You leave the vault; the passage beyond the shattered mirrors is full of cave-moss and blind lizards. No one has been here in quite a long time. Audho murmurs as if reliving old memories – although the situation seems dire, se=he can't help but relish in exploring new nooks and crannies of the world: Ahhhh, how I miss my adventuring days! Dark caves! Blind corners! Stalagmites! Stalactites! I feel almost as if I was once a Pathfinder! There might be treasure lurking around any corner — but we always had to to do well at surviving in the first place to find it!
Ahead is a pit. The floor of the vaults has given way, collapsing hundreds of feet down into the Darklands. You have to cross it…
We are entering a skill check portion of the story, with the dice deciding how well you do and how much treasure you find.
A Bottomless pit!
Please make an Acrobatics (to balance along a thin ledge), or Athletics (to scale across a jagged wall) check!
Antonella looks longingly past the chasm at the safe ground beyond, before physically shaking herself in disappointment.
“The Iro-shu teaches ‘Happiness is not at the top of the mountain, but in how to conduct the climb.’”
She pulls 50 feet of rope out of her pack, securing one end on a blocky outcrop with her grappling hook, and fixing the other end so the rope feeds out as she climbs.
“When I make it to the other side, the rope may make it easier for another to cross.”
Gurmire decides he is going to try walking along the narrow ledge. He starts out pretty shaky but pauses to take a few deep breathes and refocus. Then he does much better trying to make his way along the narrow ledge.
820-2001 | "She / Her" | ♫ NG Female Gnome (Fey-Touched) Barrister Bard 11 ♫ | HP 94/129 | AC 30 | F +19 R +19 W +20 | Perc +22 | 35 Speed | Focus 2/2 | Spells 1st 3/3 Spell 2nd 3/3 3rd 3/3 4th 3/3 5th 3/3 6th 2/2 (DC 29) | Hero Points 1/2 | Campaign Coin 1/1 | Vestments 1/1 | Active Conditions: ---
Acrobatics:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11
Bye, Hero Point!
Acrobatics:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Pip nearly slips, but regains her footing at the last minute. "So Audho... How did you become a crown? It seems a rather odd take on the normal retirement plan!"
Gurmire slips and falls to a ledge below — you have to spend some time getting him up. Pip almost steps onto a crumbling ledge but Audho warns her: Careful! You know, I was quite the acrobat in my day… that spot's going to pitch you into the abyss. I wish I could dance again! How was the masquerade?
Pip received a +1 circumstance bonus on her check for wearing the crown.
Zarindlara gracefully steps across like a tightrope walker!
A Bottomless pit!
Please make an Acrobatics (to balance along a thin ledge), or Athletics (to scale across a jagged wall) check!
Varret almost falls into the abyss, and even more time is spent lugging the Shoanti archer up. Luckily, Packet crosses so expertly (with the help of his "hat"), that you find yourselves with the time and energy to look around! In a crevice, you find a mambele with beautiful orchid etchings. 1 treasure bundle.
Further up ahead, you find a passageway clogged with massive, thorny roots that are over six feet in diameter; they've burrowed through the walls, creating a tangle of brambles.
You can use Nature or Survival to bypass this obstacle.
A Tangle of Roots!
Please make a nature or survival check to get by this obstacle. Everyone must make a check.
The roots not only entangle packet, but actively start choking him! It seems as if there is a malevolent presence in the earth itself, trying to stop you.
It takes long and painful minutes to extricate him. Pip manages to find a better way through in the meantime.
A Tangle of Roots!
Please make a nature or survival check to get by this obstacle. Everyone must make a check.
Gasping and bruised, you barely make it past the roots. Gurmire eventually finds that the roots hate fire, but not before you each take 2d10 + 7 ⇒ (6, 7) + 7 = 20 piercing damage. You move on as quickly as possible and then pause to heal your wounds.
If you stop to heal that up that's fine. There is no mechanical time constraint and it seems relatively safe down here… (there is a narrative time constraint: the Thorned Monarch is hunting the crown you carry and hurting the Bhopanese). This is a significant amount of damage to each PC, so you probably cannot proceed regardless; let's resolve it before moving on.
Status
Antonella -20 HP
Gurmire -20 HP
Packet -20 HP
Pip -20 HP
Varret -20 HP
Zarindlara -20 HP
Botting medicine checks to move us along; I don't want to spend 2 days IRL watching players roll medicine checks and 120 HP is a lot of healing to burn through. I am going to do a couple of hours of medicine checks here, which I think is somewhat reasonable,. and see where you're at afterward. Maybe after 2.5 hours, you will want to use spells/potions/resources but 120 HP of healing necessitates a significant break since you don't have a healer and haven't even done an encounter yet. If I need to retcon somethign here let me know. I just want to move us along and this is for convenience rather than me telling you how to use your resources. I'm also fine if you retcon in Hero Point spends on failed checks.
I would need to unwind the sequence to see who can heal who currently.
4 injured PCs; 4 PCs trained in healing. Everyone is busy the whole time making checks or waiting for the 1-hour immunity to treat wounds to cool down.
You wait an hour. On Hour 3.5 now; 3 cooldown rotations of 1 hour each and 3 sets of 10-minute treatment periods that didn't overlap. See spoiler for more.
Intended to post an hour ago and got caught in VO stuff.
Gurmire, have a hero point for being engaged and making good suggestions during the boring and not fun downtime. Also, I believe Pip spent a hero point and received one from Zarindlara, so she should have 1 remaining, not 2. I've edited the sheet to reflect that but let me know if that is in error.
Audho demonstrates patience, but Pip can feel her anxiety growing as the hours go by… you hope that you can overcome the next challenge without a similar time sink.
As you move through the tunnels they slowly transition from natural cave walls to worked stone. The smell of burning wood and plant matter becomes stronger — you think of the Eternal Bloom's delicate orchid walls; soon, a haze begins to fill the air.
Ahead, you hear snarls and grunts. You turn a corner and find a group of canine-faced guards engaged in a furious battle with one another — palace guards fighting palace guards. The floor is slick with spilled blood. Audho cries out: NO! My people…
There is madness in their eyes — the same kind of madness you see in a victim of certain wizard enchantments that turn allies into enemies. But this seems to have taken a deeper, more permanent change…
You yourselves — especially those of you who partook in blood rituals — feel a blood haze coming over you… a horrific rage… but it passes in a moment — you know you have to stop these guards from hurting each other!
You can use Performance to rouse the guards from confusion, Diplomacy to talk sense into them, or Intimidation to cow them into peace.
Blood Haze
Diplomacy, Performance, or Intimidation checks from each PC!
At the first smells of burning, Gurmire remarks "They started fire without me? Warn them lanterns hazard! NOT MY FAULT!"
When he sees the soldiers fighting with each other though, he gulps. He thinks a little bit, then he does what any goblin would do. He starts to sing!
As he sings, he jumps around miming various actions such as running, shooting a bow, and just generally moving around with a lot of energy.
"Ohhh, oh, ohhh
You run, run, run away
It's your heart that you betray
Frenzy in your crazy eyes
I bet you're not so civilized
Well, isn't life primitive
A wild gift that you want to give
Break out of captivity
And follow me, Bhopan jungle child
Love is the thrill. Your heart's still wild
Shooting at the walls of mind lock
Twang twang
I am the warrior
Well, I am the warrior
And heart to heart you'll win if you survive
The warrior. The warrior
You strike, strike, strike at me
The spell misses me mentally
Stay with me, through this mental fight
As passion takes another bite
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Who's the hunter, who's the game
I feel the beat call your name
I hope you close to victory
I don't want to tame your animal style
You won't be caged in the call of the wild
Shooting at the walls of mind lock
Twang twang
I am the warrior
Well, I am the warrior
And heart to heart to win if you survive
The warrior. The warrior
I am the warrior
Shooting at the walls of mind lock
(Shooting at the walls of mind lock.) The warrior
I am the warrior and heart to heart you'll win
Heart to heart you'll win if you survive
The warrior. The warrior
Shooting at the walls of mind lock
Twang twang
I am the warrior
Yes, I am the warrior and victory is mine
(Shooting at the walls of mind lock.) The warrior
I am the warrior
Shooting at the walls of mind lock."
The Warrior Wish I could have come up with something better than Mink Lock for the compulsion. That is the closest I could come to replace heartache.
The soldiers are about to rush you in their madness, but Audho's voice seems to quaver inside Pip's song, tipping the scales and calming them.
The soldiers mill about, looking confused. Some of them drop their weapons and hug their friends. One of them looks at you, blinking from the tears in his eyes. What have I done? I thought this was a nightmare…
You cannot linger here to give the soldiers more succor — Audho says that you must keep moving. She can feel Qxal getting closer.
Along the way, you find time to save a beautiful oil painting from a fire (some noble must have set it, but they're gone now). You roll it up and put it in your pack — leaving it here would mean that another piece of Bhopan is gone forever. One treasure bundle!
You think it's now early morning in the world above. But a part of you wishes it was still night because the sun will reveal everything you can hear, which is only getting louder and worse…
I need to set up a scene. WIll update later this morning.
820-2001 | "She / Her" | ♫ NG Female Gnome (Fey-Touched) Barrister Bard 11 ♫ | HP 94/129 | AC 30 | F +19 R +19 W +20 | Perc +22 | 35 Speed | Focus 2/2 | Spells 1st 3/3 Spell 2nd 3/3 3rd 3/3 4th 3/3 5th 3/3 6th 2/2 (DC 29) | Hero Points 1/2 | Campaign Coin 1/1 | Vestments 1/1 | Active Conditions: ---
Pip feels better having rescued a piece of Bhopanese history. "So, Audho, how did you become a crown, anyway? It seems an odd retirement plan for an adventurer."
After we stole the perennial crown from Qxal, I promised to guard it until the day my people would be safe from their influence. The power of my conviction, and of my personal energies as an adventurer, keep me here and will do so so long as Qxal influences my people.
Qxal still influences the Bhopanese in subtle ways — for example, did you see the little blood magic rituals the nobility perform daily? This gives Qxal a foothold to controlling minds. Did you see how Lelzeshin's admirable goals were twisted by megalomania? Again, this is Qxal's influence. I am sure Lelzeshin was not the first to try and steal me; perhaps even other adventurers or outsiders have been tempted to steal me from the vault and expose me to Qxal.
I also know the fey in the forest are angry and violent without provocation, and that this island's forest itself works to harm innocent travelers. This, too, is Qxal's influence. They delight in warping creation!
This subtle warping is how Qxal corrupted this island over hundreds of years, among other ways. And now they make their move — a final gambit since the vault has been shattered. They are forcing all the beings they have influence over to become mad and violent. On a mere whim, they have twisted a celebration of life — the Masquerade of Seasons — into an abattoir of Bhopanese lives. I'm sure this is quite delightful to them, and in the chaos they plan to steal back the crown.
When my task is done, and my people are free of the Thorned Monarch's influence, I hope to pass on to the Boneyard and face judgment. I regret nothing that I have done, even if my people will never even know the name Audho of Bhopan.
You get the sense Audho was a powerful adventurer in her day; as can happen in rare instances, individuals with incredible convictions and strong force of personality can be bound to this world in strange ways. In this case, Audho and her friends worked against the Thorned Monarch and she vowed to never rest until her people are finally safe from the evil fey deity's influence. Unfortunately, Qxal still influences the Bhopanese so she is still trapped in the crown, and working alongside you now to help you prevent further tragedy.
You move on, entering what was — until hours ago — once a posh area of the palace. You turn a corner and are hit with a gagging stench that permeates a once-grand vault.
The source of the vile odor is immediately apparent; an exposed sewer line on the far side of the collapsed wall that’s visibly choked with debris and filth. King Webhekiz and a contingent of his armed guards stand among the ruins, covered in blood and minor scratches, their weapons drawn. The king's once-powdered wig is now matted in gore, as is his jeweled scepter. His beautiful majordomo costume is torn to shreds and covered in filth.
Beware! Audho’s thoughts radiate forth from the Perennial Crown with a sense of urgency. Like before, I sense Qxal’s twisted presence, their spite and malice like a briar patch that chokes the thought from the minds of my fellow Bhopanese.
Webhekiz doesn't even seem to recognize you. He bellows an inhuman roar and charges forth with deadly abandon as if to confirm Audho's warning!
Two of the guards — still dressed like hte Wild Hunt — get the jump on you, charging in and swinging their clubs with furious abandon at the closest target — packet!
One of the guards connects solidly; Packet takes 8 Bludgeoning damage.
The guards who acted weave their weapons through the air; they look ready to strike anyone who moves carelessly by.
The Mad King!
Cross-hatches on map are walls/pillars that go to the ceiling. There is nothing special about the terrain in here but let me know if the guards' numbers are too hard to read.
Guard 1-2
Zarindlara
Mad King
Antonella
Guard 3-4
Gurmire
Packet -8 HP
Varret
Pip
Zarindlara shoots an arrow into the guard, who stumbles back; it's quickly followed by a second arrow! Crit! #4 is at -12 HP.
The Mad King shouts:
YOU there! And YOU!
He points at the soldiers who swung at Packet.
Flank that archer, fools! Kill these strangers! I do not like intruders! I demand their red blood running on the floor, this instant! The soldiers obey, moving at their speed as a reaction! Zarindlara punches #2 as he goes by! 2 damage; it looks like the king doesn't even recognize you; he doesn't mean "strangers" in the larger sense.
The King then incants a spell in Mwangi and his scepter grows leaves, brimming with primal energy. It seems more deadly in his hand. He waves it around and dark liquids splatter on the walls.
HAHA! WHAT FUN!
The Mad King!
Guard 1 Reaction used
Guard 2 -2 HP; Reaction used
Zarindlara Reaction used
Mad King
Antonella
Guard 3
Guard 4 -12 hp
Gurmire
Packet -8 HP
Varret
Pip
The crown speaks in all your minds: Did you not just release Bhopanese soldiers from a violent stupor as well? I hope this madness can be cured! It may be when we're gone Qxal leaves my people be and the king and the rest come to their senses. That is my hope! Please, do not harm Bhopanese leaders if they are not in charge of their own faculties. It will only hurt my people more.
The king is not in charge of his own faculties and you don't have an in-depth diagnosis of the effects these fellow humanoids are suffering at this point. All you know is that the madness has been going on for hours while Qxal looks for the crown. You also just helped some Bhopan soldiers come out of their madness, so it would seem curable at least in some cases.
If I as a GM gave you some other impression that wasn't intended; this effect seems to be longer-lasting and more violent than, say, a rounds-long Confusion spell but that's all you really know right now. Qxal is a deity so their magical effects are different than normal spells and effects that you would have seen in the typical course of adventuring.
Whether you use lethal tactics on the king or not is ultimately up to you. But there is always a chance word will get out of how you act here; your actions to the king, as representatives of the Society, may give you a reputation for kindness in the face of adversity… or cruelty.
The snarling guards rush up and swing at Packet and Antonella! The second guard's club connects with the Champion-in-training. 9 damage
The Mad King! End of Round 1
Guard 1 -10 HP; Reaction used
Guard 2 -2 HP; Reaction used
Zarindlara Reaction used
Mad King
Antonella -9 HP
Guard 3 AOO/Reaction Available
Guard 4 -15HP; AOO/Reaction Available Gurmire
Packet-8 HP Varret
Pip
Male (he/him) half-elf ranger 4 | hp 56/56, hero 1/3 | AC 21, F+9 R+12 W+10 | Speed 30ft | Perception +10 (+12 vs prey), Stealth +10, Survival +9 (+11 to track prey) | Battle Medicine Used: | Hunted Prey: Zatqualmish | Focus Points: 1/2 | Current Conditions: | ◆
Finding himself with a clear shot, Varret takes careful aim at the guard in front of him and fires, aiming for places that will debilitate rather than kill. 1. Hunt Prey on #3, 2. Hunted Shot, 3. Strike (if still up) or Hunt Prey on #4 (if #3 is down).
[Chorus:] It's time for Non-Lethal Fighting
'Though Webhekiz's reign-ning's
Erratic and a little bit frightening
Still we've arrived with expert timing!
There were funky Bhopan guards from funky Bhopan ground
They were rioting up
And we're quieting them down
It's an ancient Pathfinder art
And everybody knows their part
From a feigning to a slip
And a kickin' from the hip
[Chorus:] It's time for Non-Lethal Fighting
'Though Webhekiz's reign-ning's
Erratic and a little bit frightening
Still we have arrived with expert timing! ♫
