, but no matter how much he calmed his mind, it was inaccessible.
"Bentuk?" he heard. Adrian rapped his knuckles on the

(involve pirates somehow?) (also personality) Bentuk believes in redemption for everyone, but he sometimes fails to actually petition for that kind of redemption. He is methodical but spiritual, and kind of a square - not possessed of extreme self-knowledge. People gravitate to him because he is kind and nonjudgemental, not because he is funny, attractive, or dynamic. His nose is kind of squashed-looking, but he has a wide smile and crow's feet for anyone who shows kindness. He is inquisitive, especially in matters of religion and the planes, in which he is still uneducated.
a dour Chelaxian-Varisian named Mardeval, booked passage with the Awl of Man (innuendo against Rahadoum), a merchant and sometimes-pirate vessel that brought them safely to Osirion, with a small load of books, journals, and artifacts. Kutha elected to stay in Eleder and head out with the next expedition; she never told Bentuk why exactly she left her tribe, but she assured him he'd always be welcome there. Bentuk's own tribe will probably not be so welcoming, but he believes his father and mother would help him in a pinch. His sister is the tribe's second-best warrior, and unusually dedicated to Zura, so he thinks it's unlikely that she'd show the same kindness. But if he brought weapons and armor and a chance at greater prosperity, he could probably win the rest of the tribe over. Okay the priest of Zura would probably also be angry, and the tribe head might try to just kill him and take the gear, but that's why he'd bring protection.
Ing, Bentuk's eidolon, is a yellow serpent with scales like a boa and sickly-looking orange fangs. Its eyes are a blank white, lacking even veins and faintly glowing under starlight. The white rune on its forehead is a jagged horizontal line driven through the top half of a perfect circle, and it has a faint smell of tomb dust and steaming citron. Ing is genderless and rather bemused by its existence. It is not passive in the face of evil like Bentuk. Back in Heaven (literal heaven), Ing prefers the company of celestial animals and travelling angels to that of archons.

Amara Li VC of lantern lodge
wind is cold and sleeting in aspodells, apparently?

Completed scenarios:
"Library of the Lion" (no boons, no Glorymane)
"The Beggar's Pearl"
"The Quest for Perfection Part I: The Edge of Heaven"