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Lanpei are loosely inspired by Taiwanese indigenous people such as the Seediq, Taroko, and Atayal. They are mountain-born and bred, accustomed to extreme elevation. They have a high red blood cell count that gives them an improved innate stamina and endurance and they tend to be athletic and have a disciplined warrior and mercenary culture. They practice meditation and martial arts in mountaintop pagodas. As they have become more familiar with the wider world, some non-mercenaries have also begun exploring as traveling mystics or ascetics. Some Lanpei who were exiled from the home or who left due to some dishonor have resettled to places such as Rekkar-Sarrat as well.

Lanpei are known for their intricate tattoos, often on their faces and hands. Their tattoos have deep, cultural significance, and Lanpei earn epithets or honorifics that are based on their tattoos. Sometimes the personification of their tattoo even usurps the Lanpei's original personal identity to a degree. For example, during the olden wars with Xeng Qui, a Lanpei warrior killed three powerful Quian warlords over the course of a single battle, and was honored with a tattoo of three stylized monstrous faces on his own face to represent the three warlords. He became forever known in Lanpei culture as "Three-Faced Lord of Kehala", and his true name was eventually forgotten. Most Lanpei tattoos of identity carry such a moniker.

Thanks guys. I had a promising interview today so hopefully something comes of it!

Thanks for the background information, all the same, though. I think I'm going to go with the lower class idea. Debating on if she's from one of the races of the region or if she's from some far off land, or perhaps her mother was. Is there an equivalent to the Eurasian Steppe, India, Southeast Asia, or China in this world?

There is a series of islands off the coast of central Sarkonda (the regions we are in are in southern Sarkonda) called Xeng Qui that is inspired by the pirates of the South China Sea. They are ruled by pirate warlords and are known for their prowling of the seas and trade routes and raiding of vessels. They also do business in Rekkar-Sarrat and are one of the more common foreign Humans found there. Rekkar-Sarrat, especially those areas where the Pharaohs are weakest, is something of a haven for pirates and the like, at least in that they won't be held accountable for any crimes in the open seas (unless they crossed a Pharosi Merchant Lord or some such). They are known for smuggling and more "black market" goods, and exotic goods from their homeland as well as other far off places they pirate. The warlords and captains and other wealthier Quians are easily spotted in the settlements of Rekkar-Sarrat by their flamboyant or loud clothing, their strong and exotic perfumes, and their outlandishly oiled and styled hairdos and/or beards/mustaches.

One of the mountainous islands of Xeng Qui is home to the Lanpei (sharing their name with the island). The Quian warlords conquered the entire chain but could not ever subjugate the defensible Lanpei, and they maintain their independence. The Lanpei are generally more honorable and disciplined than the Quians and are renowned mercenaries. They interestingly are often in the service of the Quians as the Lanpei rather enjoy taking their gold and constantly reminding them that they were never able to conquer their island. Lanpei thus can also be seen in Rekkar-Sarrat, and some who get out of their contracts (perhaps if their tenure ends, or those who hired them die or the like), might stick around and offer their services to the locals.

Yep, we will start at level 1, probably with a few little boons thrown in.

Either direction would work well. There's definitely cities where the political game is hot and there are definitely many places where slums and poverty are abundant. Though the region is undergoing a transformation that allows for greater opportunities, there are definitely those who are being left behind as society is becoming something new. (There's some social friction going on as well where some are Pharaoh loyalists who think that life was actually better, or fairer, or more stable under the complete rule of the god-kings and seek to elevate them back to their full power. Depends on the region though).

Haven't got too much work done on the Drive lately, my apologies. I have 6 weeks to find a new job so that's been eating at my time and mental fortitude. I'm on a government contract that ends at the end of September and my company is pretty much not going to have a spot for me to transition to so I've been in the completely unfun search mode. Hope to get some more stuff written this weekend, though.

Really depends on you all and what choices you make. Aiming to make this a very Player-driven narrative. There will be plot hooks and quests for this and that abound and background storylines you can be a part of, but ultimately your decisions, ambitions, goals, and interactions will carve the path of where go and what you become. You'll be the captains of the ship, I'm just the ocean.

That said, lorewise there are certainly adventuring companies, more so now than there ever have been. The dawning Age of Gold has pushed a lot of guilds, businesses, mercantile families, and the like to prominence, and where before city guards or the armies of Pharaohs would see to troubles or tasks, many of these entities of growing power are making use of adventuring companies for such things. This new Age has also brought a renaissance of exploration and there are many folk who are embarking on expeditions to the surrounding lands either on their own accord or at the behest of their patrons. Goals here are myriad - find new trade routes, new resources, new peoples, uncover ancient artifacts, or otherwise map out unknown territory.

The classic motley crews exist as well - the weakening aristocracy has really muddied the waters of society and there are certainly problems arising that at one time would have been dealt with more efficiently by a more regulated system of governance. Beasts and monsters go unhunted, marauding humanoids uncontested, criminal gangs and ne'er do wells uninvestigated. The fragmentation of power has left a lot of holes and aspiring Merchant Princes or ambitious Priestesses looking to gather more power and influence are quick to shove gold in the hands of unaffiliated mercenaries to make problems go away.

I'm mentally and narratively prepared for a campaign that evolves in any direction. Urban intrigue, exploration of the surrounding lands, traveling mercs for hire. I just intend for personal character ambitions and goals to be the threads that tie the game together. But of course, feel free to discuss if there's a certain avenue you guys all want to follow in terms of a campaign theme so that no one's left feeling out. I'll work to tie everyone's wants and goals into the game regardless, and will be sure to provide opportunities to allow for everyone to hit their personal ambitions, skillsets, etc.

No worries! There's really no rush. I haven't gotten much done myself this week with writing.

In regards to party roles, I'd say play whatever you want first and foremost. However things shake out, there will be a world of NPCs for hire, recruitment, or other alliances. So different types of support and gap filling will generally be available.

Sounds good Gerald. I'm not sure what you are thinking bloodline wise but I'll work on getting some sorcerer info up soon to peruse. I intend most classes to have some setting-flavored options; archetypes or class feature options (rage powers and the like).

Anyone can also feel free to shoot me a PM or do a spoiler tag post with anything character related if you want to start some dialogue. I know I don't have much location info up and stuff but if you have ideas for XYZ I can at least provide context or feedback from my mental database for now. I also want to get a map up soon...I have an old map but I want to redraw it, though i need to figure out the best way to get one in a postable form. I usually hand-draw my world maps on huge sheets of drafting vellum.

Some random things to mention/elaborate:

If you've looked through the racial features you might have noticed some references to Desiccation Damage/Spells. This is a new damage type borne out of spells and effects that drain or rip the moisture out of a creature. There will be a repertoire of Desiccation spells and some other abilities dotted around the class roster. Desiccation damages most creatures; doubly so against oozes, plants, water subtype creatures, and aquatic humanoids and half damage to earth subtype creatures. Undead creatures and constructs are immune (mostly, there might be a couple of individual creatures who can be damaged by it).

XP: Undecided between milestone and awarding XP. The old-school in me prefers awarding XP, and I think it might be better for a sandboxy game without a definitive A-B-C story arc where PCs might not even always necessarily be together. Any feedback/opinions here is welcome.

More Players: I don't have a set number of people I am looking for. I'm partial to people I've played with before (obvious!), or people that they have played with before. Not opposed to starting a Recruitment thread eventually but if you all know any players who would be a good fit and be open for another game, let me know. Ideally folks who would be interested in leaning heavily into the character-driven stories and RP aspects and not so big into min-maxing and the like. (I think one of my biggest TTRPG pet peeves is level dips for mechanics that make no sense from a RP perspective, lol).

Had a touch of a busy week but I should have some more Drive updates this weekend.

Pharosi cities did indeed have patron deities throughout the Age of Pharaohs. Many still do now as well but it is more of a novelty in the current day as society has become much more integrated. In general individual Pharosi usually have a deity they revere in particular, while also paying lip service to the Rhaonic Three of Rhaos, Hycos, and Estra. In the southern regions of the river, many of the Pharosi and Nomadi that live there are involved in stranger nature cults and often venerate the god Ulksu who has a lot of similarities with the Ssorisk deity 'The Marsh King' and those settlements are more serious about their patron. The Pharosi clerical caste is currently seeking to strengthen its power base as the waning power of the Pharaohs has also impacted their own authority.

As for religion itself (and I may have mentioned this somewhere, if not in this thread than in the House Rules page on the drive), it functions more similarly to the real world than a standard high fantasy realm. That is to say, deities are not entities that are known or proven to exist, and their worship is very much faith-based. Clerics, Paladins, Oracles, etc get their powers, visions and inexplicable things occur, but deities themselves are not beings in the world living on a plane in the multiverse acting in any direct way. This is kind of just a personal preference of mine in fitting with a more grounded/less world-magical setting without an axial alignment system.

Once I finish up the last of the race stuff I'll probably move onto the religion pages next to fill out more info there.

On that note, I've finished the Hobgoblin and Testudin pages and also started adding some pictures to the race pages' physical description sections (only a couple done so far. Trying to pin down artist credits for each image I use just for my own satisfaction). Also started adding notes to the Weapon/Weapon Group pages for the weapon stats and explanation. I'm going to add a Goblin page and write out the Rapterean next and that will round out the native races of southern Sarkonda. I'll be adding info to the final set of races as well but as these are the foreign/visitor races they won't be getting as large of entries.

Gladiators are definitely present. There are fighting pits in many cities along the river and they are very popular among the Pharosi. Some fighters are slaves, but there are also those who voluntarily enter as it is a solid way to earn fame, reputation, and coin for a freeman. Often those who go into the arenas by choice might enter an arrangement on contract with a sponsor (might be a slavemaster, might be someone else invested in the enterprise of the pits..there are those who have rosters of contracted fighters and whose whole business is fielding them, earning money off of bets and a percentage of winnings, depending on the contract. Having a sponsor can be beneficial as it can usually get a fighter better fights, more 'advertising', and generally more money since they usually share profits in some capacity with the sponsor). Spectators love strange or foreign fighters, so an Orc would find themself a popular fighter.

That would definitely work, Gerald. Gnomes are heavily involved both in business and the arts, and are some of the more prevalent arcane casters in the region.

I think Goblins would be pretty distinct from the Hobgoblins culturally - they would have no interest for Zul-Zad and likely view the Hobgoblins as insane in their intense cult-like behavior. There would be separate societies of goblins that have escaped Hobgoblin rule (or possibly be descended from Goblins who fled the mountains near a century ago when this fervent worship started to manifest and the culture shifted dramatically). Hobgoblins routinely hunt them down to capture them.

Thinking on it, I think it'd be interesting if Goblins made up a good portion of the slave trade in general, commonly seen throughout the cities working under the thumb of multiple races. Kind of a twist on how in many settings its the "goodly/civilized" races that get enslaved by the "bad/monster" races, but here we have the opposite.

On the slave trade in general, it is something that has slowly begun eroding within the river civilizations as society has begun to shift in earnest away from the Pharaohs and into this new cosmopolitan society of self-realized destinies. More people are starting to question the existence of it, though there is still much business going on within that market. The Pharosi were practiced masters in their original homeland and carried it across to Rekkar-Sarrat, but actually engaged in it less as there were less peoples to subjugate easily. The Shuka were too defiant and too magically gifted, the Raptearan too...winged (lol), and they Pharosi were more keen on assimilating the Nomadi (they tended to show more respect to other Humans). There were some Pharaohs who did enslave certain groups of the Nomadi historically, however.

There was a servant caste among the Pharosi that formed after the conquest of Rekkar-Sarrat, when the pickings were slim for other people to subjugate. There had always been a labor class, but the servant caste ended up being below them, as laborers could still own property and, but the servant class could not and were pretty much incapable of rising above their station. When Pharaohs went to war with one another, the victor would sometimes make slaves of the conquered, but usually they preferred to simply absorb them...though nobles or labor class might have found themselves in a lower class under their new ruler.

Many of the humans in the slave trade now are there because of debt or criminality. Criminals are usually made into slaves instead of imprisoned, as Pharosi generally view being a slave as the worst kind of punishment. Sometimes such slaves earn their freedom if their offenses were slight, but egregious transgressors are usually branded and serve for like. Servitude is also an approved way to pay off debts, monetary or not. Other slaves, human and otherwise are foreign, brought in on boats from lands afar.

As I'm thinking more on it, yeah, I think Goblins really fit a niche for the large group that makes up the slave market. Bridges the gap for the Hobgoblins being involved so much in the slave trade, creates more of a world role for Goblins (being a race oppressed on multiple fronts with their own separate societies that could variably live in fear, be defiant independents, or folk that seek alliances with others for protection). Also promotes some fun opportunities for Goblin freedom fighters and the like. I could even see some Goblins being friendly with the Gosana as the Halflings are pretty adamant about liberty and freedom and detest slavery.

Rapterean are very much like Aven in Magic: The Gathering lore if you are familiar. Here's some examples.

Interestingly, the Pharosi gods are all actually in the Pharosi image (with 2 exceptions being Sebtek and Ulksu who are represented as a sort of demon figure and a crocodilian figure, respectively). This is by design as the Pharosi are very haughty, proud, and (especially at the time of their invasion) truly believe themselves to be better than all others - be they other peoples or animals. The Rapterean were driven out simply for being Rapterean. The Pharosi were not good guys, lol.

However they have changed a lot since then. Pharosi in general are now accommodating and accepting, and most won't bat an eye at a Rapterean, Hobgoblin, or Orc walking down their streets (or maybe they would, but more out of interest).

I think kind of a background, subconscious theme that I started to infuse this setting with was that of cultural evolution through diversity. The Pharosi began has tyrannical, ethnocentric subjugators that have fundamentally morphed their society, worldview, and culture through the introduction and inclusion of other peoples and cultures. Where once they viewed themselves as superior and absolute, they now as a culture understand the benefits of other peoples and cultures melding with their own. It was others that cracked the regime of the Pharaohs and brought open trade, it was others that paved the way for this entire idea of self-made fates. Living lives of opportunity is possible because of the integration of others into their lands.

That is just to point out that the Pharosi of today are not the Pharosi of 1000 or 2000 years ago. They've come a long way.

Looked at races - my preference of Gnoll looks good, mulling the optional traits and how they would fit with character concepts - lots of ideas lol. Taking a great deal of inspiration from this Gnoll art by Bryan Syme. Love the bone armour :)

On Story Feats vs Story Traits - I went with the latter as some can be awarded to the group, while others are personalised. Feats feel more "landmark" achievements while Traits can be dripped in (and customised) with an emphasis on flavour with some standalone crunch, rather than Feats that tend to be more crunch (and tree) orientated.

Fair points on the traits v feats. I think once character concepts and sheets start coming together I'll be better able to weigh what to dole out (or let the PCs pick existing traits, or whatever). Intend to have a good bit of back and forth with everyone once things start to take shape in regards to their characters, so additional traits are like to manifest out of our dialogues as well. I aim to be receptive and cooperative when it comes to it.

Glad you're finding the Gnolls a fit. Once you have an idea of origin I may or may not have secret lore for you, depending.

I think being a fantasy/trpg fan and history fan just have such a large shared portion of the diagram that it only makes sense for most of us to at least have a casual interest in it. Though now that I am in the process of looking for a new job, I'm wishing I would have majored in CompSci -_-

Yeah 8 is what I'm thinking too, seems to be a good little window.

The technology level and everything is still going to have a more traditional fantasy veneer, so we'll be post bronze age. I'd say the best approximation would be Islamic Golden Age era. The in-game 'Age of Pharaohs' covers about 2000 years, but I kind of equate it to 1000 BCE through 1000 AD in the real world. So when the Pharosi arrived in Rekkar-Sarrat it would have been the tail end of the in-game "Bronze Age" and now it's Islamic Golden Age middle east amalgamated with Early Middle Ages/beginning High Middle Ages Europe...in the civilized areas along the river, anyway. Surrounding regions and peoples might be more regressive.

There are more bestial races available - Orcs, Gnolls, Hobgbolins, Testudin, Rapterean. I've been back and forth with goblins. Ended taking them off the list for now just because I was having trouble working out their abilities and such, but I can work them back in if you are interested. They'd likely be sort of the servile caste below the Hobgoblins, who have a very harsh society based on punishment and discipline. Sort of a "power and perfection through pain" type deal.

I can do some brief blurbs on the races I haven't gotten around to doing full write-ups yet:

The rest of the races are from half a world or more away, traders and travelers. Half-Elves and Half-Orcs are usually from elsewhere, or possibly the native products of Pharosi/Nomadi/Dwahani and Elves/Orcs from afar. The Solari Elves are your more traditional High Elf, hailing from other parts of the world but originating from Setal Solaris where the ruling Magocracy of the Nine Leaves rules. The Quians and Lanpei are both from an archipelago off the coast of Sarkonda called Xeng Qui. The Quians tend to be smugglers, pirates, and the like while the Lanpei are hired by them as muscle and mercenaries.

All that said, I also want to point out that we don't have to kick this campaign off as a "you all meet in a tavern" scenario. If you guys want to start separate and be in completely different regions running some solo vignettes at first, I'm cool with that. So feel free to pick a race or make a character that might not currently be in the civilized part if you don't want to!

Welcome welcome, glad to have you aboard!

I'm definitely leaning into doing P# so as long as there's a general consensus I think we would be good there. Take your time with any reading, and please don't feel like you have to read everything. If you have any leading questions that you might feel would point you in a direction, ask away. I'm hoping to have some more race and class stuff up over the next week.

I definitely drew a lot of inspiration for things from Mesopotamia (and Egypt and Arabia). I'm a lifelong history junkie, even (perhaps foolishly) majored in it, and other than Scandinavia, Antiquity east of the Mediterranean has always been my favorite. I haven't encountered that particular podcast though so I'll have to check it out.

Glad you have experience with the system and can give some insight. Makes sense with the optimization point..though I'm still leaning into the direction of using P6 as I think it would fit well with the vision I have for the setting. I have read about some folks liking the P8 variation as 8th level has some capstone abilities for a lot of classes, though I have also seen P6 where they make those capstone abilities a feat to take post-cap. Will mull on this some more as we don't need to decide this insant.

I took a lot of inspiration from traits when designing the new racial traits (if you haven't explored yet, basically each race has a a few universal traits and then can pick 1 of 5 racial traits that each grant 2 abilities akin in power to core traits.) I'm not opposed to expanding and incorporating character traits too, though. I'm also a fan of anything that can help reflecting backstory.

I was also planning on granting some sort of boon for each character after completion, something that ties into their personal stories and goals, sort of like a custom Story Feat.

Glad to have you both aboard in this new venture. Hope your recovery goes smoothly, Gerald!

No rush in processing all of the info. I've still a fair amount of work on my end and getting the discussion thread up was mostly just to set things in motion and make it real. I'll likely seek some input from you guys on certain elements or ideas, as well. For example, I've been debating implementing the P6 / P8 / P10 idea, which if you are unfamiliar is a system where traditional leveling stops at 6, 8, 10, or whatever chosen level. Xp is still accumulated past that point and earns additional feats which replaces the level-based progression after the cap is hit. I've never tried it personally but have always been intereted, and I think it particularly works well for a lower-magic and more grounded campaign. Not sure as of yet though. I've also considered developing a 'Prestige Path' system if we were to use P#, which in addition to feats would unlock new abilities or powers based around a theme.

Also this is obviously a playtest of sorts for all of these race and class changes I'm doing (I don't actually plan on changing classes too much, mainly just mechanics that interact with alignment but there are class options like new domains, barbarian rage powers etc I will be injecting), so depending on feedback or insights these things might tweak over time. I think all of the racial features are more or less in tune..i know some of the options are a bit niche but I designed some of them with the idea of PCs not just being traditional adventurers; things that could be more useful for other aspects of things. I'll encourage PCs to engage in multiple arenas :)

We'll be using Background Skills and the optional Bargaining rules for certain things (not every transaction, but when selling things like gems/art objects/etc). If there are any other systems you guys like or are interested in let me know.

In the southern reaches of the continent of Sarkonda, the great river Do’ol set Maradha, translated from the Nomadi tongue as ‘Lifeblood of the Mother,’ carves its arterial path through the barricading peaks of the Piercing Crossway to reach its full majesty and purpose in nourishing the fecund lands of Rekkar-Sarrat. Without the river’s bountiful floodplain, this realm would be much like those that surround it - dry, desiccated, and all but inhospitable, with soil of ash and sand and naught but the pitiless sun to turn to. Yet the great goddess Makah-Nihr saw fit to gift this land with her blood and water, to feed the earth and slake its thirst, to let life congregate at the center of these arid wastes, and to make a home for the weak and the meager and the vagabonds whom fate had chosen to send there.

Mete anu, my friends, and bedal-salid! Welcome to Rekkar-Sarrat. This land of opportunity welcomes you with open arms, but take care that no dagger finds your back.

This campaign has been a long time coming. I started work on this region and world some 15 years ago, played a few sessions of a campaign in it that fell apart, and have yet to return, so I am excited to see it unfold. I only ask that you bear with me as it is all pulled together. I have put a lot of effort so far into the encyclopedia of this world but I have a lot more to go still, and the contents of the Drive I will link is nowhere near complete. I've just come to realize that if I wait until I write every single thing I want to, I'll never get around to actually playing it.

I'll be continuously working on the Drive and its contents and will try to put out updates as I complete new entries. Right now I think I have enough of the setting information and lore hammered down to at least get the discussion thread started so we can start formulating characters and find more players and all that.

Rekkar-Sarrat Google Drive

This drive will provide information on the races, classes, regions, and systems I have in place for the setting and the campaign. The House Rules doc will go over most of the things I'll be doing, but I'll summarize here as well.

First, though, I'd like to kind of lay out my goals and hopes for the game. I'm looking to really try to craft a living world through this setting, I want to work closely with everyone to create characters that really fit in and have a place in the world with their backgrounds, goals, beliefs, and all that. My aim is to not have PCs just be people doing things in the context of an adventure, but actual members of the civilization. I actually have no plan for a specific quest or storyline to embark on - my machinations as the DM are going to be reactive to your goals, decisions, and interests as players and characters. There will be plot threads and seeds scattered about, of course, but ultimately I want you to be architects how the campaign moves. So whether you make characters who have political aspirations, mercantile goals, constructed personal stories, or even just want to be traditional adventurers, I'm open to all paths.

That said, as far as setting and character creation

Setting is low-mid magic. Spellcasters are playable and exist as NPCs but day to day life is more grounded. There aren't any overarching magical systems ingrained into society, or things like flying cities, magical sewers, etc. Many regular people might go days,weeks, or months without interacting with magic. Magic items will also be handled different. There aren't really any magical stores or shops and most items will be found or made instead of purchased. A bit more info on that in the House Rules doc.

Races are pretty different than core. I kind of did a whole new system for racial abilities and a lot of their lore is different as well. The crunch-only racial statistics are all listed out on 00. All Race Statistics in the Races folder. This is doc is complete with the stats for all playable races. The races folder itself has more detailed entries on the races (this folder is incomplete, but races 1-10 are complete with fluff). The races are divided as such:

01 - 07 - Denizen Races. These are the races that are either indigenous to Rekkar-Sarrat OR whose presence has contributed heavily to the development of society and civilization there.
08 - 13 - Local Races. These are the races who live in the regions surrounding Rekkar-Sarrat and who may frequent it.
14 - 18 - Foreign Races. These are the races who come from far off lands and have no established culture or society in Rekkar-Sarrat. These are usually merchants, traders adventurers, or explorers.
19 - The Aljinuar (Geniekin) are more or less the Undine/Oread/Ifrit/Sylph from core, though treated a bit differently in that they are more like templates. These can appear among any race and choose a "parent" race to which they are born which determines their size and base appearance.
20 - 23 - These races are not playable for lore reasons but have a presence in or around Rekkar-Sarrat.

Classes: The available classes are shown in classes folder. They include Arcanist, Barbarian, Bard, Bloodrager, Brawler, Cavalier, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Hunter, Inquisitor, Monk, Oracle, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Shaman, Skald, Slayer, Sorcerer, Swashbuckler, Warpriest, Witch, and Wizard. I've left out a couple classes that I either am not fond of or that I don't think are conducive to PbP, or that don't fit in lorewise. Some classes will have slight changes based on some other house rules (such as alignment changes that I will touch on). This different docs just sort of go over the classes in the context of the setting but I've only hammered out a couple so far.

Alignment: We won't be playing with traditional alignment, and instead characters will choose Ideals and Avoidances This will obviously have impact on some game mechanics, but we will hash that out as we go, or I can answer any questions you have about it.

I also have some new class features or options that I'm still working on, so I'll update those as I complete them.

Weapon Groups: Weapons are divided into like groups rather than Simple/Martial/Exotic. All characters are proficient with the Basic weapon group which includes dagger, club, and quarterstaff, and then class determines how many additional groups you can select proficiency with. Some weapons have special abilities that are unlocked through the Advanced Weapon Proficiency feat which takes the place of Exotic Weapons. You can use a weapon with an advanced ability without penalty if you are proficient with the group, but can only use its listed advanced trait if you have the Advanced Proficiency feat. There's more detail on that in the House Rules doc. I haven't fully written out all of the weapons descriptions and abilities but the crunch is there on the spreadsheet (sheet 1 is proficiency and groups, sheet 2 has all the weapons).

I think those are the main topics I wanted to talk about here at the beginning. But I'm not expecting any stats or full sheets anytime soon, I really just wanted to get the ball rolling and start opening up the dialogue while I continue adding entries to the drive. So again, please bear with me with that.

I welcome any and all questions and ideas. If I don't have a page on something filled out, it just means I haven't written it fully yet but I still probably have an answer to whatever you're thinking. I also do not expect anyone to actually read everything which is perfectly ok, though you may want to read the 'Pharosi' entry in the races folder to get a good overview of the region. If you have any baseline ideas for anything you might want to play, I can probably point you in a direction.

I feel like that may have been a bunch of word soup, but hopefully it made sense! I really appreciate those I have invited showing the interest in playing, and that goes for any future players reading this as well.

Looking forward to sharing this undertaking with you all!

Hey guys, not sure if either of you are still monitoring here but just wanted to say I'm still workin' on getting everything together for my game. I ended up rewriting a lot of stuff and I'm still compiling everything; probably going a bit TOO overboard but oh well! I'll send an invite via PM when stuff is ready to go

Heyo, just checking in. Still at work converting all of my write-ups into a better organized library in a google drive. Probably going overboard but oh well! I'm aiming to provide a resource for as much lore and background and setting info as I can. I'd like to kick off a game that is really centered around and focused on the players and characters. I'm not really planning an overarching story or plotline. I'd like to work with all the would-be players to get some very world-ingrained characters made up with goals and motivations and purposes and all that and really let the story and campaign as a whole grow around that. Slightly sandbox (desert sandbox, har har!) in the sense that it will be the characters' aims, decisions, desires that will create the plot and push it along.

Appreciate the patience, looking forward to getting into it.

(Thought I already posted a response but I guess only in my head!)

Sound good. I'm working on getting some things together with the setting and potential campaign info that I can compile in a doc/drive and share and we can move on from there with figuring out the rest. Thanks for sticking around!

No decisions made yet, I'm more apt to make a game that all would be gung-ho for; granted the 'all' right now is just us!

Rekkar-Sarrat is loosely inspired by the Nile region at its core, with the surrounding regions being more akin to deserts. For a very, very truncated background -

The Pharosi people, led by the Pharaohs, flee their ancient homeland of the Empires of Pharos for a now-unknown reason. They make a decades-long sojourn through the Dunes of Empty Sun and emerge into the floodplain of the great river Do'ol set Maradha. They immediately begin to conquest/colonize it, displacing, destroying, or assimilating the peoples they encounter - the Shuka (a small race of shamans and druids) are at first enslaved and then driven out, while the Nomadi (another race of humans) are treated more warmly, though most of the nomads simply move out of the way, some are assimilated. The Pharosi start building their kingdoms, introducing their controlled irrigation and sustained agriculture, eventually forming a series of kingdoms along the river and building a new civilization (Rekkar-Sarrat). There is great growth and expansion but also infighting as Pharaohs contest with one another. Gnomes arrive on trading vessels down the river from far to the north and eventually bring Rekkar-Sarrat into a more expansive network of trade and the region gradually becomes a major hub of commerce. This leads to a great influx of different goods, cultures, religions, philosophies, and people start to turn their backs on the Pharaohs that they have served for thousands of years and turn to the almighty gold piece, creating a more mercantile society, with the power of the Pharaohs waning considerable and the power of mercantile guilds and trade princes rising. Though some dynasties/Pharaohs still exist, this current period is seen as the very end of the so-called Age of Pharaohs.

There's a lot more to it then that but that's kind of a very general overview of the core region. I have a lot of lore written that I can work to brush up and link if interested. There's three major human races - Pharosi, Dwahani, Nomadi - each with their own distinct cultures and all. Gnomes, Halflings, Dwarves make up the most common of the common races (Gnomes and halfling tweaked slightly from core - Dwarves are very different; vested much more in the arcane and arranged into Houses that constantly plot against one another...more like drow society than typical Dwarven). The region is very cosmopolitan in current times, however, so you have full-blooded Orcs from the Scablands, Goblinoid and Gnoll slavers that do business in the kingdoms, Solari elven (more like core elves, from afar) traders, painted elves (a kind of spin on wild elves) from the Shimmering Sea, a sect of which has opened trade with humans, half-orc and half-elves that have migrated or stayed behind off merchant vessels to set up shop, plus a number of other ethnic human groups including the northern pirates from Xeng Qui and the mountain mercenaries of Lanpei, and traders from beyond.

I've got stuff written up for most of the regions and races.

I also have a fairly fully-fleshed out continent elsewhere that features more traditional fare. It has the Empire of Eliendor formed by the conquest/assimilation of petty kingdoms currently led by another imperialistic queen hungry for more. Eliendor is made up of smaller baronies, the most recent of which is Varuna's Chase, a region very culturally different than the rest of the empire (think Franks and Norse). South of them is Cethlennean which has so far resisted repeated Elindean incursion due to their heavily forested and boggy homeland advantage and the close alliance with the elves of Setal Solaris across the sea. East of Eliendor is Arc, a now backwoods former-kingdom made up of small principalities that rose up after the ruling family died out after a series of malign mishaps. Arc is a bit of a superstitious land and viewed as cursed by outsiders (and by many insiders). North of Arc across the mountains is Spiria, an expanse of tundra and taiga and frozen shores, notable for its most prominent city of Glysten that is ruled by a rather metropolitan white dragon. South of Arc is Jerdala which is a great steppe of Orcish horselord nomads. Basically orc mongolia. Just south of this continent is a series of island city states collectively called Sarkrosa; mercantile, maritime society.

There's more I could ramble on about but that's a brief overview of a couple places anyway!

Sounds good! Now just to figure out what to run, haha.
Any sort of theme or style you guys are wanting to engage in? Ye olde classic adventuring? Horror? War? Urban? Intrigue? Sandboxy start something and see how it develops? I've got ideas and locales that could fit any of it.

My favorite part about homebrew is really centering its development around the PCs motivations and stories, so figuring the setting and campaign type/genre, then working to get characters made that can really feel invested in the world around them and like they are breathing parts of it so I can build off of those interactions, motivations, goals, etc.

For example, for a change of pace from the arctic I do have a desert-themed and flavored region called Rekkar-Sarrat and its surrounding environs that could be a fun and adaptive backdrop. I had ideas once to run a sort of sandbox style campaign there where PCs could basically live their lives and carve out whatever paths they wanted (whether it be adventuring, running a business or serving in some profession, guild politics, anything really) but could still naturally run a more standard party-based structure there too. I have a lot of history and culture built up around here as well.

But as said I've places to fit most types of games so let me know if there's anything you have a penchant or current hunger for.

Thanks for the feedback, and the support. I think I am leaning towards a shift to a new game. I just think injecting another 2-3 PCs in at this juncture is just really hard to fit into the narrative and I feel like newcomers would feel a bit lost and not have as much investment into the whole storyline.

That said, instead of a new AP, I'm thinking about maybe doing some homebrew if you guys would be down for it. I think I'm a much better GM in homebrew campaigns and I have my own world I have been building for my entire D&D / pathfinder career of near 25 years. Multiple continents, cultures, maps, and so on. Lots of options and there's a few places I've been wanting to set a game in. Let me know what you think.

Hey friends,

Haven't heard back from Byakko in a couple of weeks since I reached out. Hope he is faring well and it's just a tangle of real life stuff that's pulled 'im away.

Either way, not sure where that leaves us at this juncture. We've cycled through quite a few players in this venture over the past.. 11! years (thanks for being here since Day 1 Geedra!) and I fear the adventure path is kind of out of steam for introducing new ones. There's no riders left to pass a mantle and I kind of think that things are so deep in it's hard to introduce new players to the storyline and all. Not that I want to draw the curtain on things but I'm not sure trudging on with a mostly new party is quite so engaging. Open to both of your thoughts though, mates.

Certainly don't want to cease playing with you, either, if things do end up coming to a close here. Maybe a fresh start is in order. Reflecting, I can kind of realize how the characters cycling in and out and the loss of pulse on the story in this campaign (I think this path is a rough one to run in this format) could have definitely affected my own gusto and motivation, so maybe a new beginning could be a nice shot of invigoration.

Anyways, just mulling things over at present. All ears for your weigh-ins!

Sounds good. I'll ping Byakko and we'll try to get back at it this weekend.

How goes it for everyone? Just checkin in and seeing who all is back in the sphere and all. We can get the wheels turning again whenever everyone is good!

It's one of my favorites as well. The first half of my 5E game was RHoD and when it concluded we just continued the adventures in Elsir Vale. I liked it better running it in 3rd Edition / PF1e though. I don't think 5E is rough and gritty enough to hammer home the long, exhausting slogs.

I know we are a bit stalled here waiting for Byakko and Skäne but just wanted to say no rush, we'll keep truckin when you are all back. I'm more keen to wait for everyone rather than DMPC 90% of the encounter, lol.

Kind of readjusting things in my life from a hobby standpoint and I've discovered that I really want to shift RPGs back to being the nucleus. I've been running into snags trying to divide my attention to too many different things and probably letting my creativity get dejected in the process. Recently been looking over old worldbuilding stuff and campaigns (I was even doing a nighttime reread of our old Red Hand of Doom campaign, Gerald!) and it's kind of snapped me back. I think falling into a forever DM role in my offline games had been beleaguering me a bit (hence taking a break from the homebrew 5e game) and that probably spilled over a bit. Anyway, hoping to inject a bit more vitality into my posting, and hopefully find some more roleplaying opportunities to layer in to our game here. I think that's the primary issue I have with some of the adventures in this AP (this adventure in particular) - just a lot of dotted lines of combat encounters and less roleplaying opportunities since 99% of what you are coming across is hostile, lol. Might also try to find a better way to handle the map thing. Should probably just utilize the Google suite to cut down on map editing and all, so I'll look into that.

Yeah, that's my initial thought. So far 2E seems like a lot to wrap my head around, but 25 years of 3rd/3.5/Pathfinder 1E experience is pulling rank there perhaps.

Feels like certain aspects of needlessly layered and complicated. The proficiency stuff in particular; having to track multiple levels of proficiency bonuses for multiple things seems like a nightmare. Like, Fighter Weapon Specialization is "you deal +2 damage with weapons with expert, +3 if master, +4 if legendary" and that's on top of the weapon master giving you different levels of proficiency of weapons within the same weapon group depending on its..rarity, I guess?

I'm guessing "oops everything is Feats" is kinda the same as class/racial features but you just get more than one choice and can pick different stuff.

The main reason we are starting up a PF game is so I can run an AP I don't have to do much prep work for so I can spend my downtime prepping the latter half of the 5E game because I have a lot to write and prep for everyone's personal character arcs/stories, but cracking into Pathfinder 2e might be a bit counterintuitive to that, lol. Seems like a lot to learn.

I've heard the encounter quality is better and more fluid and all which was my main reason for wanting to try it, but we shall see.

No worries all, whenever time is good. We'll keep truckin'

As an aside, any of you tried Pathfinder 2E? My in-person group I run is taking a break from our homebrew 5E campaign and we are thinking of starting up a Pathfinder 2 one. I've skimmed the books a bit and it looks interesting (though part of me still wants to run 1E to utilize my entire bookshelf of P1 and D&D 3e books, haha).

Yeah, it was Byakko. In my head I was just going with the narrative that he had been repeatedly attacked to no avail to this point and now realize in hindsight that it was confusing since Skäne is the shield-man, lol.

Round 4

Silas once again maneuvers out from his hiding position to take a shot at the enemy.

Crossbow: 1d20 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 15 + 1 = 36 (prayer, vs flat-footed)
Crossbow Confirm: 1d20 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 15 + 1 = 21 (prayer, vs flat-footed)
Crit Damage: 2d8 + 6 ⇒ (1, 3) + 6 = 10 plus 8d6 ⇒ (4, 5, 4, 5, 5, 2, 4, 3) = 32 sneak

The bolt hits home, puncturing the fey just beneath the ribs. She lets out a sudden scream, unprepared for such an intrusion, and quickly clutches at the wound. Despite not being comprised of cold iron, the puncture seems to have wounded her.

Silas attempts to quickly hide away again from his sniping position.

Stealth: 1d20 + 25 ⇒ (12) + 25 = 37

Heeding Krosh's words, Byakko draws the wakizashi acquired from the Centaur blacksmith Voran Veig. The odious firelight in the room catches the metal and the deep-hammered pattern of the cold iron shimmers within. The wretched nymph hisses as she sees it too, and Byakko seizes the opportunity.

Fort: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 7 + 1 = 21 (success)
Wakizashi: 1d20 + 11 + 2 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 11 + 2 - 2 + 1 = 26 (flank, prayer, power attack)
Wakizashi: 1d20 + 6 + 2 - 2 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 6 + 2 - 2 + 1 = 9 (flank, prayer, power attack)
Damage: 1d6 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 5 + 4 = 11

The wakizashi finds home on the first slash, opening a sickly wound on the nymph's upper arm. The blood flows free as the cold iron edge bites deep, forcing another pained hiss from her bloody lips. Enii roars and attacks with her oracle companion.

Enii Bite: 1d20 + 12 + 1 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 12 + 1 + 2 - 2 = 18 (flank, prayer, power attack)
Enii Claw: 1d20 + 12 + 1 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 12 + 1 + 2 - 2 = 24 (flank, prayer, power attack)
Damage: 1d8 + 7 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 7 + 1 + 4 = 19
Enii Claw: 1d20 + 12 + 1 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 12 + 1 + 2 - 2 = 21 (flank, prayer, power attack)
Damage: 1d8 + 7 + 1 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 7 + 1 + 4 = 14

The claws connect, and while her resilient flesh seems to absorb most of the blows, some scratches do appear.

Krosh holds his action, preparing to intervene and assist as needed.

The nymph screams in rage, frustration, pain, and anger. If she had any concept of a strategy, it seems to be cast to the wind as she explodes her anger onto Byakko, near leaping on to him as she lashes out once more with her claws. Again the first swipe meets his stalwart shield, but she is able to pull it down and finally her second strike slips through the defenses and her dark, bloody, talon-like fingers stab into him. The claws themselves don't seem to have much effect in the way of pain, but the wound they leave instantly blackens the flesh around it and it bleeds profusely.. 3 points of damage by the attack, but Byakko is now bleeding for 5 damage per turn. Also, make a Fort save once more or suffer 1d6 ⇒ 4 charisma damage.

No map changes again, so this one is still good. Back to You all!

Round 4

Geedra wriggles her way out of the curse's nagging hold once more, both pushing her crackling sphere of lightning and conjuring a sudden detonation of sonic force around the fey's head. She nimbly evades the lightning but then staggers for a moment, wincing and slapping the side of her head, but seems to shake loose of the worst of the second spell. Saved vs both but still takes the half damage from the scream. Unfortunately this wily fey has some nasty saving throws :(

Skäne bullies through the nymph's aura with pure rage and resolve, bringing his shield up for a series of strikes. He smashes into her lithe form once, twice, each blow delivering a resounding crack...as well as the spectral roar coming from the bear head emblem on the shield! She hisses and screams at the sound of the roar and the cold iron battering against her body.

"No, no, no! I hate that!" she screams.

I think we glossed over this quickly in the fight with the torturers in a previous room, but don't forget the newfound ability of your shield - it deals an additional 1d6 sonic damage against fey creatures ! :) you can roll it. A solid 30 damage thus far from those blows.

I'll let Byakko go and then finish off the round..Skane technically goes after the enemy but that's ok. I'll just switch them to make the order a little easier. Also thinking Silas might have underestimated his busyness when he came aboard, so I'll take him up for the battle and then see where he is with things.

Back from a short vacation and feeling refreshed after a trying week, so should be able to focus down on things here finally.

Round 2

Skäne delivers a pair of skewering strikes on the malevolent fey, with one pushing into her corrupted flesh, splitting it against the tip of the spear. She doesn't seem too bothered by it, though, leaning in close to the stern warrior and hissing before playfully pushing him away as the wound remains blood free. "Come now, you can do better than that."

Round 3

The frenzy of the melee continues with Skäne's mighty stabs interlacing with Byakko and Enii's swipes, but this adversary is possessed of impressive mettle and she dodges the thrusts in a wickedly beautiful dance. As the vikingr roars his threat, she leans back from him, hunching down and hissing once more, but it is difficult to say if it is our of fear, rage, or some combination... You did hit that DC right on the nose, so shaken for 1 round :)

On to Round 4 Actions for our other adventurers!

Hey Skäne you still get your action for the end of round 2 :) I'll fill in for Silas.

Round 2

Silas darts around from behind the menhir and fires off a shot at the nymph, but her agility is truly otherworldly and she nimble shifts out of the way of another strike. Silas yelps a bit and ducks back around the menhir, disappearing from sight once more.

Round 3

Geedra surveys the melee and readies herself to weave another spell or hex into the fray, opportunist as she is.

Silas pops out again and tries another shot, this one succeeding in biting into the fey's inner elbow, a well-struck sneack attack. She winces and grimaces slightly, calling out to her assailant. "No no little mouse, I'll have you as a snack..." The bolt was a direct shot to the joint, but other than a slow drip of sickly black-purple blood, the strike does not seem to bother her overmuch.. Silas doesn't much like the sound of that, and ducks around again. Sniper stealth successful again. The sneak attck also did successfully lower the nymph's AC for the next round via Debilitating injury

Byakko and Enii once more work in tandem to flank the debased fey, and while the unfortunately blinded tigress fails to find any fey flesh, Byakko's bladework proves more fruitful. The blade cuts twice across her green-grey flesh! ...but no blood or wound to show. As the oracle's fangs snap down out of reach of the woman, she laughs.

"Lovely try! And oh, I didn't know you liked to bite!" she licks her own sharpened teeth.

Krosh's voice comes forth. "Nay. Moonsweft - cold iron. The blade given by the centaur.. use it!" As he intones this wisdom, he fiddles with a hanging trinket and touches Enii. The darkness fades from her eyes and her sight is regained.

The nymph raises an eye to the orcish shaman. "Spilling secrets are we?"

She turns to Byakko and gives him a tsk tsk. "Not so fast, love," she coos, coming at him again with another rapid strike of claws...that both batter against armor and shield. She howls. "You are NO fun!" a pair of bad rolls for her to be sure.

Back to Skäne for rounds 2 and 3. and then on to 4. No movements so map is the same as last post.

Init
Geedra 23
Silas 18
Byakko 16
Krosh 15
Enemy 8
Skäne 7

Damn, hope you made out alright with that tornado and didn't sustain any damage!

Sorry guys, it's been a week. Wife's grandfather passed and she got some other unrelated bad news as well. Should be able to get a post up tomorrow after work though as things are calming down.

Round 1

As the rippling aura manifests around the horrid fey, Byakko and Skäne are steadfast in their resistance. The wretched power that seeks to take hold of their senses is rejected. Enii is not so fortunate, however, and her eyes go a full, blank white as the realm of sight is stolen away from her. Byakko continues his resistance, refusing to submit once more as the long-fingered hand maneuvers in its with its cruel caress. The woman bares bloodstained, sharpened teeth and hisses.

Skäne tenses, muscles tightening beneath of layers of metal, leather, fur, and flesh as ire wells within. With shield and spear in position he advances through the strange chamber with furious purpose. As he closes in on the fey, he feels the weight behind his eyes once more...but is again able to shake it off.

Round 2

The roiling electricity directed by Geedra weaves to strike the creature again, but even midst the gathered melee, her supernatural senses and movements aid her well as she twists and shifts to safety. Geedra then bests the Witch Tree's curse once more and invokes magic to tug once more on the strands of fate, filling her allies with a whetted resolve as the spell thrums through them.

As Byakko goes on the offensive, he can feel the strange sensation from the fey's form try to overcome him again...but he resists once more. He and Enii strike in tandem, coming at their target with a flurry of blades, fangs, and claws. Fortunately Enii's ability to track such a close target through scent at least lets her have guidance in the direction of her strikes. The corrupted fey, however, is no easy prey. She weaves and shifts in abstract movements, putting herself out of the path of each strike from the hunting companions.

Enii is blinded for the foreseeable future, though Krosh might be able to help with that ;) Scent allows Enii to pinpoint the 5 foot square the creature is in, but still will attack with a blindness/concealment miss chance; knows what spot to attack but still disadvantaged as she can't track the target within that spot, if that makes sense. Don't need to make perception checks for the scent within 5 feet, though, so full attacks are good unless she has to find the fey again.

Krosh cautiously enters the room, yelling out. "A nymph once, now something else. Don't look at her, or her flesh will take your eyes!"

I rolled for Byakko and Skäne on their turns and both saved again, but every round on your turn you'll need to make the save again (fort vs 21) if you are within 30 feet of the corrupted nymph. You can choose to avert your eyes while fighting her, but doing so will incur a 50% miss chance on any attacks against her.

The orc-blooded shaman advances through the room, taking his own advice and keeping his eyes trained on the floor as he moves into a position to assist.

The nymph shrieks with wild laughter. "Clever oaf!" she coos at Krosh. "But...why wouldn't you want to look?" her eyes dart to Byakko as she moves her form to better bare herself to him, biting her lip just before her face turns to a snarl and she attacks him. Her bloody claws lash out, but the oracle is just able to bring his shield up in time to turn the blows aside. A narrow miss! Furious, the nymph screams. "I want to feel your BLOOD!"

I'll let Silas get his action in but Skäne et all and go ahead and continue as well to top off round 2 and start the third.

Map

Getting a post up today. For some reason this week I kept getting 404'd trying to post anything on the forums except on mobile? Wasn't about to try and type up a combat round on my phone (though I guess I could have typed it on the PC put it on Drive or something..hindsight) but looks like it is working again now!

Round 1

Byakko and Enii move in concert to converge on the dark fey, flanking her as they lash out with sword and fang. This adversary seems to be as wily and agile as she is vile and mad, however, and with her strange, supernatural movements she shifts out of the way of both blows, laughing all the while.

Silas, lingering in the back, outright vanishes from view of the enemy, using the ample cover in the room to obfuscate his position.

Krosh focuses his gaze on the fey and a rippling silver energy flashes in his eyes before a similar aura shimmers across the creature's flesh before disappearing. He then readies his spear. Utilizes the Metal Curse hex granted by today's Wandering Hex..the fey now has a -2 penalty on AC against metallic weapons for 2 turns.

A different sort of aura then blazes around the fey as a supernatural veil ripples across her form, projecting her twisted beauty in the space around her.

Need those within 30 feet that can see the Nymph - looks like Skäne, Byakko, and Enii - to make a DC 21 Fortitude Save or be blinded.

She then turns her attention to Byakko and reaches as bloody, clawd hand out for a touch. Greenish light flows from her into the Oracle, further pushing her attempted campaign against his physicality. And Byakko give me a second Fortitude Save against DC 16

To Skäne and then back to Geedra et al

Map

Geedra resists the curse that tugs at her tongue and conjures up a roiling cloud of nascent storm, loosing a strike of lightning from it to strike the cruel fey. With otherwordly grace, however, the creature bends and shifts out of the path of the bolts. The electricity cracks against the earth, sending a spray of stone and dirt into the air.

"Tsk tsk, litte one," she coos. "I've beheld witchcraft for many of your lifetimes. You'll have to try more than that." her sultry tease suddenly pivots to a wild cackle of unsettling laughter as she throws her head back in a mirthful display.

I'll give others another day or so to reply but I'll move us along tomorrow evening or so either way.

Byakko feels a sudden supernatural force ripple through his flesh, blood and bones, intent on seizing his every nerve. Just as this presence penetrates his form, however, the primal, moon-blessed instincts take hold and his body rejects the intrusion, just barely. Just made that save :)

We can say you bull's strength before the encounter, that's fine.

"Prey then..not play," the fey coos, though it is difficult to say if she is pleased or dismayed with the outcome. Her eyes snap to Skäne as he steps forward with his proclamation. "I've slain larger and stronger men than you, cub. So be it." she hisses and bares sharpened teeth, her bloodied claws seem to grow longer, and her hair begins to float about her body as if were an entity unto itself...

Map
Init
Geedra 23
Silas 18
Byakko 16
Krosh 15
Enemy 8
Skäne 7

Round 1 to you

Byakko and Enni move forward to scout the room, set on edge by the gruesome display. Enni's senses are ravaged by the foul stenches here; the heaviness of the blood in the air, the disemboweled corpses, the half-rotted flowers.

The sound of shifting plants and displaced liquid softly calls out from the center of the room and a voice whispers out...darkly seductive but tinged with some sort of disjointed iciness.

"Tap tap, the tapping feet of mice in my chambers..." it coos. "Bigger rats came and bled for me a bath, what do these little mice come to gift...aside from words and whispers"

From behind one of the menhirs you spot a form half-appear, still mostly obscured by the large stone. A woman, naked, but covered heavily in dark, wet blood peers out. Her flesh beneath of the blood is a dark grey-green, her hair reaches the floor and is black as jet. Red eyes look out from angular features that are simultaneously beautiful and horrible. The tall, incredibly long ears suggest some sort of fey lineage, but the elongated fingers ending in cruel claws suggest something worse.

"Not a mouse, not a mouse," she says with a smirk. "A little kitten come to play. Will it hiss or purr?" She licks a smear of blood off of her lips. "Play or prey...choices..." her voice suddenly breaks into a short, bursting fit of cackling laughter that subsides as soon as it starts. "All of my hungers are endless, but which to sate?" She steps behind the menhir before peering out once more from the other side.

"I feel fickle today. I will let you decide, in a way..." She gives Byakko a slowly spreading smile as her eyes suddenly flash...

Go ahead and make me a Fortitude Save, Byakko. I'll also give a shot for other responses/reactions for everyone.

Your sleep is nothing luxurious, but it serves its purpose. Waking and gearing up for the next leg of your travel, Byakko moves to test the stone door that leads out of the room. After spending a few moments to search it, it doesn't appear to be trapped or locked. Pushing it open reveals a long hall of rough-cut stone stairs that lead down and curve away out of view.

Following the path sends you down further into this bizarre statue's interior, the steps gently curving to the left as you descent. After a hundred feet or so, the steps level out and open up into a chamber ahead, from which you can see some flickering light. As you gain the entrance, you see that said flickering light fills the whole 80-foot diameter chamber beyond, emanating from the empty eye sockets of nine skulls hanging from chains staked into the stone walls with iron spikes. Huge stone menhirs, seven in all, form a ring around the perimeter of the room, catching the candlelight and tearing it into swaths of wavering shadows.

The gutted corpses of two frost giants hang from two of the menhirs, facing one another from the east and west. Bound to the massive stones with rusted chains, the giants are soaked with their own blood, which flows into the center of the room to disappear into a huge pile of of wilted wildflower blossoms. A strange and horrid sight to behold...

Just as you take stock of the room and decide to rest, the tiredness and fatigue of your long journey and many battles suddenly set in. Figuring this place is no worse or better than any other in this strange dungeon, you settle in for what rest you can.

Krosh can expend his healing hex, 2d8+8, on anyone who has not received benefit from it today. There are also hits from the Cure Light Wounds wand if anyone needs them.

After about an hour, you are given a start as the bodies of the slain fey begin to glow, but before you can muster a response, they simply burn away into cascades of glittering ashes that promptly vanish, leaving behind only their daggers.

Fortunately your rest comes undisturbed...whether you've dealt with many of the enemies in the area or this room is off the beaten path is unclear, but you take solace in getting rest as good as this place will allow.

Full rest, spells and resources replenished.

Round 5

Stripped of all of their tricks and supernatural advantages, the injured fey are pressed on their heels as the party surges forward. In a flurry of spear thrusts, sword slashes, claw swipes, and fangs the cruel backstabbers are cut down and left in ruin.

In the aftermath of the battle you find amidst this room the four daggers (masterwork) of the fey creatures but little else, until Geedra remembers her earlier detect magic spell and looks down at the hole in the floor her and Skäne were standing over. Within the hole, which is about two feet deep, is a lustrous, multifaceted prism about ten inches long. Magical analysis shows it to function as a gem of brightness with 25 charges. Other than this, the room is barren. A path leads to the right (from your entry point) out of the chamber, while a stone door sits in the wall to the left.

Full disclosure, coming back into things I couldn't find my doc where I was tracking HP and that sort of thing and rather than try to go through post by post and figure everything out I just nudged the bout to it's conclusion. Enemies were injured and I doubt you guys would have failed ;) . I figure we'll get off to a bit of a fresh start after the messiness of the month, sorry about that!

That said, it has been a while since you guys have rested - the last time was before you even got to Artrosa, still on the road with your centaur guide. Krosh is out of channels and nearly out of spells and I'm sure some of the rest of you are also down on resources, just to throw that out there, so if you are looking to hunker down now might be a good opportunity.

Hey guys, sorry for the silence as of late. Been dealing with some health issues, bouncing around between doctors and spent 8 hours in the ER on Wednesday getting a bunch of tests. I think things have calmed down for now until a follow up appointment Monday so I should be able to get back to it over the weekend. Thanks for bearing with me.

Round 4

The strange, blurry creatures react with wild surprise upon being seen, letting out high-pitched squeals of frustration and anger as they continue to lash out with their razor-thin blades. The pair flanking Skäne leap forward, driving their daggers at the defensive Ulfen. One blow is once more deflected by the shield, but the second actually manages to find purchase, neatly finding the smallest of gaps in his defenses to slice into flesh. 14 points of damage to Skäne.

Elsewhere, Byakko continue squaring off against his opponent, his ability to see the enemy now lending its aid to his wily instincts and he deftly avoids the blade coming for him.

The final sprite, pinned by Enii, struggles again against the weight of the tigress but fails to wriggle free.

Skäne punches back hard at the enemy before him, connecting twice with his spear and sending more glowing golden blood spattering onto the floor. The wounded foe staggers back in a limp, still standing but barely.

Byakko slashes and bites at his opponent, but only the first swipe manages to land on the evasive, flickery form.

I think Enii has a +12 to attack (unless she was power attacking?) and since the enemy is prone she gets a +4 bonus for attacking it, so I do believe she hits each strike :)

Enii lays into her prey, fang and claws eviscerating the form beneath her. As the screams turn to gurgles and eventually silence, the golden light from the creature fades to reveal some sort of fey with alabaster flesh.

Silas loads his crossbow and fires off another bolt at the mortally wounded fey in front of Skäne, finishing the bugger off as the bolt thuds into its chest.

Geedra steps away from any would-be attacks and uses her misfortune hex on the remaining enemy vexing her and Skäne as Krosh mends her with a healing hand. 2d8 + 8 ⇒ (3, 4) + 8 = 15 hp back to geedra

Back to you all, will update map hopefully tomorrow, though not much has changed positioning wise. 2 baddies left.

Round 3

The invisible foes lash out again, but their slashing blows find only armor against Skäne and Byakko. Enii can feel the creature beneath her paw struggle to wriggle free, but she holds her weight down on it and keeps it there.

SKäne punches forth with his trusty spear, guided by Geedra's frantic points and calls. The tip cuts by something and a spatter of yellowish-gold blood trickles across the floor.

A bolt comes soaring in from the hallway, loosed by Silas's crossbow, and it too finds purchase on Skänes target, causing an audible yelp.

Byakko steps away from the direction of his assailant and channels his lunar magic into a restorative weave to close some of his own wounds as Enii savages the prone creature, biting and clawing. The room is filled with high pitched cries of pain as the tigress's white fur is stained with gold.

Krosh's head swivels about for a moment and then fixates on the hole below Geedra and Skäne. He immediately begins muttering an incantation and weaving his hands, moving them in an arc out in front of him. A soft, humming bluish-grey light emanates from the shaman across the room, and a moment later the bright light in the room dims, casting the cave into a semi-light gloom. As the simulated sunlight fades, your assailants suddenly become visible! Four small humanoid shapes, their glowing forms nebulous amalgamations of light that blurs at their edges, rending their fine features indiscernible. They appear to be some sort of small faerie or sprites, however, with flitting dragonfly-like wings of white draped down their backs. They each carry a wicked knife and move in strange, flickery patterns.

Map
Have at it!

Round 2

Another flurry of stabbing attacks from the unseen forces lash out. The clamorous ring of metal sounds out as whatever implements being employed crash against Skäne's armor and shield, the limning glow of sparks evident with each collision.

Byakko's heightened animal senses ripple through him as he suddenly lurches back, a ragged edge of his clothing receiving a tear as he narrowly avoids another wound. Unfortunately he can not outmaneuver the blow from his flank and feels another painful bite as something sharp punctures his flesh. 19 points of damage.

Byakko turns his blade into an outward slash, but finds only air as the whispers in his ears become taunting laughs. His snarl is broken by Enii's sudden roar as the tiger bounds into the room. Catching a foreign scent, she springs and lashes out with a claw, hitting something solid and digging in. A loud yelp breaks through the phantom whispers and Enii pushes the advantage, slamming an invisible something onto the floor and holding it there with her powerful paw.

Skäne closes his defense even more, effectively fending off the unseen attacks.

Geedra wriggles out of the curse to cast a spell just as Krosh plods into the room, reading from a scroll. As Krosh dispels the blindness claiming Geedra's eyes, her own spell bends the light around the room through her vision and she can now see the assailants.

Map
Back to you

Round 1

Skäne closes ranks with Geedra, covering his goblin comrade with his shield while pulling her up out of harms way. The sounds of the whispers circle around and the warrior pivots in place, moving his ursine bulwark around in preemptive defense.

Byakko feels the incisive burn in his wound, venom trying to work its way into his veins, but through clenched teeth he manages to resist just as he casts a spell to improve his defenses. Scanning his surroundings, he isn't able to pick up on whatever enemy or enemies might be present, but he too is assaulted by the whispers that seem to be spinning around the chamber.

Enii hisses and growls from the entrance of the room, doing her best to pick up the assailants. Enii can use her scent ability here which should give her a +8 to detect via perception via smell. The tigress crouches though and growls more, pushing a empathic thought to her companion. Four prey...fast..moving...

Krosh takes a deep breath and fiddles with his talismans as he has time and time again, releasing the warming shower of silver sparks that swarm around his allies. 4d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 5, 2) = 13 health back to everyone.

onto round 2..I'll give Silas a ping; I know he's been busy
To save us some back and forth, if you want to make attacks against these annoyingly invisible foes, you can make Perception checks on your turn as a move action and attack as a standard action and then roll a d100 as well. I'll let you know if the combo of rolls lands.

Skane
Geedra
Byakko
Enemies
Silas
Krosh

Post incoming tomorrow gents...just been one of those weeks.

Round 1

Skäne pushes into the room, eyes scanning the light-bathed chamber as he closes in on Geedra's position. Moving his shield into a defensive position to cover his goblin ally, the warrior isn't able to detect the source of the sudden attacks..though he too now hears the whispers in the room that seem to emanate from everywhere all at once.

Geedra bemoans her current situation as she falls prey to the envenomed wound... 1 point of STR damage

Darkness pools in Geedra's eyes and the witch's vision fades away as some malign effect takes hold of her. The same presence tries to claim Byakko's as well, but as the edges of his periphery start to bleed to black, he shakes off whatever curse it is and retains his faculties.

There is a heavy moment of silence and hesitation and just as it is about to fade, Geedra screams out in a furious pain as some unseen force lashes out. A puncture wound appears on the front of her torso and a moment later a second follows on her back; both stabs issue a cough of blood a moment later. Geedra takes 9 damage followed by 12 for a total of 21.

The sound of metal on metal erupts as another invisible source clatters against his upraised shield, but the assailant slides off of the bulwark and inside of Byakko's defenses, inflicting a painful wound of its own. The oracle suffers a second blow as well as something sharp and cold bites into his thigh from behind, followed by the warm flow of blood. 10 and 8 damage to Byakko for a total of 18Very close...Would've had both of those blocked with the shielded AC if not for being Flat-footed at the moment.

Both make another Fort save for me as well if you would.

Round 1 Vs Unseen Foes!
Map

Init:

Skane
Geedra
Byakko
Silas
Krosh