Sounds reasonable. I'll try to keep things moving, but not start any fights until you're done with the conversion.
Search Posts
The party soon arrives at Lady Silviana Dimora's estate, a manor house and grounds surrounded by an 8-foot-high fieldstone wall. The grounds are well-tended, with thick, soft grass, several well-placed shade trees, and many species of flowering plants. Directly in front of the manor house is a pond with several large lilies and a lion-shaped marble fountain that bubbles gently. A doorwarden greets you at the gate. "Good day to you, gentles. Do you have business here?"
"Not to discredit whoever the Society sent to scout this place....."
The double doors open onto a wide entranceway that appears to be a communal center of the temple. The floor here contains an engraved Spiral of Korada, but the spiral is badly scuffed from centuries of traffic.
From where you are, you can see that the Temple has no sharp corners. The white marble walls are carved with soft, round edges. The edifice appears well-scrubbed, but despite this obvious care the stone surface is marred by a scattering of black mold flecks across its surface. A gravel path leads into an airy courtyard and up to a pair of large wooden doors. The doors are carved with an image of four spheres resting inside an open lotus flower.
"Not exactly. I researched the trigger word for travel into the Tapestry, so if you'll just step up here one at a time--" He indicates a scaffold next to the Tapestry (it appears to have been recently widened so as to fit a warhorse). "--and place your fingers on that symbol there--" He points to a sigil of three linked circles woven into the fabric. "--and I say the word." In a tone of command, he says something that doesn't really register as sound, and suddenly you find yourself pulled into the Tapestry as if the word unmade the world around you. Each of you goes through the process in turn ("Sakura, mount Asb and touch the sigil. Your bond with your horse will carry him through with you."), and you find yourselves atop a forested hill in front of a large, wide building of burnished white stone. The sky above is bright, and the air smells clean and fresh. You see a 2-foot-diameter sphere of pulsing blue light floating behind you, although each person's sphere is only visible to them. Aram Zey's voice floats faintly in the air, echoing strangely: "The sphere is a planar eddy created by your passage into the Tapestry. To leave the Tapestry simply walk into the eddy."
Round 2 (ongoing): Andrezi's bolt goes well wide of the mark.
"Pathfinders, everything is in place here. You can enter the Tapestry whenever you're ready."
The pony appears and drops on the iron rack with a loud clatter, sending candles flying. Oddly, the candles aren't put out by this treatment. As soon as the spell expires the pony disappears, with no obvious changes in the room. DC 10 Perception: When the pony arrived, the candles flared a little brighter, and a faint smell of sulfur filled the air. As soon as the pony disappears, though, the candles go back to normal and the smell dissipates.
"No dressup needed, Nightkit. You're Pathfinders, and that gives you a certain amount of leeway...on this mission, at any rate. It would be different if I were to send you to a wealthy merchant's funeral or a Blakros wedding, for example. Liberating the slave is, unfortunately, off the table for the moment. Keynala, the only place in Absalom where slaves can be bought and sold is Misery Row. An apt name, if you ask me. I don't know which slaver is involved, though--that would be something to find out from the majordomo or the lawyer."
"As to dangers...so far, Society explorations of the Tapestry demiplane have been uneventful, but don't let your guard down. We haven't even scratched the surface of the wonders Hao Jin collected." The irascible Master of Spells glares at Sakura when her next question registers. "Why are we doing this? To learn more about the worship of the Empyreal Lord Korada! Isn't that enough of a reason for you? Everything we do is in service to lore and learning about the world...I despair of the skills of our instructors if that simple fact has escaped you in your training." After a moment, he visibly calms down. "Now. As you might infer from what I've already said, previous explorers have not reported meeting any people, so I can't tell you anything about them. If they exist. That said, Hao Jin created her museum demiplane with an environment identical to Golarion’s. It has air, weather, and gravity just as you’d expect. However, in the centuries since Hao Jin’s disappearance, the weather patterns within much of the tapestry demiplane have shifted, so we’re uncertain of the precise environment around the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment." To Kihel and the leshy, he replies, "As I said before, the temple is dedicated to Korada, Empyreal Lord of forgiveness and foresight. If you don't find what I'm sending you to look for, record what you can and see if you can tell why something isn't there. The limited information we have on these temples indicates that they should be, so their lack would be of some interest--it would indicate that our knowledge is incomplete." He claps his hands and a pair of servants appear carrying bundles of food and water, writing supplies, and measuring twine. "You'll doubtless need this."
DC 15 Knowledge (History):
Tianjing is a nation of aasimars in the Dragon Empires. The empire of Lung Wa protected, rather than conquered, Tianjing, allowing philosophy and arts to flourish in the aasimar nation. DC 20 Knowledge (History):
Several centuries ago, Hao Jin performed a great service for Tianjing’s custodian council. (The precise nature of the service is not recorded.) In gratitude, the council presented the sorceress with a temple of Korada, the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment, to add to her collection. DC 25 Knowledge (History):
The temple to Korada was not a difficult gift for the custodian council to provide, as their architects were already designing a new temple to Korada that would replace the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment anyway. DC 15 Knowledge (Religion):
Korada is the Empyreal Lord of foresight, forgiveness, and peace. He is a force of good, dedicated to peace and contemplation. Korada spends his time meditating in the Dream Lotus on the plane of Nirvana, balancing the spheres of existence in his mind and conversing with other enlightened beings. DC 20 Knowledge (Religion):
Devotees of Korada are scholars and mystics who are often contemplative pacifists. Korada’s worshipers meditate by spinning small glass spheres in their palms. Practiced disciples spin three glass spheres in each hand simultaneously while meditating. DC 25 Knowledge (Religion): The Spiral of Korada is a symbol sacred to the Empyreal Lord. The Spiral of Korada is an outward-sweeping arc balancing three circles. The circles represent reflection on the past, focus on the present, and contemplation of the future. This symbol is often prominently displayed in temples to the Empyreal Lord, and devotees take care to keep the sacred symbol unobstructed.
Round 2 (ongoing): With a smooth thrust, Nia drops Green.
"I am not certain when Hao Jin added the Temple to her collection in the Tapestry, but it must have been at least 300 years ago. Records indicate that only the Temple was taken; none of the Koradan faithful remained with it so far as the records of the time show. Thus, the Temple is likely uninhabited except by ancient guardians or traps, so take care." The Master of Spells pauses, thinking. "I suppose some scavengers may have found their way into the structure, so that's something else to watch for."
Also too, according to the Events forum Outpost is live!
qstor/Alton, your slave ship to Absalom awaits HERE.
Seated behind a large, antique desk in his wood-paneled office, Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin looks up from the pile
“I had an interesting conversation yesterday with Aram Zey, the Master of Spells. An old friend and colleague of his—Lady Darchana, Archdean of the Arcanamirium here in Absalom—contacted him. She’s a councilmember on the Low Council, too. It seems her dinner party last week had an unexpected guest: a handmaiden of her actual guest’s had picked up a scrying sensor somewhere. When Lady Darchana learned that someone was attempting to eavesdrop on her party, she used her magic to trace the sensor back to its source. It sounds as though she didn’t learn anything conclusive, and she’s interested in bringing in an independent party to try and learn more. Master Zey agrees. “Make no mistake, this is an excellent opportunity for you to impress a well-connected friend of the Society. Lady Darchana requested that the Pathfinders call upon her at her estate in the Petal District once they learn something of the origins of this servant. The owner of the handmaiden is named Lady Silviana Dimora. Lady Silviana isn’t a councilmember or the like—at least not yet. From what I understand, though, she is an up-and-comer who is rubbing elbows with all of the right people, and she likely has little knowledge of where the slave was purchased. I recommend speaking to her majordomo Milana about the handmaiden, or you can pay a visit to her solicitor, a Chelish fellow named Salbus over in the Coins. Questions?”
Victory in the Ruby Phoenix Tournament earned the Pathfinder Society a pick of the legendary treasures of the Tian sorceress Hao Jin, and the Decemvirate knew just what item to select: a frayed and dirty tapestry hidden deep in Hao Jin’s vault. This unassuming tapestry acts as a doorway to another dimension in which Hao Jin stored her most massive items, including entire buildings, battlefields, and the ruins of ancient civilizations. The Pathfinder Society is now methodically exploring and cataloging the diverse locales tucked within this extradimensional space. Deep beneath Absalom’s Grand Lodge, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Spells, Aram Zey, gestures at the tapestry hung on the wall, surrounded by ladders and scaffolds. Scholars and diviners scurry around the tapestry, analyzing its abstract patterns and comparing insights. Zey snaps his finger to quiet the room and speaks rapidly. “The aasimar nation of Tianjing contains a handful of temples to Korada, Empyreal Lord of forgiveness and foresight. The Pathfinder Society is interested in exploring these holy sites, but the aasimar disciples in Tianjing are reluctant to grant the Pathfinder Society full access to their faith’s secrets. Fortunately, the custodian council of Tianjing gifted one such temple to Hao Jin centuries ago. This temple—the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment—now sits vacant within the museum demiplane of the Hao Jin Tapestry. We need well-trained explorers to survey the isolated and abandoned site. “We will transport you to the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment within the Hao Jin Tapestry and provide you with a small cache of supplies. We need a complete report on the temple with a focus on four key locations. First, locate the temple’s meditation room, find evidence of any meditative techniques described there, and record any effects of performing those techniques. Second, prepare a comprehensive catalog of all works in the temple library. Third, find the temple gardens and draft a detailed plan of the garden’s layout. Finally, enter the temple’s crypt and take rubbings of the carvings on each sarcophagus. “You will enter the tapestry within the hour. Any questions?”
Waiting for qstor's rogue, and if the frontliner shows up before that they're in.
Corbrae is unexpectedly familiar with the nascent demon lord Kro'akoth, known as the Fire Serpent or the Awakener. His initial worshipers were xulgaths/troglodytes, but he also gathers followers by insinuating himself into largely inactive cults in the place of whatever deity or principle they followed before. His favored weapon is the falchion, and his domains are Chaos. Evil, Fire, and Trickery.
Please fill out your information on the slide, including your character token(s).
Please fill out your information on the slide, including your character token(s).
Fun prestige class; one of the very few that tempts me. So you going to start vying for the front line? Of my five Core campaign characters, one has already taken a prestige class (ftr1/rog4 to shadowdancer), and two are working towards one (sorc to dragon disciple and wiz to loremaster). Qstor, can you dot in with your gnome rogue?
You're able to return to town and quickly return the loot and gather mundane supplies before getting on the road again (although the villagers at least feed you before you go).
Yes, it is.
Round 2 (ongoing): The fighter sidesteps and slams his shield into the wounded cultist, knocking him back several feet. The limpness with which he lands and his lack of movement afterwards would seem to indicate that the blow was a lethal one.
Vidar delays. Round 2 (ongoing): Initiative order
The black-bordered cultist dodges past Wojcicech and into a flanking position with his companions on Nia and Wojcicech, and the red-haired cultist steps up. None of their attacks on Nia or Wojcicech land.
Dice rolls:
I can ask my friend? I'd be fine with that as long as they're available now. Are they currently on the boards?
Thanks for playing, Iladora! See you around the boards! Viridian...it won't be Merisiel-7, but qstor's gnome Rog/5. You can probably manage the next level without a sixth character, but that may involve using Lybram's bear more extensively.
No slides yet; that's a project for the weekend <g>.
Let me know when you want to start the next part.
I have Fly already, but I can take False Life. I always wish Alchemists had more stuff on their formula list, even stuff that would be wildly impractical 99% of the time. Imagine an Alchemist that had somehow gotten immunity to fire drinking an extract of fireball in the midst of a pack of enemies! It'd be hilarious. Even moreso if he could brew potions of it then arrange to sell it to villains under the guise of a potion of, say, Resist Fire or Protection from Fire! I think most alchemists call those "bombs."
After a side trip away from Fort Inevitable to get Lybram raised and Iladora's sight restored, plus a bit of time waiting for any items you ordered from Absalom to arrive, you return to the clockwork level and prepare to essay whatever lies below. Apart from an aside that Klarkosh muttered, the fact that he appeared to be concerned about attacks from that direction, and what might be the disordered ravings of a lonely pech, you're not sure what to expect. The stairs descend in several flights down from Klarkosh's maze, and you estimate you've gone down about 200 feet. Signs of battle--most commonly dried blood, scorch marks, and smashed bones--appear along the stairway down. DC 20 Heal or Knowledge (Nature):
The bones are roughly humanoid, but are more reptilian than mammalian. Some of the shattered jaws appear to have distinctly snakelike fangs. A flickering red light ahead, as of torches or oil lamps, heralds the bottom of the stairway as it ends in the northeast corner of a small, brightly lit room with a door on the west wall. Oil-fed brass torches in wall sconces are the source of the light seen from above. In the center of the room are two large iron racks holding numerous burning candles. The iron candleholders are crafted so that each candle appears to be held in the jaws of a serpent. A phrase is written on each rack in Undercommon. Undercommon:
Offer prayer to Kro’akoth the Awakener, scaled brethren, and be welcome here.
Most of the chronicles: Corbrae, I'll have yours ready when you clarify your hex selection.
I have chronicles for everyone except Corbrae and Alton/Merisiel done, and will link to them tonight. After deducting the cost of the raises and such, you'll get 4086 gp plus your day job, if you want to start buying stuff.
Corbrae, you bought hex B4 last level.
Raise dead leaves the resurectee with two permanent negative levels, so one restoration for each of them.
No, Viridian died earlier in the level. Or did the party pay for that raise out of funds on hand?
I deducted the cost of two raise deads and four restorations from the overall party rewards, so Lybram can be assumed to return before you proceed to the next level.
Does Alton get a day job roll?
You're definitely a little weak on the arcane side.
Barl's spellbook contains: Cantrips: Acid splash, detect magic, detect poison, read magic, dancing lights, flare, light, ray of frost, ghost sound, bleed, disrupt undead, touch of fatigue, mage hand, mending, message, open/close, arcane mark, prestidigitation
BTW, if you give the magic items looted from the Black Arrow rangers back to them, you'll get a pile of xp. Also, I was wrong about Barl’s spellbook; there are a few spells in it that Reynard can copy into his formula book. I'll get the whole list up later.
Probably not, although there are times it's good to have one. I would prefer to keep it to 5 players, but that may be colored by having had to bot Erond for like half a year; I'd rather not take the chance of getting someone else who ghosts on us.
He's got a chronicle that specifically allows access to that ancestry in Core; I had the same question the first time I saw the character.
OK, wanted to give people the option. Next question: I'm assuming you want to continue. If not, ignore the rest of this. Erond seems to be gone (and I hope the player is alright). He was your major ranged attacker (sorry, Cordwin), as well as your only source of higher-level healing (restoration and the like). Does anyone want to rebuild their character to fill that gap? I'd rather not recruit anyone else at this point.
Before I finalize everyone's chronicles, please make day job rolls and let me know which hex (if any) you want to buy. Also, I did report the session, so that should be in your profiles (despite the usual glitch that mixes up Core and Standard games in your history).
|