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Mal once again scores a critical hit with her swipe, finishing off one of the spiders. Gig pierces the final tarantula with needle darts, then Brijetta takes it down with her metal sword! A search of the debris in the library turns up some magical items: a greater spirit-sealing fulu, a scroll of binding muzzle, a scroll of blast of the bellows, two scrolls of remove curse, and a wand of remove curse. There is also a tome of dripping shadow sealed in a lead box.
"I do as Kugaptee demands. And right now, he demands that I kill you! Attack!" Gurglegut shouts, pointing at you vehemently. The onidoshi snarl and step forward menacingly. Initiative:
Skaytar splashes the troll with a blast of acid. Melor scores a critical hit with his gun, and Caine stylishly stabs the troll with his spear. Njinga's shield bash is enough to take down the badly wounded brute! She crumples to the floor both heads staring sightlessly at the ceiling as she expires. The two-headed troll has a grim trophy talisman and a +1 warhammer. Beside the bed of moss, a spacious pouch II holds the trolls’ ill-gotten treasure. Within is a string of two dozen amber beads (each worth 5 gp), an opal cabochon (worth 100 gp), four chunks of silver (each worth 10 gp), a fine spyglass, 268 gp, and 320 sp.
Kharya lands a solid punch this time, then Timdok feints and delivers a critical hit to the clockwork's already weakened torso. Its whirring gears crack and grind to a halt. The entire construct screeches to a stop before toppling to the floor! The Crown cries out, “And that’s a jackpot for our contestants! What a show, folks! Time for the winners to claim their prizes!” The audience applauds for a few moments as the stage resets, and then the card table you used in the first challenge rises back up from the center of the stage —only this time, the table is heaped with treasure!
Kandirvek spreads his wings wide and stares down at you as images and shapes begin to flicker and form in the folds. His voice both deep and soothing, Kandirvek asks, “Where do the fates of these heroes cross with that of Thassilon’s legacy?” Over the course of the next several minutes, the shapes and colors coalesce into visions played out against the canopy of Kandirvek’s prophetic wings: • In the first vision, you see yourselves riding atop Kandirvek’s back, flying above a vast mountain range while Ranek consults the strange stone star chart you found, as if using it to navigate. You recognize the mountains as the central span of the Kodars. • In the second vision, you see yourselves clashing against immense, green-skinned trolls. • In the third vision, you see yourselves floating down into a vast cavern where an ancient, ruined city sprawls. Ranek realizes that this is the lost city of Xin-Cyrusian, in part of the Darklands realm of Nar-Voth. • In the final vision, you see yourselves using magic to pry open a portal above the shattered remains of a stone well. Again, Ranek identifies the well as as shattered runewell, but not just any runewell. It's the Runewell of Pride. As you observe the final vision, Kandirvek gasps in shock as the looming image of Runelord Xanderghul clad in peacock robes rises up to obscure the view and disrupt the portents granted by his prophetic wings. Xanderghul sneers and curtly waves his hand, and the vision comes to a sudden end as Kandirvek recoils in agony! "Argh!" the dragon growls, trickles of blood pouring from his nostrils. He wipes at it with the back of a claw. "It would seem that the runelord did not wish you to see those visions. But it cannot be undone now. I will take you there so that the visions may come to pass." Ranek recalls that the location of the ruined city of Xin-Cyrusian was once located somewhere in the southeast reach of what is now the Land of the Linnorm Kingdoms, but its exact location has been lost to time. But based on the second vision of you fighting against trolls, its likely that the city is somewhere in the trolls' territory. And one of the most notorious sites within that area is a place called the Throne of the Troll King. It would be a good place to start your search...
The halfling, who introduces themself as Xerra Bluebottle, happily offers you water, wine, or tea to go with the sticky buns. The two young recruits who were sparring pause their training to also partake of Xerra's baked goods. "Zombie bats? That's a new one," Maire Phelan exclaims. "I hope there's not some necromancer lurking about looking to stir up trouble." Rhokrag clears his throat. "Regardless, I am sure that the League's founders will be pleased with your successful mission. Alas, they are currently in Elidir, doing their best to stop Hedvend’s bounty on dissidents at the source. While they don’t have direct contact with Isger’s steward, they’re surreptitiously trying to sway other members of the government in the hopes of pressuring Hedvend to rescind the bounty. "In the meantime, we have another task for you that needs to be done before you can rest on your laurels," the hobgoblin continues. "As you may know, supplies are the fuel that keeps a revolution’s fire burning, and the League is in constant need. There isn’t enough room within our headquarters here to store all such provisions, so the League keeps them in a warehouse at the docks under the fictitious name of Everbloom Imports. "Agents posing as merchants arrive in town with supplies, move them into the warehouse, and then head back out into the country for their next mission. This morning, a League-affiliated vessel arrived at the docks with provisions from Logas. Junior Hellbreaker Gertraud Mildenhall was to meet them at the warehouse and inventory the goods, but she hasn’t returned to headquarters yet. "I am beginning to suspect something untoward might have happened, as Gertraud is known for being quite timely. Saringallow isn’t totally free of Chelaxian loyalists who would jump at the chance to collect a generous bounty. To make matters worse, this delivery from Logas was meant to help provision several missions out in the field and the League is running low on weapons and ammunition. I need you to go to the warehouse to see if anything happened to Gertraud."
Brijetta misses withe her molten wire attack but hits with her regular blast. Uhe lands another good arrow, while Mal critically hits both tarantulas! The arachnids strike back, but the druid keeps her frill up to protect her neck! Enemy Status: -100, -43
Skaytar's spell is very successful, slowing the two-headed troll to a crawl! Melor shoots her with an acidic round and Caine tumbles through her legs, distracts her with a cutting quip, then scores a critical hit, impaling her with his spear! The troll howls and slowly turns to face Caine, swinging her hammer in a crushing blow.
Enemy Status: -57, slowed 2, -3 Perception and Will
The priestess raises her flute and plays out one final mournful dirge. Elizeth sighs with relief, and the shackles on her wrists fade as she vanishes. Lingering notes of her music persist, seeming to fill you with energy and a love of life. You continue on towards the distant claw, but a strange thing occurs. The surrounding buildings seem to grow taller, the streets grow narrower, and the sky above seems to lower. The transformation increases the more quickly you move, but even if you stand still, it isn't long before even the widest street feels like a narrow alleyway, and the view of the red sky above is reduced to a narrow strip visible between looming, towering buildings packed so closely together that they feel more like the walls of a cavern than a street-side facade. At the end of the winding alleyway is a single door leading into a building. But the door opens not into the expected building, but instead onto a familiar, wide stone bridge—Dawnstep Bridge. The panorama of Willowshore as it existed last spring lies beyond the bridge’s rails, including the eerie fog that plagued the town. To the north and south, wooden barricades set with double doors prevent sight beyond the bridge, while above, a moon in the shape of a red eye looms in the night sky. In the middle of the northern end of the bridge, an immense golden throne has been built to resemble a seated demon, fitted with deep purple cushions, and draped with furs and swaths of embroidered silks. The one-eyed buso you fought way back at the beginning of this year's Season of Ghosts is seated on the throne. It is Gurglegut, but he towers at twice his previous height, standing at 13 feet tall as he rises to address you. This time, he is not attended by gremlins, but by a group of four onidoshi who stand two abreast between you and the throne. Gurglegut roars in laughter and raises a large jug of rice wine in salute you. "And here we are again, heroes of Willowshore, only this time you shall not catch me at a disadvantage. This time, my guardians are competent. This time, I am not drunk and distracted. This time, I will be eating your flesh and crunching your bones when all is said and done!"
[ The clockwork ignores Esirelle's spell and weathers Kharya's attacks without harm. It attacks the dwarf again, scoring a critical hit with its metallic jaws!
The Wheel of Fates spins, landing on the same space. More laughing gas fills the cage.
As you proceed, you come to an open plaza that surrounds a stone temple. Relief carvings of phoenixes cover the temple’s pointed pediment below the roof, and columns flank the porch leading to the temple interior. Inside, a statue of a muscular human man forging a clay pot above a flame stands at the far end of the room. The statue depicts Phyrtharros, hero-god of pyres and pottery, for centuries. Niches in the walls hold several more statues, and the floor is inlaid with gleaming red gems. Unlike the complex outside, there are no signs of fighting here. The statue in the far-left wall niche, a woman in flowing robes, steps down from her pedestal, moving to block the path. She holds up a hand, her earthenware face creasing in a frown. “Leave,” she says. “The meteor brings chaos, and the priests are secluded. Visitors are no longer welcome.” She pauses, regarding you for a moment, then lowers her kestros. “But you do not carry the scent of fury. Perhaps you can help set things right… if you have Phyrtharros’s favor. Go to the adjoining workshop and craft an oniochoe worthy of the hero-god. Pass the test, and I will bring you to the priests.”
CRAFT THE OINOCHOE: CONCENTRATE EXPLORATION MANIPULATE
To Craft the Oinochoe, each PC must take on one of the following tasks, as the Earthen Lady asks everyone to participate. A PC with the Specialty Crafting feat in pottery applies their bonus to any of these checks. Shape the Clay: Kneading and shaping the clay on the wheel requires a DC 16 Art Lore check, a DC 18 Crafting check, or a DC 20 Athletics check. Coat with Slip: To prepare the oinochoe for painting once fired, it must be coated with clay slip, requiring a DC 16 Crafting check or a DC 18 Thievery check. Fire in Kiln: Once prepared, the oinochoe must be fired in the kiln with a DC 16 Engineering Lore check or a DC 18 Crafting or Nature check. Paint the Oinochoe: Painting a suitable scene on the oinochoe once fired requires a DC 16 Art Lore or DC 18 Religion or Society check.
Chapter 3: Secrets of Pride Once you are properly rested, you follow the directions Kandirvek gave you to his lair. They lead to an unassuming valley about a four-hour hike northwest of Vekker’s Crossing. Here, hidden behind a waterfall, is the cavern where the dragon lives. When you arrive, you find Kandirvek waiting for you outside the cavern. He perks up when he sees you, his tail lashing back and forth beihnd him. "I am glad you came. Thank you again for helping me earlier. I must tell you that I have seen you before. As an omen dragon, I am no stranger to visions and divinatory dreams, and your faces have been featuring prominently of late, always in association with the region's history of ancient runelord rule. "Be they ghosts roused from slumber or something else, it seems that the legacy of ancient Thassilon still claws at us from the distant past. In my dreams, I see you facing it, just as I recently witnessed you clash against two of the risen. I wish to provide what aid I can. The Kodar Mountains have long been my home, and I do not wish to see the runelords return to them any more than you do. Will you accept my aid?"
A few minutes later, the ferry returns to your side of the river. Concerned for your safety, the ferry operator quickly ushers you and the wagon onto the vessel. The man eyes the corpses of the undead bats warily. "I'll make sure to burn them bodies so they don't get back up again. My cousin told me that the dead have been mighty restless ever since all that god stuff fell from the sky. She thinks it has something to do with that lich what lives on Lake Encarthan."
*** After crossing the river on the ferry, you spend the night at the inn and then continue on to Saringallow the next morning. There are no further incidents, and you arrive in the midafternoon at the northeastern gates. Saringallow is a large walled town on the Conerica River that was founded as Sarini’s Hollow by the Chelaxian noble Sarini family a few centuries ago. After a series of mysterious deaths, the townspeople rose up against the Sarinis and publicly hanged them, giving the town its more somber sobriquet. Despite the town having no love for Chelaxian nobles, the Hellbreakers League must still operate with some modicum of secrecy here. The League’s headquarters is in the basement of an unassuming two-story house on the eastern side of town. Rumors hold that the domicile was once the home of an alchemist who was corrupted by a demonic influence. His family has since moved away from Saringallow, and the founders of the Hellbreakers League purchased the house and constructed a large basement in which to plan their revolution. Agents sometimes stay in the house, but it isn’t large enough to lodge the entire League. To gain entrance, you know to knock on the front door and announce that you are “friends of Rose.” This is a reference to the goddess Milani, the patron of those who fight against injustice and tyranny and whose religious symbol is a rose in a pool of blood. A dark-haired human woman opens the door and says with a smile, “Afternoon! Any friends of Rose can find refuge here.” The house’s main room looks like a typical cozy residence, with a hearth on the east wall and a large dining table in the center. After closing the front door, the woman, who introduces herself as Maire Phelan, approaches a plain wooden door in the southern wall, which she unlocks with an iron key. This leads to a set of stairs descending into the beating heart of the Hellbreakers League. A wide basement stretches in front of the bottom of the staircase, crammed with several tables, a handful of chairs, and maps of Isger hung on nearly every wall. The tables are piled with documents, ledgers, and more maps. A tall hobgoblin man sorts through the documents, a stern look on his face. A side room has been cleared of all furniture, and two young soldiers spar within. A second, smaller alcove holds a magically heated iron stove that gives off warmth and light but no smoke. A halfling stands next to the stove, holding a pan filled with pastries. "Look alive, people!" Maire calls. "Our newest recruits have returned from Breachill with the Eagle Knight they were sent to collect." The hobgoblin steps forward, quickly sizing you and Ethran up before nodding in satisfaction. "Good. We should begin your debriefing." The halfling clucks their tongue. "Take a beat, Rhokrag! They've only just arrived. I'm sure they're tired from their journey." They hold up the pan of pastries towards you. "Sticky buns? They're yesterday's batch, but I just toasted them again."
When you are ready to move on, another secret door to the east leads out into an indoor garden. The air in this chamber feels humid and unusually warm. A row of four twenty-foot-long wooden planter boxes filled with earth sit in the middle of the room, each overgrown with diseased-looking weeds, damp-looking fungi, and glistening vines. A low table with moldy cushions around it sits to the east, near a small wooden door to the northeast; a statue of a stag covered with damp, diseased vines stands near this door. Several clots of fungi in the planter boxes begin to shudder and lurch to life. Several fungus leshies and slime molds move to attack, but they aren't much of a threat, and you make short work of them. With their defeat, you can cleanse and purify the stag statue, the fourth and final one within the monastery. Immediately upon its purification, the the sickened trees within the monastery become healthier, and the remaining fungus in this room withers away. The ghost of Zhi Hui manifests again and bows to you. "I thank you for your service. It is time to descend to Kugaptee's grave beneath the monastery and defeat Xin Yue. When you engage her, I will appear again and aid you in your fight."
Uhe takes aim at the most wounded of the tarantulas, shotting it in the side of its head. Mal heals herself before growing into a giant dinosaur, knocking the same tarantula onto its back with the force of her growth! Brijetta sprays the spiders with metal shards. As the prone spider tries to right itself, Mal impales it with her horns, slaying it! The other two spiders bite at the huge dinosaur.
Enemy Status: -25, -3
Alessandria burns both of the harpies with a wave of flame, then Wispil takes down the more wounded of the two with a flying log. Gentle Storm thwomps the other harpy with his thagomizer, then Kilitsi cuts it down with her axe! "Nicely done," Vandlya calls out. Her hands glow with vital energy as she casts several healing spells, restoring all of you to full health. "Our defenses are holding for now, but those fleeing harpies will likely call for reinforcements. Make ready for the next wave."
As you proceed further through the twisted reflection of Willowshire, you can see that this place is rife with curiosities and nightmares. Near and industrial area, a lumberyard scale built of warped, blackened beams and rusting chains stands. On its crosspiece perches a carrion crow the size of a small pony. The crow vomits an unending stream of human bones onto the high side of the scale. The dish on that side is pierced through with a large hole so that all of the bones fall straight through, and the dish never lowers. Just as the bones would strike the ground, they disappear. On the other side, low to the ground, is a heap of lumber and silver. A flickering image of a wicker figure stands beside the lower dish, digging frantically through the silver ingots and piled lumber with such determination that its fingers are frayed to ruins. The figure’s round wooden face has been crudely painted to resemble Heh Shan-Bao. Dead butterflies with red wings are heaped up inside its chest, and they rattle against one another to create a plaintive susurration that unendingly repeats: “Where are you? My precious ones, where are you? You must be here. All that is precious to me is here.” On a street corner in a marketplace stands a wicker figure with a childishly painted wooden ball for a head. Although it’s clumsily rendered, the face appears to be Heh Shan-Bao’s. The figure is clad in the rags of an imperial herald’s finery and carries a yellow-sealed scroll covered with meaningless scribbles. It clicks and clatters as though it had clockwork gears ticking in its chest, but peering in through the shell of its body reveals only a handful of dead butterflies with withered red wings rattling against one another. Upon being approached by any living creature, the wicker figure turns toward that person and stretches its wicker arms wide, as though reciting an official proclamation. The rattle of its butterfly husks vaguely resembles a repeated chant: “All hail the most glorious of governors, in all his glory! Glorious he is! Glorious he was! Glorious he will be again!” In a residential area, a wicker figure stands at the side of the road, craning its head up toward the windows and clasping its hands admiringly. It wears the shabby wrap and motheaten shawl of a peasant woman, but the smiling, clumsily painted face on its round wooden head is Heh Shan-Bao’s. Dead red-winged butterflies rattle in its hollow chest, and the sound of their corpses ticking against one another sounds like a repetitive chant: “My son. My wonderful son. How proud I am of my wonderful son!” When you approach Her Fluvial Lady of Souls, you see that the Pharasmin cathedral is little more than a crumbled ruin covered with blasphemous graffiti. The graveyard has been similarly defaced, with every marker smashed and every grave dug up and empty. The chained spirit of the murdered priestess Elizeth Candor wanders the graveyard at a snail’s pace; her shackle chains appear to be buried in the earth, and as she pushes forward, the chains leave a furrow in the ground behind her, further defiling the soil even as she continues her hopeless journey. Now and then, she pauses at a defiled grave to lift the flute she carries, but when she tries to play it, the flute falls apart. She cobbles the fractured flute back together as best she can, then moves on to a different defiled grave to repeat the process over and over. She looks up at you as you draw near. She holds up her shattered flute, its repairs obviously tenuous and faulty, and says, “If only my flute were not so broken, I could bring a moment of peace to these tormented souls!”
The two-headed troll steps forward and attacks, each head seeming to control one side of her body. The hammer connects with Njinga with crushing force, and one of the heads bites her as well!
You press on a little further, and you finally arrive at Vekker's Crossing. The city's leaders welcome the tired Eurythnians into their town. While Vekker’s Crossing is far too small to comfortably house thousands of refugees, the locals have spent the past several days preparing tents and shelters in the surrounding flatlands to give the weary evacuees a place to rest in comfort for a few nights, and the city’s food stores have been opened to supply hungry mouths. Thanks to your heroic efforts, all of the people who left Xin-Eurythnia have survived, enough so that they can maintain their society. Talk of returning home to reclaim and rebuild is popular. They remain tightly knit and plan to make trips to Varisian cities over the next several months to gather interest and support for an eventual return to Xin-Eurythnia. The next several weeks will be exhausting and complicated as the refugees settle into the area or split off to make much safer journeys along trade routes through the Storval Plateau to other safe havens, but your direct responsibility ends here. Ayavah, along with other leaders, take it upon themselves to see to the safety of the Eurythnians, for you have a meeting with a dragon to attend. More importantly, as Ayavah notes, these “risen runelords” and their cult represent a serious threat to the region. "If they can wreak as much havoc as they did in Xin-Eurythnia anywhere else, they must be stopped," the nephilim says. "But simply determining what they want is important as well. I fully expects you must travel soon to confront the cult in their headquarters. I will make sure the Eurythnians are cared for, and you are welcome to contact me whenever you wish via spells like sending if you have news or want updates." At about the same time, news that the regional distortions to teleportation effects have faded comes to light. Ayavah interprets this as a hopeful sign, that whatever the Risen of the Trinity Star are up to, their plans have not yet progressed to a point where they’re affecting things on a permanent basis.
Beyond the acropolis gates, a covered walkway lined with columns stretches from one end of the white stone walls to the other. At the corners, the bases of four immense braziers are visible, though no light of flickering flames shines through. Next to each, a ladder leads up a column to the roof above. Ordinarily, this walkway would be bustling with citizens; now, it’s eerily silent, and a few corpses lie in pools of blood on the stone. A closer inspection reveals they were slain by large blades. They appear to have been dead for a day or two, and past the walkway across the rest of the acropolis, you can see additional corpses and clears signs of combat.
Rhia retiates against the bat with gusto, driving her pike through its neck and chest. Venti and Early both stab it again and the undead monster falls and lies still! "Are you alright?" Ethran calls, grimacing at Rhia's severe injuries. They look at the rest of you worryingly. "She is badly injured!"
Pagma performs Oono's play, causing the kistune to sigh with relief. "Yes, yes! It is brilliant! No further notes," the kitsune's spirit says. With a smile, he fades away, the performance so stirring that he will be able to return to life back in Willowshore!
The stairs from below lead to a balcony, girded by a waist-high balustrade, that encircles the upper keep’s sole room. The windows of the upper room give a full view of the valley below, though they are covered with leather curtains to keep out the wind and the light. As with the room below, moss has been piled to create a bed for a large creature. Standing ready for you at the top of the stairs is a a female troll with two heads! Both heads snarl and growl as she hefts a mighty warhammer! Initiative:
You find a safer place nearby to camp. The rest of the trip to Tanglegate, thankfully, is uneventful, and after three more days of journeying through the harsh terrain of Tanglebriar, you near your destination. The ground has grown increasingly boggy and muddy over the past hour, and what at first looked like a potential clearing in the thorny, moist undergrowth has instead revealed itself to be an algae-choked swath of open swamp water. A stone bridge caked with mold extends outward from a muddy shore over the water to an upraised, grassy hummock not far from the water’s edge. At the top of this low mound of dry ground is a vine-shrouded and moss-encrusted archway made of pale green stone. A half-dozen marsh giants loiter in the shallow water around the bridge. At an average height of 13 feet, these lumbering behemoths stand much taller than the typical marsh giant, and they have crowns of twisted mushrooms or other fungal growths on their hunched backs or wide scalps, making them appear even taller. Upon spotting you, the giants bellow with rage and hoist their scythes! Initiative:
Esirelle's temporal distortion weakens the dragon as Kharya lands a hit. She and Timdok step out of the line of fire of the coin guns, but the clockwork remains in place, attacking Kharya again. This time, Kharya only takes a hit from the clockwork's jaws. The coin guns fire a barrage of copper coins that hit the dragon, but barely dent its metallic body.
The Wheel of Fates spins! The rifles retract, and nozzles open along many of the bars in the cage, filling it with a transparent laughing gas!
Enemy Status: -216
The dragon inclines his head to you. "You are welcome," he rumbles. "My name is Kandirvek. I have watched over Vekker's Crossing since the towns's foundation. When I spotted those mirage dragons flying through my terrirotry, I thought they were readying to attack the town, so I moved to confront them. Their riders were stronger than I had anticipated, but fortunately you were here to help deal with them. "I have much I wish to discuss with you about this new runelord cult, but I see you have charges you must get to safety." He nods his head at the Eurythnians, who have nervously begun to gather themselves after the fight. "Deliver them to Vekker's Crossing first, then seek me out in my lair in the nearby mountains. I will await you there." The dragon spreads his mighty wings and takes to the skies once more, flying away. Though both Krune's and Krenlith's bodies vanished upon their destruction, Krune left behind a wide leather belt. This is a major retrieval belt that contains the following items in its pouches: a Cyrusian wand of never mind, a clear quartz crystal ball, and a triangular slab of pale green stone into which has been etched a complex star chart. The etchings seem to be magically created, and they depict the passage the Trinity Star took as it crossed through the sky a year ago.
You expertly extract the venom from the sleeping reptile and bring it back to the apothecary so he can begin working on the cure. For bringing him the venom, Aliklaos gifts you two golden sprite apples contained within a silver box worth 25 gp. *** With all the hotspots taken care of across the city, you return to Yasmenei's camp to rest. Yphani is there, too, and she recounts that in the wake of the chaos in the city, many of the city’s elites and cyclopes sought refuge atop the acropolis, trusting in its walls to fend off attacks from raging mobs of citizens. So far, no mobs have broken through the walls, but no one has emerged, either, worrying Yphani. From her community elders, she knows there’s a ritual Pol-Bailax uses to channel its phoenix patron’s energy, called the Rite of Cleansing Flame. Though it can’t directly summon the phoenix, it’s a powerful cleansing ritual, and Yphani indicates that in such dire circumstances, she’d expect Pol-Bailax’s leaders to at least attempt it. She fears it’s a bad sign that the pyres within the acropolis remain unlit. Additionally, damage is evident on some of the acropolis’s buildings. Yphani doesn’t know what’s going on inside, but she asks you to investigate. The acropolis is located on a hill, with the megaron at its highest point. A white stone wall surrounds the complex.
Priya begins an inspiring performances as Venti tries and fails to assist Rhia. But the centaur fares fine without his aid, impaling one of the zombie bats and shoving it away before taunting the other bat. Poog takes aim at the further bat, shooting it once before creating an impressive diversion and firing again. This time, it's a critical hit that blows the beast's rotting head clean off! As the headless body slumps to the floor, Alfeo manifests his eidolon, which impales the second bat. Siobhan burns the bat's flank with her fiery blade. The zombie bat focuses on Rhia, sinking its fangs into her neck and slashing the centaur with a rotting wing!
Enemy Status: -25
Fate is a fickle matter on Golarion. Even with prophecy broken on the world, there are ways to look to the immediate future or acquire a vague sense of long-term events. Omen dragons are bound to see the future—nebulous though it might be—at all times. Visions of the future hound them like a quiet song that never stops playing in their minds. While an omen dragon can focus on or ignore the music of fate at any time, the song plays all the same. At a glance, omen dragons resemble other occult dragons in appearance, save for the mirror-like interior membrane of their wings. An omen dragon's wings offer glimpses into the future. These glimpses are cloudy and vague, but generally correct, if only technically. Omen dragons have a natural compulsion to share the futures they see. These dragons have no compunctions about what the visions show and share their knowledge equally with innocent villagers as they do with wicked tyrants.
The manticore and two of the harpies shriek with terror, panicked by Gentle Storm's spell! Another harpy resists it while another one is frightened. Alessandria hurls flames at the manticore and the nearest harpy. Kilitsi hacks down the terrified manticore with three chops of her axe! While the two panicked harpies turn and flee, the other two swoop down to attack Kilitsi. Neither one hits!
Enemy Status: H3 -32, H4 -0 frightened 2, H5 -15 frightened 1, H6 -7 frightened 2
Blooms whirling flames burn the geists again, destroying the more damaged of the pair. Takarias hits with both arrows, then Idari slices and dices the geist until it discorporates!
A nearby sacristy is filled with shelves, barrels, and weapon racks, all picked nearly bare. What remains are clerical vestments, religious symbols, vials of holy water, weapons constructed from a variety of materials, and specialized tools and oddments for fighting undead that vary from wooden stakes to garlic cloves to salt. The following items of value remain in the sacristy: a dispelling sliver, a greater winged rune, an indestructible shield, a major potion of retaliation, 10 cold iron ingots, 10 silver ingots, and 2 mithral ingots. The next chamber is an indoor garden bursting with trees, herbs, and flowers. The room is brilliantly bright, lit by a hovering orb that looks like a miniature sun, and the air is heavy with moisture and pollen. Countless birds, insects, and a variety of small mammals live in the garden, and their overlapping calls, chirps, and buzzing creates a chaotic cacophony. The birds are primarily whippoorwills, Pharasma's favored avian. And they don't look happy to see you...
The dragon resists Torisen's spell, but Ranek scores a critical hit with his projectile. Alaznist stabs and rips at the dragon with her claw-infused weapon and takes it down! Meanwhile, Iesha and Batman team up for a brutal beatdown on Runelord Krenlith, causing the risen runelord to burst into swirling color and vanish!
As soon as Krenlith is destroyed, a death roar echoes down from above as the remaining mirage dragon spirals down from the clouds to slam into the nearby cliffs before tumbling lifeless to the ground. As the doomed dragon falls, his mounted runelord, whom Ranek identifies as a risen Runelord of Greed named Atharend, leaps free and attempts to fly to safety, only to be snapped up in the jaws of the gravely wounded omen dragon. With a single chomp, the omen dragon kills the remaining risen runelord, only to come to a harrowing, painful looking landing himself nearby. The gravely wounded omen dragon breathes heavily, shakes his head as if confused, but makes no further move at the moment.
After resting up in Harrowheart, you prepare to head to the next destination in the Mwangi Jungle, east of Lake Ocota. Briar knows that marker on the Trader's map is at a confluence of tributaries and streams known as the Web of Rivers, which eventually flow into Lake Ocota. The marker can only be pinpointed on the map during the later hours of the day, suggesting that whatever it signifies only exists during the evening hours. When you arrive at the convergence of waterways, you find a number of different harrowkin creatures. Most obvious is the Queen Mother, who takes the form of an enormous termite the size of an elephant. Dozens of smaller termite servants hustle about, offering food to the Queen, striking up conversation with other guests, or simply filling up the area to make it feel like a full court. The Courtesan sits at a table off to the side. They have a humanoid figure but wear a mask made of pure gold with three eye holes. On the opposite side, the Unicorn lies on the ground as several termite servants attend to his needs. The Unicorn resembles a typical creature of his kind, but appears quite sullen. Your arrival gives this makeshift court of harrowkin pause. The servants stop moving, and the Courtesan and Unicorn perk up at the sight of the new visitors. The Queen Mother unleashes a delighted laugh. "Ah, guests! Welcome to our court! We haven't visitors in quite some time, and we are thrilled by your arrival. Will you join us in an evening of merriment and entertainment?"
Thanks to a series of brutal critical hits, the second troll soon lies fallen next to its brethren. Stairs lead up to the upper level of the keep when you are ready to proceed.
Mal's wave of flames burns two of the tarantulas, one quite badly! Gig's blast goes wide but Brijetta hits her mark. The giant spiders skitter forward, converging on Mal who stands in their way. Their fangs pierce her several times, leaving her terribly wounded!
Enemy Status: -12, -0, -64
Cerulean's attack misses, but their stylish flourish is met with whoops and cheers from the crowd! Timdok lands a good hit on the clockwork and Kharya's armored fist crunches metal beneath it in a powerful punch! The dragon shifts its focus to Kharya, critically hitting with its jaws and slashing with a claw!
Silverhand spins the Wheel of Fates. The gears retract, then what appear to be a pair of rifle barrels emerge from opposite ends of the stage, aimed towards the center where the melee is ensuing!
The final hotspot is in South Slope, where a deadly malady is spreading. Pol-Bailax’s healers are overwhelmed by the troubles in the city, but an eccentric alchemist named Alikalos has a remedy that requires a dangerous ingredient. This small shop appears untouched by the chaos outside. Drying herbs hang in the windows, and glass jars full of powders and viscous liquids sit on shelves along the walls. he shop door is locked when you arrive, but Aliklaos answers the door upon hearing a knock. The man who answers the door is a wiry human with brass spectacles perched on the end of his nose. He leads you over to the shop’s counter. “You’ve heard about the situation?” he says, hands darting over several cups as he prepares some tea. “Thank you for coming. I know things are bad everywhere, but we really could use some help.” Aliklaos explains that a malady has been spreading through the neighborhood, causing victims to bleed from the eyes and mouth; if untreated, the condition eventually results in death. The symptoms are reminiscent of several obscure afflictions, each of whose cures require equally esoteric ingredients. One of the recipes calls for amphisbaena venom, and fortunately, he’s heard rumors of a two-headed snake in the Spur—one of many dangers now wandering Bailax. Such reptiles enjoy warm caves, so Aliklaos predicts the amphisbaena might be sheltering among the forges of Copper Row. He asks you to find it and harvest its venom, though he warns that the creature’s venom becomes inert swiftly after death; you should either harvest it from a live beast or act swiftly after killing it. You search around a bit before tracking the amphisbaena to a workshop among the forges. The two-headed snake is asleep in the corner of the building.
"Well," Yphani says. "I've never met anyone imbued with mythic power, but I've heard stories from my family and the myth-speakers. I know a few signs of this power, but it's hard to describe. It's like a... a weave of fate around someone. That's what I feel around you. I know that mythic power grows if exercised. So I would encourage you to keep experimenting with any new abilities you've gained and see what else you discover."
Siobhan's blast hits the bat, burning a new hole in its wing. Both of the undead fly towards you, groaning and hissing as they awkwardly stumble and land in your midst! The horses pulling the wagon begin to scream and buck. Ethran rushes to try to keep them calm. "I'll take care of the horses! Kill those monsters!" they shout.
Your combined efforts destroy another golem. The remaining ones continue to focus on Humerus, but with enough healing from Caraid, the skeleton remains intact as you eventually whittle down and destroy the rest of the constructs.
As you make your way through the eerie reflection of Willowshore, you see the citizens of this place are faceless phantomlike men and women who appear to go about their day normally, although with postures that imply exhaustion and depression. They don’t speak, and none approach you or react to your presence. The interiors of buildings are curiously vacant and two-dimensional, as if they’d been hastily slapped into place by a disinterested stage designer. They contain no real furniture, only carelessly painted suggestions on the walls. Decorative screens and floral arrangements are reduced to vague smudges of color. Books, scrolls, and letters contain illegible scribbles, and pantries hold only rice husks and stale water. Willowshore’s shops are slapdash and sparse. If they might have held luxuries of interest to the governor, then those sections of the shops are empty, except for placards saying, “ALL GOODS TO BE SENT TO THE MOST GLORIOUS GOVERNOR’S GRASP.” None of the phantasmal figments that mill about the streets ever enter these and containing only wicker figures with round straw-stuffed baskets for heads. The wicker figures have been dressed in the villagers’ characteristic, recognizable clothing. As you are acclimating to this strange reality, you hear the muffled sounds of familiar voice talking aloud from Songbird Theater, not quite 200 feet away from where you have emerged. It is the voice of the murdererd theater owner, Kazuma Oono. Inside the theater, Kazuma Oono’s shackled spirit is chained to his writing desk, where the blinded kitsune endlessly revises a playbook for The Chronicle of the Water-Weaver—the copy he works on is, in fact, the one stolen from his home. As he works, he mutters to himself about being frustrated that all of his hard work is being tampered with, bitterly complaining under his breath about “meddling egos” and “thin-skinned politicians.” He doesn’t react your arrival; anyone who looks over his shoulder can watch as he revises previous handwritten notes to the play that cast the play’s main villain as an obvious caricature of Heh Shan-Bao, only for his adjustments to fade away so that he must start all over again. When you try to speak to Oono, he impatiently waves you off and says, “I only have a few hours to get these changes made, so unless you’ve got some bright ideas, please keep quiet!”
FREE SHACKLED SOUL: AUDITORY CONCENTRATE EXPLORATION LINGUISTIC MENTAL You speak to a shackled soul for 10 minutes and help them to cast off their bonds by reminding them of what they loved in life. Each attempt requires a DC 28 skill check that’s specific to the soul in question (and mentioned in each of the following encounters), or a DC 32 Diplomacy or Intimidation check. If you carry and display a significant token taken from the soul’s murder scene, you gain a +3 item bonus to this check. Critical Success: You convince the soul to cast off its shackles; it rewards you as detailed in the following encounters before it fades away from Kugaptee’s Grasp. Your words have been so compelling that rather than moving on to the afterlife, you allow the soul to return to life, as if from the effects of a resurrect ritual that had been heightened to 7th level.
Indeed, you make a swift getaway! Once you are in the clear, Yphani exhales a sigh of relief, sinking down to rest on a broken column. “Thank you,” she gasps, her cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry to have caused you trouble. They surprised me, and there were so many of them—I didn’t want to hurt them. But I’m afraid that what they intended wouldn’t have helped the situation at all; I don’t have that kind of power.” She glances up at you, and her eye widens in surprise. “Oh!” she exclaims, then winces at her own outburst. “I apologize. Something about you feels… different. It’s almost as if…” She trails off, frowning thoughtfully.
Ranek's fear spell leaves Krune's mount shaken but the other enemies resist it. Runelord Krune grimaces in pain as Torisen impales him with needle darts, but then he cries out in agony as Alaznist's invisible polearm slices him, charged with disintegration magic! Krune's body crumbles to ash before exploding outward in a riot of swirling color!
Iesha and Batman fly down to flank Runelord Krenlith, both scoring a hit.
Krune's dragon mount swoops down closer to Alaznist, trying to claw at her to no avail.
With most of his attack spells depleted, Runelord Krenlith attacks Iesha with his polearm. He also misses!
Gentle Storm hits one of the harpies and the manticore with burning beams. Alessandria burns all three foes with her flames and finishes off the most wounded harpy with a spear of fire. Wispil gets a critical hit with his blast, taking down the second harpy. Kilitsi shoots the manticore and grows to an even larger size. The manticore roars and swoops in to attack the enlarged minotaur, scoring two critical hits, while your allies keep the other harpies at bay again with their arrows.
Enemy Status: M -53, H3 -15, H4 -0, H5 -15, H6 -7
Kharya blasts the clockwork dragon with more lightning as Cerulean heals Timdok. The halfling delivers a powerful punch that briefly stuns it. The construct recovers and whips its tail forward, spearing it through both Timdok and Cerulean and leaving behind a bleeding wound!
The nozzles shoot forth flames, catching Esirelle in the blast! Silverhand spins the Wheel of Fates again, causing the nozzles to retract and the spinning gears around the edge of the arena to return.
Enemy Status: -155
The wounded troll shrieks and falls as Skaytar's caustic blast scours the flesh from its bones. The other troll is wounded by the blast, lashing out at Caine angrily in response! Melor shifts his aim to the second troll and shoots it as well as Caine dances, demoralizes the troll, and drives his spear into its side! The troll claws angrily at Caine, managing to hit him once.
You make short work of the lock, freeing Yphani. Now it's time to escape the festival! ESCAPE (OBSTACLE)
A day and a half later, your group arrives at the North Conerica River just before dusk. You only have to cross the river before the home stretch to Saringallow. A regular ferry shuttles travelers back and forth across the wide river. Another large group booked passage several minutes before you, so you'll have to wait until the ferry returns for its last trip of the evening. A riverside inn can be seen on the far bank, while the side you are on features only a small shack and dock. While you are waiting, however, you spot a pair of silhouettes against the setting sun. They appear to be large flying creatures, and they are heading your way! As they draw near, you see that they are giant bats the size of horses, but they are clearly undead, their flesh sallow and rotting. Their tattered wings flap clumsily, barely keeping them aloft. Initiative:
Blooms burns the geists with a whirling flame. Takarias hits one with his arrow, but Idari fails to capitalize on it, missing with his attacks. Alkabah heals Idari and purges the curse while Raneshi traces runes on all your weapons. The geists move to pursue Idari, attacking again! Shalelu and her rangers damage one of the foes with their arrows.
Enemy Status: -129, -218 |
