"A falling star... Intriguing. I cannot speak to any recent events, for obvious reasons. But I can tell you the tale of my love Sophreista, and the reason for my slumber."
When you mention that Iokoris has already told you the story, Merosyne's eyes widen. "Iokoris! I would have thought him long dead by now. I am glad to hear that he still lives."
Her joy gives way to wistful melancholy. "So you know Sophreista's tale, and that she yet wanders as a ghost. I convinced the naiads to let me sleep here, hoping my presence might give Sophreista some comfort. But she needs the help of heroes like yourselves to finally lay her to rest. I suspect that if she can gain catharsis by feeling that she's triumphed in her final battle at last, she may be able to move on. I promise that I will reward you well if you can accomplish this deed. Alas, my long slumber has left me weakened, and I fear I will not be able to be of much aid to you."
It isn't too long before something interrupts the festivities again. This time, a nervous guard named Kalden Dromit approaches for help. He hurriedly explains that an important guest, a provocative artist from Ustalav named Pelthia, has gone somewhere they shouldn’t—into the Nemteriak Art Gallery. Kalden explains further that Aun Nemteriak, the owner of the gallery, is in Absalom as part of a delegation from Xin-Eurythnia to help orchestrate the linking of the two cities via the Circle of Open Hands portal. Kalden admits that he works for Aun Nemteriak, but his only job was to stand vigil outside the entrance, noting that the gallery itself is well protected by numerous magical defenses while it remains closed.
It doesn’t take much further to get Kalden to shamefully admit he accepted a payment from Pelthia to look the other way so they could enter the gallery to take advantage of this opportunity to admire some of Aun’s collection. Pelthia promised to only spend thirty minutes inside, but now it’s been nearly two hours and Kalden fears that either Pelthia has become trapped (or worse), or that they had some sort of nefarious plan to rob the place.
Kalden admits he made a mistake, claiming that the bribe (a shimmering gemstone that is in fact an eye of apprehension) was too good to turn down and that he knew Pelthia by reputation and trusted them, and now he fears the worst. He has heard of your reputation and sought you out, hoping you can discretely help by entering the Art Gallery, finding Pelthia, and escorting them back out—all without making a scene so that Kalden can keep his job.
Wispil's roots continue to drain Khasprickle and the Elananx. Alessandria scorches Khasprickle with her flying flame but the feline fey is immune to fire. The centaur then jabs the pukwudgie, but his quills poke her back. Kilitsi braves the quills as she delivers two powerful blows with her axe, leaving Khasprickle groaning in agony as blood pours from the deep wounds. The pukwudgie weakly raises his hands to ward off furhter blows, but Eilwith's fist cracks into his jaw, shattering it. As the pukwudgie falls, she leaps upon him and continue to punch him over and over again, even after he stops moving.
Gentle Storm hits the elananx with needle darts. In response, it disperses into a cloud of smoke and burning cinders. Moments later, the feline fey reforms behind Gentle Storm, attacking the druid again!
Alessandria takes 12 piercing damage, while Kilitsi takes 13 and 21 piercing damage (basic 28 basic Reflex save for each one). 17 piercing, 9 fire, and 17 slashing damage to Gentle Storm (43 total damage).
Exorcizing the haunt causes the rancid stew within to quickly evaporate, leaving behind a sticky residue.
You can harvest the residue after 1 minute of work and with a successful DC 22 Crafting check to produce 5 doses of poison that functions the same as hunting spider venom. On a failure, a character produces only one dose, and on a critical failure, they produce no doses but are exposed to the poison. In addition, a full set of sterling artisan’s tools for brewing and serving tea can be gathered from the utensils in this room.
Alkabah exorcises the mold, rendering it harmless. An investigation of the contents of the three tents is enough to confirm that this was once where Aravashnial and his assistants were stationed. There are some clues to be found here, given time, but the most significant cache of clues is hidden in the northwestern tent. After searching for a few minutes, you discover a bundle wrapped in cloth that was buried in the dirt in a corner of the tent. Within this bundle is Aravashnial’s grimoire, What Doors We Open.
Tucked into the spellbook is a hastily scribbled note from Aravashnial, written in Empyrean. The short message reads as follows.
“Under attack. Treerazer’s agents are active. They’re here. I’m hiding this in hopes it will be found. If you read this, warn the queen, and use the treasures within this book to save Kyonin!”
An extradimensional space inside the back cover of What Doors We Open contains three journals’ worth of research on the blight Aravashnial found at Elkhaven Lodge. These also contain summaries of the methods he suggests would be useful to combat the demonic influence within Tanglebriar, based on his experiences in dealing with similar supernatural blights during his time in the Worldwound. Stored alongside these journals are three treasures, all of which bear Ekujae artisanship: a storm flash rapier, a greater primeval mistletoe, and a major saurian spike spellheart.
It will take quite some time to examine the journals and the rest of the campsite. It would likely be best to eliminate any nearby threats first.
Your debate skills are quite impressive, and soon both spellcasters concede their argument. They thank you for mediating and reward you with a scroll of energy aegis and two greater healing potions.
Everybody may take another festivity activity now.
The Stranger short-circuits the magic, dissipating it harmlessly. The woman’s eyes open, and she blinks blearily at those who awakened her, tightening her grasp on her lyre. Slowly, she shifts to sit up.
“Who are you?” she asks, her voice melodic even while raspy from slumber. “How long has it been? If you undid the naiads’ spell, it must be time…” She stops, shaking her head. “I apologize. You are strangers, and you may not know of what I speak. It is rude of me to make assumptions before even introducing myself.”
She waves one hand and then the other in a complex greeting. “I am Merosyne. Welcome to Eupherae, my home for… likely more years than I realize. But I must ask, what brings you here?”
The checks represent an entire day's worth of efforts so any bonuses wouldn't last long enough to count, unfortunately.
Timdok's contact and Cerulean's disguises help get you ready for the infiltration. It's time to make contact with the Silken Thread and confront them about the sabotage at the Opera House.
You gain 2 EP, 4 total now. A day passes so AP is 3, 1 + 2 for Kharya's critical failure.
CONTACT THE SILKEN THREAD
Infiltration Points 3 (group); Overcome DC 32 Thievery, DC 34 Deception, DC 36 Society, or DC 39 Diplomacy
Once you are ready, you head down the east hallway from the monastery's entrance and go through the door at its end. A long clay furnace occupies the southeast portion of this simple kitchen. A large cooking pot atop the furnace bubbles beneath under a stained lid, a fire burning in the hearth below it. Elsewhere, ruined tables and shelves lie scattered on the floor. Doors exit to the west and to the north.
Looking closely, Xiung-Lau notices a miasma of foul-smelling vapor with shrieking faces barely visible in the steam that bubbles up from the soup...
The soup is haunted. The haunt can be disabled with a DC 19 Cooking Lore to neutralize the haunted stew with the addition of a few select spices from nearby shelves, or DC 25 Religion to exorcise the haunt.
Kaz's spell falters. In her confusion, Jeni accidentally blasts Zenobius with a burst of water. As Nadja changes weapons, Zenobius slashes one of the deros with his fauchard but misses with his sweeping strike. He afflicts the foe nearest to Nadja, the same one he struck, with a litany of wrath.
That dero casts a spell and reaches out to touch Zenobius, trying to drain his life force. The litany blasts the dero for his impudence.
The screaming orc resists Njinga's vitality lash. Caine's dance grabs the attention of the undead as he stabs the screamer with his spear. The tough monster returns the favor, slashing with his falchion as the other fascinated undead converge on the battle dancer and attack with their claws.
25 slashing damage to Caine. He must attempt two separate Fortitude saves against Corrupting Spite, one at DC 22 and one at DC 17.
Corrupting Spite (curse, divine, void):
The wight's unarmed attacks and bound weapons inflict a curse that makes a creature grow weak and spiteful. If a wight inflicts corrupting spite on a creature already afflicted by it, the victim attempts a new save, ignoring the result if it's better than a failure. A living humanoid that dies while under the curse rises as a wight after 1d4 rounds, controlled by the wight that killed it. The wight spawn can't inflict corrupting spite and is clumsy 2. If its creator dies or after roughly a month of existence, the new wight becomes autonomous and turns into a normal wight;
Stage 1 drained 1 (1 round); Stage 2 drained 2 and doesn't treat any creatures as allies (1 round); Stage 3 As stage 2, except drained 3 (1 round); Stage 4 As stage 2, except drained 4 (1 round).
You head north from the naiads' grotto. This is the area where Iokoris told you Merosyne slumbers. It takes a bit of searching through woods before you find the cave. A fissure in the rock, nearly invisible behind hanging greenery, leads to a small cave within the mountain. Inside, the stone walls are overgrown with moss and vegetation; dappled sunlight shines through cracks in the ceiling. At the far end of the cave, a white-robed woman sleeps upon a stone altar, dark hair fanned beneath her, motionless save for the faint rise and fall of her breath. Her arms are folded over a golden lyre upon her chest.
It’s apparent from her position and the spell circles around her that she’s in some sort of magical stasis. However, the ancient magic seems to be barely holding together. It shouldn't be difficult now to break Merosyne's slumber, though there is some danger if not done properly.
You can disable the hazard with a DC 16 Hero-God Lore or Occultism
to convince the magic that it’s fulfilled its objective; DC 18 Arcana, Nature, or Religion short-circuit the stasis magic; or DC 20 Thievery to disable the ritual circles.
Though Batman fails to make an impression, both Ranek and Clifton make compelling arguments. Iesha's angry glare and Alaznist's detailed defense of arcane magic seem to land with both of the spellcasters, and their own arguments are starting to wane.
Briar grabs and savages the last of the boar demons. Belmont raises his guns and shoots the Prince of Wolves twice, causing him to flinch back a few paces. Visna rockets towards the Prince, finding a weak point in his armor to exploit. Both her axes find their mark as she snags and grabs the mighty blackguard.
The saurian demon roars and ignores the grappled nalfeshnee as he flies out of the whirlwind and lands with a thud behind Visna and the Prince of Wolves. He swings his mighty tail down at the Prince twice in quick succession, and the Prince grunts as his armor buckles under the powerful assault.
Briar and Visna must attempt a DC 38 Reflex save against whirlwind (34 bludgeoning damage). 28 piercing and 28 slashing damage to Briar. 64 total piercing damage to Visna (this damage is combined for the purposes of resistance and weaknesses).
Alessandria leaps behind Khasprickle and the pixie, splashing them with hot lava. Kilitsi charges up in her wake, cutting into the pixie and cleaving into Khasprickle as well! The minotaur recalls pixies are weak to cold iron, like most fey, and have innate magic spells like dispel magic and invisibility.
Eilwith moves up next to Kiltisi and attacks Khasprickle, landing a hit with her poisoned fist but taking some damage from his quills in return. As Wispil retreats to heal himself, Gentle Storm ignores the elananx as he impales the pixie with more cold iron darts, knocking the little fairy out of the air! The pixie plummets to the ground and lies still.
"Ingrates! Time to die!" Khasprickle spits. He assaults Eilwith with two of his quills wielded like daggers. By some miracle, she dodges all of his attacks. "What?!? Inconceivable!" the pukwudgie sputters.
As you draw near, Melor notices some faint movement among several of the corpses. He gives a warning, and moments later, four of the orcs rise up, their flesh pale and drawn, their eyes glowing red with unholy light. Three of them brandish their claws, while the fourth hefts a wicked falchion and screams a battle cry!
"I don't know how quick it will be, but we will spread word of your aid here. I swear that your efforts will be repaid in kind," Aliir says. She bows to you before gathering her party and venturing forth.
For rescuing the rangers, you gain 1 Triumph Point.
Once they have departed and you have healed up, you prepare to explore the area. The main lodge ruins are to the south, but to the east is the elven researchers' campsite. This campsite consists of three tattered tents and a fire pit surrounded by small, flat boulders that have been arranged as improvised seating. While the campsite’s gear looks relatively new, the growth of fungus and brambles throughout the area looks older than it should be, as if the site had been abandoned for a year rather than, at most, several weeks.
Blooms in Darkness notices the presence of potentially dangerous fungi in the area. Indeed, caareful examination reveals withermold grows over all three tents. Withermold consists of coils of pale yellow thorny fungal vines which grow hundreds of brown puffballs that whip into thorny life when disturbed.
The withermold can be disabled with DC 33 Religion (master) twice to exorcise the unholy presence within, or DC 35 Survival (master) twice to safely remove the sensory tendrils growing in the mold.
"The Bound One is among the mightiest of the darvakkas, undead formed on the borders of the Netherworld and the Void. Lesser creatures sometimes refer to them as 'nightshades.' The ghost king Geb bound it here long ago, channeling its essence as an endless magical battery for the defenses of Yled.
"When destroyed, the Bound One crumbles into ash, only to reform fully healed a short time later. But the ash remains behind, and this essence is a vital ingredient in a powerful poison that can animate the dead after slaying them. And so he toils here, destroying the Bound One over and over again to produce shadow ash at the enormous scale required by his master in the city above."
Uhe disarms the trap, then realigns the stone patterns to unlock the door. It opens into a wide crypt that bearing a plaque naming the interred. Behind each coffin is a painted stone statue of a dwarf mounted on a stone plinth. Each unique carving wears vestments painted with a different color: one blue, one red, and one yellow.
East Tomb: The east tomb is the resting place of “The Many.” The statue is yellow and depicts an armored, androgynous dwarf with various animalistic features.
South Tomb: The south tomb is the resting place of “Talaine Everen.” The statue is blue and depicts a lightly armored female dwarf with curly hair.
West Tomb: The west tomb is the resting place of “Gaeldred the Warden.” The statue is red and depicts a male dwarf with a long beard and gaunt frame wearing exquisite robes and carrying a fine staff.
Doors to the northeast and northwest are locked, while double doors to the south are unlocked.
"The wreath! Yes, that's it! Thank you, my friends." He joins hand with the other naiads as he enacts the ritual. After several minutes, several of the cypress trees glow with golden light as they transform back into and the rest of their kin. They embrace one another, happy to be back to normal.
As promised, Dimosis and the other naiads are happy to answer any questions you might have. They saw the bright-tailed star fall somewhere on the northern tip of the island, but haven’t investigated to find out exactly where, out of concern this could expose more of them to dangerous energies. They warn you that a territorial pair of hippogriffs lairs nearby. They also tell of you about the shrine to the north, mentioning that some malevolent presence is locked away within and they haven’t ventured inside.
"Yes, I am in charge," the ravener growls, preening a bit. "You have come seeking Kelganth, then. He is a mighty lich who granted me my wish to escape death from old age by transforming me into this powerful form. In exchange, I provided him insights with which to render the substance known as shadow ash from the essence of the Bound One."
Soon, another commotion nearby gets your attenion. Two wizardly students, who have been arguing over which kind of magic is more efficient at the creation of summoning rune hazards, have begun an illegal duel in the middle of the street. One of the two is the male human wizard Kespern Dantch, a student of the Runelord’s Academy who argues that summoning runes are best crafted via arcane magic, while the other is the female gnome druid Cilamali, a visitor from the Linnorm Kingdoms who argues that primal magic offers the superior foundation for these traps. Their spell slinging could cause collateral damage if you don't intervene.
Kespern and Cilamali both start with 5 Debate Points (DP). The party has 5 rounds to reduce both of the wizards to 0 DP, with each PC attempting the Debate the Spellcasters activity below. Those who took the Mythic Guardian activity make their first check with mythic proficiency.
DEBATE THE SPELLCASTERS:
The PC chooses Kespern or Cilamali as their target to debate, and then attempts a skill check to reduce that target’s current DP total by arguing against their stance. Against either wizard, a PC can attempt a DC 32 Intimidation check or a DC 35 Deception or Diplomacy check. Against Kespern, a PC can attempt a DC 30 Nature check to argue against his thesis, while against Cilamali, a PC can attempt a DC 30 Arcana check to do the same. Once one spellcaster is reduced to 0 DP, the PCs gain momentum; reduce all DCs for this activity by 2 as long as one spellcaster is at 0 DP.
Critical Success: Both spellcasters are impressed. The target spellcaster loses 2 DP, while the other loses 1 DP.
Success: The target spellcaster loses 1 DP.
Failure: No DP are lost or gained.
Critical Failure: The target spellcaster’s argument gains momentum, and they earn 1 DP.
Working together to examine the machinery, it soon becomes clear that the damage to the machinery was done by a masterful hand that very nearly hid all evidence of tampering. Searching the adjoining rooms, Timdok determines that the door to the basement that provides an exit to the loading ramp has been picked recently. In fact, he finds a discarded lockpick etched with a symbol that looks like a spiderweb. With his knowledge of the underworld, the halfling realizes that a Kintargan gang called the Silken Thread uses this style of lockpick.
It looks like you're going to have to investigate the seedy underbelly of the city to track down the culprits...
The PCs’ investigation uses the infiltration subsystem as they search through the city’s criminal circles. The PCs begin the infiltration with 1 Edge Point if they found the lockpick, or 2 Edge Points if they identified its source. A PC with the scoundrel persona trait gains a +2 circumstance bonus to all skill checks to overcome obstacles and complications during this infiltration. Each day that passes generates 1 Awareness Point.
Preparation Activities:
Several of the standard preparation activities listed on pages 199 of GM Core will help the PCs get ready for the investigation. It takes a day for a PC to pursue a preparation activity; remember that each day that passes, the PCs also gain 1 Awareness Point, so each day the group spends preparing leaves them less time to complete their investigation. The following preparation activities might be of use to the PCs. If they come up with other ideas, use the DCs below as a guideline.
Bribe Contact: To bribe a contact in Kintargo’s criminal circles requires a DC 36 Society check or a DC 39 Diplomacy check.
Gain Contact: To gain a contact in Kintargo’s criminal circles requires a DC 34 Underworld Lore check, a DC 36 Society check, or a DC 39 Diplomacy check.
Gossip: A PC can seek out rumors with a DC 36 Diplomacy check.
Secure Disguises: The growing publicity for the opera makes it difficult to hide the PCs’ identities. A PC can disguise themself for the investigation with a DC 34 Deception check, a DC 36 Performance check, or a DC 39 Crafting check.
Special: If the PCs obtained sponsorship from Ivran Xerysis or Mialari Docur, their sponsor hears of the sabotage and sends a cryptic message offering to put them in touch with “an acquaintance.” If the PCs agree, the DC of one check (two checks if the PCs obtained both sponsors) to Gain Contact decreases by 5, and the PCs can gain information from Bribing this Contact without the requisite payment.
So plagued by terror are Shenmen’s people that, more than once, their fears have taken lives of their own. Such creatures, known as “brainchildren” among scholars and arcanists, are more commonly called yohoi by villagers in Shenmen, for the sham exorcist Yohoi is widely blamed for bringing them to the region.
Legend: The Exorcist's Extortion:
Yohoi of the Yellow Reed was a sham exorcist and con artist who once plied his trade widely across Shenmen. As a young man, he traveled to the distant ports of Taldor and Cheliax, where he obtained a lens of focused fear: an unholy device crafted by dedicants of Zon-Kuthon that solidified victims’ terrors into physical forms. In short, it created brainchildren, and Yohoi used it to launch his career.
Upon selecting a likely-looking village, one prosperous enough to be worth sucking dry but unprotected by inconveniently educated or powerful citizens, Yohoi would set up camp with his lens trained on the village. Then, disguised as a traveling storyteller, he would play his drums and sing chants about the ghosts of neglected ancestors who visited vengeance on disrespectful descendants.
Yohoi’s tales always emphasized the yellow, bulging eyes of these ghosts, as well as their long dirty fingernails and hairy, humped necks, because he wanted to be certain that the lens created recognizable apparitions for him to dispel. He was also careful to stress that the ghosts couldn’t withstand the holy songs played on flutes by the priests of Tianjing, who carried sacred yellow flutes that dispelled the uneasy spirits.
Once he was satisfied that he’d seeded the right fears, Yohoi retreated to his camp and bided his time. Occasionally, if the village proved resistant, he would desecrate a few graves, plant eviscerated animals in the local temple, or poison trees and flowers into ghastly-looking gray remnants. These disturbing sights usually sufficed to ignite villagers’ fears in Shenmen, especially since there were almost always a handful of families who felt they hadn’t sufficiently revered their ancestors or a local lineage that had died out and whose graves now remained untended. Minor as such sins were, Yohoi knew they could provide adequate tinder for his flames.
Within a few nights, the lens would create a brainchild. Yohoi let it torment the villagers for weeks before he appeared in his second guise, now pretending to be a shaman trained in the traditions of Tianjing. By playing his yellow reed flute, he could banish the “ghost,” and since he’d convinced the villagers that the spirit was vulnerable to its powers, the brainchild also possessed this vulnerability. Then Yohoi claimed his pay, basked in the villagers’ adulation, and moved on to the next town.
He practiced this trade successfully for years. Then, he came to Blind Crow Village.
An aged monk who’d trained in Tianjing lived in Blind Crow Village, where she meditated daily beneath the statue that gave the village its name. Knowing that the old woman could barely hear or see anymore, and that she confined herself to meditating motionlessly beneath the statue from sunrise till dark, Yohoi broke his usual rule about avoiding troublesome citizens and decided to make his play in Blind Crow Village.
This was a mistake. The old monk could still hear well enough to make out Yohoi’s stories, and as she’d studied in Tianjing, she knew both that his ghost stories described creatures that didn’t exist in the annals of recorded undead and that his claims of a Tianjing education were false. Worse yet, the old monk’s senses were keen enough for her to identify Yohoi as both the storyteller and the shaman; she was more attuned to the basic rhythms of speech than the nuances of accent and intonation that Yohoi used to disguise his voice, and her vision was too poor to be tricked by his changed appearance.
She knew that he was a fraud, and she didn’t believe that his “ghosts” were really vulnerable to the yellow reed flute. Assuming that Yohoi’s “ghosts” were mere illusions—for the monk had never heard of “brainchildren,” which had never been known to exist in Shenmen—she reported her suspicions to the village headman. When she was informed that ghosts really had been murdering villagers, the monk was astonished but still suspicious.
Her information broke the safeguard upon which Yohoi relied. Because neither the monk, the headman, nor any of the other villagers who’d been brought into their confidence believed that Yohoi’s yellow reed had any actual power over the brainchild, the brainchild broke free of that constraint.
At the first opportunity, the brainchild killed its creator, seized the lens of focused fear, and fled Blind Crow Village. It stalked frightened travelers, feeding on their terrors and spurring them to new hunting
grounds. Over time, it spawned more of its kind, sometimes banding together to take down more dangerous foes or to hunt more populated areas than the original brainchild could handle alone.
Few scholars believe that Yohoi’s lens is single‑handedly responsible for brainchildren in Shenmen, but none doubt that these creatures would have a far lesser presence in the region if not for the sham exorcist and his foolish greed.
When you return from the Whisperweb Shrine, the townsfolk of Willowshore are once again are in a state of dread. Another murder has occurred! This time, the victim is Elizeth Candora, caretaker of the town's temple of Pharasma, Her Fluvial Lady of Souls. Elizeth's body was discovered in the graveyard, sprawled over the top of Oono’s fresh grave, in the same state as the previous victim.
The town is now on high alert, as it's clear there’s a monster—be they human or otherwise—stalking the streets at night. The town elders impose a sundown curfew. Children stay indoors or under close supervision, people become much more reluctant to forage for food and firewood, and no one ventures out after dark except in cases of emergency.
Elizeth's body now lies in state in the church itself, but Kamo leads a thorough search of the crime scene, and with his companions' aid, he sees Elizeth's broken flute in the grass near the grave. It appears to have been destroyed by sonic damage rather than a physical blow, likely from a shatter spell. Elizeth often played her flute over the graves of the recently deceased, believing that music would help guide them to the afterlife. Her flute being broken suggests, perhaps, that someone wanted to further ensure Oono’s soul would become lost and indicates an extra layer of cruelty to the crimes.
The broken flute could also suggest a different possibility—the murderer might be a supernatural creature called a yohoi, as they’re said to loathe and fear the sound of flute music performed by a holy person.
Two of the deros jerk spasmodically as Kaz blasts them with lightning, then Zenobius splatters them with acid. Jeni's opening blast scores a critical hit to take down the one Nadja had stabbed, then batters the two uninjured ones with a big wave.
The three surviving deros shriek with anger as they cast debilitating spells. Their eyes flash blue as they try to confuse you as well.
Nadja must attempt a DC 26 Fortitude save against blindness. Jeni must attempt a DC 26 Will save against laughing fit. Kazumi must attempt a DC 26 Will save against stupefy. Everybody but Nadja must attempt a 26 Will save against Cytillesh Stare.
Cytillesh Stare (concentrate, incapacitation, mental, visual): The magister focuses their gaze on a creature they can see within 30 feet. The target is dazzled for 1 round and must succeed at a DC 26 Will saving throw or be confused for 1 round.
The Kor Well is a 300-foot-wide, 1,500-foot-vertical shaft that connects Avernakkus and the realm of Felgunn beyond to Rolgrimmdur. The breach punctures the Well’s northeast wall approximately 900 feet below Rolgrimmdur and 600 feet above its base.
Yet those are only the Kor Well’s physical parameters. This shaft existed long before the dwarves set out on their Quest for Sky and served an important metaphysical function for spirits traveling from the depths of the Darklands to the surface. While some spirits are stationary, embodying the physical essence of a forest or boulder or lake, others are transient. These spirits travel through streams, wind patterns, continents, planets, solar systems, or even galaxies (all of which are also spirits). They passed through this area often, thereby connecting earth to sky, and they
were content.
Before the dwarves arrived, the Kor Well was a winding series of unnels, some too cramped for most humanoids to traverse and others too vast in scope. They set about manually chipping away the stone and creating more pleasant routes up through the passages, but in doing so, they upset some of the spirits who lived there, giving the route a reputation for being haunted. Rivethuns were called in to act as emissaries to the spirits and tasked with negotiating a passage to the surface. Conversely, the spirits were frustrated that dwarves had carved their stone and disrupted the natural flow of energy from deep in the earth to the open sky.
Rivethuns arranged a compromise: rather than build in steps and highways, unnatural formations of stone that were repellent to the spirits, dwarves and spirits could work together to carve out a vast well, a circular chasm that allowed the spirits to travel unimpeded. The dwarves would build a mechanical lift out of a massive stone chunk already found at the bottom of the Well. This way, dwarves could traverse the distance freely but would only minimally impact the natural flow of spirit energy. Both sides agreed and got to work. Rivethuns set about molding and shaping the stone with the help of the spirits who lived there; they widened the shaft and made room for the lift. Meanwhile, dwarven engineers carved out the selected slab of stone and started to create the gears and tracks they would need to move the several tons of rock.
By the time they finished constructing the Kor Well, other avenues to the surface had been found. However, this new passage allowed faster and easier travel between the surface and the various fortresses built by dwarves on their Road to Sky. For decades, dwarves and spirits alike traveled freely through the Kor Well.
Eventually, those dwarves evacuated the last of their Nar-Voth strongholds. Dwarven leadership ordered the Kor Well to be sealed so that none of the enemies they still had in the Darklands could follow them. Though Rivethuns protested, the other dwarven leaders proved adamant. Once again, Rivethuns compromised to try and satisfy the needs of both dwarves and spirits: they would seal the Well with magic to prevent any living creatures from ascending it while still allowing spirits to find ways around the magical barriers. Three Rivethuns, one from each major path of Rivethun practice, would be assigned to keep watch over the Well and ensure the spirits there weren’t further disturbed.
Each of the three seals was created by a Rivethun specializing in a different path using different methods, and each has different requirements for deactivation. After sealing the Kor Well, these Rivethuns created a fourth wing in the shaft, where they lived the remainder of their lives, entombing one another upon their deaths and ensuring that their spirits would continue to protect the Well.
As you enter the Kor Well, you crane your necks to look up towards the top. Several hundred feet above you, you see the three luminous seals still in place. They glow with light: one blue, one red, one yellow. Each seal is an intricate dwarven pattern that, when combined, forms complex knotwork. This design is an ancient Rivethun image that represents the interconnectivity of life, spirits, and Rivethuns. You will need to enter the different wings of the dungeons here to disrupt the enchantments and remove the seals so that General Sagginsdotter can bring her armies down from Rolgrimmdur to fight the Bloodbane Coalition before they regroup.
The tomb wing is closest: it is located in the southeast wall and is 300 feet higher than the breach (900 feet above the Well’s base). Through a combination of magic and practical efforts, you ascend the walls of the shaft to reach the entrance.
The passage cuts through the rock for 100 feet, then takes a hard turn, proceeding another 100 feet before ending at a large stone door carved with geometric interlocking patterns. This door’s decorations are a simple puzzle lock. Three portions of the interlocking patterns don’t line up quite right, and if each of these pieces are rotated and properly aligned, the door unlocks and can be pushed open.
Properly realigning one of the three pieces of stone requires a PC to succeed at a DC 24 Architecture Lore or Engineering Lore check, a DC 28 Crafting check to Repair, or a DC 26 Thievery check to Disable Device.
Uhe discovers that the hall is trapped as well. The trap is set to trigger each time the door is damaged or somebody fails to realign one of the pieces.
The trap can be disabled with a DC 30 Thievery (master) to scratch out the runes, or dispel magic (5th level; counteract DC 28) to counteract the runes
After healing up, you make your way down the hall and open the doors. The walls of this wide chamber are worked, although they aren’t perfectly smooth. To the south, a 20-foot-square hole leads into darkness below. A series of cables, metal girders, and wooden braces support a wooden platform over the center of the hole.
Two more giants stand guard here, but they quickly flee when presented with proof of their leader's death. The elevator itself is at the bottom of the shaft, 2,000 feet below, but with the magic at your disposal, it isn't difficult to climb or fly down to activate the mechanism to summon it to the upper level. You ride the lift down, down, down into the depths.
The shaft bottoms out in a large cavern. An odor of burned hair and flesh lingers in this cavern, mixed with the scent of ancient dust and mildew. The walls are rough and unworked, although deep gouges and singe marks are plainly visible. A series of winding passages intersect in the chamber at various heights. The widest of these passages exits to the south. A huge pile of gleaming gold coins and gems lie to the east in a low hill.
Atop the pile of treasure rests a mighty undead dragon. Upon spotting you, the skeletal thing rises up with a growl, then leaps from the hoard, flapping its wings and landing with a thud to block your progress forward. The dragon's body glows from within with necromantic energy, and its roar echoes off the walls of the cavern. "You shall go no further! You stand before the mighty Urbulinex!" she says in a harsh feminine voice. "Tremble before my might!"
Everybody must attempt a DC 37 Will save against frightful presence. A creature that is frightened 2 or more from this ability is also immobilized.
Gentle Storm can't recall the abilities of an Elananx. He strikes the pixie with cold iron darts, eliciting a squeal of pain. Wispil pierces the enemies with roots, hurting the elananx the most, though Khasprickle resists and the pixie ignores the roots.
Khasprickle unleashes a barrage of quills at Wispil, pincushioning the goose!
Lots of critical hits! 90 total piercing damage to Wispil and 22 nonlethal mental damage (basic Will DC 25 for the mental damage). 14 piercing and 5 fire damage to Gentle Storm.
"We can linger a bit, yes. Thank you," Aliir says with a bow towards Alkabah.
When asked about Aravashnial, the ranger shakes her head. "We have seen no elves in the area aside from these infested thralls. But we were not able to explore much of this lodge before we were attacked. With luck, the man you are looking for may yet live, but I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you."
Aliir sighs and looks at the spores floating through the air. "It's strange. Though the Darkblight was mostly destroyed years ago, it's not unusual for pockets of it to survive in small areas. But the blight here seems more dangerous. I suspect this is something new. The druids at Crystalhurst need to know about this."
"I see. A moment, please?" Dimosis turns to his companions and they confer briefly. Then, he turns back to you. "We are willing to share our knowledge of this island, but we would request your assistance first.
"When the bright-tailed star fell to earth, in unleashed a burst of mythic power. Some of it found a host in one our own, Kyrika. Unfortunately, Kyrika was in mourning for her brother, who had sailed away on an adventure and was slain by a sea monster, and in her grief, her sudden outpouring of power transformed her and several other naiads into cypress trees. We have never witnessed such power ourselves, but we recognize it from tales, and I think that an artifact of great power must have accompanied the star to cause this.
"I know a ritual that could return the transformed naiads to their true forms, but a stony goat recently rampaged through the grotto and made off with a key ritual component: a wreath of ivy from the First World. The goats have resided nearby for years and have never been aggressive before. I suspect that this may also be due to the energies from the bright-tailed star. If you can retrieve the wreath, I can perform the ritual."
A few days later, when you arrive for rehearsals, Fallenta quickly strides over to you, a look of frustration on her face. "Thank Shelyn you’re here! We’ve had an unplanned disassembly, surprise sundering, general resultant mayhem—in short, we have a problem. There’s been a malfunction on stage. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, but I fear this was no mere accident. Nefarious deeds have haunted this theater of late. Skulduggery! Shenanigans! Hmm... you never hear of a lone shenanigan, have you noticed that? No matter! We have more important matters to deal with."
She leads you to the stage as she speaks, and as you draw near, she indicates a broken jumble of set machinery, coils of rope and fallen sandbags, and a collapsed backdrop. Several crew members are tending one another’s minor wounds.
Fallenta explains that some strange incidents have occurred over the past few days. At first, they were minor and easily written off: props being mislaid, personal items going missing, set machinery not working as smoothly, and so on. Just yesterday, a stagehand noticed some of the ropes for the stage machinery were dangerously frayed. Fallenta had them replaced without thinking too much of it, but now she’s concerned that deliberate sabotage is at work. She asks you to look into it before the culprit—if there is one—does any more damage.
INVESTIGATE THE DAMAGED SET (CONCENTRATE, EXPLORATION)
A PC spends an hour investigating the damaged machinery and the surrounding rooms for evidence of sabotage or (as Fallenta pointed out) shenanigans. To do so, the PC must first select one of the two areas as their focus. The PC then attempts a DC 34 Perception check or the specific site’s additional skill option.
Damaged Machinery: The PC can examine the damaged machinery with a DC 32 Crafting check instead of a Perception check. Adjoining Rooms: The PC can examine the adjoining rooms with a DC 32 Survival check instead of a Perception check.
Though the crowd pays little heed to Alaznist, Torisen and Batman are able to direct the flow of citizens around the distracted construct and get it back to the merchant.
GUARD DUTY
The final construct has been mistaken for part of a noble’s retinue of their own constructs and is following them dutifully.
Chase Points 3; Overcome DC 30 Deception to trick the construct into wanting to follow the PCs instead, DC 32 Diplomacy to convince the noble that the construct isn’t theirs, DC 35 Society to use the noble’s status in the city against them
I'll change Iesha's Intimidation roll to Diplomacy which gives you 2 Chase Points, leaving only 1 point left. Since you have a full 3 chase rounds still left to get 1 point, I'll assume you are able to get it done in time. :)
It only takes a few more minutes to convince the noble to relinquish the last construct. The merchant is grateful and impressed by your skills. He rewards you with 600 gp and two vials of oil of repulsion.
Everybody gains 1 Mythic Point. You may now take another of the activities related to enjoying the festivities.
After a few minutes of coaching the Carniselles through their relationship issues, they realize that the fault for cheating lies with themselves and not with Lux, and they rescind their demand for payment. They thank you for helping to mediate the dispute, indicating they’ve realized they should try to get their relationship on a better footing and then perhaps attempt a genuine open relationship instead of hiding things from each other.
As the Carinselles depart, Lux lets out a sigh. "Well, that could have gone better. But it also could have gone a lot worse! Thanks for stepping in. I promise I'll be more discreet with my, er, entanglements in the future."
A day later, Ricovial makes it clear that he's quite thankful that you were able to keep the rehearsals going without interruption and gifts you with a major trickster's mandolin and four vials of greater bravo's brew.
Alaznist empowers the construct, fixing it up so it can move the last bit on its own.
TRAFFIC JAM
A construct has gotten distracted at a crossroads and is now blithely causing a traffic jam.
Chase Points 2; Overcome DC 30 Diplomacy to direct the crowd to move around the construct, DC 32 Deception to trick the construct into wanting to follow the PCs rather than remain at the crossroads, DC 35 Intimidation to frighten the crowds away
The giant cannot stand in the face of the combined assault from Humerus, Aily, Smoke, and Telvir. Soon enough, he, too is lying still on the ground alongside his fellow guards.
Each of the two guards has a +2 greater striking scythe. Sorvinaesen has a +2 striking guisarme and sixteen black onyx gems worth 50 gp each.
Though both Raneshi and Idari struggle to land a good hit on the second catoblepas, Takarias pierces its hide with arrows while Alkabah and Blooms burn it with divine power and flames. The noxious beast collapses and lies still.
With the threats neutralized, the Chernasardo Rangers let out a cheer. They thank you profusely for the rescue as one of their number steps forward. "Your timing is impeccable. We'd be dead if not for you," she says with an exhausted sigh. "I'm Aliir Shilarken. We'd been sent deep into the Fangwood by our superiors to scout out old lodges and caches of equipment that might still be of use in the ongoing war with Molthune. The leader of our squad was slain by one of those horrid poisonous monsters—only this one flew. It snatched him up and flew off to splash into that polluted pond to the south. A few moments after that tragedy, these other monsters attacked us. We only barely managed to reach cover because of the distraction of our leader's martyrdom.
"We need to retreat to safety and report what happened here. The people who once operated these lodges traditionally hid caches of powerful gear in a false area behind the central building’s fireplace or in the stable, buried under one of the horse stalls. You've more than earned either of these caches’ contents as a reward for your bravery."
"Take me to him," Eilwith says again. She stands down, no longer a threat.
You look around the room a bit but don't find anything more of value here. You make your way out of Ghorus's Garden, Eilwith quietly following along behind you. But when you reach the exit, you see the dweomercat Felivaine laying on the ground, pierced by numerous quills and heavily wounded. Though weak, the cat manages to groan and mutter, "He didn't find it funny..."
A moment later, a trio of fey step out of the surrounding undergrowth. You immediately recognizes the capricious pukwudgie Khasprickle, who threw in his lot with Ruzadoya when she took control of the Wildwood Lodge. Accompanying him are a pixie and an elananx, a fey feline whose form ripples and billows with heat.
"Is this your cat?!" exclaims Khasprickle as he capers near the fallen Felivaine. "It’s got quite a lot to learn about respect," he quips before giving Felivaine a painful kick. "I gave you so many opportunities to join the winning side—my side! My wild hunt! My place in the Wildwood Lodge! And you thought yourselves smart for being some rebels, right?" He sneers and adds, "Too bad! I’m going to be the hero when I bring Ruzadoya your traitorous heads!"
Eilwith snarls at the sight of Felivaine injured and surges towards Khasprickle to attack him!
While most of the party remains unclear how to proceed, Cerulean's flirty approach while mixing in arcane metaphors seems to have results. Alathero's cheeks flush with a mixture of shame and anger as he looks from Cerulean to his wife. "I still don't see how any of this is my fault! You were going to leave me anyway!"
Elengia raises her eyebrows. "Leave you? And wherever did you get that ridiculous notion?"
"It's no secret that my family is much less well-off than yours. I know I can't afford to give you the lifestyle you're accustomed to, and I'm sure you're starting to grow bored of me," Alathero insists. "That's why you started your affair with Lux, isn't it?"
"Bored of you? Hardly," Elengia insists. "I've always been enthralled with the stage. I just wanted a taste of that lifestyle. It started off as just an innocent friendship, but, well, one thing lead to another..."
Lux shrugs sheepishly. "I do have that effect on people, from time to time."
You have gained 2 Influence points. Everybody may roll for the second round.
Caine's performance draws the lightning, which strikes him straight on, burning him badly! The burn leaves behind a brand in the shape of Rull's sacred symbol.
36 electricity damage to Caine.
Finally, the cloudburst clears and you are able to ascend through the foothills without further incident. The tents and banners of an orc camp flutter ahead, although there is no sound or movement to suggest any occupants. On closer inspection, the camp seems less abandoned than attacked. Tents are collapsed and gear is in disarray, and the bodies of orcs lie where they fell. A banner displaying a hold’s symbol hangs above the camp.
You recognize the hold symbol as belonging to the Blood Trail Hold. That hold controls the eastern end of Whisperfall Pass, so this camp is at least 50 miles away from their usual territory. That’s to be expected; most holds send hunting expeditions into the Flood Road area when aurochs are plentiful.
You rest overnight in the camp. The next morning, you head back into the island's interior. You follow the river through the hills where you saw the stone goats. Eventually, the rushing river sink shrinks to a small creek, terminating in a grotto tucked into the hills, surrounded by cypress trees. A waterfall cascades over a rocky cliff at the far end of the grotto, splashing into a small pool, and the hanging tree branches provide a swaying curtain over the water.
Several slender, blue-skinned people clad in flowing robes sit in the pool, chatting with each other in a burbling tongue; their voices sound concerned and every so often rise in temper. At the approach of outsiders, they look up, their conversation falling silent, and regard you with their pure white eyes.
One, a man whose robe is pinned by a brooch in a swirling wave pattern, stands. “Greetings, strangers,” he says, his tone cautious but friendly. “Well met, I hope.” He inclines his head. “I am Dimosis. What brings you here?”
Ranek and Torisen work together to disable the construct's movements and get it free of the hole.
POWERED DOWN
A construct has run out of power and sits motionless by a pile of carts.
Chase Points 3; Overcome DC 30 Arcana to power up the construct, DC 32 Diplomacy to convince the nearby cart owners to let you use the carts to haul the construct back to the merchant, DC 35 Athletics to haul the depowered construct back to the merchant using your own might
I'll change Batman's roll to Diplomacy and use Iesha's Athletics roll towards this obstacle, so you have 2 Chase Points for it already. Alaznist may roll for this round!
Batman and Iesha quickly scare the goblins away, allowing you to retrieve the construct.
STUCK IN A HOLE
A particularly awkward construct has become stuck in a hole in the street and is flailing its limbs about in a haphazard manner.
Chase Points 2; Overcome DC 30 Thievery to disable the thrashing construct temporarily so it can be extracted from the hole with ease, DC 32 Crafting to quickly loosen the stuck limb so that the construct can get free, DC 35 Athletics to wrench the construct out of the hole
Arfi's arguments fall flat, but Phel's stomach rumbles when Oinos speaks of dinner. "Mmm. Well, I am quite famished!" the merfolk says, a sheepish look on their face. "Sorry, I'm not sure why I got so riled up."
Meanwhile, Kalli's orders make Dikaios snap to attention. The horned nephilim snaps to attention and salutes. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir!"
With the other two standing down, Sappil blinks and seems to snap out of his furor as well.
Oinos and the Stranger are able to detect a faint magical miasma in the air. It seems to have been the impetus for the sudden tempers, though it is not a spell or direct mind control.
The rehearsals continue! One morning when you arrive at the Opera House, you find a heated argument occurring at the entrance. A man and woman, dressed more to attend a show at the theater than squabble outside it, have cornered one of your actors, Lux near the stage door, their words cutting over one another in their furor.
“—had no right to seduce him, you miserable thieving cat!” the woman snaps, glaring daggers between the wincing actor in front of her and the man at her side.
“And you have no right to complain!” the man retorts. “Not after what I caught you two up to, but perhaps we should take this somewhere—”
“Ha!” the woman cuts in sourly. “Afraid of looking like the fool you are?”
The couple descends into bickering while Lux looks trapped between them. The nephilim gives you a beckoning look.
It's difficult to get a straightforward explanation, as the couple keeps devolving into arguing with each other and with Lux, but eventually you can piece together the reason for the argument. The man and woman are Alathero and Elengia Carnieselle. Apparently, Lux was involved in romantic trysts with each member of the couple separately. The actor insists that both Alathero and Elengia told them their partner was fine with the arrangement, though the actor never realized the partner of each paramour was in fact their other paramour. For their part, Alathero and Elengia declare they had no idea their spouse was seeking attention elsewhere, and they’re furious with each other as well as the actor, whom they both blame for the situation. They threaten to take the story (even more) public unless the actor pays them back for the deception. Each spouse demands hush money of 1,000 gp. As the actor can’t afford that, the production would have to foot the bill if they don’t want a scandal on their hands!
The PCs can mediate the situation by influencing the Carniselles enough to calm Alathero and Elengia down. The Carniselles use a single influence stat block, with individual resistances and weaknesses (depending on which spouse the PCs speak to), as well as an additional Influence skill, noted for both. When a PC attempts to Influence the couple, they must always indicate which of the two they’re primarily addressing before attempting the check.
A PC who has the flirt persona trait gains a +2 circumstance bonus to all checks to Discover and Influence during the encounter, as they’ve likely had experience mediating this sort of conflict before. The PCs have a total of 3 5-minute rounds to influence Alathero and Elengia before they storm off.
Discovery: Kintargo Lore, Perception, Society Influence: Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Shelyn Lore (to mediate the couple's spat; Arcana (when speaking primarily to Alathero, to find camaraderie in his hobby of magical studies), Performance (when speaking primarily to Elengia, to impress her with tales of the stage)
Though the cat shies away from Torisen, Ranek and Alaznist nimbly scale the tree to rescue to the feline and deliver it to the grateful children.
***
GOBLINS LOVE ‘EM!
One of the constructs has been claimed by a troupe of goblins, who are now using it as part of their act and are loathe to part with it.
Chase Points 3; Overcome DC 30 Intimidation to frighten the goblins off, DC 32 Thievery to temporarily disable the construct so the goblins lose interest, DC 35 Diplomacy to convince the goblins to give up their “claim”
Batman and Iesha may still act in the first chase round.
The grappled giant survives the many attacks aimed at it. He bows to Telvir and continues to attack Humerus as the other giant runs back into melee range and attacks Aily with a wicked strike!
Takarias waves his banner and shoots a catoblepas with an arrow. Blooms burns the enemies again while Alkabah heals Idari. Raneshi triggers her runes, incinerating two of the spore thralls and triggering their detonations. One stubbornly tough thrall remains unfazed. The marshal follows up with a critical hit from her rapier to the most wounded catoblepas. It staggers but is too fierce to immediately fall. That is, until Idari lops its head off with his blade! The barbarian turns to the other one but fails to hit it.
The angry catoblepas attacks Idari again with its antlers. The spore thrall fires at him but misses. The Chernasardo Rangers festoon the last fungal elf with arrows until it pops!
Briar moves in and bites one of the demons in the throat, stunning it as she damages its vocal cords. She then grabs the other one in a crushing grip, slowing it down enough that Pen is able to barely hit it with her disintegrate beam and gravely damage it! Visna tears into that demon with her axes and Belmont shoots it for good measure.
The saurian demon bludgeons that grappled boar demon with its tail then rips its head off with a claw! It turn to the last demon and claws it as well.
From the gates of the keep, a menacing armored figure emerges. He wields a morningstar in one hand an a shadowy sword in the other. This, at last, is the real Prince of Wolves. "If you want something done right..." he growls. He gestures, and a Harrow card floats up from his belt to hover by his head--The Cyclone! The card glows as he activates its power, and powerful winds coalesce into the form of a devastating tornado! Both demons are battered by the winds.
