@Hegio: I think Haelin has Dungeoneering though overlap isn't a bad idea there. Engineering may also come in handy.
@Moss-Fingers: It might be helpful to have a separate alias for your animal companion, but it's up to you. BTW, there are a number of adventures in this story which are indoors and/or underground where bringing a horse may be difficult--including one of the very first areas the party will probably be involved in. I think it makes sense for your character to have a horse. Just want to be sure you are aware of this--I think this is a common situation to have in these kind of games and figured you anticipated it, but just want to be transparent.
I generally expect players to control your companions, but do you want me to roleplay yours if it is necessary or useful (but still not control them in combat)? Same question goes to Hegio for his familiar.
@Varrus: Are you Core rogue or unchained rogue? I can tell you're accounting for free Weapon Finesse because of EITR but it makes it hard to tell which version you are using. Either is fine and of course I think unRogue adds some advantages, but it's up to you.
Hi everyone, please report in with your character here.
You are also welcome to post into the Gameplay thread to dot it; you can either post nothing of substance and then delete the post (you'll still dot the thread and it will show up in your campaigns tab) or you can post a brief introductory description or comment in character. I'm not ready to fully get us started yet; want to be sure everyone checks in and is ready to go first. I may make some comments or questions about builds over the next day or so.
Now that you know who you're playing with, you may wish to
1. Discuss with each other how you may have gotten to know one another or gotten along in the caravan
2. Review your builds and make any final adjustments. For example, while skill overlap is fine, if you see an area where you realize you might put a skill point elsewhere that would help the party, you're welcome to do so. You don't have to, of course.
Hi everyone, thanks again to all of you for taking the time to (re)apply and put your characters together. Even with a shorter list, this decision has not been easy.
I've decided to take six people. Fights earlier on might be easier, but I figure a larger group may help if player attrition occurs down the line.
Would the following people please report in to the discussion thread:
To the rest of you, I appreciate your taking the time to apply and participate in the recruitment and hope you find another game to exercise your creativity in--and hope I have a chance to play alongside you elsewhere on the boards, if I'm not already. :)
Far from Cassomir has Gribb's caravan come. Civilization has been more sparse, and threat of wild animals--a wolf howls in the distance even in this moment--has been greater than that of highwaymen. The last few days have been uneventful for the most part, yet, some of the guards, especially those around the wagon said to contain a reliquary of Abadar, seem tenser than ever. Still, others riding on the caravan tell them to ease up: the woodland, fields, and wetlands are giving way to farmland once again, and soon they will be in another town, with a mug of ale awaiting them.
This is a discussion thread! Out of character commentary or questions about the game go here, as does any random conversation you'd like to have about the weather, your favorite tv show, etc.
Hi everyone, sorry for the late update, I got snowbound while attending to some family matters. All is well, however. Obviously, applications are closed and I will update as soon as I can with the party I have chosen.
Again, I can't say I like or dislike something. It's not fair to the other applicants. I did want to point that most folks had submitted Core or APG classes for a reason, and that the original recruitment that this is based on makes clear what kind of PCs are sought.
I also want to remind that I will be giving primary consideration to the applicants from the previous recruitment. Others like you are welcome to apply but as I mentioned in my first post, the playing field is not level.
If you decide you would have more fun submitting a different character, you have till midnight tomorrow to do so. I will only consider one application per player.
Please let me know if I missed anyone; any oversights are not intentional. As with the previous recruitment, these are all great characters and the decision will be difficult!
You have till tomorrow (and really technically early Sunday morning) to submit a character. You’re also welcome to tweak your submissions and folks who get in can make adjustments afterward if they deem it necessary (but try to make your submission as complete as possible).
Hi GM! Here's Lapyd, and I'd like to submit Muradin. The profile contains his basic background and crunch.
Muradin is a Dwarf kinetic chirurgeon, a hydrokineticist healer - and even though not as great as a cleric or oracle, I think he may still be a fun addition.
I used to play in the forums years ago, but had to stop after personal/health reasons - coming back now slowly, and this is my first character and submission (I want to keep the number of my games short so to keep the quality and frequency of the posts).
Thanks in advance for the consideration!
Thanks for your submission. Do note per the original recruitment thread and the discussion here there is a strong preference for core and core-like classes and an aim for a high fantasy feel. I will consider your submission along with everyone else's. But while I am trying to be fair to everyone, I will note I don't tend to think of kineticists as "classic high fantasy."
No worries. Was just wondering if it's possible as with Leadership a cohort could be an intelligent item. But Animal Companion it will be then, when the time comes
Other than that, does the charater idea/story at least fit the story or is it too out there?
That kind of question I always struggle to answer in a recruitment, because I don't necessarily want to give one person an edge over another.
At a glance, I don't see anything untoward with your build or concept. It is no more "out there" than many of the other submissions.
This advice applies to everyone: I suggest rereading the original recruitment thread to see the feel of characters folks were putting together there to get a sense of if you are on track.
===
Everyone, I'll try to get a list of confirmed applicants up this evening, but it may not happen until tomorrow.
Thank you for giving us a heads up 'hardcover books' only.
What about the hardcover books that are not 'Advanced' or 'Ultimate' books, such as Horror Adventures, Inner Sea Gods, The Inner Sea World Guide, Occult Adventures and Pathfinder Unchained? Are the character options from those hardcover rules books also allowed?
Please note this restriction applies to leveling up and primarily to feats and spells. Any restrictions on chargen are the same as in Plastic Dragon's original thread. YOU DO NOT NEED TO CHANGE AN EXISTING APPLICATION. If you do change your application, I would prefer the sources listed, but I'm not going to put a hard no on it.
Everything in the "Pathfinder Roleplaying Game" line is fine (I forgot to mention the Adventures, sorry): Advanced Player's Guide, Advanced Race Guide, Advanced Class Guide, Ultimate Campaign, Ultimate Combat, Ultimate Magic, Ultimate Intrigue, Ultimate Wilderness, Ultimate Equipment, Occult Adventures, Horror Adventures, Adventurer's Guide. (This line also includes the Bestiaries and Codices but no, you cannot play a monster. ;) )
The exceptions are we are not using Mythic rules, obviously, and the inclusions of Unchained are the same as the original recruitment: use Background skills and Unchained core classes.
I am not including materials in the "Pathfinder Campaign Setting" line of books, e.g., Inner Sea World Guide, Inner Sea Races, as a rule.
Per the original recruitment, we are also using Elephant in the Room (EITR).
The point of this is largely just to keep things to a reasonable level so I am not caught off guard with, "wait, what spell was that???"
I'm kinda leaning toward a fell gnome oracle of bones. Would that be an acceptable choice for submission?
Nevermind. Oracle of Bones just really starts to get into its thing about the time this module ends. So not an Oracle of Bones.
Still thinking of an oracle though.
I'm following the original recruitment's design focus which requests "classic high fantasy" sort of heroes with a preference, but not restriction, toward core. I think an oracle might be fine--it's not all that different from a cleric potentially--but character theme and flavor will matter.
@GM, are you still accepting submissions? Any particular roles? I don't want to step the toes of the people from the original recruitment if I apply with something.
I am accepting submissions through Saturday 11:59 p.m. I would like to give particular preference to the previous applicants, but you are welcome to submit something.
You can see the list of the potential applicants (some of whom have pulled out) in the opening post and glean where there might be some gaps in the party. I noticed not many full-on healers for one thing, but there's other possibilities as well depending on who shows up.
If we decide a particular format isn't working out we'll switch to something else freely accessible without an account if at all possible. <snip>
Some of the games I have played/playing in use slides. I can find it a bit frustrating (particularly accidentally selecting the map grid instead of a token). This usually results by trying to move tokens without first zooming in on the map to where the token you want to move is.
I'm using Draw, not Slides, which is less fiddly. The CTRL-Z button fixes any accidental map movement.
I will not be exploring any alternatives at this time, but am open to discussing it with the group I recruit if my usual way of doing things does not work out. What I've done in the past has worked extremely well for my previous campaigns.
Oh and yes, I could restrict take 10 for certain physical checks under certain circumstances, but in those cases I'd be sure that succeeding on that check was not the only way the PCs could proceed.
For example, let's say something you need to get to is on an island in a lake on choppy waters. Swimming is one way to get there, but the choppy waters would prohibit taking 10 on Swim. But I might also leave in the area floating logs someone could make use of or a friendly swimming creature who might be convinced to help. Players might need to get creative but failure of a check shouldn't be a bottleneck by default.
How do you run maps? I find that Google Slides works well on phones, whereas Roll20 does not (at least for me), but Roll20 has advantages such as sightlines. I could do either.
I'll be using Google Draw (works much like Slides, but it won't skip to the next slide if you scroll too far). You can't create measured sight lines but folks can use line tools to determine them easily enough given the maps are on a grid.
I'll keep campaign info in Slides.
If we decide a particular format isn't working out we'll switch to something else freely accessible without an account if at all possible.
This is going to be a long post. I apologize for the info dump, but past experiences make me want to be sure I set clear expectations from the start. I also want to provide what information you might need about the campaign. Please take your time reading this. Thank you.
I’m going to leave this recruitment open until Saturday, January 17, 2026, 11:59 p.m. EST). Yes, I know that is a short window, but the primary group invited to the recruitment has already created their character. This window is the time you have let me know you’re still interested and make any desired tweaks to your character.
If you are on this list, PLEASE POST HERE to let me know you are still interested in being recruited for my game. If you do not post here before Sunday, I will consider your application withdrawn.
When you post your interest here, please note the following:
1. Acknowledge you have read this entire damn post and agree to the posting expectations listed below, including that you agree to post, as a rule, at least once every 48 hours either in or out of character.
2. Remind me of your character’s name (if you’re not posting under the alias) and if you are making any changes to your application.
3. Describe what your character was doing in Silas Gribb’s caravan on the way from Cassomir to Belhaim and beyond (see setting notes below).
4. Note any items you find triggering or disturbing that you do not want to be included in the game. I don’t need a lengthy explanation as to why; simply note what the thing is. For example, “No spiders please.” I by default try to avoid issues like abuse, rape, and violence toward children, and I generally avoid flirtation, affection, and romance unless discussed with and consented to by players beforehand.
What if I am “Not on the List”?
You’re welcome to inquire and/or submit a character, but given the way this recruitment emerged, I want to give special consideration to the prior recruitment’s applicants who have already expressed interest. So please be aware the playing field is not level.
Please post your character building questions to the thread and not PM so others who have similar questions can also see the answer. As a rule, I also generally prefer open discussion than PMs as a rule and do not like to be spammed with PMs. This said, you are welcome to PM me if you have a private/personal question or concern.
Submission Requirements, Party Build, & Character Builds:
For simplicity’s sake I am using the same chargen rules as Plastic Dragon so you don’t need to restat anything. I will be using Hero Points. PCs begin with one Hero Point and may earn up to three. By default I’m assuming you’re applying with the same character, but you may tweak or change your submission. You cannot reroll your dice but you may reallocate stats if you want.
As folks level, I ask they pull their feats and spells from Paizo’s Pathfinder RPG hardcovers only (e.g., core and the “Advanced” and “Ultimate” books). This just makes it easier for me to anticipate what’s possible for your PCs—and also puts reasonable limitations on me and what I throw at you. I’m willing to discuss this and approve things on case-by-case bases, but I’ve had too many issues with someone pulling some random spell from a little-known soft splat which came out after the module/AP and somehow is tailored to solve a specific story problem magically without any effort.
I strongly urge you to use Archives of Nethys as the system reference document, as they clearly identify sourcebooks up top (and it’s a less annoying site, IMO).
Setting Notes:
Things you as players may wish to know about the story and setting as you revisit your applications:
I am choosing to go with the game’s suggested hook that the party were travelers in or workers for a caravan traveling through Belhaim in Taldor.
Key information about the caravan:
• The caravan master is Silas Gribb. None of you have any deep personal connection to him (if you did, that’d be a problem!).
• The caravan was headed from Cassomir going through Taldan toward Yanmass and eventually terminating in Isarn in Galt.
• The caravan is escorting a reliquary belonging to Abadar, which is being carefully guarded by NPCs. No one but people assigned by Gribb (which is none of you) are allowed near the wagon containing the reliquary.
• You can always say you were hired as a caravan guard, but it is equally fine to simply be a traveler seeking safety in numbers, a pilgrim, a merchant, etc.
Without spoiling too much, said caravan will be stranded in Belhaim, a sleepy town past its prime. You’ll be hired early in the story to investigate something due to local superstitions preventing the locals from volunteering. An underlying, ongoing story challenge will be to get to know the people of Belhaim and earn their trust. So you cannot be from Belhaim, as I want to lean into the strangers-becoming-friends element. It is up to you if you want your PC perhaps to eventually come to love Belhaim and settle down in it or get out at the first opportunity once this is all over. However, do note the module goes from level 1 to 7, so you’re going to be there for a while, and there are some (limited) opportunities for downtime.
On Dragons
The module's title makes very clear there's something in the story involving at least one dragon. Belhaim has a history involving the "dragon plague" and its founder slew a dragon. However, no one has seen a dragon near Belhaim in ages. Your characters at the start of the game would have no reason to seek out or suspect a dragon being involved in whatever is going on. There are also numerous kinds of enemies and friends to deal with who are definitely not dragons. Trying to uberspecialize your character around dragons may not necessarily be advantageous, even if eventually at some point yes, the PCs may encounter a dragon.
Religion
Key faiths in Belhaim are Abadar, Shelyn, and the Green Faith, and this bears some relevance to relationships with NPCs in the town.
Expectations for Players:
I expect the following of my players (and myself) and reserve the right ask a player to leave if they do not meet these expectations, or even end the game if these things are not occurring among the group as a whole. I’m putting this in the recruitment thread so if you find any of this not to your liking, you know not to apply to the game.
1. Show up.
Planning and running a game takes a lot of time and effort, even when using a module to help. I’m not going to spend that time and effort if you don’t consistently, actively participate.
• I expect all players to generally post at least once every two days, in OR out of character in either the gameplay or discussion thread. More often is fantastic, but not mandatory. If during a 48-hour period, you take 10 seconds to post in the Discussion thread, “I’m here, nothing to say at the moment,” or “I’m waiting for x response,” or “Really busy, can’t post until …” you have met this requirement.
• If you need a break for any length of time longer than two days, please give advance warning. You may need a break for any reason, I just want to know when you need it.
• Lengthy or repeated disappearance without warning will lead to your removal from the game. If most players stop posting over a notable period of time, silently indicating commitment and interest has been lost, the game will end.
• I understand emergencies happen and of course am willing to be flexible. I am trying to prevent trends which indicate a lack of commitment or loss of interest, not punish you for living life.
• I check applicants’ post histories to see if they have a habit of flaking from PBPs.
• Where all other aspects of an application are equal, I may give preference toward players in six or fewer games on the boards, as I find those who overcommit to games have a greater chance of becoming unreliable posters over time (and also I want to give people are in no or few games a chance to play).
2. Communicate (respectfully).
This dovetails with 1, such as when you need to communicate why you aren’t posting in character or need to take a break. Sometimes people don’t realize they’re waiting for you to respond. Sometimes someone—probably me—has made a mistake. Sometimes something really awesome happens. Please point these things out.
• I want to know if you are bored or frustrated with me or the game. I do not read minds, and silence tells me nothing useful.
• I get wanting to avoid conflict and that’s why you don’t want to bring up frustrations. Human beings will mess up and miscommunicate and cause conflict and bad feelings. But the best way out of it is talking to each other, even if it’s sometimes what triggers the conflict to begin with.
• Please try to frame feedback to me or fellow players helpfully and without blame or insult. E.g., “DQ, I am struggling to follow this lengthy paragraph,” instead of “DQ, you write like s%*$.” I am more likely to be able to fix the problem with the first kind of feedback.
• Please feel free to talk in Discussion whatever you like, and please have your PCs talk to each other.
3. Remember where you are and that you are playing with relative strangers.
We are total strangers to one another posting on a public forum accessible by the entire world who has internet access. We don’t know what we look like, how old we are, what our cultural practices are, etc. Please take care with assumptions.
• We are on a public forum owned by the company Paizo. I expect folks to follow Paizo’s rules for posting (including the no politics rule).
• Bear in mind people from all around the world OF ALL AGES are possibly reading what they post. Imagine your 13-year-old or younger offspring or niece/nephew reading what you post. Would you feel comfortable with that? If not, don’t post it.
• More specifically, please avoid abuse, graphic violence, and sex. Not even behind spoilers, please. There will of course be fantasy violence given the nature of the game and the story.
• Don’t assume familiarity and that your comfort levels with certain subjects are the same as another’s.
• Please abide by my and other requests for avoiding certain kinds of content. I will ask you to leave if you don’t and report you to the admins should the content be inappropriate or a sign of harassment.
4. Respect player and character agency (e.g., no godmoding)
• Do not write NPC interactions or behaviors, unless I have explicitly discussed and planned this with you beforehand. This module is NPC heavy and PC relationships with the NPCs matter, so having folks assume reactions, friendliness levels, etc., is problematic. I play the NPCs, you play your own character.
• Controlling your PC’s own minions (animal companions, familiars, etc.) is fine. And in fact appreciated. I can roleplay their reactions/personality only if you wish.
• Do not assume reactions or consent from any other character, PC or NPC. Please try to remember to post interactions as conditional, attempts, or offers, not assumed success. For example, “Sally offers Bob a hug,” not “Sally hugs Bob.” Bob may not wish to be hugged, so Sally’s player should not assume her character actually manages to hug Bob. This is a “within reason” and “use common sense and human decency” rule. I’m not going to slam you for forgetting or glossing over a fairly brief moment (like, say, handshaking). The point is to ensure players control their own characters and are able to fully roleplay their reactions, not feel manhandled by another player (or GM).
Of course, I hold myself to these same expectations and standards. I am committed to this game, will respect your boundaries and your agency, and I will communicate when I can’t post and/or if anything has gone awry.
About Me as a GM:
I love roleplay and world build and encourage interacting with each other, foremost, and with NPCs. However, I also will give back what the PCs give; I’ve had many players prefer to be handheld down a dungeon and not really talk to anybody. I can go along with that and can run the game by rote, but I’d rather things be more dynamic if and where possible.
I tend to be fairly easy on combats and don’t—at least not intentionally—tend to engage in shatteringly difficult fights. I’ll probably use most fights as written in the module, adjusting if needed for APL and EITR. Of course, the dice have their own ideas about what happens. Nonetheless, if what you’re here for is tactical character building and lengthy, near-death encounters at every turn, I am probably not the GM for you.
I like to give a fair amount of description of a place and of NPCs; if these become too overwhelming or I am infodumping too much, please say so.
House rules and How I Run PBPs:
House rules
1. One free resurrect
The first time a character gets killed, the player can choose to take a battle scar or other minor consequence to survive. They will not immediately bounce back to life but recover some time after the end of the combat. Such a PC may also be subject to temporarily becoming plot vessels, i.e., their “death” may bring in a divine mission or NPC to help move things along. The next time a PC dies, the party has to invest in their raising.
2. Aid another
Everyone must declare if they are Aiding Another before any rolls are made (so check with your fellow players FIRST if you want help). The result uses the participants’ highest roll, and then every other success above 10 adds +2 to the roll.
3. Taking 10 and 20
Taking 10 must always occur in non-hazardous/combat situations (this isn’t a house rule, but good to remind folks). Taking 10 takes 10 minutes or double the time it would normally take, whichever is longer. Taking 20 takes about an hour (adjusting as necessary on a case-by-case basis).
4. Quarterstaff Tweak
A randomly small thing, but if you have martial or monk weapon proficiency, you can use quarterstaffs as trip weapons.
PBP Efficiency
Waiting for people to roll and respond, especially during combat, slows PBPs excessively. We will do the following to expedite gameplay:
1. I will, when relevant, roll everyone’s Perception check for things like ambushes or other sudden-notice events. This will be in the thread either openly or under a spoiler so you as a player know it has happened. If you roll Perception when I have already rolled Perception for you, your roll will be disregarded. If you want to use active perception, like search an area/check for traps, please roll it yourself.
2. Otherwise, you think you might have a relevant skill check to make, just roll it. Do not wait for me to prompt you.
3. If I post a skill check DC something under a spoiler, you may read the spoiler after rolling the dice if you succeed at the check’s DC. If I post multiple spoilers for one skill check, please roll the check only once; the multiple spoilers are for different degrees of success on that one roll.
4. For dungeon crawl/exploration portions, I operate by an “auto crawl” system, where, unless you tell me otherwise, I will assume you thoroughly investigate an area (Taking 10 on Perception) and then, if there is nothing of interest, move to the next immediate area. I will pause of course when there is something of interest and/or the PCs have a choice to make, or otherwise there hasn’t been a pause for a couple rooms and you might need time to discuss or process what’s happened so far.
5. In combat, I will reveal all foe AC, HP, and saving throws. Other defenses like DR or resistances will be revealed during combat or with a successful Knowledge check (or auto-revealed if the creature is common enough).
a. Therefore, you will know automatically whether you hit so you can roll damage and don’t need to wait for me to confirm things.
b. Please roll your target’s saving throws, don’t wait for me to do it. I will likewise do the same for your PCs (so for example, if the dragon uses its breath weapon on you, I will roll your Reflex saves versus the effect). If you cast a spell on the dragon, you roll the dragon’s save.
6. To facilitate this, please keep your microstatblock updated.
a. In the “race” field of your profile, indicate HP nn/nn | AC nn T nn FF nn | CMD nn CMB nn | Init + nn, Per +nn | Fort +nn Ref +nn Will + nn (conditionals) | Immune xxx Resist xxx [Any other important combat traits here]
b. In the “class” field of your character write “| Hero Points NN | Status” and then add any buffs, debuffs, ongoing effects, etc.
c. Keep this up to date with HP count, effects, etc.
If you find any of the above objectionable, please do not apply and/or let me know you would like to be removed from consideration.
I asked folks over and over again that if for any reason they couldn't post IC to instead post OOC to check in, say if they needed more time, needed a break, or offer feedback. "I'm too busy" or "I don't know what to say" is no explanation when all you needed to do is post those exact words to indicate to me your needs within the 48 hour posting timeframe you actively agreed to during recruitment. As it stands, your actions--or inaction--show me your true engagement with the game far more than your words. Thank you for confirming I made the right decision.
I advise in your other games to please be more communicative of your needs and interests for your GM's sake.
Despite my frustrations, I do truly thank you for playing. I've learned a lot.
At the risk of this seeming sudden, I am ending this game effective immediately. I will be marking the campaign inactive 24 hours from now, so you are welcome until then to say farewell if you like. If you want to continue under another GM, let me know within those 24 hours, and I can leave the thread active for a time so the new GM can request it gets transferred to them.
Explanation: There's been no reply, in or out of character, save for one player, since I posted in the game thread a week ago. Regular posting has diminished as a rule. Players are either unable or unwilling to meet my clearly stated posting requirements of once every two days, IC or OOC. The high level of the campaign and my offering of (overly) complex setting options are moreover contributing to decision paralysis.
Once we moved into a sandbox, I made the mistake of not checking to be sure we were on the same page with what that meant: sandboxes require players to pick up the bucket and spade. I can't tell you what to do with them. This is doubly so for a high level game where the godlike PCs can literally go anywhere and do anything, so they are going to be the ones who must drive the momentum. I acknowledge my verbosity and attempts to create a multitude of options or potential avenues to explore has, potentially, made figuring out a forward direction difficult---even if my intent was simply to be sure you had enough to go on to identify a route that interested you. This said, I have repeatedly asked for feedback on how to improve things but received almost none. I was hoping the modularity of the quest I just offered (you get to decide how much effort you put into it) would be appealing, but this is obviously not the case. As such, I do not have the interest and energy levels to turn things around to re-energize things.
In short, there is no point in playing a game if you are not having fun. I am not having fun, and I can only infer from your radio silence that you are also not having fun (or are too busy to). I would rather free my time to either join more games as a player or run something else with more predetermined structure.
I appreciate, deeply, all of you for applying and, indeed, for getting through the initial planned adventure completely! That part *was* fun. And as such, this game as it was intended originally was a success. The rest was an experiment which failed, and the joy of such experiments is that we still get to learn from them.
Thank you for joining me. Good luck and happy gaming.
I feel like some transparency may help us sustain momentum, so:
The gist of this ritual (which those of you with more than 15 ranks in Spellcraft can easily glean) is it works basically like forcibly plane shifting someone away, but the ritual aspect--if it is performed successfully--will essentially raise the saving throw to resist and lower or even cancel the monster's spell resistance, to make it far more likely it will work.
Moreover, it will guarantee the monster will stay away; if you just tried to cast a spell to make it to go, it is powerful enough it might otherwise find its way back eventually.
If you attempt the ritual, but the ritual fails, the monster will nonetheless be weakened, making it easier to fight. (Those of you trained in Knowledge Religion, Arcana, or Planes know it's probably at least about CR 19 if not higher.)
You can also skip the ritual and just try to kill it, but of course then it will be full strength (but I wouldn't have you fight it if I didn't think you could handle it).
NOW: THE INGREDIENTS:
* A something of the Titans. You have already encountered a few options for this, object or living. Or if you want to go crazy you could try to travel to one of the moons and clip a Titan's sleeping toenail or something.
* Something representing vengeance/destruction. This can just be an object or artwork, or something holy to Berea, or something from a vengeful person or creature.
* Something representing sunlight.
* Something for binding/trapping/enchaining.
Anything that is "conceptual" can be submitted in the form of writing, e.g., a poem about the sun. Writing an appropriate item in an appropriate language may be a factor. Crafting an object is also an option.
There is no single "correct answer" for what fulfills the requirements for the "ingredients" Brother Abyss is seeking. You just need *something* that fits the description. It is *entirely* up to you to decide what each ingredient will be. In other words, this isn't a riddle or puzzle, it's a test of the party's creativity, ingenuity, and how much effort they are willing to put into something.
The trick is: the better/more powerful/more creative the "ingredient" you provide, the more likely the ritual will be successful (i.e., the higher the saving throw and the more it reduces its spell resistance).
I will make very clear that either through your own skills and spells, or through exploring the immediate area or perhaps speaking further or dealing with Brother Abyss, you can very quickly find materials or magic that fulfill the requirements of the ritual.
BUT, you can also consider traveling (across this prime or into other planes) to look for or get what you feel is a particularly suitable item.
In other words, this can be a very short adventure or a longer one. It is entirely up to you. I will assess the value of the ingredient based on the thought process and effort that goes into it. It doesn't have to necessarily take the PCs a long in-game time to get the thing if it's a clever idea (I'm not intending for you to have to go on four lengthy quests just to get these things). At the same time if you just throw some spells/potions at it immediately, it will work, but ritual may not be as powerful as it could be.
The Vengeance is not going to emerge tomorrow, but it will soonish (within a week or so). You can use the key Mira found to reinforce the gate to give yourselves more time if you really want to go exploring/questing.
He hands the box to whomever will take it, and then turns back to the shrine.
Lazur can tell the shrine is very old--the claim of it being pre-Cataclysm is believable, and of course the fact that you are in the Hrifgard makes this likely as well. He does not recognize the figure, necessarily, but the markings around it resemble various runes used to represent earth and stone in gnomish and dwarven traditions.
Examining it with detect magic reveals strong, mixing auras that seem to flow of various conjuration and necromancy magics, including layers of positive and negative energies sometimes working together, sometimes fighting with each other.
"To enact the ritual, I need four items. Objects, but objects that that hold power in their meaning, that relate to why the Vengeance was brought here, what draws it--but also what it is beholden to:
"The Titans' var on Tria drew it here. The conflict that caused the Cataclysm. So the first item needs to be something of the Titans. If it is something from living flesh... all the better, but you can't exactly find a living servant of the Titans these days... But something imbued with their power. A piece of these altars, even could vork, but... it would be better if it vere something else, since ve have also used these to serve the Vanderer's Eyes.
"Likewise, we need something representing what drove the conflict: A desire for vengeance. Control. Ambition. It could be a spell that alters emotion... or maybe a poem you wrote one day when you vere very angry. I have tried... I am a bad poet. Now, these two things are what draw the Vengeance to us. Then, two things that can control and weaken the Vengeance:
"As a creature born of pure Void, the power of the Sun is its nemesis. I don't even know vhat the sun looks like, so I've struggled vith that one. But there are spells that duergar have tortured people with that are supposed to be bright as day, or there is the god Leokh... a holy symbol, perhaps? Or sunlight caught in a mirror box? Is that possible? And finally...
"An object representing binding. Chains, the obvious option. An entrapping spell. A rope. Ve could get fancier... kytons dwell on the Shadow plane... cut off a piece of them and use that chain, it vould be most powerful."
He spreads his hands: "Again: something of the Titans, something representing destructive vengeance or power lust, something representing the sun, and something for binding. Bring them here, we put them in the altar bowls, and I consecrate them for the ritual. Now: you could, between magics and looking around here, find something that suits. Probably in a very short period of time. But: the stronger the pull of the item, the better the ritual will go. So if you have ideas of what would fit... you can travel more freely than I can. For example, I would not like to test if Tria will strike me dead if I leave belowground, as many often believe. I think the door vill hold...
He points upward and then at Mira. "Ah! The key. My brother hid it. I can't find it here. Maybe he put it in the cherufes' chamber up the stairs. But I can't find it. It looks like a key made of the void itself. Quite difficult not to recognize. If we don't find the key, the door will break and the Vengeance come through I vould say... in a fiveday or so. If ve do find it, we can restrengthen the door and that vould give more time if you need it."
I am going to assume for now Ariston is also still here.
The duergar leads the party back toward the staircase area. "So, a bit of a tour." He points at the three corridors you did not explore earlier, that are, for lack of a better way of describing it, to the north, east, and south.
"My brothers took over and reinforced this temple generations ago, but it vas built by gnomes before the cataclysm. A temple to the Titans. In each direction there is an old shrine. North was to the titan of Earth. East to Air. South to Fire. Far vest, there was a shrine to Vater, but it was destroyed. In its absence, the scar created by its destruction is where the rift to the Shadow Plane grew. It was my ancestors who built the doorway to seal the rift, but as I mentioned, I have lost the key. That remains a problem if ve vant to open it on purpose--or strengthen the seal--but otherwise we could just wait a veek or so until the seal breaks. If you want to help me find the key, that could be step one."
"Othervise..." He gestures for you to follow him northwards. He shows you one of the shrines: a large stone edifice, carved entirely out of the cavern wall. The bottom forms a large bowl clearly intended for offerings. Holding the bowl is a statue of a baleful looking creature growing out of the wall, with a giant scowling head hovering over the bowl about five feet over your heads. The statue is cracked in places and missing an ear, and ancient damage suggests someone long, long ago attempted to defile or destroy the whole thing (with only minimal success).
"The divine conduits these served as went dead when the Titans vere drained of their power and exiled to the moons. But there is nonetheless much residual power. Ve tapped into that power vhen ve raised the Ravener in the chamber on the surface. That means particularly, negative energy flows through these. For our current purposes, that is not a bad thing, as it helps also establish a connection with Shadow. Since the Ravener destroyed my Brethren, I was already trying to come up vith an alternative in case he failed us. And, he did. I began treating these shrines with consecration spells, trying to balance the dark forces to shift their creative energies toward something I could use that was not destructive... but binding.
"So: there is magic that could send a creature to another plane. That exists readily enough. But the Vengeance is so strong it is likely to just shrug it off... or even just come back from where it was sent. So..."
"I have come up with a ritual that will weaken the Vengeance's resistance to such magic. We need someone able to cast plane shift.. And we need various items to infuse using the shrines..."
He pauses, as though distracted. "Oh! Items! You did come here for treasure, yes? I forgot. I have something for you. It is not a dragon's hoard. But seee... I have not forgotten what you seek. A show of... good faith. A thank you, for hearing me out..." He produces from his robes a shellacked darkwood box about one foot by six inches by six inches. He opens the lid. Inside is an exquisite device made of gold, platinum, and semiprecious stones polished into spheres. It looks like an orrery, but it does not depict Scrithengard's planetary sphere and its moons and sun. It instead shows a quartet of four spheres set within a disc, forming a core around which at least a dozen or more other spheres rotates along different discs and rings. "It depicts the Great Wheel, one way sages have tried to understand the the Great Beyond. At its base, you see these rings of different inlay... these are the Inner Planes." He points to the base, which indeed contains white and black rings of the energy planes and four colors representing the elements, blue, yellow, green, and red.
He holds the box out to you. "It vas made by Khyber Mercane, the Vorldseeker. He came here a centure or two ago. He made the Machine I believe you are familiar with. My understanding vas that he vas a complete ass. But he made a pretty thing, yes?"
If you need to continue your conversation please back-tag as needed
You rest for as long as you need to, though it's hard to know what time of day it is. Liber, whether due to residual animal instinct or an inevitable's clockwork-like sense of time, believes it is early dawn.
As you are readying to leave, there is a knock on the invisible door to your magical sanctum. Beyond stands Brother Abyss--not invisible--still black-cloaked with just his pale eyes showing beneath his hood.
"Goodness me! That vas a good trick," he chuckles. "For a minute I thought you'd left. Of course, I vas thinking it would be funny if I locked the door once you vent inside... of course, I vould never trap you on purpose, I am vell aware you could likely turn to me ash vith but a thought. So here, the joke is on me." He chuckles again, apparently very (and genuinely amused) by his train of thought. His manner seems far more relaxed than it was previously.
"Come, come, ve have vork to do!" He gestures for you to follow, and heads toward the central corridor back toward the staircase where you arrived.
Also when I note "prepare" that also includes any side conversations you all want to have with each other, questions, setting up a watch during rest, etc. (And I know Mira may just summon her magnificent mansion for more spacious accommodation, etc.)
"Very well. Perhaps I should do the same. I shall see you at sporetide. I will meet you here."
He waves a hand, and casts a standard nourishment spell. A large chitin filled with fresh water and smaller chitin bowls filled with what appears to be a variety of roasted mushrooms, lichens, and insect thoraxes appear. All very edible. Whether it is to your taste is another matter.
He casts invisibility again and his footsteps recede into the corridor.
Brother Abyss gestures to Krowys. "Being unable to map and being able to navigate are two different things. But I am not certain I can find a way to explain it to one bound to Axis. Suffice, I hope, to say that finding him will not be a challenge. He leaves a... trace that is easy to follow."
"As for the plan, we need to as always bind the creature and then gate it. The latter, a spell of plane shifting would suit. The hard part is binding something so powerful. You could try simple spells. But I was developing a ritual that would raise the chances of success. If you want more than that, it would be easier if I show you..."
He gestures back toward to the room he opened. "Unless you wish to rest first..."
Another heads up that the WiFi here is not working well which makes it harder for me to post meaningfully as a GM. I will reply when I can and I appreciate your patience in the meantime.
The footsteps halt at Mira's apology. At this point, you can all see a cloaked figure, a shadow standing amid shadows, as the invisibility protecting him begins wearing off, peeling off like a translucent skin. You can see opalescent eyes assess you beneath a black hood. It is almost impossible to see his face otherwise, and he may have part of it painted black.
At Ariston's comment. "Vell, I don't know, now. I'd like to see that. No. What seemed easiest was find something strong enough to kill it and try to kill it. But you see how that vent." He sighs. One foot remains pointed into the direction of the corridor.
He gestures toward Mira. "Sealing is the easiest thing. Ve could just fix the Door to the Shadow Plane. The problem is that it will remain on the other side, and draw the disasters here. Vhich are being collected by that Machine, to all descend on the land at once once it breaks again. Vhich just delays the threat of this whole thing, which seems irresponsible. My own God, capricious though he may be, does not vant to lose the vorld. It's vhere he keeps his stuff.... Anyway, the other problem is my Brother hid the key to the Door, and I haven't found it."
He spreads his hands. "There's another, maybe better option." He sighs. "I have been trying to piece together a ritual that could send it into the planes. The problem is it involves going into the Shadow Plane, binding it before it can attack, and then opening a new portal to exile him. It will be drawn toward greater forces of Apocalypse than would be here. If it worked, he would be shunted to a place that is doomed anyway and he is no longer our problem. If it didn't work, he would try to obliterate all present. And I know if I tried it myself, I would die in vain."
Ariston: From what he can see of him, and based on the architectural features of the temple, Brother Abyss is very likely a Chosen of Lees, or at least a devoute worshipper. He is invisible, and wears a simple black cloak that coneals much of his body. There's nothing particularly unusual about him that you can see, other than the fact that he's a Hrifgarder, which you've barely ever seen.
He grows silent as Lazur talks. There is a long pause. "I doubt the Mother cares much for me..." he trails off, and then Mira delivers her retort.
To her he replies, "Forgive me, my lady, but I think you misunderstand. About a hundred years ago, the living dragon Thrakterifax, with whom ve had no relationship, fought the bronze dragons. They all killed each other. Ve had absolutely nothing to do with that! Once Thrakterifax got himself killed, we merely used his convenient corpse in hopes it could aid us in stopping a far greater threat. If the volcano had not erupted due to the failure of a machine ve did not create, the Ravener vould not have run off, either, and vould have fulfilled his purpose. Ve are responsible for initiating the process that created the Ravener. I understand ire about that. BUT, ve are not responsible for the dragon's death nor the forces that caused the Ravener's escape. As it is, I repeat, the Ravener killed above all else, my brethren and his own vorshippers. I am all that is left. Are not the scales of justice balanced?"
Sense Motive: His voice has grown more confident as he speaks--but also is now tinged with indignance. It is clear he is willing to be held responsible for his choices, but not others' (even if he is, from a rational standpoint, splitting hairs). His voice betrays a good deal of grief at the loss of his people. He does not fear you as much--and so is sharing information freely, without guile--but is also growing suspicious of you. I'm counting the Diplomacy attitude to having shifted upward, but I still have to also bear in mind the roleplaying and what is said. He is more cooperative in giving information and has chosen not to deceive you, but he doesn't like being blamed for things out of his control and might be petty enough to abandon his efforts out of pride.
Another sigh. His voice projects more toward Liber and Krowys. "I absolutely do not blame you for killing the Ravener. It had gone rogue. It vas necessary. But I sense the sentients it chased out of the mountain have returned safely since to their homes. For if you vould hold me responsible for more than that... I prefer not to vork with those who vould hold grudges. More grudges. More vengeance. I vill not contribute to the feelings that create more Cataclysms. I shall seek other options. Or, I suppose ve could just let the gate break. You would have a few days or weeks or months before the Vengeance escapes to enjoy your treasure, if you can find it..."
He moves, footsteps once again echoing, then stops as Ariston says his reply to Mira. "Vhat? Challenge the creature? Vell, I suppose if you vant to go that far. I was just going to suggest... vell, never mind. You are very powerful and clever people. You shall figure it out. You need a place to rest? Here."
A stone on the wall behind him--a constructed part that seems to grow out of the more natural cavern wall--shrinks inward, and stones grind as a section of the wall slides aside, revealing a small chamber within. Stone bunkbeds (four beds total) are carved out of the wall, topped with a soft hide whose origins you cannot discern. In the center of the room, a table, also carved straight from the stone, has a bowl sitting atop it. Two metal chests sit at the end of each bunk.
"My brethren no longer need their cells. Make yourselves at home."
He walks away, his footsteps receding toward the corridor you came from. Ariston sees him move, first toward a rusty minecart. He then seems to think better of it, and begins to walk back toward the corridor you chased him down earlier. You can certainly call him back or go after him. Or not, as you wish.
Brother Abyss sputters, a mix of fear and indignation. "The damage the Ravener has done? Vhat are you talking about? Vhat damage, to you or anything you care about? It killed my brethren, not yours--a price no doubt for our hubris. But you ended it before it could do much more than snack upon a few trolls in addition to those who dvelled here... Could it have damaged others on the island had it survived? No doubt. But are surface dvellers so petty you vould seek revenge for vhat might have been?" Footsteps echo near a cave wall, then stop.
"And who do you vork for? You said you vere hunting treasure." Suspicion creeps into his voice.
Going to pause longer before posting further. If everyone can either respond or say you have nothing to add within the next couple days I'd appreciate it. Want to be sure all are on the same page before going further.
A sigh echoes through the empty cavern. "Not a veapon, as such. A creature." He pauses. "This is the kind of thing the Goddess of Oblivion would love to harness to her purposes. Lees learned of it first. If the Varanite weren't so blindingly aligned to the celestial planes I would hesitate to share any of this at all... but I cannot handle this alone and I am all that is left...
"But I get ahead of myself. The creature. The people who created it, summoned it... called it 'Tzitzimitl.' A mouthful, so I just call it the 'Vengeance.' It is a creature of darkness. It is apocalypse made shadowy flesh. Drawn here in the Titans' death throes to finish the vork the Cataclysm started."
Knowledge History or Religion DC 39:
Perhaps from reading old accounts of the cataclysm, or perhaps speculation on creatures from other worlds, you've heard of such a creature--a massive creature of darkness spawned from the negative energy plane. Technically "undead" but not something once alive warped into unlife by an abuse of negative energy, but something that is these warped negative energies manifest. No one that you know of has ever seen one, so it is hard to be certain exactly what it can do, but you've read it can manifest "unconquerable darkness," can counter positive energy attacks to at least some degree, and destroy anything in its path with the "force of storms and quintessence" beamed from its singular eye. Its resistances and the like are doubtless similar to undead, and it can probably withstand the destructive forces it can generate.
"But those who called it brought it were stopped, and it was trapped in the world's Shadowlands, the plane of Shadows that dances alongside the Prime. But so powerful is it, its destructive power still bleeds to this side of existence.
"My brethren learned of it and built the Chasm Temple here to study it. At first we sought to seal it. My father met with the wizard who dwelled on the island, Mercane, to find ways to stop it. They never found something that would work permanently--or at least not with a cost they were willing to pay. Mercane left to find his own solution to stop the disasters striking the island. I understand he built an engine they hide in the city to the south. But it stores the energy of the disasters that are supposed to strike it. When it fails, all the disasters it prevented begin to happen at once. The more disasters it prevents, the more dangerous it is when it stops working. The volcano erupted. Meaning the machine failed. Then it stopped. Meaning it must have been fixed. But that created several more problems..."
Footsteps echo through the cavern. Ariston, via true seeing, can see a cloaked figure moving toward another column. He carries no weapons.
"You see, the servants of this temple decided instead to find a way to kill the Vengeance. But none themselves were anywhere near powerful enough. But... fortune prevailed, so my brethren thought. A great dragon, Thrakterifax, had long made his home in the volcano above. But he had provoked a great family of bronzes from the coast to the west. Three came to hunt him down. A great battle, and he killed all three, but succumbed to his wounds and died."
"We worked with the cherufes, who worshipped Thrakterifax as a god. Their worship, you see, could help fuel what our high priest set out to do. We disobeyed our Mother's decree against undead to protect Her." He sighs, another echoing murmur through the cavern. "In short, we created the Ravener. It was our plan to open the gateway to the Shadow Plane and use him to kill the Vengeance."
He pauses before continuing. "He devoured most of the souls of our brethren in his creation and of half his worshippers. But he agreed to take on the Vengeance. But then the volcano erupted. And he escaped, chasing all of life down the mountain to devour them all.
"I scried upon him, and saw him brought down. A mercy, I expect. But now we have nothing to destroy the Vengeance. Making matters worse, the quakes have done damage. The gateway to the Shadow Plane is cracked. The Vengeance will escape, even if no further disasters do any further damage. But if you have the power to destroy the Ravener..."
Lazur:
Your inner gaze is drawn to the threshhold of life and death. You see a gaunt, dark grey, hairless dwarf clad in a black robe, with black paint--or perhaps a tattoo--over his eyes to look like a mask. He is running through a cavern not dissimilar to this. He jumps into an old cart and launches it down a track, but the rail is warped and the car jumps. He falls out and plummets into endless darkness.
"Forgive me if I start vith vhat you likely know already: the volcano began to erupt a few nights ago. Corrupt magics of Axis... no offense intended to the aphorite or the arbiter... that had stopped it from erupting had unraveled at last. Then something revove the magics at the last moment. A boon to all who live here, I am certain. But... that containment magic, though powerful, has always been a small cork in a large vial of caustic forces. A light bandage over a vound that is rotting.
"The island on the surface had been since the Cataclysm a lodestone for disaster. If not the volcano, storms coming. Heatwaves and frosts. Droughts and floods. It is as though the Cataclysm's forces were never fully quelled, yes?
"Why do you think that is? Could it be a seed of the Cataclysm itself is planted beneath the island?"
A dancing light appears over the minecart tracks that drop deeper into the chasm, leading away into the beyond.
"Mother Tria buried our ancestors in the Hrifgard who did the vorst of the Titans' bidding--even if our ancestors felt they had little choice. Though ve are not as cursed as the people above would say... Anyway. Still here vere svirfneblin before us, who built the original structure here. The tracks and vhatnot. Before ve built the temple...
"Here the deep gnomes plotted revenge against creation itself. And they hid the instrument of destruction in the Shadowlands. So powerful it was... it has echoed nonetheless in the real vorld. Ve debate... does the Vengeance draw the destructive forces to this place? Or does our Mother, infinite in her compassion for her children, seek to drown this island and the secrets vithin it?"
He stops suddenly. "Phew. That is a lot of storytelling. Any questions so far?"
Lazur:
There is no deception that you can tell in his voice, but he is still afraid, and is avoiding getting to the point. This suggests he's afraid of how you will react once he gets to it.
Generally if you want to attempt a Sense Motive check--or any other check--just roll it. I tend not to do premptive checks as there's just too much else to track. Based on your raw bonus, what you hear in his voice above all other things is fear, even if he is trying to speak with authority. Now a fearful person may lie to you, but you don't perceive he's trying to signal anyone.
None of you with normal senses see or hear anyone or anything beyond the voice speaking.
No bats. No insects. No critters of any kind. Absolutely nothing. Notwithstanding illusions, there's not many places to hide, unless something is waiting in the chasm beyond.
Lazur:
You continue to sense no presence within the range of your echolocation, save movement that is just beyond the proper range of your effect, that you can only feel the vibrations of because there is so much room for vibration/sound in the area. Again, beyond his presence there is nothing else here, and your senses have not picked up on anything moving around you, not even a worm or a rodent.
Ariston:
With your true seeing, you see an outline of near-dark against darkness near half-toppled pillar, about 60 feet away from you--just at the edge of your darkvision.
You hear a chuckle at the request to "come into the light." "Ah. No, I won't. That is against my religion." A pause. "So you are treasure hunters. It is as simple as that, yes? I know many secrets. How to access the demiplane where Thrakterifax kept his hoard is one... As it is, I have a problem. One that you, inadvertently, have... complicated. Help me, and I will not only show you how to access the hoard... I vill also give you something else of great value..."
Another pause. "I do not... lie to you. Let me be clear. You slew the ravener. I have no doubt you could send me to Tria's vomb faster than I could blink if you vish. But if you are as... friendly... as you present yourself to be, I think not just ve, but all of Scrithengard, vould be better off vorking together..."
Diplomacy takes 1 minute to shift attitude, so you'll need to keep him talking.
The voice from the darkness echoes, bouncing off the cavern walls and receding into the chasm beyond. "Call me Brother Abyss. You are the ones who ended the Ravener, are you not? Forgive me, if I... remain leery. Ones vith power like yours can do harm with a careless sigh."
The group follows to the north, and not long after turning, the carefully carved and brick-reinforced walls give way to rougher cave walls... And then no walls at all, as the cave opens up, and remaining floor becomes a clifftop over an unfathomably deep chasm. Crumbling pillars of older and different make dot the area. To your right (southward), you see what appear to be something like old minecart tracks that dissapear beyond the limits of your darkvision.
You hear a voice come out of the darkness in heavily accented common.
"Hells' belly, f##%ing adventurers! Vhat do you vant already!? I should varn you, I am prepared to defend myself..."
If you go to the Battlemap, I've put up a map of where you are, hoping this may help you visualize what's going on. I'll try to draw a better version later (this is just something that worked for what I was envisioning that I found online). Please do not look at or move the blue squares.
I don't anticipate notable combat but I thought perhaps something that helps you see where you are may be useful.
