[Spoilers] What exactly is the Hao Jin Tapestry?

[Sean H]

Having played Ruby Phoenix Tournament and Portal of the Sacred Rune recently(but sadly unlikely to play any other scenarios involving the Tapestry within the next couple weeks), I find myself very curious about this artifact, and I am looking for more information on it.

I've looked on the Pathfinder Wiki, but there doesn't seem to be a page on this yet. From looking at my chronicle sheet for Sacred Rune, it seems like the Tapestry can 'teleport' people from anywhere in Varisia to the Tapestry(and visa versa). Is this correct? How does it do this? Is it dangerous?

Any more information on the Tapestry itself is appreciated. I'm fine with spoilers about the Tapestry itself, if necessary, though please keep spoilers about parts in the other scenarios unrelated to the Tapestry to a minimum.

Thanks!

[Dezhem]

The Hao Jin Tapestry was the prize given to the Pathfinder Society for winning the Ruby Phoenix Tournament. It's a private demiplane created by the legendary Tien Sorceress, Hao Jin, also known as the Ruby Phoenix. You can access the tapestry by touching where you wish to go on it; I haven't played Sacred Rune, but I'm assuming that's the 'back door' into the tapestry that was hinted at in other mods like Icebound Outpost.

[Snorter]

There's at least another two scenarios in which the Tapestry plays a major part.

It's not dangerous, per se, though it would be advisable to always have a method of returning to your specific entry point, otherwise you may be stuck there.

[Roac]

It plays a major part in Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment as well. So as far as I know there are three scenarios where the tapestry is key to the scenario: Temple, Icebound and Portal of the Sacred Rune.

[LazarX]

The tapestry is essentially a "portable" (Although descriptions given in the modules seem to vary in size. in one it's about 10 x 10 feet tall, in another it's tall enough to require scaffolding to reach the module's entry point.) entry point to a very very very large demi-plane created by a legendary Tian Xia magician to store her stuff. (and the occasional large chunk of land that she would add to her stuff)

It's not a statted item, but there's no reason or need to stat it. One thing that becomes clear though, it's not the only entry into said plane, although most likely that used to be the case.

[Russell Akred]

I just expected the Hao Jin Tapestry to be much larger than 5’ by 7’. Something grand that dominates even a large room. A 20’ by 30’ at least would be much more cinematic. I understand a masterwork art-piece does not need to be large though the presentation is a bit of a let down from the start.
Now we are up to several year three scenarios dealing directly with the Tapestry.
Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-12: Wonders in the Weave—Part I: The Dog Pharaoh's Tomb 5–9
Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-14: Wonders in the Weave—Part II: Snakes in the Fold 5–9
Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-19: The Icebound Outpost 1–5
Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-20: The Rats of Round Mountain—Part I: The Sundered Path 7–11
Pathfinder Society Scenario #3-22: The Rats of Round Mountain—Part II: Pagoda of the Rat 7–11
Pathfinder Society Scenario #3–25: Storming the Diamond Gate 3–7
Pathfinder Society Scenario #3–26: Portal of the Sacred Rune 7–11
So if you started the series with a character one away from level 6 you could play the whole series with the same character back to back. 19, 12, 14, 25, 20, 22 then 26.

[Eric Clingenpeel]

Russel, you forgot 3-21, The Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment.

[Sean H]

So the Tapestry is a map of Golarion, and by touching it you can travel to anywhere on it(though you lack a return point)? That makes more sense than just being some sort of special Teleport focus. Thanks for the clarification.

[Eric Clingenpeel]

It doesn't go to Golarion, it goes to a demiplane that Hao Jin created.

[LazarX]

Eric Clingenpeel wrote:

It doesn't go to Golarion, it goes to a demiplane that Hao Jin created.

And we're not talking about the backyard sized plane you create with those rinky dink spells either. We're talking about something the size of a bloody continent.

[Sean H]

LazarX wrote:

Eric Clingenpeel wrote:

It doesn't go to Golarion, it goes to a demiplane that Hao Jin created.

And we're not talking about the backyard sized plane you create with those rinky dink spells either. We're talking about something the size of a bloody continent.

Then how does this work(from the Portal of the Sacred Rune chronicle sheet)?

"Shortcut to the Center of the World:
With the backdoor into the Hao Jin Tapestry secured for the Pathfinder Society's use, travel between the Grand Lodge in Absalom and the wilds of Varisia is shortened from a costly or time-consuming journey to little more than a quick entry into the tapestry and exit into the Well of Tainted Virtue. Whenever you are in Varisia, you can take advantage of any boon or vanity that requires you to be in the city of Absalom as if you were in that city."

[Eric Clingenpeel]

You need to play Storming the Diamond gate to figure that out...

[Chris Mortika]

Sean, that boon must be in error, unless we assume that, from now on, Pathfinder agents use the "backdoor" in the tapestry every time they travel to central Avistan.

Let's say your Pathfinder PC is in Magnimar or Kaer Maga, two Varisian cities. She needs to whip back to Absalom to use one of her Vanities. She enters the Hao Jin tapestry in Varisia and ...
... can't get out of the tapestry in the basement of the Grand Lodge, because she doesn't have a resonance point there to provide a portal.

[DM Jeff]

Chris Mortika wrote:

Let's say your Pathfinder PC is in Magnimar or Kaer Maga, two Varisian cities. She needs to whip back to Absalom to use one of her Vanities. She enters the Hao Jin tapestry in Varisia and ...

... can't get out of the tapestry in the basement of the Grand Lodge, because she doesn't have a resonance point there to provide a portal.

So...there's TWO tapestries?

Owning each Society adventure but not having read/run every one, I still have not been able to find some answers. I’m OK leaving most of it a mystery, but for players with questions I’ll need some answers!

If I am in Absalom, and I use the tapestry to ‘go to Varisia’, where does it deposit me?

I am now in Varisia without the tapestry, so how would I return to Absalom?

[Mark Moreland]

There's one tapestry. It's a self contained demiplane with infinite entry points (depending on where on the physical tapestry the user touches when activating the tapestry). A creature can only leave via the way it came in, except through a backdoor created by the Aspis Consortium that wasn't supposed to exist.

So you'd actually have to say "take me to the location of the Diamond Gate" when activating the tapestry, appear in the tapestry by the physical gate, walk through it, and come out in Varisia.

[DM Jeff]

Ah, as to the where it comes out in Varisia, it's...

Spoiler:

...in an ancient, abandoned shrine to Lissala called Well of Tainted Virtue in the Stony Mountains of Varisia just northeast of Riddleport.

Super, thanks!

[Master of Stools]

Note that the Hao Jin Demiplane by definition is an extradimensional space. Items and spells that use extradimensional spaces do not work inside other extradimensional spaces. Therefore things like Create Pit, Handy Haversack, Bag of Holding should not function in the demiplane. Probably not intended but appears to be RAW.

PRD: "Demiplanes: This catchall category covers all extradimensional spaces that function like planes but have measurable size and limited access."

PRD: "A number of spells and magic items utilize extradimensional spaces, such as rope trick, a bag of holding, a handy haversack, and a portable hole. These spells and magic items create a tiny pocket space that does not exist in any dimension. Such items do not function, however, inside another extradimensional space."

[Matthew Pittard]

(It goes without saying that this post is very heavy on spoilers)

Master: thats a very interesting idea. I hadnt even thought of that. (re the extradimensional issues of holdings etc)

As stated above the famed Tien Sorceress (we dont know really if she was a Sorc or Wizard.. I tend to lead toward Wizard myself) created the demiplane and populated it with locations she had taken from Golarion. (Although im a little confused on that point)

Id also always assumed mechanically that she was powerful enough to pull of Create Demiplane (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/c/create-demiplane)possibly the Greater version also. At 20,000gp a shot (permanency), Hao Jin obviously had the resources (not to mention access to artifacts) to afford such a place.

I cannot think of any spell per se that lets you 'take' a location from Golarion and transfer it to a Demiplane though. That sounds more like 'epic' level magic. The same goes for transferring whole populations across. We know however that without her guidance the ecologies and weather patterns of the demiplane changed drastically with jungles becoming bitterly cold zones. (or maybe she was one of those 'Lets screw around with ecologies' types)

We also know that Hao Jin was killed by an assassin at least once. So she has clones or had clones (there is no reason to believe that she is actually dead beyond the fact she has not been seen in some time. With the power to travel the almost infinite planes, would you stay on Golarion?)

I was always a bit sad that the Tapestry modules didnt have a 3rd element. Perhaps a series of traps/guardians created by Hao Jin herself to guard against incursions into her Demiplane by 'foreigners', targeting both Aspis and Pathfinders alike.

(Big Spoiler note: in a particuarly recent module an Aspis member is a cleric with a certain spell called Dismissal who is 'trapped' in the demiplane. Why not simply dismiss yourself from the demiplane? That way you dont have to worry about the Pathfinders at the other end. You may come out somewhere a lot nastier in Golarion (hey why not into the Starstone Cathedral? :)) but at least you would be out. )