DM Azura's page

Thanks Ulfr. :)

Thanks for the heads up!

I'm doing my awful split commute, which has really ruined my schedule, but this weekend I will have time to finally migrate everything over to Roll20, and we can press on through the dungeons under Kaer Maga then.

So at the end of the hallway is a solid wall, or is that a door too?

Sorry, got my map coverage placement messed up.

The hallway extends past the doors and then turns slightly to the left, following a curve.

I've adjusted the coverage on the map. This slide is really terrible for this dungeon map, I'm gonna switch back to Roll20 when I'm home over the weekend.

Ok, a quick-and-dirty map is now linked in my profile. I'm not happy with it b/c it is not scaleable so the squares are not square and the scale is bad, so I may switch to Roll20 at some point, but for now you can see a little.

It takes a couple days of rest and diligent treatment for the weakened warriors to return to fighting trim, but at least that provides some time for diversions.

Upon returning, the team lets Saersha disable the odd guardian-orb-thing, then moves through the door on the eastern side of the chamber. It enters a narrow hallway, just 5' wide, stretching about 30'. Doors stand in the middle of that hall on both sides, shut and heavy.

No responses, but I figure maybe people aren't sure what to do next. I'm away from home at work for the week, but this weekend I'll do an update to add a link to a new map in profile line, and push the party ahead to the next room.

"We're currently not under any time pressure. We can take a couple of days to get back into fighting form."

Nothing prevents the team from heading back out to rest up for a few days and then going back down. Can handwave that if you like. If you do that, when you return the orb is active again, but Saersha can easily command it to disable itself once more.

The rune pulses and says something in reply.

The blob shrinks to a very small sphere, still floating in the air, and stops glowing.

Azura steps in to grab Trendon and help him back out.

"Must be some kind of ward or guard!" she says.

Only a few seconds later, the blob emits the same words in the gentle feminine voice.

One of the librarians snorts and says, "No. We don't even know what that is. This is just the pathway that leads to... wherever the Dark Forest portal lies. The expedition group went this way and never came back."

Another librarian says with a sprightly wave, "Good luck!"

The strange blob wobbles and pulses in the air as Ryn's ioun torch brings light to the chamber. A closed door is visible on the far wall.

Any specific investigations, or just gonna file on into the dungeons and see what happens?

Azura says, "Yeah, you're right, we need to make sure that Arnic isn't left hanging. He may be safe for the moment, but if we're gone for a while, he may need to make other arrangements."

"Let's get our business in order and come back here when we have fewer loose ends."

With this in mind, the team returns to let Arnic know about their expedition. The high-strung aasimar is nervous, but you have an ace card to play: Nyxra can play house-sitter to your guest while your team heads down below.

With the wealth of merchants in the city, it's a simple matter to purchase several days of expeditionary supplies, though some of the items on offer are rather distinct from the tastes of your home towns. Preserved food becomes more than just hardtack and jerky; the offerings include a variety of pungent pickled vegetables in ceramic jars, in the Hwanggot style; dried powdered eggs that definitely didn't come from a chicken; and a small array of fresh fruits with thick, green rinds that the seller claims will remain viable for at least a week as long as they aren't peeled until just before they are eaten. At least it'll be some variety.

With Arnic and Princess Puffball safely under the watchful eye of Nyxra and her associates, you have the leeway to spend one last comfortable night in cozy beds before making your way back to the Therassic spire on the morning of the following day.

Feel free to get in any last-minute RP the night before the expedition heads out in earnest.

~~~~~~~~~~

When you pound your fist on the library door, the slide opens, the wizened eyes squint, and then the door opens after a loud clang from the bar. The librarian sighs and says, "So you're serious, eh? I half expected not to see you again."

Koifa (the librarian) takes up an oil lamp and leads you down the staircase and past several windy shelves of books. You descend two more stairs, both in remote corners of subterranean levels, realizing that she could easily get you lost in here, and the connections between levels in the library are not obvious. Finally she arrives at a barricade, where a hallway is blocked by a half-dozen overturned reading tables and a dozen quiet, tense-looking librarians. In whispered tones, Koifa explains to them that you are here to locate the missing party below and finish making contact with the strangers in the Dark Forest in the depths, and the librarians wave you past the barricade, which requires you to shove some tables and climb over some stools.

The halls here are unlit, and you leave the lamplight of the librarians behind as you head... southeast? you think... into stone-worked passages that are doubtless centuries old. The ceilings are ten feet above and squared off, and the hall narrows to five feet wide, requiring you to proceed single file. It circles and arches, going ever downward, sometimes at a slight angle, sometimes in a tight, twisting stairwell, and finally comes to a smooth stone wall with a slab of stone hanging open—presumably a secret door that would mesh flush with the wall when closed. Koifa gestures to the chamber beyond.

"This is as far as I go," says the librarian. "Good luck."

Beyond the stone aperture is a simple square room, 20' by 20'. The chamber is bare save for a single ornate, high-backed wooden chair against the near wall. In the room’s center, a head-sized blob of condensed purple fluid slowly pulses and warps, like a drop of heavy oil suspended underwater.

So I guess the question is, go right now, or spend the night in the city and do any last-minute purchases and go down in the morning?

The librarian says, "If you want to go rooting around downstairs, then bring your blades and I'll unlock the cellar door and lead you through the passages to where the tunnels go into the deeps. The Therassic workshops below have been sealed for a long time, aside from the last group that went down there, but once you have bypassed the various research laboratories, you should be able to reach a long passageway that, according to our distant confederates, provides a gateway to the Dark Forest, a small extradimensional realm."

"The expedition that went below previously said that they had some experience in navigating the depths. The Therassic Spire doesn't connect to a wide range of meandering tunnels, so it's challenging to get lost," says the librarian.

The librarian scuttles over to a reference desk and flips through several books before she produces a sheaf of papers loosely bound in a red leather folio that looks extremely old. She pages through it for a few moments, then says, "It is interesting and possibly fortuitous that you've arrived now. Not long ago we—meaning the librarians of the Therassic Spire—received a communication from a society far, far below, in a subterranean settlement called Xavorax. These, um, under-dwellers, for lack of a better term, indicated that they had discovered the location of a Sihedron shard, accessible via the byways from this very Spire. They offered to collaborate in recovery of the shard."

She carefully holds up the red leather folio to show some scribbled notes and a picture of a humanoid creature with a bifurcated jaw and a hunched posture, with several integral, biological armored plates over its shoulders and neck and no eyes on its otherwise smooth and hairless head.

"Our library sent an expedition to meet with these folk, but the expedition hasn't returned. They consisted of a human woman named Hasari, a halfling named Perotus, a bloatmage gnome called Luonim the Vast, and a dark naga woman named Silasni."

"According to these creatures, the shard is in a location that they call the 'Dark Forest'—not ominous at all—and if a team meets with them by following the byways below the Spire, they can transport the team to the location of the Shard. Their interest is ostensibly academic."

The librarian very carefully closes the book and says, "Obviously, our level of trust in these creatures is low. Why would they simply give up a Sihedron shard? What do they really want? Is this just bait to send people to be eaten? But at the very least, now we need a team to rescue the missing expedition."

With a wry twist of her wrinkled lips, the librarian says, "If you or someone you know fits that description, and can do so discreetly, the Spire has set aside some amount of funds for such an operation."

The librarian putters about with a large index book and then says to Ulfr, "Recorded oral histories, mostly material brought in by the Pathfinder Society. We have a collection of transcribed runic and oral traditions, kept in fourteen volumes of leather-bound folios, if you want to see them."

To Trendon she says, "Sihedron shards? A curious coincidence. Various knowledge-seeking groups come through the Therassic Spire from time to time, of course, and the tower connects to deep underground repositories, including some areas that scholars suggest may date back to the Runelords, or even earlier. Information about pre-Starfall is sketchy and unreliable, of course. Did you want to know about a specific Runelord or Sihedron fragment?"

Nobody? No questions? No actions?

Yeah, you're following the tugging of your existing shards to try to find the next one. The path has dragged you to somewhere in Kaer Maga, but you aren't sure where to look exactly for it. You all wound up embroiled in a local house war, with a mage house that makes golems hunting down this sex worker because someone thught he'd learned their magical secrets from pillow talk with a client and then spread them around. The mage clan (the Arndocs) is still likely to cause trouble, but for the moment you're just trying to find information about where the darn shard might be. A likely possibility is that someone else in the city already has it, and you may have to do some maneuvering to get it.

With a cough, the matronly librarian says, "If I were pursuing money, I wouldn't be a librarian."

She gestures to the stacks. "Bottom floor is all reference indices, arranged by categories. That massive tome there—"—she points to a heavy book bound with metal rings—"—is a list of the categories themselves, in alphabetical order. Just don't burn the place down."

Interesting. Nominally, the threat is not really plausible; a librarian in a magically-defended tower in the middle of one of the largest, most diversely-occupied cities in Golarion isn't really going to believe that a small group of outsiders waving around the name of a supposed noble house from unrecognizable weirdos presents a credible threat.

That said, the DC for Intimidation checks is based on the target's Hit Dice and Wisdom, not on the plausibility of the threat.

The eyes behind the shutter blink a few times, then there's the sound of a heavy metal bolt sliding, and the door opens with a creak.

"If you're in such a hurry to check out a book, don't let me get in your way," says the librarian, revealed to be a hunched-over very old woman in a red robe. She stays partly occluded by the door as she holds it open.

The Spire itself is a six-story perfectly circular tower, but the interior is so cluttered that the immense structure isn't even visible—all you can see is rows of books on the walls and carpets on the floors. A pair of small alcoves to either side of the entrance, which would normally serve as guard posts, have turned into librarians' offices. A massive column in the center of the chamber bears a broad circular stone staircase that heads both up and down.

The librarian shuts the door behind you and bolts it again with a large, heavy metal bolt.

"You're not here about ruins, so what do you really want? Besides threatening old women," she says.

Thank you for waiting during my convalescence.

The prim voice on the other side says, "What ruins? This city is built upon generations of ruins. We don't need donations and we aren't soliciting outside research work, so I bid you good day."

Anything else you want to mention before this terrible librarian slams the panel shut?

Sorry for the delay, currently running a fever of 100.7. Test says it's not covid, so hoping to recover in the next couple of days.

Saersha's first knock receives no response. She knocks again, and Ulfr is about to make things noisy when the small window-slider opens, and you can just make out a pair of squinty eyes on the other side. A gravelly voice says, "Like the sign says, closed until further notice. And if you can't read, then what are you doing at a library?"

With Arnic safely ensconced in the Velvet Elysian Post, the team has the opportunity to figure out their next steps. Once the celestial consort is composed, he explains a bit more calmly, "The Ardocs keep a very tight fist on a lot of magical power in the city—outside of the librarians and other high wizards who keep to themselves. They um... they have a lot of sway in their district, with their family running favors and operations, often with a magical bent. But apparently they think someone is stealing their secrets for making automatons, and they think it's me!"

Arnic wrings his hands and says, "Of course, that would be ridiculous. I know better than to cross a powerful client like that! And I'm no arcanist, I wouldn't know a clockwork from a clutch."

"Now that you've bloodied the noses of some of their muscle, they know that the frontal approach won't work, and that I have friends. That means they're going to figure out something else, because they can't let someone get away with resisting them! Other people might get the wrong idea if it looks like the Ardocs aren't in charge," continues Arnic.

"I don't know what to do, but thank you for keeping me safe!"

Azura sighs and says, "Well... if the Ardocs control a lot of magical influence, they might actually know something about what we're looking for here in town. But... I dunno if we, as a team, are powerful enough to broker a deal with a faction that controls an entire ward of Magnimar."

Arnic says, "They have a lot of territory, but they aren't the only power groop in the city. If you need information you could always ask the Augurs, or maybe the great library at the Therassic Spire."

Azura says, "I guess that gives us options, and something is better than nothing. So, what can you tell us about those two?"

Arnic thinks a moment, then says, "Well, the Augurs are trolls... they practice self-mutilating haruspicy to try to get visions. So maybe they can divine some information about whatever it is you're doing. The Spire is the biggest repository of knowledge in Magnimar, but apparently there's something going on and the librarians have the place closed to the public for the time being."

He shrugs and says with some embarrassment, "Again, not a scholar, I don't spend too much time going through the great library."

Azura says, "Good to know. So it's problems all over the city. What about making a meet with the Ardocs and just sorting all of this out?"

Arnic says nervously, "Umm... they would need assurances somehow that it's not me, but that means you'd have to find out who's behind the theft of their formulas. Also some way to save face so they don't lose status with the other gangs and power groups in the city—if you just pushed your way in and forced them to capitulate, it would be seen as a sign of weakness, and they can't allow that."

Azura nods as the team takes up seats in their luxurious quarters and says, "Well, team, how about it? Check with the Augurs for a divination? Visit the Thorassic Spire and see what's gone wrong there? Make a meet with the Ardocs? Or something else?"

I spoke with DC recently and I'll be moving things along shortly, probably this weekend. Hang on folks!

Reminder that the half-troll had an amulet of natural armor +1, so if you don't have one of those and you value AC, you might wanna grab it.

Abra takes Ryn's forearm in his hand and gives her a solid shake.

"All right. There is a small party that will be with this crew, a merchant and some entourage. It's best to stay together in groups, that way it's easier than trying to fight off ambushes individually. Hopefully that won't be a problem," says the Duskwarden.

Azura winces slightly and says, "Um... we can be a somewhat raucous group for strangers. We'll try to keep it in check."

Abra's eyebrows come up slightly and he says, "Just don't get so drunk that you bring down monsters on us from the noise, and everything should be fine."

Anyone else?

Azura signals to Othlo for the boat to get moving again once the team is all aboard and the loot from the chance encounter stowed.

The ship makes its way upriver to the gnome town of Whistledown on the edge of Lake Syrantula. This gives you a much-needed break, as the town is large enough to have facilities for travelers and isn't nearly the tiny shanty of your prior stop. Instead you have filling meals, warm beds, and even the opportunity to take in some local music and entertainment. The chance to spread your legs, interact with some new people, and to enjoy some local cuisine and activities is revitalizing, and the boat remains late into the next day.

You can do incidental shopping if anyone wants to buy anything mundane like alchemical supplies (it's a gnome town, they have everything of that sort) or additional gear.

Once everyone feels sated, the boat makes its way back on the trip, crossing the placid lake, where you occasionally see groups of fish. Many small fishing boats dot the lake as well, with the fisherfolk waving as you pass by with the Lucky Jenny's relentless magical paddlewheel.

Once past the lake, you continue upriver, now a fresher, less swampy experience, until after several more days the boat reaches the Storval Rise.

Great waterfalls come rushing down the cataracts of Storval Rise. The cliff face is a thousand feet tall, with the craggy Storval Plateau above over the Varisian plains. Othlo brings the Lucky Jenny into port alongside other ships that have traveled the Yondabakari and bids you good journey as he and his crew set about unloading a small amount of cargo and dealing with the paperwork of coming into port.

The port has a path that leads to the base of the cliffs, and following that leads you to a massive set of bronze double doors embedded in the rock face. As you stare at the door it seems to twist and shift subtly, but when you look away and look back it is unchanged. Groups of merchants and travelers wait in small groups while heavily-armored guards keep order at the base of the cliff.

It takes only a few minutes for one of the guards to veer off and check with you. The fellow who arrives to check you in is a human man in his 30s, with a thick brown beard, hardened features, and the handsome confidence of a seasoned soldier. He gives your team the once over, then focuses his attention on Ryn and says, "You look like you know what you're doing. I have a group that's ready to head up the Halflight path soon, if you're ready to go. Otherwise, there are some places you can stay near the pier, for travelers who haven't gotten their business together or are waiting for others to join them."

He glances at Ulfr, then Saersha, then Trendon, then Azura, then looks back to Ryn. "Anyway, if you're ready to go immediately, I can set you up with the next group in a few minutes. Otherwise, seek me out when you're ready to go. I'm Abra, but if you decide to go later and I'm off-shift, you can check in with any of my fellow Duskwardens."

If you have any last-minute purchases or business, speak now before heading up the Halflight trail! Note that several days pass between the troll-fight and arrival at the cliffs, so everyone is refreshed at this point.

The crunch of a pair of vertebrae being smashed adds some finality to the moment, then the damp forest returns to the background noise of birds and wind through the trees.

Azura moves to the edge of the boat to help people back aboard as the halflings come out to clean up the mess and dump the body in the water.

"So what's next?" says Othlo. "We keep goin' up the river, or didja wanna look into this arena and troll-hole that the fellow was talking about?"

~~~~~~~~~~

The two trolls on the riverbank fought only with their claws and natural toughness, but the half-troll used Large-sized equipment. This isn't really useful to the party, but it can be sold in a large settlement (like Kaer Maga) for a good price:

Large-sized longsword (sells for 15 gp)
Large-sized half-plate (sells for 600 gp)

In addition, the half-troll wore an amulet of natural armor +1.

Ryn?

Yikes! Glad to hear that you are on the mend!

Will bot forward tomorrow if Saersha is still busy.

The half-troll, after he finishes removing some more pieces of his armor and then reasserts control over himself, points out a spot in the woods about two and a half miles from the river proper, next to a tributary stream.

"Ancient hollow, our people were brought there by the Sword of the Maker, the one who gave us the orders of battle. The Maker we know only through her image."

Azura tugs at her lip and then says, "I dunno, Sae- Sorshen, maybe this is a chance to, uh, 're-assert' control and stop these trolls from hurting any more people?"

"No, mistress," says the half-troll. "We know only that boats come this way from time to time, and from them we sometimes capture goods, or people."

The half-troll continues to grovel, still deeply compelled by the enchantment magics, as he removes the bracers of his armor.

"My tribe has lived for time imm– imm— for a long time in the forests here, in the trees, in the ruins. Long ago we were tasked by the servant of the maker to remain here and remain strong, and we have done so as told. Sometimes we take captives to eat, or to do battle in our arena, to remain strong. Always we do battle to remain strong."

"Never did I imagine in my wildest dreams that I would meet the maker."

Looks like things are still rough for Saersha. I'll give her a little time.

Poke!

Trendon's fiery aura scorches and slays the troll that Ryn had brutally beaten, while Saersha's spell takes effect and the half-troll, just pushing himself up onto his hands, tosses his sword back down and puts his hands behind his head.

"It's true!" he says in a guttural voice. "You are the maker!"

The two trolls are dead and the half-troll has, for the moment, surrendered; what's your next move?

The half-troll is caught by surprise from behind and knocked forward and face-down onto the deck.

Ryn slams her shield into her troll foe multiple times, staggering the giant and then smashing into it with her full body weight and sending the troll sprawling backward. The troll staggers into a tree and slumps to one knee, even as its bruises and broken bones knit with disturbing cracking noises.

I don't believe this troll took any fire or acid damage this round, so it's regenerating but currently so badly wounded that it's incapacitated.

Trendon shouts at the half-troll with a commanding imperative, but the half-troll shakes its head briefly and continues its inexorable advance on Embyr. Made save.

The half-troll is still armored, though he's slowly working on that problem. He pauses to remove his gauntlets with a frustrated grunt, then grabs his sword back from under his arm and continues to threaten Embyr with it. Embyr ducks and rolls to one side, and the sword comes down on the edge of a crate, deflecting off without hitting her.

"Mistress... ?" says Embyr, looking to Saersha for a charm or fear or other spell that will drive this one back.

The half-troll grunts and says, "Your warriors are worthy foes! You should do battle in our arena to prove their great strength to everyone!"

Party's up. Ryn's foe is down but needs to be hit with fire or acid to kill it.

Remember that Trendon previously healed to channel 7 here. That should put Ulfr at 3.

The troll lets out a weird growl-shriek as it keeps flailing at Ryn. Trolls are, after all, largely fearless, even in the face of fire, and usually fight to the death.

The troll manages to batter Ryn's shield again, though her defenses keep up for now.

Ryn takes 12 damage.

Trendon's magic brings Ulfr to consciousness and the warrior finds that Azura is crouched over him, trying to heal him. "Stay down," she whispers, "the troll's right over you but I'll try to get you out of here."

The half-troll unbuckles his belt and lets his baldric drop to the deck of the ship, unable to stop himself as Azura's enchantment continues its influence. With a snarl he steps over the fallen baldric and sword-hanger and lashes out with his blade at Embyr, since she shot him.

Embyr stumbles back against the railing, barely avoiding a killing blow from his heavy-handed swipe.

Party's up!

Ryn smashes one of the trolls hard and, in combination with Saersha's acid magic, fells the enemy and crushes its head with a hard bash of the edge of her shield.

Azura makes it near Ulfr but is unable to successfully complete a healing spell on him.

Embyr reloads her crossbow and fires at the half-troll.

Embyr: Hand crossbow, inspire courage, point blank: 1d20 + 7 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 7 + 2 + 1 = 21
Embyr: Hand crossbow damage, inspire courage, point blank: 1d3 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 1 = 6

She manages to sink a tiny bolt across the side of the half-troll's neck, though she misses any large arteries.

Trendon?

The armored foe halts, then throws down his sword and starts removing his armor. He discards his helm first, revealing a strangely bloated, long-nosed, green-skinned face with unruly black hair—a half-troll.

The troll that has taken several hits wobbles on its feet and then, with its companion, turns to unleash its fearless fury on Ryn.

A frenzy of claws and gnashing teeth tear at Ryn, slamming into her shield and her armor and keeping her busy ducking out of the way of killing blows.

Ryn takes two hits for 8 and 11 damage respectively.

Party up!

Embyr takes a shot with her hand crossbow.

Hand crossbow attack, inspire courage, point blank: 1d20 + 7 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 7 + 2 + 1 = 13

Unfortunately for her, in her haste she fires too soon and the bolt bounces cleanly off the armor of the large figure climbing onto the boat.

Ryn hammers the troll while Trendon keeps Ulfr from a sad fate, and Saersha keeps the acid pressure up.

Let's see how Azura's action fares, then the trolls...

Feel free to move your character to the appropriate location. Presumably I just missed that post. Which troll are you attacking?

Saersha's cantrip zips by the troll with minimal effect.

A hit, but one point of damage (even nonregenerable damage) is so small that it doesn't even make the troll flinch.

Ulfr's foe tears into the skald again, savagely biting his shoulder and tearing once more at the bloody warrior.

Ulfr takes two more hits, for 8 and 12 damage. I think that knocks him out.

The other troll comes around its compatriot and reaches for Trendon!

The troll has 10' reach, but Trendon has partial cover thanks to the water.

Trendon, it would be super-useful if you can get some of your key stats, like your AC and hit points, into your byline.

One claw manages to hook Trendon's bicep and narrowly misses opening an artery. Trendon takes 8 damage.

The armored foe wades to the edge of the boat and starts to climb aboard.

Ryn, this provokes an AoO from you, for which he loses his Dex bonus.

Ryn is also up next.

That makes the difference in confirming that crit.

Ulfr's mighty club slams hard into the wiry giant, knocking it back and forcing its talons away from him while he bleeds profusely. The green-skinned fellow grunts but seems fearless, almost berserk in its slavering desire to tear Ulfr limb from limb.

A solid hit!

Who else?

Ulfr, did you included the bonuses from the bull's strength spell that Trendon cast you? Might matter here.

Cool, I just have this one made-up side jaunt so that the team can hit level 8. :)

Knowledge (local) to ID these bad boys.

The armored fellow waves his sword in front of his face a few times, and though he's now sparkly like he has craft herpes, he doesn't seem disoriented by the spell.