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SESSION 5

STARDAY, 2 ROVA, 4711 A.R.

Not long after sunrise, the party begins searching along the coast for any sign of a secret entrance into the castle. After inspecting the sides of the lagoon and the east-facing wall of the harbor, Hanzo and Molido decide to swim out into the sea, hugging the shoreline. They're out in the cold sea water for around half an hour without success before deciding to scale the cliff up to the castle's entrance.

When they reach the top, Molido heads down the road to report to Brixton and Zaphkael about their lack of discovery, while Hanzo stays behind to watch the keep's front gate. A few minutes after they part, the old iron gate swings open, and a trio of dire corbies armed with crossbows and a longspear march out, leaving the gate wide open behind them.

Molido gathers the others, and they return to Brinewall Castle. To Hanzo's surprise, they didn't encounter the corbies on their trip. They investigate the road leading from the keep to the village and find tracks leading into the dense woodlands south of the castle. Wary of an ambush, but presented with a temptingly open door, the party decides to head into the castle's gatehouse and lock the gate behind them.

Once inside, the group decides to send Hanzo off to do some scouting. Finding a ladder leading to a tower with access to the castle's walls, the ninja surveys the keep's general layout and also spots two dire corbies patrolling the walls at a meandering pace. Utilizing his training, he sets ambushes for the both of them, dispatching the unsuspecting creatures with deadly blows from the shadows. He then takes a single finger from each of the corbies as trophies.

With the lookouts dispatched so quietly, none of the castle's inhabitants have been made aware of the party's presence. They head into the courtyard unopposed. Brixton finds another guard tower and uses pitons to secure the trap door leading from the floor above before declaring it safe enough to stable his horse. They then proceed into what clearly looks to be a stable along the castle's western wall.

Hanzo kicks the doors open dramatically, and across the room, a gangly, purple-skinned humanoid with a sagging belly shrieks in alarm. It opens the stable door nearest it and calls for whatever is inside to attack. As it turns out, the creature is an ettercap named Flatbelly, and, alongside its pet giant wolf spider, it launches itself into battle against the heroes. It does manage to inflict its venomous bite on Molido, slowing his reflexes, but the pair are dispatched without too much trouble.

Exiting the stables, the group debates whether or not to enter the main keep through the front doors, or to use one of the side entrances Hanzo spotted early. They decide that discretion is the better part of valor, and head for a door near the keep's northern wall. Opening it, they find a monitor lizard halfway through molting--its skin is peeling forward from its tail, obscuring its eyes and giving it a rather unsettling appearance. Brixton, however, approaches the creature with an offer of food and a stream of soft, comforting words. The lizard accepts the meat and munches it contentedly while the paladin cuts away the loose skin and throws it aside. The newly-shed beast is happy to follow additional treats out into the courtyard, and Brixton closes the door behind it.

As Hanzo inspects the next door, he catches a whiff of a strong, reptillian scent wafting from behind it. Opening the door, they find a pair of trogdolytes lounging on the remains of a long table and benches. They rise at the intrusion, reaching for weapons. Brixton attempts to communicate a desire for peace, but the lizard-like humanoids don't understand Common; Zaphkael attempts to translate Brix's words into Draconic, but the passion and nuance in the paladin's words doesn't carry through the cleric's awkward and monotone relation. Molido, satisfied that attempts at diplomacy have failed, cuts one of the trogdolytes down. The others manage to subdue the other nonfatally, binding him in rope before healing him back to consciousness for interrogation.

Asked about the master of the castle, the trogdolyte volunteers to guide the group to him. This turns out to involve opening a single door. Beyond, a long hallway lined with faded tapestries leads to an elevated dais and a large throne carved with the sigil of Brinewall. Upon it lounges a thin man bedecked in finery, with crimson skin, a shock of white hair, and a long, sharp goattee. Before him stand a quartet of dire corbies dressed in worn and tattered theatrical costumes; one wears a the powdered wig and long coat of a Taldoran noble; another wears a thin breastplate with a large bassinet helmet, its visor open to allow its beak to stick out; a third is dressed in what was once a fine doublet and vest, a tarnished silver rapier at his side; and the last wears a low-cut gown beaded with fake pearls and a long, conical hat with a thin veil hanging from its tip. The four seem to be engaged in some sort of theatrical production, croaking lines of dialogue in a crude attempt at Common, their pronunciations and cadences all badly off mark.

The man bursts into high-pitched, manic laughter as he spots the heroes entering the throne room, and the corbies turn to regard them with expressions of both surprise and relief. "Well, well!" cackles the red man. "Visitors! Would you like to join our performance? The Lady Shiwassey was just about to be wed!"

Without waiting for a reply, the man turns to his troupe of "actors." "New scene! Get them!"

[Short entry. Our group gives combat what could be politely described as generous amounts of tactical appraisal.]

SESSION 4

FIREDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, 11-13 ARODUS, 4711 A.R.

Preparations for the expedition to Brinewall begin, as Sandru, Brixton, Zaphkael, Molindo, and Hanzo decide how best to spend the 2,000 gold pieces Ameiko has volunteered to get Sandru's caravan moving as soon as possible. In addition to the adventurers, Sandru, and Ameiko, the group will be joined by Koya (Sandru and Zaphkael's adopted mother), Shalelu the elven ranger (Molindo's adopted big sister), and two brothers named Bevelek and Vankor Brati, who will be helping to drive the wagons. With the decision to add a second supply wagon to the caravan, and the need for a cook, Brixton and Sandru end up hiring a middle-aged dwarven couple, Baradrum and Aggaela Korrick, a cook and wagon driver respectively.

Hanzo requisitions a special chest which keeps its contents frozen even in the warmest climates.

Molindo, preparing for the harsh climes of the north, and despite it currently being the middle of summer, buys a variety of cold-weather gear--just in case.

Zaphkael spends the three days brewing potions and scribing scrolls to prepare for the journey.

Finally, after much debate, the group settles on how many provisions and trade good they should bring with them, in the hopes of turning a profit at Roderic's Cove, the last village they will pass through before reaching Brinewall.

With everything arranged, the adventurers spend Sunday afternoon relaxing and enjoying themselves. The journey will take more than two weeks, by Sandru's estimates.

MOONDAY THROUGH SUNDAY, 14-20 ARODUS, 4711 A.R.

The first three days of the journey are uneventful, as Koya's divinations predicted. The caravan arrives at the village of Galdur on the shore of Ember Lake, and take the opportunity to restock on provisions.

The next day, the caravan enters the Churlwood. Their progress is slowed somewhat by the dense and winding forest. They reach the ferry to the village of Wolf's Ear, a somewhat disreputable hamlet, just before nightfall, and decide to visit. Brixton has the idea of potentially transporting prisoners for a fee as a means to pay for provisions, but while the local sheriff could actually use the help sending a pair of captured thieves to Riddleport, Sandru has made it very clear that he has no intention of passing anywhere near that hive of scum and villainy.

Three more days of travel through the forest bring them to Rodric's Crossing, the last bit of civilization they will see for some time. Brixton manages to sell the trade goods (mostly glassware from Ameiko's family business) for a decent profit, and provisions are restocked in preparation for the long stretch of empty road ahead of them. By Sandru's estimate, there should be nine days of travel between them and Brinewall.

MOONDAY THROUGH OATHDAY, 21-31 ARODUS, 4711 A.R.

The day after leaving Rodric's Cove, Molindo asks Koya if she foresees any danger in their future. She replies that she hopes everyone in the caravan is wearing good, waterproof boots. Four days out from Rodric's Cove, they reach a ford in the Velashu River--which is flooded with rushing waters, rather than the placid flow Sandru expected. Sending Shalelu out to scout for an alternate ford fails to pan out, and the group finally decides to take the risk of fording the river anyway. After battening down anything that might get swept away, they slowly and carefully pick their way across, and arrive safely on the other side. At this point, unfortunately, it's too late to continue much further before the sun sets.

The next day, the group tries to make up for some of their lost time. Too focused on making progress to keep an effective watch, they ride right into an ambush. Human men and women in tattered leathers--either bandits or barbarians--crest the hills on either side of the caravan and rush in. Arrows zip back and forth, and steel clashes with steel. After several minutes of fighting, the bandits are dead or slain, though the caravaneers have suffered injuries and a few of the wagons are damaged. The group presses on for the rest of the afternoon, but decides to spend the next day conducting what repairs they can.

The rest of the journey to Brinewall proves uneventful; while the group sees occasional packs of wolves and even a wandering hill giant, none decide to pick a fight with the somewhat battered caravan. The final few days of their journey, however, see Ameiko coming down with some kind of minor illness. She looks tired and worn, but insists that she's fine and should get over this bug soon.

FIREDAY, 1 ROVA, 4711 A.R.

An hour or so past noon, the caravan arrives at a worn roadsign at a fork in the road. To the north, still hundreds of miles away, is Kalsgard, capital of the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. To the west, only a mile or so distant, is Brinewall. They've almost made it.

Ameiko begins to shake violently, convulsing in her seat for half a minute before passing out. Everyone runs to her aid, with Brixton and Zaphkael calling on their knowledges of medicine and divine magic to deduce what has happened to her. They try carrying Ameiko away, but every step further from Brinewall sets her to spasming again. Koya produces a theory--that some spirit tied to Brinewall is trying to possess the girl.

Lord Brixton decides that the proper course of action is to take Ameiko further into the town to see if she begins recovering. He, Zaphkael, Molindo, and Hanzo decide to set off immediately while Sandru, Shalelu, Koya, and the rest secure the area and circle the wagons.

The road to Brinewall is heavily overgrown and does not seem to have been traveled in years. It's only half a mile or so before the path deposits the group on a small ridge overlooking the ruined town. Brinewall is abandoned and devastated, with collapsed buildings of crumbling brick and rotted wood lining the shores of both the town's harbor and a small inlet. A half-ruined lighthouse stands just to the west, and on the far side of the town, rising on a plateau that juts into the sea, looms a squat, solidly built castle.

The adventurers head into the town, with Molindo, Zaphkael, and Hanzo on foot while Brixton rides his warhorse with Ameiko slumped unconscious in front of him. The girl stirs as they descend from the ledge an d begins to mumble something in Tianese. Hanzo translates it: "Grandfather waits in the dark, but knows not who he is."

One of the first things the group sees is an out-of-place boat: a small longboat from the Linnorn Kingdoms, tied to a pier and partly submerged. The boat looks to be a recent addition to the town, perhaps having only been there for two weeks or so, and shows signs of damage from scorching lightning and rending claws. Any gear or valuable the longboat contained are gone, as are any signs of who the ship might belong to.

The group soon after finds a temple of Desna that seems to have been demolished by something huge and angry, though the nearby graveyard is oddly clean and well-preserved, as if someone has been tending to it these long years. Even the unlocked iron gates leading to it swing open easily on oiled hinges. Before they can investigate further, however, Molindo notices something odd on the other side of the town's lagoon--some sort of large, green reptile lying on the beach, half-submerged in the water. He also notices a pair of smaller creatures swimming in the water nearby when their red-spined backs breach the surface.

The group moves to investigate the beached creature. Zaphkael identifies it as a sea drake, an aquatic monster known for attacking fishing boats and breathing lightning. The connection to the Linnorm longship is obvious, and the beast seems to have been killed by several axe blows to the head. Molindo decides to push the beached monster further into the water, and does so with a mighty shove--but this immediately triggers a response from the red-spined creatures he saw before, which burst from the water and chitter up the beach towards the half-orc.

Recognizing the odd, shrimp-like predators as reefclaws, Molido charges in. He dispatches both of them (with the assistance of a well-aimed arrow from Hanzo) by the time the rest of his companions arrive to help.

After a bit more searching of the ruined buildings, the adventurers decide to head up to the castle proper. Brinewall Castle is a large structure, but not tall--it crouches on the plateau above the village rather like a large toad. Rather than a drawbridge or solid wooden doors, the castle's entrance is blocked by heavy iron gates. The gatehouse within is pitch black aside from the fading light pouring in through the bars. Molido, able to see in the darkness, approaches the gate and peers inside. Within, he sees a strange humanoid figure, like a muscular man with a bird's head, snoring gently with its feet on an old wooden table strewn with flecks of old meat. The half-orc pounds on the gate and demands entrance, causing the creature to fall backwards out of its chair and begin squawking a loud cry of alarm.

Zaphkael, unexpectedly, recognizes the bird-man's language: Aklo, a tongue he speaks. He joins Molido at the gate and addresses the creature in its chosen language. The bird-man, surprised at this development, steps near the gate and is joined by a companion.

The creature identifies itself as a "dire corby." It declares that the castle belongs to its master. When asked where he came from, the dire corby says that its kind always lived here, but the master made them free. They and their master were, apparently, also partly responsible for the destruction of Brinewall Village, though the master was the only one who remained here to rule. Thanking them for the information, Zaphkael explains all of this to the group and asks them to leave the castle be for now.

They return to the village, and, realizing that they hadn't investigated the lighthouse yet, decide to make their camp there and watch the entrance. A cryptic muttering from Ameiko suggests to them that there may be a secret entrance to the castle revealed by the low tide, so they prepare to wake early and search the shoreline for any such ways in.

At some point during the night, Brixton notices a rusted iron key sitting on a broken stone inside the lighthouse, which he is convinced was not there before. After confirming with Molindo that the key isn't an illusion, the paladin nervously picks the key up and examines it. It's in extremely poor condition, flaking at the touch, and likely to snap if used with too much force, but it does not seem to be enchanted, cursed, or otherwise nefarious. Satisfied, he returns to his watch, and the night passes uneventfully.

SESSION 3

OATHDAY, 10 ARODUS, 4711 A.R.

The night passes without incident, and come morning, the adventurers break camp and decide to head southwest, to the nearer of the two remaining spots circled on the fan-map. With Molido growing more confident in his survivalist skills and familiarity with Brinestump Marsh, they have little difficulty navigating the swamp's waterways until they reach the spot.

They find another shipwreck, though unlike the flame-gutted remains of the first ship, this one seems to have been broken in half and stripped down to its skeleton. (The group suspects that the Licktoad goblins used wood salvaged from the wreck to build their village.) Submerged in the mud, they find a bronze nameplate naming the ship Kaijutsu's Blossom, and carved in a nearby tree--apparently by survivors of the vessel--is a rough map showing a path to a spot along the southern cliffs corresponding to the final "X" on the fan. Hanzo, recognizing the name "Kaijutsu," decides to dig the nameplate out of the mud and carries it to Proudstump's rowboat, intending to offer the piece to Ameiko as a gift. As he begins digging, however, three creatures rise from the sticky mud around the ruined ship: a trio a human skeletons, encrusted with filth, their jaws hanging loosely open in a silent shriek of challenge.

In a brief and bloodless battle, the adventurers easily dispatch their undead foes, then proceed southward to their final destination.

At the base of the cliffs, here rising nearly 60 feet, they find a small cave entrance nearly concealed by overgrown vines and shrubs. They push in, Molido leading with his darkvision, and find that the cave is fairly large and labyrinthine, with passages leading in various directions. Molido chooses to turn right and begin exploring in that direction first, and soon comes across a chamber covered in large amounts of webbing. The group finds a giant spider, nearly as tall as a man, clung fast to some sort of figure cocooned in webs. They approach as closely as they can before striking, and the combat is brief--the spider is easily cut down. A search of the room finds a few web-wrapped pouches containing handfuls of coin and gems, a pair of magic scrolls, and--upon checking the cocoon the spider was feasting on--a shriveled and very dead giant gecko.

The next chamber the group finds contains a small underground lake, with an island filled with shimmering rock crystals growing from its center. Though Zaphael senses no magic from the crystals, the group decides to investigate more closely, only to find that they have stumbled into the lair of a giant amoeba. The slime-like creature proves a more substantial foe than the spider, especially given the close confines of the room, but Hanzo is able to bring the creature down with a well-placed shot to the organism's nucleus.

Continuing on, the group finds a large chamber, filled with water on one side, almost an underground beach. Four human skeletons lie or slump in various spots around the room. Each of them wears tattered and rusted armor of Minkai origin, and each bears a rusted wakizashi at their side. Hanzo, curious to see the maker's mark on these blades, moves to one of the skeletons and tries to pull the wakizashi from its grasp. The skeleton awakens, as do five others--three more on the beach, and two more rising from the shallow waters beyond.

The group fights largely back-to-back, supporting each other as best they can. These skeletons, unlike the others they met earlier, are armed, and prove surprisingly deadly with their blades. Hanzo in particular tastes his fair share of rusted steel, though between the healing powers of Brixton and Zaphael, he manages to survive the fight. When all six skeletons are finally laid low, the adventurers take a moment to recuperate before moving on to the next chamber.

This room is significantly smaller. A pool of water fills the eastern side in a crescent shape, while stalactites hang just low enough to prove annoying to Molido and Brixton. A beautiful chest made of cherry wood and jade, seemingly untouched by the ravages of time, rests against the far wall. Sitting atop that chest, in full samurai regalia, a beautiful wakizashi resting across its lap, is another skeleton. As the group approaches, it draws its blade and stands, but does not move to attack. Instead, it points its sword at Molido in a silent challenge.

The half-orc accepts, though the others stand ready to back him up should he need it. Fortunately, while the skeletal warrior does land two significant blows, Molido's massive axe and massive strength prove superior. The skeleton's helm is knocked from its head as its sternum and spine are shattered in a horrifically powerful blow.

While Zaphael tends to Molido's wounds, Hanzo inspects the chest for traps and finds none, though he does find it locked. Fortunately, a search of the area reveals a bronze key on a severed leather band, perhaps cut loose from the skeleton in his duel. Within the chest is a veritable fortune: mounds of silver and gold coins, jewels, magical potions and scrolls, a wand, a ring, and some non-magical but expertly made weapons and armor. On the skeletal samurai's wakizashi, Hanzo recognizes a small maker's mark--that of his famous ancestor, a swordsmith of great reknown. He claims the blade and the samurai's helmet, while the rest of the group takes the heavy chest out and back to the rowboat. (After a cursory exploration of the remainder of the cave simply reveals that they took the long way to the skeletons.)

They return to Walthus Proudstump's shack, seeing as they have need to return the halfling's boat and inform him of Old Megus' apparent demise. The snake-loving warden is happy to see them, though sad to hear about his neighbor, and congratulates them on their victory against the Licktoads. He has a request of them, however; in the few days since he last saw them, he's encountered signs of the Soggy River Monster near his shack, and it's beginning to worry him. As he has a rough idea where the monster makes its lair, he asks the heroes to do him one last favor and see if they can deal with the creature before it comes after him. He offers to watch their hard-earned treasure and prepare some food for their trip back to Sandpoint.

Though Hanzo is skeptical about leaving the group's newfound wealth with the halfling, the others have decided to trust Proudstump and agree to leave their winnings with him. They set off to where the warden believes the Soggy River Monster makes its lair, and, with some expert tracking by Molido, soon come across its "home:" a mass of leaves and mud and vines mounded together and hollowed out between three trees in a clearing.

Seeing no sign of the creature nearby, Brixton volunteers to scout the mound's interior. Within, he finds a crude sort of altar with eight muddy spheres resting on it, a crude sleeping area, and an unconscious goblin with two large lumps on its head, hanging helplessly from the ceiling.

This is Bob the Twice-Thumped, the last survivor of the Licktoad goblin tribe. Having been spared twice by the adventurers but lacking anywhere else to go, he has been wandering the swamps these last two days, drinking filthy water and eating whatever he can catch. The severe head trauma he had endured, combined with the might and mercy of the heroes he had twice been thumped by, had inspired him, and the seed of an idea was beginning to germinate in his oblong head: he would follow the adventurers to Sandpoint and beg to become their servant, learning their ways and becoming a powerful and noble hero himself. Before the idea could come to fruition, however, he stumbled into the lair of the Soggy River Monster, freshly returned from a hunt. Not being hungry at the moment, the creature stopped just short of killing the goblin, instead tying him up in his crude home and saving him for later. As darkness claimed him, poor Bob could only hope that the heroes would find him once again. He would repay them by serving them loyally and as capable as any brain damaged goblin ever could.

Lord Brixton, seeing only an unconscious goblin, a threat to the people of Sandpoint and a creature with a legal bounty on its head, stabs Bob and cuts off his ears.

((... Well, okay then.))

The group decides to ambush the Soggy River Monster by setting fresh bait (in the form of a freshly-hunted squirrel) nearby and waiting to jump it. It takes nearly two hours, but, eventually, the creature does show up. Zaphael's suspicions as to the creature's nature--that it is one of the Sinspawn that escaped from beneath Sandpoint during the events three years prior. Leaping into action, the adventurers cut the creature down before it has a chance to retalliate or flee, and claim its strange, skull-like head as a trophy.

Closer examination of the mud-covered orbs in the monster's lair reveal them to be poorly-preserved humanoid heads, likely of the creature's victims. The group stitches together a few makeshift bags from the filthy bits of cloth and clothing scattered about, collect the heads, return to Proudstump for their (untouched) treasure, and set off for Sandpoint. The mysteries of Brinestump Marsh have been revealed (mostly), and the time to enjoy a large chest full of money is nigh.

Sheriff Hemlock is relieved to hear that the skeletons are dealt with, recognizes the Soggy River Monster as a Sinspawn, and refuses to pay for Bob the Twice-Thumped's severed ears because the bounty was already closed with the death of Chief Gutwad.

The group reconvenes at the Rusty Dragon, divvying up their loot and telling Ameiko about what they found. She's very interested to learn that, apparently, some retainers of her old family survived the shipwrecking storm that brought her father to Sandpoint; she's confused why they never found their way to the town, instead choosing to die in a cave just a few hours south. She asks to look at Hanzo's newly-acquired magical wakizashi, and, noticing something odd with the hilt, untwists it to find a letter hidden inside, written in Tian.

My son, my heir. You know now that I have kept secrets from you. You were always a perceptive son, and while you may not understand my reasons for secrecy, I hope you realize that it was necessary. Know that I was not angry with you for opening the warding box--I was angry with myself for withholding the truth from you and forcing you to seek out what I should have given to you. The words I spoke to you were from anger with myself, and it shames me to think of them now. I write this note as an apology, and to beg you to leave these secrets to history.

The next few days will be the most important I have faced in many years. If our family's enemies have, as I hope, forgotten us, I shall reunite with you and your wife, and your mother and I shall reveal the truth to you. But if they still seek the contents of the warding box, I fear that I may not speak to you again. The box holds our family's greatest treasure, so I have returned it to Kortun's care, and it shall remain hidden in the secret third vault beneath Brinewall Castle--obscured from our enemies. I hope and pray I will not grant our foes the satisfaction of killing me themselves--if it comes to it, let my death, by my own hand, be my final act to protect you, so that our enemies believe our line ended.

I have instructed Tsutamu to keep this letter from you, delivering it to you only should I fail to return as I hope to. If I can, I shall reveal all to you myself. If I cannot, this final missive from a father to a son must suffice as an apology in place of an explanation, and you must destroy this letter, flee to the south, and never return to Brinewall. If our enemies find what I have hidden, there will be nothing here for you. If they do not, they will lie in wait forever for your return.

I hope to see you again soon, my son. But my heart tells me I will not. I am sorry to have failed you. But I am proud of you, and I know you will survive this old man's shame. You are strong, and you must remain so. For if you are reading this and I am gone, know that our enemies will never stop searching for us, and that is why I cannot reveal the truth to you until I know there is no chance of them finding us again.

Rokuru Kaijutsu
Sunday, 29 Desnus, 4687

Ameiko's eyes burn with curiosity and excitement. She looks at the adventurers, newly-formed but proven in battle, and smiles. "I'm going to Brinewall Castle. You coming with me?"

SESSION 2, PART 2

WEALDAY, 9 ARODUS, 4711 A.R.

Despite their pockets being full of fresh coin, the group decides to forego spending it just yet and return to Brinestump Marsh to investigate the locations marked on the fan's map. They gather at the Rusty Dragon for a hearty breakfast before they set out, and soon receive news of the attack on the watchmen the prior evening. Brixton and Hanzo decide to speak to Sheriff Hemlock about the incident, while Zaphael and Molindo head to the scene of the crime to investigate.

They learn roughly the same set of facts: the guard had just crossed the bridge south of town and was walking along the Lost Coast Road. Two figures emerged from the forest. The guard called a challenge, but they kept approaching until they entered the ring of his lantern's light and were revealed to be animated human skeletons. The guard skirmished briefly with them, receiving a cut on his arm from one of the creatures' fleshless fingers, but found his simple short sword to be largely ineffective against enemies with no skin or blood. He retreated across the bridge, back into Sandpoint, and the skeletons did not pursue him.

Additionally, Zaphael and Molindo find the skeletons' tracks. After pacing up and down the river a few times, the undead turned and headed south along the Lost Coast Road, presumably back to Brinestump Marsh.

Sheriff Hemlock expresses no particular concern about the skeletons; he believes that they realized the two of them couldn't possibly take on an entire, prosperous town, and turned back to their home. To be safe, he's informed the priests of the local Temple of Desna of the incident, but he doesn't expect any further trouble.

Brixton and Hanzo walk to the southern bridge to find that Molindo and Zaphael have drawn a crowd of admirers, almost despite themselves, when they were recognized as two of the heroes who brought down the Licktoad goblins. A farmer has volunteered two bales of hay for Molindo to use to demonstrate his skill with his massive axe, and the half-orc is chopping merrily away, demonstrating a variety of cuts and slashes and feats of raw strength. Brixton, concerned, asks who the hay belongs to, and volunteers to pay for the damages, but the farmer feels he's gotten his copper's worth in entertainment.

After sharing what they've learned, the adventurers once again embark along the Lost Coast Road towards Brinestump Marsh.

Their first stop is the closest location that was marked on the fan, a site along the swampy coastline roughly halfway between Proudstump's shack and the location he indicated as Old Megus' home. They decide not to impose on the halfling's hospitality, instead cutting a path through the marsh straight towards what turns out to be the burnt-out husk of a merchant ship. (Hanzo reveals that he had actually come across this while piloting Proudstump's rowboat the previous day, but hadn't thought it worth mentioning.)

A search of the ruined ship reveals nothing of value, though they do find evidence that some of the Licktoads' scavenged fireworks were used to set the vessel ablaze.

The next two marked spots from the map are a fair distance to the southwest, farther into the swamp than they have yet been. They decide to retrive Proudstump's rowboat and take it to check on Old Megus, as he requested. Navigating the channels crisscrossing the swamp is difficult, but Molindo's sharp eyes again prove their worth. The only difficulty they meet is with a giant leech lurking beneath a bridge, using the low verticle space to try and ambush prey. It fails to fill its belly before it's split open by Hanzo, Molindo, and Brixton.

They arrive at Old Megus' shack late in the afternoon to find it in an incredible state of disrepair. The walls and floors are dryrotted and sag beneath their feet. The doors are stuck fast, swollen with moisture. Tendrils and ropes of some unidentified moss hang from the ceiling, draped over decomposing furniture and slightly obscuring the myriad strange charms and fetishes sprinkled among them. Motes of dust hang in the air, shimmering slightly in the fading daylight. The whole place reeks of mildew and decay.

Concerned that the moss infesting the house might be poisonous, the adventurers decline to enter the building at first. Instead they call out to Old Megus and try and look through the few, grime-plastered windows present in the shack. Finally, lacking any response from inside, they enter the shack and begin exploring as much as they can, meeting resistance from every jammed door.

While Molindo and Zaphael take the most direct route, Hanzo circles around and finds a rear door which he manages to batter open. Meanwhile, Brixton opts to inspect a nearby outbuilding, its walls crumbled and roof collapse, to see if he can find any sign of Old Megus there.

The building is full of old crates and barrels stuffed with rotting foodstuffs, most of them chewed open at the base by rather large rats. Brixton enters carefully, looking for threats, and notices a rodent the size of a dog glaring at him from a sagging shelf, its red eyes flat with hatred and hostility. Before he can draw his sword, the dire rat and two of its companions rush the paladin, seeking to defend their home.

Brixton shouts for help, but soon finds he doesn't much need it. While Hanzo does manage to shoot one of the rats before the fight ends, Brix himself smites the other two without receiving a scratch.

Inside the main house, Zaphael and Molindo explore an entry hall, a dining area, and a bedroom, finding no sign of Old Megus nor of anything valuable. Brixton's fight with the dire rats draws them outside, but too late to contribute to the battle. Rather than continue their exploration of the shack, the group concludes that Old Megus is most probably dead, and that they've done enough to report this to Walthus in good faith. They travel a short ways to the northeast, seeking dry ground and a defensible location, and make camp for the night.

SESSION 2, PART 1

MOONDAY, 7 ARODUS, 4711 A.R.

The party spends the day recuperating from their trouncing at Gutwad's hands. After expending their allotment of healing spells for the day, the party spends the afternoon hunting and fishing alongside Walthus Proudstump. At dinner, they tuck into a hearty meal, and begin planning their return to the Licktoad village come the morning.

*

TOILDAY, 8 ARODUS, 4711 A.R.

Rested and ready for a rematch, the heroes prepare to face their foe. As they say their goodbyes to Proudstump and turn towards the marsh, they spot a traveller approaching down the New Fish Road. A human of Tian origin, he is clad in the simple garb of a peasant, with a wide-brimmed straw hat, and carries a bow across his back and a long, slightly curved sword at his side.

This newcomer introduces himself as HANZO HATTORI, using the Inner Sea's typical order of names. An old acquaintance of Ameiko's, he received word of the group's mission and was asked to check in on them. After introductions and a brief retelling of the story so far, Hanzo agrees to join the group in eliminating the goblins and splitting the bounty.

Cutting across the marshland, avoiding alligators and hidden sinkholes thanks to Molindo's expert eye, it only takes an hour or so for the adventurers to arrive at the Licktoads' village. Though the palisade and gate are still splintered and broken, the goblins have begun work on a much more important project: a mass of mud, moss, vines, and branches assembled into what could, if one were to squint, cock their head, and consume a large quantity of alcohol, be charitably interpreted as a statue of Chief Gutwad, standing triumphantly over his victims. It seems that Gutwad's inspiring victory of the heroes has vastly increased his status among the surviving members of his tribe.

Undaunted, Lord Brixton and Molindo stride forward through the broken gates, while Zaphael remains just out of sight behind the wall and Hanzo stealthily climbs to the roof of the nearest goblin hut. Brix calls out a challenge to Gutwad, offering him one final chance to surrender; two nearby goblins, who had been working unnoticed on the statue of their leader, jump out of their boots. One runs to tell the chief of the heroes' arrival; the other, whom they recognize as the goblin Molindo had knocked unconscious in the previous battle, waves awkwardly at them and tries to make small talk.

Chief Gutwad soon appears, along with the surviving members of his tribe. But he is no mere goblin chieftan, no; he has proven himself to be Gutwad the Manslayer, Butcher of Humans, the Chosen of Lamashtu, and future ruler of a great goblin empire. In his magnificent benevolence, he offers Brixton and the others a chance to leave, unharmed, and to spread word of his glory. Brixton declines, and steps aside as Mojindo draws his warhammer and charges forward.

The battle is brief and bloody. The first casualty is actually the goblin Molindo had bludgeoned nonlethally before; being unarmed, the hapless creature attempted to flee from the oncoming half-orc, only to be knocked unconscious once again by an almost absentminded blow from Molindo's hammer.

Gutwad's minions rush to his aid, trying to interfere with the heroes' attacks and distract them for Gutwad's own. The Chosen of Lamashtu does score a few serious hits on Molindo, narrowly avoiding the half-orc's counterattacks with the help of his warriors, but Brixton's oracular powers allow him to draw his companion's wounds onto himself, where he faces considerably less threat. (One goblin tried to leap from a hut onto his face, and landed on his sword instead.)

Hanzo peppers the goblins from above, eliminating Gutwad's assistants one by one. Zaphael wades into the melee, laying about with his own warhammer and dealing death to a pair of foes. Finally, Molindo manages to pierce Gutad's defenses, dealing a relatively minor blow that nonetheless rattles the chieftan's confidence in his own divinity and grand destiny. He cries for his goblins to fall back to the "secret weapon," and darts into a hut and along the rickety bridges connecting them.

His escape is covered by one of his last remaining soldiers, who has retrieved one of the skyrockets which proved so deadly in close quarters before. Fortunately, the explosive is not packed so full of black powder as the last one, and though Molindo and Zaphael take minor burns, it isn't enough to put either of them out of the fight. While Hanzo's arrow strike the pyrotechnic goblin down, the others chase after Gutwad.

Gutwad, increasingly frantic as his faith crumbles, scrambles across a bridge and opens a door to find Molindo already waiting there, his mighty axe in hand. With a single swing that parts cleanly through the walls and doorjams on either side of the chieftan, the half-orc removes Gutwad's head (and most of his left arm).

The village goes quiet; every single one of the goblins, save the unfortunate soul now bearing two purple lumps on his skull, is dead. After taking a moment to relish their vengeful victory, the adventurers set about the tasks of collecting goblin ears and looting their village of anything valuable.

They find a total of twenty-eight fresh ears, on top of the ten slightly rotten ones they'd dug up before, and not counting the two still attached to Gutwad's head. They also find a massive stash of fireworks, with which they consider burning the village down--until Zaphael points out that the rockets could be worth a decent sum to the right buyer. Finally, they find a chest, ornate but covered in grime, brine, and barnacles, the lock crudely broken open by some presumably dead goblin. Inside are piles of coins, a fancy hairpin, a small sack of finely-crafted shuriken, and an ornate fan with a map of Brinestump Marsh painted on its back. On the map, three locations are circled, presumably indicating something of importance to be found there.

While they fully intend to investigate these areas, the group decides that the most immediate course of action should be returning to Sandpoint and claiming their reward. After failing to borrow a cart from Proudstump (and instead procuring a rowboat, which is then decided to be less than ideal for transporting the stash of fireworks), the group simply bundles up everything they can onto Molindo's shoulders, sets the Licktoad village ablaze (after reviving and releasing Bob the Twice-Thumped) and heads back up the Lost Coast Road.

They arrive late in the afternoon, just in time for Brixton and Hanzo to speak to Sheriff Hemlock and present the bloody evidence of their victory. Hemlock is quite pleased with the adventurers' courage and thoroughness, despite the damage it has now done to his annual budget, and even offers to pay full price for the ears taken from the goblins who had been dead before the party met them. He expresses some mild concern when told that skeletons had been responsible for the initial attack on the Licktoads, and muses that he may have to post a bounty on human skulls next. He thanks Brix and Hanzo again, and the two head to the Rusty Dragon with a large pouch of gold coins in hand.

Meanwhile, Zaphael and Molindo have been looking for a merchant to buy their wares. While neither is particularly good at interacting with folks, Zaphael has a keen eye for value and knows exactly how much the fireworks should be worth. After shopping around a bit, they're given a fair enough price for the explosives, and rendezvous at the Rusty Dragon with nearly as large a sack of gold as the other team's.

Ameiko is there to greet the returning heroes with food and ale, along with her old friend and companion, Sandru Vhiski. In a show of gallantry, Brix offers her both the fan and, having recognized some of the designs on the chest as a similar to those seen on products of the Kaijutsu Glassworks, the fine chest as well. She graciously accepts, seeing the act as a gesture of kindness--while Sandru dryly observes it to be more of a very expensive act of flirtation.

With bellies full and hearts cheerful, the heroes turn in for the night. Brixton and Molindo stay at the inn, while Hanzo returns to his own home and Zaphael decides to spend the night under the roof of his adopted mother, Koya, who has baked him cookies and is very proud of him.

That night, just south of town, a guard is attacked along his patrol by a pair of skeletons.

SESSION 1, PART 3

SUNDAY, 6 ARODUS, 4711 A.R.

Immensely grateful to the adventurers for saving his life (and the lives of his remaining pet snakes), and impressed by their humility and courtesy towards him, Walthus volunteers to guide the heroes to the Licktoad goblin's secluded village. He offers them a choice between a direct route over more dangerous terrain, or a roundabout route--back the way they came, then further down the Lost Coast Road, and finally along the Old Fish Road. Not being in any particular hurry, the heroes opt for the latter.

Leaving an hour or so after sunrise, with full bellies and a new confidence in having overcome their first monster, the group spend the next several hours following Proudstump as he tells them about the swamp and his skill in, thus far, avoiding its more dangerous denizens. He expresses concern that the group found a trace of the Soggy River Monster so close to his home--the severed deer leg--as the creature usually keeps to the northeastern quarter of the swamp. He also asks the players to check in on his "neighbor," an elderly witch named Old Megus, who he explains has a somewhat sinister reputation but has never caused him any trouble. He hasn't seen or heard from Megus in several weeks, and is worried that the Soggy River Monster may have wandered south and attacked her.

Finally, an hour or so after noon, the group reaches a fork in the road. Walthus tells them that the goblin village is just little further down the road. As he's still recovering from his fight with the monster who impersonated him, he's hesitant to join the heroes in battle, but they assure him that they will be fine. He does offer to at least remain here for them in case they need a guide, but, confident in their abilities, they ask him to return to his home and wish him well.

As they near Licktoad Village and the fog thins, they realize that the small fortress has been recently attacked. The gate in the wooden palisade surrounding the village has been shattered, and what looks like it was formerly a pig pen has been repurposed as a shoddy mass grave. Digging through it, the heroes find the corpses of five dead goblins, killed by some sort of slashing attack. They collect the goblins' ears, though Brixton is uncertain that they should be rewarded for goblins they didn't personally kill.

Exploring the apparently deserted village a bit, Molindo climbs onto the network of shoddy wooden bridges connecting the various buildings, all of which sit on wooden stilts five or so feet above the ground. He ducks to peer into one of the huts, and, thanks to his ability to see in total darkness, spots three goblins huddling together in the far corner of the building. He barks at them to come out and surrender. Terrified, the goblins announce that they won't be taken alive, and rush to attack.

Sadly, frightened goblins are no match for adventurers, even inexperienced ones. Two of the goblins are cut down before the third can make a shocking realization: "Guys! These aren't skeletons! GET THEM!"

Goblins begin erupting from various other huts around the village. In total, twelve more join the fray. Brix holds the rear, sword and shield flashing to intercept many of the goblins' flimsy blades. Molindo holds the vanguard, shrugging off minor wounds and swarming goblins trying to pin him down. Zaphael moves between them as best he can, learning two things about himself over the course of this battle: that he is not very good at casting arcane spells while wearing his chainmail, and that, while he is significantly smaller than Mo, he apparently excels at causing goblin bridges to collapse when he puts his weight on them.

The goblins, possessed of a sort of psychopathic bravery, do their best. Several leap from the bridges onto Molindo, hoping to blind him by latching onto his face or deal extra damage by leaping from a height. One climbs to the roof of a hut and dives at the half-orc, sinking his makeshift blade through Molindo's armor and deep into his shoulder, but dealing even more damage to itself through a bad landing.

Finally, with most of the goblins cut down, the rest panic and flee. Several head for the front gate and the relative safety of the swamp, but one runs to another hut and begins pounding on the door. "Chief Gutwad! Chief! They're worse than skeletons! Help!"

This perks the adventurers' ears up. In addition to the bounty on goblin ears, Chief Gutward's head is worth a reward of 300 gold pieces. Chasing off the goblin knocking on the door, they array themselves for battle, and Molindo hacks down the door.

Chief Gutwad is waiting for them. He has two more goblins with him: one is armed with what looks like a ballista bolt on a long, wooden stick. It lights the fuse, and the bolt launches in a trail of colorful flame, striking Molindo in the chest and exploding in a deafening cacaphony of flame and sound. The party is badly injured by the explosion, but so is the goblin who fired the rocket without realizing he was standing far too close, and he hits the wall behind him with a sickening snap of a breaking neck.

The next goblin is armed with a colorful, striped tube. He lights the fuse the moment after the first rocket fires, but rather than a single projectile, a stream of colorful cinders fires out. Unfortunately, the goblin was caught off guard by the firework's recoil, and the cinders fail to burn any of the heroes.

Gutwad himself stands with a torch raised over a large bundle of colorful explosives. He announces to the heroes that if they do not retreat, he'll kill everyone in the room.

Molindo, deaf from the first rocket's impact, does not hear this.

He charges in, wielding a hammer and shield rather than his favored axe, and smashes the torch right out of Gutwad's hand. It lands behind him, sputtering. Gutwad shrieks in panic and makes a break for the secret escape door from his hut. Despite being a grotesquely obese example of goblinhood, he proves deceptively nimble, ducking beneath blows from the adventurers as they move to stop him.

Once clear of his "throne room," Gutwad draws his bow. Whatever else he may be, he's a skilled archer who excels at shooting humans. Unfortunately, he's down to only six arrows; he hasn't had a chance to restock since the attack on the village. His plan is simply to harrass the adventurers while he flees and regroups with his remaining goblins in the marsh.

Unfortunately for our heroes, while they have proven themselves quite capable of dispatching typical goblins armed only with dogslicers, the challenge of a capable and ruthless goblin ranger proves insurmountable. Faster than most of his foes and blessed with some sort of demonic good fortune, Gutwad easily weaves through his opponents, firing most of his remaining arrows and doing grevious harm to Zaphael and slightly-less-grevious harm to Molindo. Drained of resources and hurting badly, the adventurers opt to withdraw for now, an unconscious Zaph slung over Molindo's shoulder.

They return to Proudstump's Shack by the safer route, arriving after sunset. The worried halfling offers them sanctuary for now, and the group can only hope that their next confrontation with Chief Gutwad will turn out in their favor.

SESSION 1, PART 2

STARDAY, 5 ARODUS, 4711 A.R.

Following the Lost Coast Road south out of Sandpoint, the group reaches the edge of the Brinestump Marsh near noon. Perhaps the site of an ancient asteroid impact, Brinestump is ringed by a sheer, 40' cliffs. From above, it's a mass of unnaturally fertile trees and vines and shrubs, forming a nearly impenetrable green canopy pierced only by the sluggish brooks leeching off from the Soggy River as it flows into the sea. A thick layer of fog covers the ground, swirling especially thick near the sodden ground, and visibility beyond a few dozen feet is impossible. While not the largest or most famed swamp in Golarion, it has a sinister appearance and a reputation to match.

Following Ameiko's directions, our heroes follow a switchback path leading down the cliff to the New Fish Road, a soggy and overgrown route that leads the occasional fisherman willing to brave the marsh between various excellent fishing spots. They know that the road should end at the Warden's Shack, home of the halfling Walthus Proudstump, and set off at as quick a pace as they can manage between Brix's heavy armor and the path's treacherous footing.

It's not long into their journey that the swirling mists around their knees part just enough to reveal a rabbit... or rather, half of one. The creature seems to have been bitten cleanly in half, leaving the head and forelegs intact... but the rest of the rabbit has been shredded violently, with bits of blood and fur and bone scattered about the path. It's difficult to tell if the rear half of the rabbit was eaten, or merely torn apart for the sheer fun of it.

The encounter brings to mind a rumor Molindo has heard several times: that Brinestump Marsh has become home to a mysterious creature known as the Soggy River Monster, preying upon lone travelers and vagrants who wander too near its lair.

They find further signs of the creature as they walk; a single footprint, sunk into the mud, of a strangely stretched human foot tipped with sharp talons. At one point, Mo sees a tall, pale, gangly creature staring at him from the edge of the mist, its eye black pits in a skull-like face. When he goes to point the creature out, it's gone, though they do find another footprint pointing to the east.

The Soggy River Monster is not the first true danger they meet, however. Crossing a vine-choked bridge, Mo is displeased to discover that one of the vines he was stepping upon was actually a very large and territorial constrictor snake. Though he was able to avoid its initial bite, the snake's fangs find him on their second try. The beast coils around him, preparing to crush the life from his bones. Fortunately, the massive half-orc forces the snake away from him long enough to break free. Rather than fight the creature, Lord Brixton suggests that the group simply circumvent it, as it was likely only protecting itself and its "spot."

Thanks to Molindo's experience in tracking and exploration, diverging from the road does not lead to any mishaps. Once their detour is completed, they continue on towards Proudstump's shack. Just a few hundred feet away from their destination, however, they encounter another possible sign of the Soggy River Monster: the severed foreleg of a deer, again lying in the middle of the path amid a scene of gore.

They soon reach the Warden's Shack; a surprisingly large, if unimpressively decorated two-story home with a ten-foot wall surrounding what is, presumably, a garden or back yard. Brixton knocks on the door and politely announces himself and his companions, their affiliation with Ameiko, and their lack of ill intentions towards the halfling. They hear something fall and smash apart inside, perhaps a vase or a dish, and there's a pause of several seconds before a thin voice replies that he'll be right there.

The door to the shack opens, and a halfling man with brown hair and stained clothing greets them. He asks the party what they want, and Brix explains their quest to defeat the goblins and that Ameiko led them to believe Walthus could help locate them. Walthus hesitates, clearly uncomfortable with his visitors, and Brix notices that he's keeping one arm, bandaged and bloody, behind his back. He volunteers to provide healing, and after a bit more hesitation, Proudstump accepts.

Brix unwinds the bandages to discover a mess of dried blood covering a deep, slashing cut and various small puncture wounds. Walthus explains that a goblin attacked him while he was tending to his snakes, and while he drove the monster off, several of his pet vipers got loose in a panic and were now hiding around his house. When our heroes volunteer to come in and half, Walthus again hems and haws, trying to stress the danger the snakes might pose to any visitors and asking them to leave. Brix's ability to politely offer reasonable aid prevails, however, and the halfling finally steps back and invites them in.

Walthus asks Molindo and Zaphael to start looking in the walled back yard, where he keeps the snakes, to see if they can find any tracks. He asks Brixton to begin searching in the dining room. Suspicious of the halfling's behavior as they are, the group nonetheless acquiesces. As soon as Brix is out of sword range and the others are in the garden, Walthus slams shut the back door and bars it before reverting to his true form: a hunched, faceless little abomination with a vertical slit where its mouth should be and a long, rasping tongue.

Unfortunately for the creature, its plan immediately goes awry. At Brix's cry of alarm, Molindo draws his massive axe and rips the door cleanly off its hinges with a mighty overhand slice, shredding the wood in an explosion of sawdust and shrapnel. Brix channels his Iomedae-given powers and smites the creature, while Zaphael attempts to offer ranged support through a simple arcane spell... which fizzles as his heavy chainmail interferes with the delicate motions required.

The fight is brief, but bloody. Thanks to the healing Brix and Zaph offered it, it has much more stamina than it would have otherwise--though the lingering effects of vipers' poison and a tough fight earlier in the day still drag down its combat abilities. Though it manages to score a hit on Zaphael and drain a bit of his blood, it's only seconds later that a combination of Molindo's mighty axe and Brixton's shining sword put an end to the beast. (Brix stabs it again to make sure.)

As the fight ends and the warriors tend their wounds, they hear movement from upstairs and a soft, male voice calling out, "Hello? Who's there?"

This is the true Walthus Proudstump, halfling ranger and collector of pet snakes. He nearly breaks down with relief at the sight of the dead monster, and explains that it attacked him, killed several of his pet snakes, and nearly drank his blood before he managed to escape and hide in a secret room upstairs. In gratitude for his rescue, Proudstump offers the group a hot meal and a warm place to sleep, as well as a magical cloak from his adventuring days that should help protect them against spells, poisons, and other nasty things.

Weary and victorious, the heroes bed down for the night. (Aside from Zaph, who only requires two hours of sleep, and thus decides to spend the evening mending the shack's shattered back door.)

The night passes uneventfully, aside from the sudden, horrifying scream of a small animal in great pain, cut short with a sickening, wet crunch.

SESSION 1, PART 1

STARDAY, 5 ARODUS, 4711 A.R.

The Rusty Dragon Inn usually isn't too busy in the morning, aside from a few regulars and the occasional adventurers looking for work. It's a clean, colorful place owned and operated by people who love it dearly, and despite the somewhat disreputable clientele it often attracts, it's clean, it's warm, and the beer is only watered down on request.

Two men stand across a round wooden table, looking at a notice warrant. Sherrif Hemlock has recently reinstated Sandpoint's old bounty on goblin ears, ten gold for each, and both men are interested in collecting. One is a half-orc, massive in scale, his trailworn clothing dark and simple and his long, black hair tangled and unkempt. His companion is nominally human, though his slate-gray skin and wine-colored eyes mark him as an unusual specimen of his kind. He fidgets with the silver pendant of Torag around his neck, clearly uncomfortable.

These two men, Molindo the half-orc and Zaphael the human (... ?), have been trying and failing all morning to drum up interest among their fellow patrons to pursue the goblin bounty. Neither are particularly good with people; Molindo inherited more than his fair share of orc blood, and Zaphael has found the struggle to adjust to the "real" world significantly easier to hide from than to face head-on. In fact, he's only here because his adoptive mother, Koya, basically forced him to be.

The two have been hoping to speak to Ameiko Kaijutsu, the Rusty Dragon's owner, a beautiful and intelligent young woman of about the same age. Unlike them, Ameiko has lived the adventurer's life before, and would be a valuable asset to them if they could convince her to join. Unfortunately, between running her inn and her late father's glassworks, they've hardly caught more than a glimpse of her so far today.

The small chime above the tavern's door rings, and the pair look up to see who has entered. To their surprise, no one has... until, several seconds later, the chime rings again as a tall, handsome man with a leonine mane of golden hair steps beneath it. Zaphael recognizes him; they've met before, the last time this man, Lord Brixton VonDressler, came to visit Mother Koya. The two make eye contact and exchange nods of recognition, and Brixton, after ordering an ale, joins them at the table.

He explains that Koya requested his presence in Sandpoint, citing a Desna-granted vision that he would soon be involved in something important. Zaphael and Molindo outline the mission that they're hoping to embark on: venture into Brinestump Marsh and track down the Licktoad tribe of goblins which have recently been attacking caravans on the Old Coast Road with an arsenal of fireworks they had recently acquired.

Brixton agrees to lend them his sword, and Ameiko Kaijutsu finally makes a real appearance at her tavern. Delivering a platter of beer and food, the relatively seasoned ex-adventurer offers them some advice; find Walthus Proudstump, a somewhat antisocial halfling living in the marsh as its self-appointed "warden," and don't underestimate how dangerous goblins can be in large numbers. She tells the group that she'd actually like to accompany them, but the demands on her time from both the Rusty Dragon and the Kaijutsu Glassworks won't allow her to step away for an adventure right now. She does, however, volunteer to direct any young adventurers who might be interested in helping into the swamps after them as reinforcements.

After a meal and a brief arm wrestling contest against a local blacksmith's apprentice (which Molindo generously lost to help the young man's self-confidence), the new team of adventurers set out to Brinestump Marsh in search of their destiny.

Heya, folks. Been eagerly awaiting the start of my Jade Regent game. My group has attempted to run several Paizo APs in the past (Crimson Throne three times, Runelords twice, Carrion Crown one and a half, etc.), but a combination of real-life interruption and our group's general lack of subtlety have lead to many, many untimely and horrible deaths, often of our entire party.

But, by choosing a mostly linear campaign and giving my PCs an opportunity to expand their toolset through the gestalt class rules, I'm hoping that, this time, we will finally succeed in completing an entire AP... or at least more than just the first two books of one.

Allow me to introduce our cast of characters:

ZAPHAEL, a human(-ish) Forgemaster Cleric/Sorcerer. Created in a lab on the planet Apostae, the gray-skinned and red-eyed Zaphael spent the formative years of his life in a simulation of Golarion in which he was born and raised a dwarf. Through some miracle or random happenstance, he escaped from this simulated reality, stumbled through a mysterious portal, and ended up in the woodlands outside of Sandpoint. He was found and rescued by Koya Mvashti, a local fortune teller and cleric of Desna, who nursed him back to health and helped him learn about the apparently "real" world he now found himself in.

MOLINDO, a half-orc Spirit Slayer/Invulnerable Rager. Found as a youth and raised by the elven ranger Shalelu, Molindo learned the arts of hunting and survival from his adopted mother/big sister. Stoic and not particularly concerned with personal grooming, the hulking half-orc carries an axe nearly as large as he is and dresses in dark clothing that further accentuates his brooding, intimidating demeanor.

LORD BRIXTON VONDRESSLER, an aasimar Paladin/Oracle of Life. Heir to a noble estate in Magnimar, Brixton is tall and strikingly handsome, with (literally) leonine features that are a direct result of his celestial heritage. His family shares an old friendship with the Mvashtis of Sandpoint, stemming from a disastrous hunting accident decades ago. Brixton was asked by letter from Koya to travel to Sandpoint, as the old seeress claims to have been sent a vision from Desna that his presence would be important in events soon to unfold.

SIR NOT-YET-APPEARING-IN-THIS-CAMPAIGN, a local resident of Sandpoint who is currently recovering from a sudden and unexpected flu.

These are their adventures, as fate brings them together for a simple mission that soon leads to a far greater destiny.

Hey, folks. I'm starting up a Jade Regent campaign in a few weeks, and I've been told by multiple folks that some adjustments to the caravan combat system (written by James) are floating around this forum somewhere. Unfortunately, my search-fu is weak, and I can't track down anything but references to the original post. Can anyone help me out with either a link to James' post, or a copy/paste of what he wrote?

Much obliged!