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Thank you all for your patience! Chronicles are up HERE. Please let me know if there are any issues. And thank you so much for playing! I enjoyed running this for all of you bunch, and hope you had an ok time yourselves.
Apologies: I am having a doozy of a time/computer issues getting chronicles readied. Believe I have fix shortly so should have them posted tomorrow!
"I'm not certain" Zarta answers Eddie after taking in the leshy's report of your party's actions. "Lady Embersplitter has no clear signs of injury, but many were affected by the rain in strange ways." Closer to Hesla, several of you see for yourselves that Hesla's clothes appear ruffled but otherwise in fine health - just seemingly asleep. The few medics treating her intervene to stop Briney from kicking or poking the noble, while Lindevailë can cast Cleanse Affliction. The magic does not seem to have any direct effect, but there is something unusual about her condition. Lindevailë Occultism DC 28:
You sense a faint supernatural power that seems to be pulsing through Lady Hesla. You've heard tales of some of those touched by the recent Godrain reacting strangely to it, a few even developing new abilities shortly afterwards. Perhaps this is a similar case. Suddenly Hesla's eyes snap open. The medics treating her start before trying to keep her still, but the lady insists she's all right. Getting to her feet and looking around to take in the assembled crowd she speaks out: "I am glad to see so many of you are safe and all right. Today was meant to be a day of gratitude and joy, but it seems it also is a sharp reminder of the dangers we face." She gestures to the corpses of the recently-defeated undead still lying around awaiting disposal. "Look upon them! Look at the destructive potential of the undead! These angry spirits were but a taste of what we might face if Tar-Baphon were to strike! These were the angry spirits of ordinary people—not trained undead soldiers, armed to the teeth! Thank you all for your heroism today, whether you fought against the undead, or donated to the cause. Every gold piece will be used to battle the Whispering Way!” With that, Hesla steps down and asks Ulthun to escort her home — she’s still not feeling that well. As they depart Zarta and Eando sidle over to you. "Well, it seems the day's events certainly haven't thrown her." Zarta muses wryly aloud. "I'm glad today isn't filled with even more death, but someone had better keep an eye on Miss Embersplitter. I still believe there must be more motive here beyond merely combating Tar-Baphon.”
Both then look to you/ "you've had quite the day of it. Head back to the Lodge at your leisure. Full reports of your perspectives will be needed of course, but they can wait until tomorrow. And I suppose we can try to find you another light mission in the future for a half-day off that may not devolve into calamity...."
After you recover enough the six of you can make your way back north to the fairgrounds. Watcher-Lord Ulthun is leading an evacuation of the carnival site and is directing people to set up aid tents for those who require it. You notice Zarta and Khione nearby, speaking with some of the rescue-workers. Eando Kline seems to have made it over to the carnival after all and is currently helping check injuries at an impromptu medical station. Nearby that a pair of medics are tending to Lady Embersplitter, who seems to still be unconscious.
And after a quite tense start to the encounter you all pulled through! We are pretty much at the end of the adventure - with some story beats and possible RPing to come shortly - so if any of you have Day Job rolls or other Downtime things you'd like to get squared away feel free to post them/roll them here now!
Fran tries to fight off the phantom's retaliatory magic but to minimal avail. Bleeding wounds begin appearing all over the dancer's body. Lindevailë tries to distract the phantom from Nanoc as she heals the poppet. The enemy spirit seems less fooled this time, but Nanoc's injuries fully mend nonetheless. Briney and Jack continue to rain shots up at the floating phantom. Another bird and another bolt strike its breast. The raging spirit jolts at the impacts which tear through its ectoplasmic form leaving gaping holes in its body. It looks up at you, moaning i am just the latest. there are so many more who cry for justi.... before it dissolves in front of your eyes and fades into the aether.
As you lick your wounds and recover after a minute or so the red misty congealing spirits along the more distant waterfront fade as well. And Nanoc and Briney's limbs feel looser and fresher again The rain begins to subside and you notice the alarm bells have stopped ringing. Perception DC 15: As you look around the area to make sure no more surprises are coming, you notice in the corner of an alley a dead body. A woman - looking remarkably like the phantom who had just been assaulting you and the nearby carnivalgoers - lies dead. She seems to have been stabbed multiple times, and from the state of the body likely was killed here earlier this morning and dumped to be left to rot.
Ah: mea culpa! I was misunderstanding the Alchemical crossbow - I was reading it as the whole strike took on the traits of the bomb. You are correct (in fact the 16 total piercing isn't only 'favorable', its accurate. Precision damage is always added/increased to the attack's damage instead of being counted separately Recon adding the damage now!
Fran's latest hatchet finally lands on its target! The phantom takes only a scratch, but whirls at the swashbuckler in rage.
It's baleful gaze stays on Fran as it intones occult magic. Nanoc's bell tries to break the phantom's concentration, but Fran begins to feel prickly sesnatioons across her skin in long lines...
Nanoc's bell may not have defended their allies as well as he hoped, but going on the offense his shot is perfectly aimed and sends the spirit roaring in anger. It's starting to look much more tattered. Initiative
The water is 10 feet deep, though pretty calm looking.
Brix runs the numbers and fires a well-aimed shot with his crossbow at the phantom. And the bolt strikes it! ...but the creature seems unharmed by the vitality-damaging bolt itself. The goblins does count around 20 sparking motes generated by the impact though. Fran dances at the phantom once more as she moves, though it seems less distracted by the swashbuckler this time. Eddie tries to push the foe with some water himself. But it manages to dodge the wet attack. The now somewhat damaged spirit floats a bit closer towards the mass of you on the pier. It's gaze passes over the spot Jack and his flaming/bludgeoning birds came from, but the flowing air currents from Lindevailë's dance obscure the leshy. Instead, the creature throws a pair of daggers at Nanoc.
for
Once more the poppet's bell doesn't seem strong enough to overcome the spirit, but Nanoc manages to dodge the first blade. The second it another matter - it pierces the poppet right to its core. Initiative
The water is 10 feet deep, though pretty calm looking.
Focus now firmly fixated on the phantom, Jack and Nanoc fling a fusillade at it. Two of the three shots connect , and while the phantom's incorporeality seems to absorb some of the strikes they do solid damage to the creature. Lindevailë then mends Jack's recent damage and puts on a distracting show to hide the oft-targeted leshy from retaliation for a moment. Initiative
The water is 10 feet deep, though pretty calm looking.
Very very much. The Green phantom is a creature, as Strike-able and killable as any of you.
The rain pelts down, blinding many of you even as it slices. Fran draws and throws another hatcher at the phantom, but it too *plunks* into the water. Eddie tries to summon a freezing orb around it, but the red rain coating his eyes makes the leshy's aim wildly off. The rest of you attempt to once more quell the raging apparitions in the water. And once more your pleas seem unheeded. But Jack digs deep, calling up deep reserves within himself to channel his force of personality and mystic might as strongly as he can against the roil of pained souls. He forms a connection with the lost spiirts, and finally gets through to them to convince them to pass on. With the haunting locus dispersed, the rain continues but only at a drizzle. But the phantom remains, floating to the east and hurling another dagger at Jack as it moans
for It then launches another quickly-formed weapon out back at Fran as her hatchet flies by it, before floating to the east. for Initiative
The water is 10 feet deep, though pretty calm looking.
Briney advances. Quickly analyzing that the moment's circumstances don't favor focusing on the phantom he too tries to appease the raging spirits. Unforutnately just like Jack his quick argument falls on dea
The pahntom meanwhile turns their gaze onto Fran as it avoids the hatchets hurled at it.
Fran feels a blast of occult force trying to shove her westward into off the pier and into the harbor, but stands fast. A hint of annoyance fleetingly plays across the phantom's face as it then flies further backwards over the water. Initiative
The phantom is incorporeal (and thus has a bit of Resist all non-force/ghost touch/spirit damage), but is definitely killable. This combat's PC rolls so far (and its saves) have meant that to date its been missed a bunch and said Resistances took a save-for-half 5 damage down to 1, and another save-for-half from 7 down to 3. Now, the haunt is obviously also a damaging danger , but trying to take down the phantom is very much not an impossible option. If you feel your own actions/abilities/equipment are limited than remember Readying to Aid an ally who may be better for the circumstance is also a possible choice.
Eddie also gets hurt and blinded for the moment from the rain but manages to accurately throw a biting bolt of frost at the phantom based on where it was. Those of you who have full eyes on it notice the phantom appears to shake off the worst of the cold, but the spell shows some effect. Initiative
Scoured by and blinded by the rain, Fran fires at the phantom but narrowly misses . Lindevailë sends a burst of healing that mends much of the party's wounds Jack tries to get the spirits to pass on through sheer occult will. But the congelaed mass of multiple pained souls resist his efforts. Initiative
Eddie draws on the terrain to create some watery churns of their own! But the phantom dodges the worst of it, and in the end their quasi-corporeal form emerges with only minor damage. Further in the water the swirling vortex of pained apparations continue to cream. The red mist surrounding them infects the air itself; the rain around the area intensifies and a crimson downpour soaks the area and all of you. The raindrops are heavy - and sharp! imbued with a supernatural sense of malice.
Seemingly unaffected by the haunt-tinged rain, the phantom flies a bit closer to the two leshies. In quick succession it flings a dagger at Jack, then Eddie. Each time a new dagger reforms in its hand. As it hurls its first blade at Jack Nanoc rings their bell to try and disrupt the strike. Unfortunately the phantom shakes off the sonic disruption and aptly skewers Jack in what feels to the kineticist an assault on their very soul. Eddie nearly suffers the same fate but twists away just in time. for
Initiative [ooc]Red apparition
Some of the party resits the effects of the apparition's wail, but Briney and Nanoc succumb to the surge of uncontrolled rage against the living in a burst of self-harm. The momentary possession fades slightly, but each seems thrown and a bit shaken from the experience. Lindevailë prepares to meet the spirit on its own level while Nanoc tries to understand it. The poppet recognizes the glowing hovering creature as a Phantom — not a true undead, but a spirit a very recently deceased whose journey into the afterlife seems to have been disrupted by the the red rain. The spirit remains in a sort of purgatory and lacks a true purpose—influenced by the rain, the only concept they currently care about is revenge. It is incorporeal, and while Nanoc does not recognize any standard weaknesses, they do realize that the phantom's limbo-esque nature between life and what comes next makes them somewhat vulnerable to death effects. Both Nanoc and Jack fire at the phantom, but it twists and turns and evades all three shots at it. Initative
Fran dances as she approaches the specter, buckler raises. The spirit seems oddly taken with Fran’s movements, focusing on her intently. But as the swashbuckler nears the water, some of the red mist coming off of the water begins to pool. A series of strange half-apparitions, each partially formed and flowing over and into each other twist their partial faces in signs of agony and despair and let out a haunting wail that echoes across the area! GM:
if you fail:
A sense of furious despair washes over you: the wallowing rage of the Puddles residents’ spirits as they rot in misery as the elites prosper. Make a Strike against yourself, and become Clumsy 1 for a minute as their anger overtakes and possess you for an instant.
Initative
Following the sounds of panic one last time, you reach...the Foreign Quarter? It should be that district, but the heavy rainfall seems to have expanded the border of the Puddles district even further, causing the by's water levels to rise and encroach upon the rest of Absalom. Here the biting wind makes these flooded streets noticeably colder than the surrounding city. The rain has calmed again to a drizzle, but the harsh wind makes it feel like needles. Red mist rises from the surface of the water, occasionally appearing like strange apparitions with twisted expressions of agony and desperation. And floating above the water is a pale green-skinned figure, whose flesh glows with a faintly rubbery sheen. A *thwack* and an *AAAUUUUGGGHHH!* is heard from the sight of it skewering a fleeing ambassador to the west with a hurled knife that then reforms in its hand. But as your group hustles forwards, the flying figure's attention shifts north to you. GM:
The spirit(?) floats towards you, calling out impassively all these deaths here. from this morning stretching back centuries. deaths of the city's neglect, disdain, sending the suffering of us in the puddles out of mind as they embrace their wealth and power. no more. our pain will no longer be hidden. It then hurls a dagger out at Fran as it hovers over the water, though the distance of the toss allows for the Pathfinder to dodge it. for Initative
Lindevailë clearly forgot one of the first lessons in Pathifnder training: don't tempt fate out loud. For the moment's respite is broken with the sounds of screams and alarm bells rushing back, carried along with a powerful gust of wind and pouring red rain. Several Puddles residents flee past the you, shouting and screaming. A ghost! At the docks. They're hurling knives everywhere!
With a confident dance Fran flusters and confuses the hulking creature. As it focuses on her moves, the swashbuckler strikes out with a brutal throw from yet another of her hatchets. The weapon slices into the mass, which moans pitifully as rotting seawater spills out from the wound and the hulk collapses into a disgusting mass of soggy flesh. It falls, and moments later the rain intensifies once more. But for now, it’s normal rain. The nearby puddles show reflections of people—dressed in shabby clothes and completely drenched — but the people aren’t actually there on the street. One of these puddly apparitions pushes past the others (causing the water to ripple a bit) and speaks out to you. This soul is a human wearing plain cleric’s vestments and a simple wooden holy symbol of Erastil. His voice sounds like it’s very far away, or underwater.
A soothing wind whips up from out of nowhere to wash over all of you. Each of you finds your wounds and bruises knitted and faded and your focus sharper as a final faint whisper thank you speaks and then fades.
DC 18 Arcana or Religion: You think that this last set of apparitions may only have been able to appear because of the strange rain, but unlike the other undead, they were empowered to render restorative aid, rather than being spurred to violence.
Jack' fiery crows finally miss their mark! The hulk roars and swings a pair of fists at Briney and Fran before then trying to pummel the swashbuckler again. Its giant limbs are closer to hunk of flabby rotting meat than proper arms, but luck and agility are on your side as you avoid each swing. for
Initiative Fran 65/73 HP, oaken resilienced
Lindevailë sends another strong gust at the dead that still stands. It gets another deep cut, but still stands defiant even as ugly dark fluid seeps uncontrollably out of it. Initiative
The hulking creeature resists the worst of Eddie's lash but is critically struck by another flying axe and another well-aimed fiery shot. It roars in anger, but still stands strong. Initiative
Nanoc focuses on the undead threat closest at hand. The poppet recognizes it to be a wight - undead creatures reanimated and fueled by a hateful spite. While they have no distinct weaknesses or resistances , their attacks inflict a version of their own curse, trying to make their targets not only weaker, but more spiteful themselves! Raising his weapon, Nanoc can dangle his glyph of the open road near the gun's barrel as he fires. The symbol of cooperation mystically seems to give the bullet more power as it rips through the wight! Staggering, the undead lashes out in one final spiteful strike against its killer before its eye glow fades and it crashes to the wet cobblestones.
Initiative Fran 65/73 HP, panached, oaken resilienced, needs Fort save
Lindevailë's dancing appears to greatly unnerve the undead attacking her ally. Unfortunately her sharp air ripples miss it entirely. Not the big one though: it seems to be sliced up real bad. Bad enough that another critical strike from Jack causes it to crumple! Meanwhile Briney's carefully calculated shot stabs and burns the nearer menace. The other large lumbering creature stomps forwards while moaning. It rears back one arms and flings the dead body in its grip straight ahead at Jack! The corpse slams into the leshy and spreads a disgusting set of fluids out onto the kineticist as it does. for
Initiative Fran 65/73 HP, panached, oaken resilienced, needs Fort save
Briney's blast from cover slams into the huge target, HARD. But it manages to hold its ground. Fran's skirmishing toss narrowly manages to hit the creature, but as the axe slices into it a small torrent of foul rain- and seawater spills out from the creature as it howls in pain! Even as Fran retreats the smaller undead sprints ahead after her. Reaching her, it slashes out with a dagger than while not as fancy as her own does glow with a unsettling aura. When the blade cuts into her Fran feels a foul corruption emmanating from the wound as the dead glares gleefully at her with its red eyes. for
Initiative
[ooc]Blue 28 damage
You reload and duck for cover as the noises from the south grow louder. Finally, a trio of figures break out onto the street ahead of you. One could almost be taken as human, excpet for its grey skin and eyes glowing a wicked hateful red. But behind it are two massive figures. Looking like corpses bloated to inhuman portions from untold time in the water, they lumber along. You notice in the grips of the huge beings a limp and crushed fresh body - a grisly sign of what they've done to some unlucky carnival-goers. And what they seem to be ready to do to you! GM:
Initiative Fran, panached
Jack's hard stare shakes the injured and isolated ghoul to its core. But only for a moment, as his blast...well blasts away the last foe standing!
But before the celebration can begin, a light drizzle of red rain kicks up. The raindrops are accompanied by a series of wretched groans and shrieks from the south that herald the approach of additional undead creatures from the Puddles!
Two waves of vitality wash over the wet carnival grounds. Fran feels all of her injuries heal, and all around her the ghouls shriek in pain as the energy tears at the malicious energy binding their souls to their bodies. Three of the four creatures crumple in a heap, the fourth still standing but badly burned. Initiative Fran
Also silly me: I haven't given out any hero points yet! Let's give one for now to Briney for their keen investigative mind and another to Lindevailë for her elegant and commanding dancing
As Eddie's leaves wilt slightly from the foul odor of the ghouls The remaining ghouls races towards Fran as the dancer stands slightly isolated. They quickly surround her. Fran manages to dodge and fend off some of the strikes, but one ghoul circles around her to get a terrible bite out of the woman while another's claw rips into her arm. for
Initiative
Fran advances and critically skewers her target, causing it to crumple. Initiative
Seeing Fran assaulted, Briney tosses a remarkably-aimed alley-oop at the creature threatening her. It screeches in pain as the acid burns it terribly. As it flails, Nanoc focuses deep on the creature. The poppet's earlier research and training rings a bell : this is a ghoul. Other than being undead [/ooc] it doesn't have any clear weakness but the creature's tongues seem to be lapping strongly towards the wounds they cause, ready to dig in to damaging feast on their victims' blood to heal them.
IDing the foe, Nanoc's shot manages to finish off the acidicly burning ghoul target. While to the west Jack lands two impressive blasts on the other close-by undead. Initiative
The goblin trainer Serriadara graciously accepts Eddie's berry as she recovers and rests. Thank you. Not jsut for me but for stopping the bears from hurting anyone or getting hurt. I don't know what come over them. they've never acted this way before, even in full thunderstorms. Meanwhile Watcher-Lord Ulthun is still offering words of calm to a group of commoners huddled under a tent. Near him Hesla lies on a cape-covered table, still unconscious. You've done plenty of help already. I don't know what this ungodly rain has brought - calling spirits, festering anger, causing who knows what affliction to Hesla - and likely others he glances down at the lady in concern but stopping panic and protecting the people is what's the most important. I only wish - Ulthun's words are interrupted by the sounds of scream,s shouts, and alarm bells ringing from the south. Glancing back at all the carnival goers cramped and huddled nearby, the Watcher-Lord looks at you with a pained expression. More misfortune! If you still have fight in you, see what new chaos is erupting over there. I'll make sure these civilians are protected. the six of you can easily follow the sounds of alarm as you head towards the southern end of the carnival. the one bit of good news is that the rain seems to be subsiding, though rasping voices echo through the street from the south pleading for water. The cool wind seems to carry and even amplify the harsh whispers.
The red, soaking streets are largely now abandoned though the ground is covered in discarded food and other carnival litter. But ahead you see a half-dozen figures moving in the opposite direction - towards you. At first they appear to be just carnival-goers caught in the rain. But as they near you see some are wearing modern clothes while others are dressed in styles years or decades out of fashion. And all of their outfits seem quite torn, raggedy, and destitute. And their skin seems oddly pale grey and clammy, and their teeth look sharp and their tongues are licking their lips in an oddly salivating way... GM:
Two of them make a break towards you, sprinting and yelling you left us. ignored us to eat well on our suffering. let the favor be returned! One reaches Fran and seems to be taking that metaphor literally as she tears a piece off of the swashbuckler with a nasty bite. for Initiative
Lindevailë and Eddie together manage to order the final bear to stop running amok. Paddington drops Briney on the ground like an old toy and ambles over to its trainer Serriadara.
With the bears under control for the moment the crowd’s attention turns back to Ulthun, who’s cradling an unconscious Hesla in his arms. Remain clam! Just stay under cover until help arrives and the rain ends! he calls out to all. Though the skies above continue to be dark as raindrops fall down from the heavens.
Fran keeps her shield up and tries to get Paddington clapping along. The bear still seems intrigued, but fails to fully join in as the gladiator wisely raises her shield just in case. Lindevailë Has a bit better luck: the somewhat better trained beat seems engrossed enough with her dance that a sharp command convinces it to head to calmer activities. Paddington, in contrast, strikes out at Briney, still cross at being shot. The goblin’s mutated skin deflects the first swing but the second gets a grip on him. A grip that is then sharply tightened as Paddington Grabs onto the goblin, Restraining him!
Initiative, Round 2 Nanoc
Paddington still looks a bit annoyed from the earlier wound, but it does seem to be interested in Nanoc's clapping motions. Or maybe just at such a tiny animal/not-animal doing the clapping. And Yogi trundles past Lindevailë on its way towards its trainer. Initiative, Round 2
Thanks to Eddie's commands, in the Big Blue House is ready to head back to his house Initiative, Round 2 Nanoc
Briney manages to slide past the bear as his body warps and twists to look more monstrous itself. Jack Gives a hard stare at Yogi and forcefully orders them to go over to their trainer. Sheepishly, the bear looks ready to comply. Initiative, Round 2 Nanoc
Fran and Lindevailë both try their own efforts to shake the bears loose from the strange feelings influencing them and get them back to their dancing roots. Lindevailë's target gets really into it. It joins in with the elf, swaying and clapping rather than advancing. Yogi for their part bops its head slightly in enjoyment of Fran's moves, but its grin still shows quite a bit of teeth.
As Fozzie wanders off, Paddington bounds ahead, roaring and Biting down at Briney upon reaching the goblin. for While to the north Pooh moves up to Lindevailë and swipes at the swaying sorcerer.
Initiative, Round 2 Nanoc
Unfortunately the same can't be said for all the animals. One of the smaller bears - Yogi - drops to all fours and begins loaping towards you. When it finally reaches your party it roars and chomps down on Fran ot deliver a sharp chomp! for Initiative
Jack glares at the bear, but his stern gaze doesn't seem to put the dancing menace off of its moves. Meanwhile Briney moves forwards and launches an arcing shot with his crossbow. Calculating the angles, the goblin does manages to land his shot on 'Paddington' who roars back in anger. Initiative
Even if my roll was a failure, Nanoc’s check would make it a success, no? Or do we need crit/more successes to command them? With these bears (or at the very least Red) a Crit success on the Command is needed If you are trying not to kill them, in addition to the Command options nonlethal options could work as normal, as might strongly frightening them off.
The dancing Fozzie's head turns towards Jack as he tries to command him to go tend to his trainer. But whether due to the strange rain's effects or (more likely) just due to its own less-the-perfect training it ignores the leshy for now in favor of swaying to Nanoc's movements.
Initiative
As Nanonc draws their gun they try to remind Fozzie of his training. The red glow around the animal seems to dim for a moment as the massive bear stars swaying and moving its paws together - instead of moving them towards your heads...for now. Initiative
◆◆CLAP YOUR CLAWS: You wave your arms, dance around, roar, or otherwise do your best to act like a dancing bear. Target a single carnival bear (or big carnival bear) within 30 feet. Attempt a DC 20 Acrobatics, Athletics, Nature, or Performance check, or a DC 18 Animal Lore or Circus Lore check. Critical Success The target joins the dance. It spends its next turn dancing (unless successfully commanded to do otherwise). The next time someone Commands an Animal on the target, increase the degree of success by one step. Success The target enjoys the dance. The next time someone Commands an Animal on the target, increase the degree of success by one step. Failure The target roars at you. Critical Failure The target roars at you and immediately attempts an Intimidation check to Demoralize you.
Around the carnival tents the crowd of civilians has packed further into the shelter, away from the entrance. But across the street, several carnival bears have broken free from their enclosure and are rampaging across the large, fenced intersection where several attractions are cordoned off from the rest of the carnival. Soaking with red rain, the bears have rage in their eyes, and they roar and swipe menacingly at anyone who comes near. Their handler, the druid Serriadara, steps up to try to calm the largest bear, but it knocks her to the ground and roars. She doesn’t get up. And the bears turn their gaze over to you and ROAR... GM:
As you react to the crowd's cries one of the nearby bears rushes towards Fran. Reaching the gladiator, it swats at her with a pair of claws. Luckily the swashbuckler can easily dodge both swings. for
Even as the bear ('Fozzie') attacks you, from the ground their handler Serriadara manages to cry out while she’s being assisted by bystanders: Don’t kill them! Just scare them or calm them down! Something’s wrong, they’re not themselves! Try commanding them! Initiative
◆◆CLAP YOUR CLAWS
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