Senior Developer
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Ridiculous question about terms from the book: What is a Vaneo? By context I have to assume it's some kind of garden house, but I can't find a definition in English, Spanish has "Vane", and most other searches pop up some kind of minivan.
As if the Pathfinder vehicle didn't cause enough trouble...
I tried to make sure the text provided enough context to define words like that, but I guess it wasn't clear enough. :)
In any case, a vaneo is a Chelish manor house (think big mansion), the type of place a wealthy noble would have in a city. A vira is a Chelish estate, usually located outside cities, with a lot more land attached to them.
Contributor
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A question:
What are Auwaz Couatls?
In the Ecology section for the Xiuh Couatls, it states:
Unlike their cousins, the common quetz couatl (Pathfinder
RPG Bestiary 49) and the roving auwaz couatl, xiuh couatls
are rarely seen, but are a sight to behold when they make
themselves known.
To the best of my (extensive) knowledge, this is the first mention of them. It's probably a little Easter egg for a future Bestiary entry. ^_^
For the record, they aren't mentioned in Mythical Monsters Revisited.
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Gygax invented "dweomer"
He didn't invent it. It's a variation of the word dwimmer from the Old English ġedwimor, dwimor meaning illusion, delusion, sleight, magic. It's roots may be Nordic as a word used for dwarf magic.
I remember as a young man scrounging through the OED desperate to find definitions for the more obscure bits of Gygaxian vocabulary. If found the word in a rather aged copy of one of those weighty tomes. If I remember correctly, the definition touted in that book centered more on juggling and legerdemain. I've long since lost the notebook that held my discoveries on the obscure bits of AD&D lore.
Rule and Lore Creative Director
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A question:
What are Auwaz Couatls?
In the Ecology section for the Xiuh Couatls, it states:
Unlike their cousins, the common quetz couatl (Pathfinder
RPG Bestiary 49) and the roving auwaz couatl, xiuh couatls
are rarely seen, but are a sight to behold when they make
themselves known.To the best of my (extensive) knowledge, this is the first mention of them. It's probably a little Easter egg for a future Bestiary entry. ^_^
For the record, they aren't mentioned in Mythical Monsters Revisited.
*whistles slyly*
What happens if the PCs fail to perform the sacrifice? Is there anything in the adventure that says?
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The gate stays open and uncontrolled. The sacrifice is required to gain control of it, but it's also required to close it.
The task was from Fex, so it's possible that PCs will be able to get away with just leaving it open, but when the Chelish government reviews Fex's death and the circumstances surrounding it, it'll probably reflect poorly on the party that they just let this prize sit around as an unclaimed hazard instead of grabbing it for Thrune or shutting it down.
Wait a minute....this isn't frozen chicken breasts! These are thighs!!!
You know,we have spent decades trying to convince the non roleplaying public that we are not a bunch of devil worshiping psychopaths and this AP manages to reverse all the good work done over these years, and yes I have read the adventures . This is going over the line and it can only harm us in the long run.
That's why my group and our DM has made it a long standing rule to never allow any player to play a PC of evil alignment (also, alignment violations are punished with experience point penalties). We've had some issues with some now ex-players wanting to do some really sick stuff with their PC's that offended the rest of us.
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What happens if the PCs fail to perform the sacrifice? Is there anything in the adventure that says?
They can probably work out the consequences of failure from there.
I suspect the final bottom line is that if Queen Abby has to do it herself, then she will do it herself, probably with a beefier escort than normal (I'd guess under normal circumstances, Gortholekk's all the escort she needs).
So basically the PCs actions do not matter in the slightest. The status quo must NOT be disturbed! The PCs actions are effectively meaningless.
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I find it interesting that maintaining status quo is a good thing in, say, Rise of the Runelords, whereas in Hell's Vengeance it's a bad thing. I wonder if it's the idea that evil somehow has to be about conquest and murder and mayhem for it to be fun.
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Tammy just wants to go shopping with Abby.
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I find it interesting that maintaining status quo is a good thing in, say, Rise of the Runelords, whereas in Hell's Vengeance it's a bad thing. I wonder if it's the idea that evil somehow has to be about conquest and murder and mayhem for it to be fun.
... because you're not maintaining the status quo in RotRL. You prevented an ancient wizard conquerer from returning, true. But you also rediscovered Xin-Shalast and reintroduced Thassilon to the known world.
That and a bunch of what was trying to bring Karzoug back was the status quo for the longest time.
I find it interesting that maintaining status quo is a good thing in, say, Rise of the Runelords, whereas in Hell's Vengeance it's a bad thing. I wonder if it's the idea that evil somehow has to be about conquest and murder and mayhem for it to be fun.... because you're not maintaining the status quo in RotRL. You prevented an ancient wizard conquerer from returning, true. But you also rediscovered Xin-Shalast and reintroduced Thassilon to the known world.
That and a bunch of what was trying to bring Karzoug back was the status quo for the longest time.
And Cheliax will likely be a different country in the aftermath of the Glorious Reclamation's efforts. Neighboring nations respond in various ways to the events in Cheliax, the Iomedaean church will be in a different place, and Abby Thrune will work to re-strengthen her grib on the nation. So no, no lost empire and the treasures buried within, but that's not the same as saying that the nation is unchanged.
Add to that a new bunch of power players (read: the villains in Hell's Vengeance) and the new political alliances and rivalries that crop up in the political hornet's nest that is Cheliax, and I see plenty of potential for new fun adventures set in Cheliax, the catalyst being Hell's Vengeance.
Again, it's not Xin-Shalast, I know, but not every adventure path needs to result in a new Xin-Shalast. Change takes many different shapes.