Hi,
Please cancel my Pathfinder Campaign Setting subscriptions.
Thanks.
Search Posts
Hi, Please cancel my Pathfinder Roleplaying Game subscription. Thanks. -Tom
Thanks. I received my shipping confirmation email yesterday. For the record, I never was given the option to ship things as soon as possible.
Hi, I added a subscription to the Pathfinder RPG line so I could get Pathfinder Unchained with the PDF. I see that it will not ship until July with Occult Adventures which I do not want at this time. Is there any way to get Pathfinder Unchained sent now? Thanks. -Tom
Hi, Please cancel my Pathfinder Adventure Path subscription. Thanks. -Tom
Hi, Please cancel my Pathfinder Campaign Setting subscription. Thanks. -Tom
Hi, Please cancel my Pathfinder Companion subscription. Thanks. -Tom
I see it shipped like I wanted. Thanks so much.
Hi, Please cancel my Pathfinder Campaign Setting subscription. Thanks.
Hi, This order says the payment method was declined. The card has worked in the past and there's more than enough space on the card for the payment to go through. Can you give me the reason for the decline? Thanks. -Tom
Hi, Please cancel my Pathfinder Player's Companion subscription. Thanks. -Tom
Please cancel my Pathfinder Tales and Pathfinder Modules
Thanks. -Tom
Hi, Please cancel my Pathfinder Companion subscription. Thanks. -Tom
Hi, Please cancel my Campaign Setting subscription please. Thanks. -Tom
Hi, Please cancel my Pathfinder RPG and Pathfinder Player Companion subscriptions. Thanks. -Tom
Hi, Please cancel my Pathfinder RPG subscription. Thanks. -Tom
Please cancel my Pathfinder Campaign Setting subscription. Thanks. -Tom
Hi, I was planning on cancelling my Pathfinder Campaign Setting subscription after the Jade Regent Gazetteer shipped as I do not want Mythical Monsters Revisited. I see that Mythical Monsters Revisited is now part of my projected December shipment. Can you update the order so I still receive my subscription copy of the Jade Regent Gazetteer but not Mythical Monsters Revisited? Thanks. -Tom
Of course it arrives the day after I report it missing. Thanks anyway.
Hi, I haven't received this order. Any help determining what happened to it would be appreciated. Thanks. -Tom
Please cancel my Pathfinder Campaign setting subscription. Thanks.
Hi, Please cancel my Pathfinder modules subscription. Thanks. -Tom
Hi, Please cancel my Campaign Setting subscription. Thanks. -Tom
I see the book is still but part of my February subscription. This order is still showing as pending and my bank still has the funds as pending as well. Thanks.
Hi, I received an email that this order is expected to ship in the next week. Since it's for the Inner Sea World Guide due out in February, I'm wondering if someone could tell me if this is a mistake. My bank has this as a pending payment. Thanks. -Tom
Please cancel my Pathfinder Modules subscription. Thanks. -Tom
So we've offered a weekly mailing of our Store Blog for many years now. Would you be interested in a separate weekly mailing of our Paizo Blog? I would.
I've been a thread and the next time I come in I see the X New link. The 3rd time I come back there is no link for the new threads (and there have been some since I last visited the thread).
+1 I'd probably be more involved in these boards if I had better control over which threads I consider 'read. It would make it easier to find threads that catch my eye and also let me keep up with the conversation without having to scroll through threads to find the last one I read (the X new option next to a thread I read is inconsistent).
Please cancel my Pathfinder Chronicles subscription (I'll be re-upping with the campaign setting in September). Thanks. -Tom
Ah, then please cancel my Chronicles subscription after the NPC Guide. I'll add it back when the Faction Guide comes out. Thanks.
Hi, I'd essentially like to suspend my Chronicles subscription between the NPC and Faction Guides (i.e. receive both of those but not the Classic Treasures Revisited). Is there any way to remove the Revisited book from my April order? Not a huge deal if you can't. Thanks. -Tom
Hi, Could you please cancel my Chronicles subscription? Thanks, -Tom
I was given the option to add the contents of 1210147 to my pending order (1269850). It appears that only The Great Beyond was added to it while the first issue of my Chronicles subscription was not. I have Hold for Monthly Shipment checked (to save on shipping) so I was surprised to get a notice that my Chronicles subscription was shipping separately from order 1269850, which includes the Bestiary as part of my RPG subscription. Just curious as to how this happened so I can try and prevent it from happening in the future. Thanks. -Tom
Good news! The USPS delivered this today. Please disregard my whining.
Sorry to be a pain, but I'm not sure where we stand with this. Timeline regarding missing items:
Thanks. -Tom
Although the Chronicles subscription page says the current Chronicles subscription is Book of the Damned Volume 1, I don't have the option to start my subscription with it. It does show in my shopping cart as itself.
Address is correct. I received my mail today including a package from Lands End. Should I be asking the post ofice anything specific? I did receive my PFRPG book back in August. Can I ask what the difference is between Standard Shipping and USPS First class is for the US (changing them seems to have no effect on the estimated S&H cost)? UPS may be in my future. Thanks.
Not sure why the universe seems determined to keep my from any print Pathfinder RPG adventures but I have not received this order. Thanks. -Tom
Hi, I have not received most of this order. I did receive my Pathfinder RPG book by itself, but the other 3 books that are part of this order have not arrived as of today. Thanks. -Tom
It's my understanding that there will be a small conversion guide for the Pathfinder RPG (a board search didn't help). Can anyone tell me when it'll be available and it's format? Thanks. -Tom Addendum:
Any hints as to how they'll be delivering these new classes?
Hi, I just realized I've not yet received this order which shipped on June 17th. Not sure how Paizo handles these types of things. Should I give it more time? Thanks. Tom
Hi, I'd like to cancel this order which has been moved to my sidecart. A friend ordered multiple print copies and is giving me one. For future reference, is the only way to cancel something is to post something to this board? Thanks. -Tom
I placed Order 613419 for:
Order 930585 contained my first 2 Ongoing Modules
I see in My Downloads the PDFs for the modules in order for 930585. I also have a link for
So my questions are:
Thanks.
Forgotten Realms. I really like high fantasy.
I'd like to see more 3 part adventures. It gives the group a sense that there is a continuing story while keeping the group focused. I've found it pretty difficult to keep a group focused over the entire 12 parts of the APs. Maybe the APs can be broken into 4 3-parters where the party can continue on if they want or they can stop and still feel like they've accomplished something significant in the campaign. Sort of like Star Wars (A New Hope). Blow up the Death Star and you're done or decide to continue fighting the Empire and get to Empire Strikes Back. And keep the FR adventures coming.
My group just finished the Whispering Cairn. This is my first attempt to get behind the screen in many years and I thought it went fairly well. My group did not fight Kullen and his thugs as they saw them in the Feral Dog and surruptiously fed them alcohol which made them loosen their tongues. I thought it was a clever idea so I rolled with it. NPCs are my weak point so I'm not sure what to do about the several loose ends I left (with Kullen, Filge and Tirra) so any advice is welcome. Excuse the spelling and grammar. 12 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms (1374 DR) //Session 01 - Start
Located on the Delimbyir Route mid way between Daggerford and Secomber, Diamond Lake was exactly how Windsdale remembered human settlements; dirty, smelly and containing no respect for the Green. The pair discovered that the wood was for local mine manager, Balabar Smenk, so that he may add-on to his residence. Ash and Windsdale decided to ask about the inn to see what else they could learn about Smenk and his men. It was while they were enjoying a drink after their evening meal that Barrik, a shield dwarf mage, approached Ash and Windsdale. Barrik was a local resident of Diamond Lake. The dwarf had worked the various mines for years and was tired of it. He wanted to leave the town. The death of his cousin, Thalor Axebeard in the Tilgast mines was the last straw. He had heard that some children in the Fallen Hills had discovered a new cairn a few hours north of the town. The cairns and the riches that were usually to be found within was why Diamond Lake was founded. Barrik has heard that a group of adventurers have come from Waterdeep to explore the Stirgenest Cairn. He figured it would only be a matter of time before they heard or stumbled upon this new cairn, dubbed the Whispering Cairn by the children who discovered it. Barrik has been waiting for someone trustworthy to help him enter the cairn and take its riches. He knows why Windsdale and Ash are in town and that they are outsiders makes them more attractive as partners. Barrik buys the pair a drink and tells them his story. At first, the pair would not be swayed from their quest but the desperation in the dwarf's eyes and the idea that agents of the Dark or people like Smenk could use the riches from the tomb work against the resolve of the halfling and human. The three are toasting their new alliance and the adventure ahead of them when, from four tables away, Mason Vheold, a human warmain who appears to be of Damaran blood, shouts "Adventure! I believe I'm an adventurer. Perhaps I can help you?" as he approaches the trio. The strongheart replies, "Excuse me? I don't believe we were talking to you. Is it the custom where you come from to barge your way into other people's conversations?" "I'm not sure but I do know that I'm a soldier for hire. Don't remember much else before that battle in Mithril Hall a few years back. I went to Silverymoon to find my past, but didn't have much luck. I was thinking of heading to Candlekeep next, so I started heading that way and ended up here. I've been here for a day. I was thinking of looking for some work here since my traveling funds are running low. Now, it sounds like you might have an opportunity that's right up my alley." Ash whispers something to Windsdale and gets a chuckle in reply. "It's your quest, friend," Ash tells the dwarf. Barrik address Mason, "Well, at least you're not from this pimple on a dragon's arse. You do look like you'd be useful in a fight, so…you can come." 13 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms The foursome leave early in the morning and arrive at an abandoned mine office several hours later. Barrik tells the others that the cairn's entrance is close. Proceeding on, Barrik exclaims, "This is it" when the group reaches an area of heavy undergrowth. After a few moments of search, the band of four discovers the entrance to the Whispering Cairn. Once they cross the threshold, the dwarf, halfling and two humans are greeting by a whispering that comes from all around. Upon closer inspection of the walls of the tomb, they find that the walls are riddled with little holes and the whispers originate from them. Passing a pair of alcoves directly across from one another they find that the western one is blocked by rubble, possibly from a cave in. The other contains what appears to be the remains of a mirror frame and the ground is littered with a strange black glass. Whispers surrounding them, the group moves further down to the corridor. They come to another set of alcoves. The left is blocked by rubble and the left seems to have a dais with whatever is on it just out of the light. The explorers are greeted with a strong odor. Ash remarks, "This is familiar." Ahead think cobwebs block the path. Beyond the cobwebs comes a sickly green glow. As Mason approaches the passage to burn the webs, the sound of low growls comes from the western alcove and three wolves attack the party. Windsdale is brought low before he knew the beasts where there. "Wolves! Of course, it's wolves," murmurs Ash as he prepares his weapon. The group manages to defeat the animals without much damage. The party discovered that the western alcove is not as blocked as they believe. This is a small passage leading to the wolves' den in the rubble. The halfling decides this would be a safe place to put Windsdale, who is stable but unconscious, while the group continues to investigate the cairn. While moving the body, the wolf totem warrior finds a lantern made of indigo colored glass. "Do you hear running water?" Mason asks Barrik. Ash exits the wolf den with a smile on his face and proceeds to find a mural in the alcove with the dais. The mural is of a large area with passages evenly spaced around the main area. At the end of each passage is a lit lantern reflecting a different color of the rainbow. Beyond the cobwebs are stairs leading down. As they reach the bottom of the landing, the group (minus one) finds the chamber depicted in the mural. The chamber has a sarcophagus in the middle. A bas-relief figure of a djinni decorates its cover. As the group approaches the center of the room and the object there, they hear noises coming from the stairs they've just descended. Weapons drawn, the explorers turn to face this challenge. Ready to fight moves wolves they are somewhat surprised to find a dwarf stumbling down the steps. "Barrik! There you are. How could you leave me out of this? What kind of cousin are you?" Bellows the newcomer. "Just how many cousins do you have?" asks an exasperated halfling. Barrik rolls his eyes, "I didn't invite you because he were too busy pissing away your wages in the Veiled Corridor." Ash perks up, "Veiled Corridor?" "I'd still be there but me money ran out and then I remember what you told me about this place so here I am." "Make yourself useful and help me open the lid of this thing," Barrik tells his cousin. "By the way this is John, he fancies himself a fighter" he introduces the other shield dwarf. As this conversation concludes, Mason moves down one of the passages. This one seems to be the source of the eerie green light. He finds an everburning torch stuck in a lantern similar to the one Ash found earlier except this one is made of green glass. He and Ash begin looking down the other passages and find the same thing except for the passage that should hold the red lantern is empty. As the human and halfling and making their way around the chamber, they hear a WHOOSH and see a bright light coming from the center of the room. They turn to see the sarcophagus lid open and the two dwarves rolling on the ground trying to smoother flames. "What in the nine hells is going on," shouts Mason as he runs back and pushes the lid closed. As he slams the lid shut he notices that the sarcophagus is totally empty. The warmain also notices that the dais the coffin sits upon is shaped like an arrow and points at the chamber with the orange lantern. "Maybe this thing moves." He asks John the still smoldering dwarf if he could try and shift the coffin. John is able to push the sarcophagus until it points to the yellow lantern chamber. A great rumbling and the sound of stone or stone emanated from the yellow chamber. At the back a small cylinder rises from the floor and door in the front open revealing a hollow space inside. Mason and Ash approach the cylinder. The find it empty and just large enough for the human to fit in. Mason climbs in and immediately the doors close and the cylinder returns to the floor. The others wait for a few moments and the cylinder again rises from the floor. When the doors open the cylinder is empty. "He must be trapped down there, see if you can move the thing back," Ash tells the dwarves. "No good, it only moves in one direction." Replies John. "Push it forward then, " is the totem warrior's retort as he rolls his eyes. John and Barrik push the sarcophagus until it points to the chamber with the green lantern. Again comes the sound of rumbling and stone on stone from the green passage. Another cylinder rises from the floor. Before the three can move toward it, there comes a loud crash and the floor gives way under the cylinder. As Ash joins the shield dwarves by the sarcophagus the sound of hundreds of insects comes from the hole in the back of the green passage. A horrible creature that appears to be an eye with six sharps legs climbs out of the hole and is quickly followed by a swarm of beetles. "Windsdale! I've got to get him out of the wolves' den or these creatures could finish him." Exclaims the halfling as he runs up the stairs. "Give me time." "Take all the time ye need," says John as he draws his axe. Barrik loads a crossbow and fires a bolt into the aberration on six legs rapidly moving toward them. Several more bolts take down the creature before it can reach the pair of dwarves. John steps up confidently to the beetle swarm and swings his axe at the creatures only to find that the axe does little to slow the swarm. He tells Barrik to run and does so himself. Unfortunately, it is too late for Barrik as the swarm reaches him and begins to crawl over his body. The mage quickly drops. Barrik lights a torch and tries to burn the swarm off his cousin. He finds that the torch is doing more harm to Barrik than the swarm. Ash has pulled Windsdale to the outside of the cairn and returned to the bottom of the stairs to find that Barrik is slowly being eaten alive by the swarm. He launches a flask of oil at the body that connects and covers the beetles and Barrik. "Burn it", yells Ash, "hopefully we can find him a healer before he expires." John lights the oil. Flames consume the beetles and shield dwarf body for some moments. As the fire dies down, the pair find, much to their dismay, that these beetles were acid beetles and released their acid as they died. Destroying Barrik's body. Ash says, "Let's go, there may be more beetles about." John refuses to leave without Mason. He won't leave another to suffer the same fate as Ash. Urgently, the pair push the sarcophagus along. Nothing happens until they reach the passage where the indigo lantern should be. Another cylinder springs from the ground. They notice it is filled with crushed bones and decide to place a lantern in it to see what happens. They continue to push the sarcophagus around. At the yellow passage the cylinder raises from the floor, it is empty. Determined to see what happened in the cylinder in the indigo passage, the halfling and dwarf push on. With the arrow once again pointing at the indigo passage, the cylinder rises from the floor. The duo is dismayed to find the lantern crushed. They decide to perform the same test in the yellow passage. Mason, somewhat cramped inside the cylinder feels the sensation of motion and finds the doors opening after a moment or so. As he steps out, the doors close and the cylinder lifts into the ceiling. The warmain finds himself in a small room with the only passage blocked by a large stone. Searching the room, Mason finds a button on the wall near where the cylinder rested when it was in the room. He pushes the button and the cylinder comes down and the doors open. The human steps inside only to find that nothing happening. The doors stay open and the cylinder remains in place. Mason steps out of the cylinder. The doors quickly shut and the cylinder rises into the ceiling. Fearing that he may have to find another way out, Mason tries to move the block blocking the passage. Unable to do so, the warmain removes his armor and tries to fit in the small opening between the block and the ceiling of the opening. He finds that he is too big to fit. In frustration, he slams the button on the wall. To his surprise the cylinder doors open and a lantern is sitting in the middle of the floor. Mason decides to write a message on the inside of the cylinder with the only thing he has, soap. This is Mason, come down. Warily watching the hole in the green lantern passage, Ash and John push the sarcophagus until it comes to rest on the yellow lantern passage. Luckily, the totem warrior notices that there is something a little shiny reflecting off the back of the wall inside the cylinder. Reading the message, he shakes his head. Ash pulls out a piece of chalk and writes, `Get up here or we're leaving your arse here." For the fourth, or is it fifth, time they push the sarcophagus around. Mason having noticed that sometimes there is a difference in how high up the cylinder raises, waits until the cylinder lowers itself somewhat and then pushes the button. Reading the message on the inside wall, he then steps in and waits. Eventually, the exhausted halfling and dwarf push the sarcophagus. The cylinder rises from the back of the yellow lantern passage with Mason inside. The three decided to head back to town to recover. The adventures spend the night just inside the cairn and leave for Diamond Lake at first light. 14 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms Bearing Windsdale on a litter, the group makes it back to Diamond Lake without further incident. They bridge the greenbond to the Bronze Lodge of Silvanus where the priest take him in and care for him. The remaining three decide to explore the town. Ash discovers the pleasures of the Veiled Corridor while Mason and John discover the meaning of proper dress requited quickly followed by drinking at the Feral Dog. //Session 01 - End
Ash returns to the Able Carter Coaching Inn and arranges a late night food delivery for Mason and then heads to the Fetal Dog. Ash wins the nightly dagger-throwing contest and meets Tirra, a female sun elf who, along with her companions from Waterdeep are exploring the Stirgenest Cairn. An unfettered Chondathan female, Shayar Venton, happens into the Dog as Ash wins the contest and overhears the conversation between the halfling and sun elf. The halfling has heard that several people have gone missing in the area. Shayar introduces herself to the totem warrior and agrees to join him as he explores the area near the cairns. Realizing that they had problems with traps, the two asked Tirra if she know any trap finders. Tirra points out an Illuskan male at the end of the bar. Shayar approaches and through subtle questioning, determines that Vhade, the person Tirra pointed out, does have the skills they need. After a few moments of negotiations, Vhade agrees to join the party. 15 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms Mason is awaked in the wee hours between midnight and dawn but a polite knocking at his door. He opens it to discover that one of the kitchen staff standing there with his food order, a dozen eggs. The warmain quickly grabs the basket from the boy and slams the door. Are those retching sounds? The kitchen boy wonders as he goes down the stairs. The party leaves at first light for the Whispering Cairn. After a few hours journey, the group arrives at the overgrowth that surrounds the cairn. Returning to the chamber with the seven passages and the colored lanterns, they examine the collapsed floor in the green lantern passage. Mason lowers a rope and Vhade "volunteers" to climb down first. Realizing that the hole is deeper than their light sources can penetrate; the trap finder manages to light a torch while climbing down the rope. He drops the torch to see what's at the bottom. "It's not much further down," Vhade yells to the party. "But it seems that there's something flammable down there. The torch caused it to catch." A pause. "Damn, it's the rope." Hurrying to put out the fire, Vhade discovers that Mason is not very good at tying knots. At the edge of the hole above, the others hear a small curse followed by "Aahhh, zzzsss, aaahhh, zzzsss." Mason, followed by Shayar and Ash, climb down to make sure the trap finder is okay. Aside from a minor sprain and burn, Vhade can continue one. The party leaves and quickly comes to a four-way intersection. Down the right hand passage they come to a large chamber filled with beetles feeding on some strange orange paste-like substance. Quickly backing out of the room, they decide to check what's down the straight-ahead passage. That corridor leads to a flight of stairs down. Retracing their steps, the group heads down the left hand passage. This corridor empties into a large chamber with two rows of stone blocks and a statue at the opposite wall. A body rests on one of the blocks. Mason barely enters the room when a large beetle comes out from between two of the stone blocks and attacks the party. A mighty battle ensues with the party emerging victorious. Exploring the room the party finds that the body is wearing red masterwork leather jack with a pointed star logo on the chest as well as a silver ring. Moving on the group. //Session 02 - End
In the water-filled room below, Ash find a large pillar in the center of the room that has water spigots on each side about ten feet above the floor. The pillar is surrounded by benches as well a small retaining wall the rises about six inches of the floor. The totem warrior follows the wall and finds a side room. He has to untie the rope in order to explore it. Inside are lockers and benches plus the grisly sight of a body in red leather jack floating in the middle of the room. The armor has a the same pointed star logo as the suit found on the body in the room with the statue. While searching the body, Ash finds a lantern made out of red glass. An exact duplicate, except for the color, as the one he found in the wolves’ lair. As he leaves this room and prepares to move along the wall opposite the stairs, the halfling believes he sees a swirling shape heading toward the staircase. The warmain, unfettered and “trap finder” are arguing whether or not they should see if the halfling is okay. The rope they are holding has gone slack. Shayar wants to follow while Mason says that the halfling can take care of himself. Muttering, “where’s the bloody loot?” Vhade is absent-mindedly splashing the water when a dark shape comes out of the archway below and slams into him. With minor injuries, the three are able to destroy the creature. Meanwhile, Ash finds the long abandoned jakes in the wall opposite the stairs as well as another “locker room” opposite the one with the body and red lantern. This room also contains a body wearing red leather jack with the pointed star logo on it. As he approaches the body to search it, he’s surprised with the corpse’s eyes open and it grins evilly at him. The creature swipes at the halfling with its claws but Ash manages to evade the attacks. Quickly swimming for the stairs, Ash manages to avoid the deadly strikes the ghoul takes at him. Bursting to the surface, Ash yells “ghoul!” to his fellow party members. The four make short work of this undead. In addition to his armor this ghoul wears a gold ring that is shaped like the pointed star found on the red armor. The group decides to take the lantern upstairs and light them all to see what happens. On their return trip to the room with the hole that leads back upstairs, the small band of adventurers once again stand at the edge of the room with the orange paste and acid beetle colony. “Do you think there’s treasure in there?” asks Vhade. “Maybe” replies Ash, “but I’m not willing to take on a colony of acid beetles to find out.” Mason and Shayar nod vigorously in agreement. As the party is leaving, Vhade “trips” and falls into the room. Before he can lift himself off the ground his body is overrun with thousands of the insects. As the remaining three try to figure out how to save him, a large beetle, obviously the queen of the colony, comes out of the nest and heads for Vhade’s body while releasing a deadly acidic cloud. The survivors run to the room with the hole. Mason boosts the others to the rope hanging ten feet of the ground and, after several attempts, manages to jump up and grab the rope himself. In the chamber with the sarcophagus, Ash and Shayar stay near the coffin while Mason goes around and lights the lanterns. While in the passage with the blue lantern he notices that it’s ceiling seems higher here than in the other passages. The warmain thinks he sees an opening some 40 feet above the floor in this passage. The halfling and Chondathan female join Mason in the passage. Ash confirms that there is indeed an opening up there. The three climb up and find that the opening is a corridor leading to a huge face with a gaping mouth that blocks the corridor 70 feet away. Mason steps on a block that sinks into the floor. Luckily for the three nothing immediately happens. Shayar examines the trap and decides that the best course of action is to spike the sunken piece of floor down. Ash quickly follows this advice and the three press on. Beyond the gaping mouth they see a large chamber that has a three-foot wide plank leading from the mouth to a door on the far side of the chamber. Strange hieroglyphics cover the walls. This plank is over a sunken floor that is covered with iron spheres. Shayar begins to cross the plank and is about a third of the way across when she is struck in the side by a iron sphere. The force of the blow knocks her of the walkway. Mason throws her a rope but before he can pull her up a large snake-like creature with four tentacles surrounding a beak-like mouth rises out of the spheres and attacks. The aberrations attacks take the unfettered down. Mason hauls on the rope while Ash peppers the creature with arrows. Ash attacks seems to have no affect on the creature. The warmain is able to get Shayar out of the pit but the monster quickly follows out of the pit. Mason and Ash attack the creature but only Ash’s newly discovered magical sword seems to really affect it. Several moments later the duo are victorious. During the battle, the two kept hearing a disembodied voices disparaging their efforts. The source of that voice now makes itself know. A ghostly figure of a young boy with a broken neck appears before the totem warrior and warmain blocking them from retreating to the room with the sarcophagus. The ghost enters Mason’s body and after a brief moment the Damaran speaks with a different voice. To prove that he is in control of the warmain’s body, the ghost runs it into a nearby wall, several times. The ghost tells Ash that his name is Alastor Land and that he dies in the Whispering Cairn many years ago. Few adventurers reach this area and none have defeated the creature that lived amongst the iron spheres. He tells the halfling that there are great riches and secrets beyond the door but the only way to open the door is a switch on the inside of the chamber. Alastor will hit the switch if the party will take his bones to his family’s homestead and bury them next to his family’s bones. If the adventurers are not willing to do this for him, he will kill them all. The ghost raises Mason’s sword arm as he says this. Ash agrees to the ghost’s terms. The ghost uses Mason’s body to retrieve his bones from among the iron spheres. He then leaves the human’s body and disappears. The two carry Shayar back the entrance of the Whispering Cairn where they await the dawn to return to Diamond Lake. 17 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms //Session 03 - End
Ash goes to the general store and talks to Taggin. The proprietor of the store is very talkative and extremely polite, especially to Shayar. He gives them some information about the state of affairs in the town; going out of his way to be extremely neutral in is description of the various people and factions in the town. Taggin mentions that Fester Trollump may be interested in the baby owlbear. Trollump is a local hunter and trapper who goes to Waterdeep monthly to see pelts and such. The trapper also has a patron that he has been known to take more exotic creatures to sell, such as manticores Ash and Shayar then visit Tidwoad’s where they sell the silver ring. The three return to the Able Carter Coaching Inn where Mason pays for a stall to keep the owlbear cub. The totem warrior and unfettered locate Fester Trollump in the inn’s lounge. They make a bargain to sell him the baby owlbear. Mason remains behind to watch the owlbear cub as the human female and male halfling then head to Feral Dog to see if there is anyone with the tattoo. There they spot Kullen, an albino half-orc with the tattoo on his forehead. They observe him as he sits with three other humans. Ash also sees the sun elf, Tirra who he competed against in the dagger-tossing contest a few nights ago. He tries to sell her some of the red leather jack they’ve found. Tirra isn’t interested but does tell Ash that the pointed star symbol represents the Seekers. The Seekers are a minor sect of Oghma who seek to “liberate knowledge” by any means necessary and if its for their own personal benefit, so much the better. Altix, a cleric of Tyr, soon joins the pair. Altix first met Ash and later Shayar at the Able Carter Coaching Inn. Altix is in town to visit Valkus Dun, the high priest at the local chapel to Tyr located in the garrison buildings. Dun, while quite serious, was very friendly and likeable. Dun wants to improve the town and the lot of the people who live there. He preaches to Altix that he should be doing all he can to help people. Altix has spent the last few days with the old priest and seems to be in disagreement with the senior priest about how important helping people is in the eyes of Tyr. The junior cleric is looking to find out whether this is the path Tyr has set upon him and figures that joining the adventures will help enlighten him. As Kullen and his crew drink away the night they get louder and louder. Ash manages to overhear parts of their conversation. The four seem to be upset that “the boss” has sent them on an errand for “that nutter” in the old observatory.” That “the boss” may be in for a rude awakening if he keeps sending them on jobs like this. 18 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms The party makes the exchange with Fester around mid morning at the Able Carter Coaching Inn. For the most part they run various errands. Ash goes to see Allustan, “the smartest man in town” to see if the mage will identify his sword. Taggin had shared with the totem warrior the local stories about the mage. It’s rumored that Allustan was once a member of the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors in Waterdeep. It’s been said that he was forced to leave the order and move to Diamond Lake. Others say that he was sent here to keep an eye on his brother, governor-mayor Lanod Neff. Still others say he came here to help keep his brother in power. He is well respected (and even feared) but the people of Diamond Lake. Allustan answers the door at his tower. He is a bit abrupt at first but when Ash tells him he found his sword in one of the cairns, the mage perks up and lets it slip that one of the reasons he came to Diamond Lake was to explore the cairns. He will identify the sword for 100 gold and Ash can pick it up in the morning. Altix asks around and finds that the Monks of the Old Order once ran the observatory but they abandoned it years ago. 19 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms Party gathers their newly purchased goods. Ash collects his magical sword from Allustan. The group now heads for the old observatory on the edge of town. Shayar picks the lock to the observatory’s entrance. Inside they are greeted by a room filled with detritus and three skeletons, two adult sized and one child sized humanoids, armed with crossbows. Fortunately, the group has brought Altix, cleric of Tyr. The Chondathan male calls upon the power of his god and turns the skeletons. Unable to flee, the skeletons are hacked apart by the others. Moving on the party finds small empty bedchambers and an abandoned office. The last area they explore on the first floor contains a macabre seen. Around a dinner table plied with fresh food sit nine bodies, all in various states of decay. It appears that the dead are at a dinner party. Only one chair is empty and the setting in front of it is bereft of food. Ash discovers that the wine is fresh and quite good. Moving to the second floor, the party finds the whole floor contains only the bedroom and two closets. Aside from the furniture is a statue of a man with wings. “Filge” is inscribed at the base of the statue. The room also contains a small figure entirely wrapped in cloth wearing a fine suit, a top hat and dark glasses. The small figure holds a silver tray. Atop the tray is a human female head that has a platinum coin on its extended purple tongue. Ash grabs the coin and the heads starts yelling, “intruders! Intruders! Intruders!” Quickly checking the closets, the party rushed up the stair to the third, and final floor. It appears that the observatory has been changed into a laboratory. A depressed area in the middle of the rooms contains a table with a corpse on it. The corpse’s insides have been exposed. On the four corners of the depressed area are four columns containing a murky liquid and human shapes. Across the room, opposite the stairs stands a pale human male, staff in hand. Next to him stands a humanoid skeleton holding a scimitar. Seeing the adventurers reach the top of the stairs, the mage laughs and yells “Arise, my pretties!” The sound of shattered glass echoes around the rooms as four monsters emerge from the columns surrounding the depressed area. The zombie monsters form a rough line between Ash, Mason, Shayar, Altix and the mage. A mighty battle ensues. Shayar and Altix are down when the mage, seeing that his minions have been defeated, throws down his staff and drops to his knees. He begs that his life be spared. In exchange, he’ll tell them all he knows. The mage tells those party members who are still standing that his is Filge, a mage expelled from the Watchful Order of Magists and Protectors. He came to Diamond Lake at the request of Balabar Smenk, an old friend from Waterdeep. Smenk needed someone to look into some weirdness in town. Smenk was brought to a hidden part of the Dourstone mine about a month back to make a provisioning deal. There he found the place was crawling with awful beasts in brown robes. They called themselves the Cult of the Ebon Triad. He found out that the Cult worships Bane, Bhaal and Myrkul with the hope of bringing the dead gods back. They also told him about an Age of Worms and strange undead in the southern hills and swamp. He explains that the Age of Worms is a waiting age, an era of catastrophe that lurks in every shadow. An era when the cosmic scales tip toward evil and the light fades from the land. When asked about the specific weirdness that made Smenk call him from Waterdeep, Filge points to a glass jar containing some liquid and a green, segmented worm. “It’s very rare. Of course, it’s dead now but once it and hundreds of its brothers must have been inside a powerful undead called a spawn of Kyuss. I think these may be the ‘unkillable zombies’ that the cultists told Smenk about. These worms get inside you, they’ll turn you undead in less than a day.” The pale human offers to join the party if they plan on exploring the areas hidden in the Dourstone mine. Realizing that the local law is of no use and the garrison won’t do anything about what they consider “local” affairs, the party agrees to allow Filge to return to Waterdeep if he leaves right now and without his staff. Filge readily agrees. Ash watches from the observatory as the human fades from view on the road toward Waterdeep.
Completing their search of Filch’s hideout, the party finds a message from Balabar Smenk to the necromancer asking Filch to come to Diamond Lake and help him find insurance against what is happening under the Dourstone mine. The four then gather up the skeletons of the Land family so they can return them to their graves. They finish burying the bones of Alastor and his family at the Land farmstead as dusk falls. Ash, Shayar, Mason and Altix return to the Able Carter Coaching Inn and spend the night. 20 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms In the morning Altix uses his last ounce of strength to heal the remaining members of the party. “I finally understand what Valkus was trying to teach me about Tyr’s mission for us,” he whispers as he collapses. Leaving the favored of Tyr with the high cleric in Tyr’s chapel, Ash, Shayar and Mason decide to spend the day in town so they can fully recover from the wounds they suffered in the battle with the necromancer and his minions. After spending several hours bargaining and discovering more about the town with the various shopkeepers, the trio head to Allustan’s tower. Despite all the rumors about the mage, the party decides that “the smartest man in town” may have some thoughts about the segmented green worm and the doings transpiring under the Dourstone mine, “Besides,” Ash chimes in, “we have magical items to be identified and he did good by me when it came to identifying what my sword could do.” The mage is cold and formal as he greets the halfling and humans. Looking bored, Allustan is in the middle of telling them he is too busy to help them when Mason pulls out the jar with the worm in it. The red-robed human quickly ushers the party inside and takes them to his study. He listens patiently and seldom interrupts as Ash relates the story of how the got the worm and the Cult of the Ebon triad that has taken up residence under the Dourstone mine. The spell caster spends several moments in quiet contemplation. Breaking the silence he speaks, “that’s quite a tale, good adventurers. It seems that my brother and his people are lax in their duties, no surprise there. I have much to think about. Return in a hour and I will have identified your potions. It’s the least I can do.” Later that day, the three adventurers return to the tower. The greeting they receive this time is much warmer. Returning the potions and explaining what the contents of each does, the mage tells them he plans on sending to Waterdeep for some books that may help him learn more about the Cult and the worm. He asks that they return in several days so they can speak further and mentions “that it might be a good idea for someone or a group of some ones who actually seem to care investigate what is happening under the Dourstone mine.” The rest of the day passes quietly for the three, 21 Tarsakh, Year of Lightning Storms Over breakfast Mason mentions that it might be worth the time to return to the Whispering Cairn to see the riches that the ghost claimed was beyond the door. Before leaving town, the party load themselves down with flasks of oil and alchemist’s fire. “Well show those beetles,” says Ash. In the Cairn, the totem warrior, unfettered and warmain climb down the hole in the colored lantern chamber to the floor below. The three stand at the edge of the room containing the acid beetle nest and lob in several flasks of oil. The beetles, led by their queen, begin to head toward the source of the disturbance, before they can move beyond the edge of the next; three flasks of alchemist’s fire make contact with the nest and ignite the oil. A large fireball ensues wiping out the colony. Amongst the orange sludge the nest had been feeding on lie three humans in armor decorated with the Seeker’s insignia. Having vanquished the mighty beetle army, the three return to the colored lantern chamber and climb to the opening in the passage with the blue lantern. They find that the door on the other side of the iron sphere chamber beyond the mouth opening is open. Mason’s calls to Alastor go unanswered. Entering the chamber beyond the door they find that it contains a massive pit surrounded by a walkway. In the middle of the room is a pillar of air that disappears into a hole in the ceiling. Once four walkways connected the central area to the outer walkway but only two remain. On the walls on the outer edge of the chamber are pictures of various scenes. As Shayar approaches one, steams plays over it and the scenes come to life. A group of djinni relaxing in a field. Dozens of perfect circles dot the sky above them. These circles burst one by one as efreeti appear from the edges of the mural. The second mural depicts a proud djinni warrior standing over a legion of lesser warriors. Each figure bears a glyph. As the steam passes over this image, the warrior raise their swords in salute to the central figure. The third shows seven proud noble djinni presenting a staff-like rod to a council. Motion shows the central figure of the council raising the rod where it splits into seven irregular parts. Finally, a djinni warrior using the staff-like rod strikes down some sort of demonic creature that looks like a drider with the human head flanked by two wolf-like heads. The warrior and wolf-spider are disappearing into a planar rift, the proud djinni warrior depicted in the second mural is struck by a beam from the demon creatures eyes and slumps dead to the ground. Guessing that the treasure must be above the three adventures move out on one of the walkways leading to the pillar of air. As they approach, two suits of armor rise from the bottom of the pillar. Pinions flapping and carrying two long swords each, it’s obvious that these suits are empty of any flesh and blood. Mason yells, “withdraw!” but before the group can act on that suggestion, the warriors made of wind fly over to the outer walkway cutting off their escape. Both wind warriors clang the swords together; the sonic blast hurting both Mason and Ash. Most of the action takes place on the outer walkway as the totem warrior, unfettered and warmain try and coordinate their attacks against the gliding suits of armor. Blows are exchanged. “Move to flank,” Shayar tells Mason. “It’ll help keep it distracted.” Mason acknowledges the Chondathan female’s request by moving onto on of the walkways leading to the air pillar on the other side of the floating armor. Unfortunately, this was not the tactically sound move that Shayar thought it was. With Mason perched on the edge of the walkway, the wind warrior takes advantage and pushes the warmain over the edge. With a loud clang, Mason finds the bottom of the pit. Gasping in pain, the Damaran barely stands before his is pressed by an attack from the wind warrior who followed him over the edge. Ash calls upon the rituals he knows and Shayar swings her spikestick with all her might. It seems that the pair are just getting the better of the wind warrior when a longsword takes Shayar out of the battle. Down below, things are not going much better. Mason is tiring as he tries to keep out of the reach of the flying menace. Exhaustion overcomes the warmain and allows the wind warrior to sneak in a blow that fells the large human. Ash, calling upon his totem spirit and running out of rituals to use, manages to slay the wind warrior. He turns toward Shayar’s body in the hopes of stabilizing her wounds when the second warrior of air flies out of the pit. “Oh, come on!” says the halfling. Again, the battle is joined. Each manages to score hits on the other until Ash manages to prevail over the wind warrior. Ash runs to Shayar and manages to staunch her bleeding. The halfling pours a healing potion down her throat and the unfettered awakens. Together they climb into the pit and recover Mason’s body. The halfling and human step into the pillar of air and are raised to a room above the chamber. Inside is a sarcophagus on a small dais. The lid has a djinni figure sculpted into it. A duplicate of the one in the colored lantern chamber far below. Beyond the coffin a bas-relief sculpture shows the mighty warrior in simple garb, bearing a longsword and wearing a diadem upon his brow that bears the symbol on the amulet on the figure carved into the sarcophagus. Next to him stands a cloaked demonic figure with red tipped black horns. The cloaked figure holds a device comprised of a small handle and loop which seem to guide a sphere of absolute blackness, a sphere of annihilation. Steam covers the picture and the globe touches the bald warrior who slowly fades from sight. As Ash moves onto the steps leading to the sarcophagus, the warrior in the mural speaks, “Say my name!” it commands. Totem warrior and unfettered exchange dumbfounded looks. “Can you give us a hint?” asks Ash. The mural remains silent. “Guess we need to visit ‘the smartest man in town’ to help figure this one out,” states Shayar. The two take Mason’s body and bury it next to the Land family. “Since he couldn’t remember his own family, we might as well bury him with one that knew of him,” says Ash. Allustan is somewhat surprised to see the duo at his door but quickly brings them to his study. He knows what the glyph says but refuses to share its meaning until Ash and Shayar tell him where they found it. Satisfied to be told about the Whispering Cairn but not its location, Allustan tells them the glyph represents the name Zosiel. He then tells the human and halfling what else he knows about the history behind the glyphs. The Wind Dukes of Calim were djinni generals of the Calim empire, what is now Calimshan. Their enemies were the armies of Memnonnar led by the great efreeti general Memnon is service to Kossuth, elemental lord of fire. Memnon and his armies laid siege and were snuffing out the culture of Calim slowly buy surely. When all seemed lost, seven wind dukes left the battles and went on an epic quest to find some way to defeat Memnon. Drawing upon the lore of hundreds of cultures, they crafted the Scepter of Calim, one of the most powerful artifacts in history. They brought the artifact to battle and what followed was the Era of Skyfire. A tremendous battle that destroyed both genie-led empires and created the Calim Desert. It seems that the djinni decided to bury their honored dead far to the north, out of the reach of Memnon’s tomb raiding legions. He tells the adventurers that they seem to have stumbled upon a tomb that has gone relatively untouched over the centuries. Unfettered and totem warrior return to the Cairn and speak the name before the sarcophagus in the room above the air pillar. Inside they find several items. For the second time that day the pair approach Allustan’s tower. Inside his study, the mage explains that he has found some information about the Cult of the Ebon Triad and the segmented green worms. He essentially confirms what the two adventurers were already told by Filch. “This is quite serious, we need to know what’s happening under that mine,” Allustan tells the two. “If you agree to investigate Dourstone’s mine, I will identify your items plus maybe I can help you in other ways.” “Can you enhancify a spikestike?” Shayar asks hopefully. Allustan replies that he can but that Shayar will have to supply the weapon. After a pleasant dinner with the mage, the two return to the Able Carter Coaching Inn to plan their next moves.
The Ecology of... articles are my favorite part of the magazine. Can we get any hints as to which ones or the number of those articles are included in Vol. 1?
I'll take an email, looking forward to the Overload.
|