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The Pathfinder Society has secured the tools and uncovered the secret to shattering the Untouchable Opal and liberating the demigod within. All the Pathfinders lack is an impossibly hot flame—one that can match the searing hatred of Ymeri herself. The Society's best bet is Kandirion's Pyre, a supernatural forge situated where the elemental planes of earth and fire relentlessly batter each other. Freeing a demigod could send ripples through the multiverse and attract the attention of powerful creatures. Only the greatest agents stand a chance of breaking the Opal and surviving.
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A short while later burly half-orc steps into the room. He gives a brief greeting, Hello, before pulling an incredibly long blade out of a scabbard that shouldn't be able to hold it. After being checked for wear and tear it is replaced in the blink of an eye with an equally large hammer. After repeating the process a couple more times the half-orc sits and begins to polish the black head of the final hammer.
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Inside the Opaline Vault you all gather to meet with each other and learn of your mission. Each of you were hand-picked by the Decemvirate for this trial, what will perhaps be one of your greatest adventures yet. To be chosen by the Ten for a mission is an honor that is assigned only to the boldest and the bravest that have proven their metal time and time again.
The Opaline Vault is a city that resides in the Peerless Empire, the capital of the Shaitan Genies on the Plane of Earth. It is within this city that you all gather and meet in the outpost of Lodehollow.
Some of you maintain a poised and calm demeanor, while others may be excited or anxious for perhaps one of the most daring journeys you will ever embark upon. You have managed to learn more about your team as you began your journey, with understanding of each others backgrounds and histories.
One main theme seems to reside with your party; to overcome prejudice and help expand on freedom. Perhaps this is what ultimately led to the Decemvirate choosing you all. Perhaps some of you only led that impression on while looking to advance your own agenda, be it finding that ultimate challenge or bountiful treasure...
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A striking, beautiful female half-orc indolently strolls up with a decided limp that somehow seems elegant. She uses a longspear with a large banner sporting the glyph of the Open Road as a walking stick. She's quietly singing a ballad to herself about a doomed Opparan couple. Upon seeing the rest of the party, she smiles, and it radiates a warmth that reaches all the way down to your toes.
"I am Baron--ess Akyr Silvertusk, and I am delighted to make your acquaintance. I carry a song in my heart and a dance in my soles. I look forward to inspiring you all to greater endeavors." She bows with a flourish, then adds, "Oh, if I happen to mention the song A Lucky Spar in Magnimar--you know the one that starts with
'A lad went up to Magnimar, with heart both true and bold'
know that I'm using that song as a distraction to mask the casting of a spell--most likely some form of enchantment or other to sway a potential foe...or ally for that matter."
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A dark-haired elf seems to float into the room, his movements so quick and silent that you almost don't notice him at first. His skin is a far darker shade than your typical elf from the area of Kyonin, and from his garb, and faint accent, you place him as one of the more reclusive desert elves of Osirion.
He wears light, breezy clothes, more appropriate to the heat and sun of his homeland, all in light greys and whites... as if he himself were partially made of mist. Over his shoulder, he sports an elaborate longbow, always close to hand.
There is a certain graceful elegance to him, as he nods at those present, and introduces himself. "Teriq Ashfall. Chosen of the Dawnflower. I thought perhaps my adventuring days were over, but they asked me to return to the fold for some important endeavor... as I'm sure they have you."
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The Master of Spells, Sorrina Westyr, welcomes you all. "The Opaline Vault, capital of the shaitan genies' Peerless Empire. It is here you can make final purchases before we begin our trek to the Lodehollow Fortress to finalize our strategy for the mission. Please be advised; gravity may be a factor that many of you are not going to be used to. Lodehollow alone is twice as strong as that of Golarions!"
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A radiant orb of tourmaline sheds a pale green light tinged with pink down onto the reflective surface of an octagonal hematite table. The Master of Spells Sorrina Westyr stands nearby, taut with frenetic energy. Her Shoanti companion Grave Treader seems less fitful, yet nevertheless carries a touch of anxious anticipation in her stiff expression.
Sorrina Westyr taps the table once before speaking. “We stand on the precipice of the greatest change the multiverse has witnessed in our lifetime or many of those that came before."
"Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Pathfinder Society, we have recovered the prison of Ranginori, one of the long-lost elemental lords. We are now poised to liberate him after his untold millennia of imprisonment. The combined might of the other elemental lords banished Ranginori, and it’s by the combined might of their elemental energies that he could be freed.”
She motions to Grave Treader, who places a magnificent war pick and a crystalline decanter on the table. “These are the artifacts Fossilblight and The Breath of Lysianassa, powerful conduits of earthen and aquatic energies, respectively. We have communed with Ranginori directly to secure his mastery of winds, so all that remains is a source of unfathomably hot flame.”
Sorrina touches the top of the table, causing a series of tiny hexagonal columns—like pillars of basalt—to ripple outward across the table’s surface from her hand. In their wake remains a three-dimensional representation of the Plane of Earth sculpted into the table’s dark, glossy surface. Among mountains, immense stalagmites, and columns of natural igneous rock that must rise up to some unseen cavernous ceiling is a jagged rift where roiling lava flows.
Grave Treader gestures to the rift. “The Society has identified a
source of power we can use to free Ranginori, the Lord of Thunder. A scouting party blazed a path to a ruin called Kandirion’s Pyre, an ancient forge on the border of the Planes of Earth and Fire. We believe the Pyre’s forge can channel trueflame, a fire so hot that with the help of Fossilblight and The Breath of Lysianassa it could shatter the Untouchable Opal. The Society is providing you with all of these tools for the journey ahead.”
Sorrina touches the map again, and it changes to create a detailed overhead view of a crumbling ruin set on a jagged cliff surrounded by ancient stone outbuildings. “The elemental lords Ayrzul and Ymeri have a combined force of elementals that numbers in the hundreds, and these groups patrol the region around Kandirion’s Pyre. Divinations confirmed that Ymeri believes that we are close to accomplishing our goal and that we may be seeking to use trueflame to that end. However, she has spread her forces among many sites near the Plane of Earth alongside Ayrzul’s legions, so she may not be totally convinced this is our plan. We will get you as close to the Pyre as we can with magic, and it will be up to you to circumvent or eliminate their forces to access the forge. We believe this central ziggurat is the front entrance to the Pyre, accessible by a fire-shrouded teleportation circle. Ymeri’s forces erected this fiery ward to discourage trespassers. If there’s another way in, we have yet to find it."
“Take this next day to plan and make preparations. This is our best chance to free Ranginori, and we’ve only one chanceto do it before the other elemental lords take notice. Do you have any questions?”
The haft of this weapon is forged from adamantine, and it bears a diamond head. This enchanted heavy pick’s wicked point can puncture even the sturdiest materials with ease. Fossilblight is a minor artifact.
The interior of this crystalline decanter churns gently with fresh water. The Breath of Lysianassa is a minor artifact.
This finely cut opal is about the size of a human fist. Bands of air whip around the gem at all times, creating a painful susurrus. The Untouchable Opal is a major artifact.
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With preparations finalized, Sorrina leads you to Lodehollow's great plaza to meet with a Garundi woman dressed in robes. "Farhaana Zadeh, a conjurer of Thuvia's Emir Guldis, is going to teleport you all to the right trail to Kandirion's Pyre. From there, you best have your wit and talents about you." Sorrina then hands you a sack she has been carrying on her person.
The border of the Planes of Earth and Fire containing Kandirion’s Pyre is highly volatile. Magma plateaus of the Plane of Fire clash against impossible cliffs of the Plane of Earth, and occasionally this friction unleashes massive flares of fire so hot it incinerates even fire elementals.
Trueflame is a powerful, raw elemental fire born from the heart of the Plane of Fire. It penetrates even immunity to fire damage and is the primal flame from which some fire elementals are born. Religious and secular scholars debate whether this is a “fire of creation” that could have forged the very planes themselves.
Kandirion disappeared roughly 900 years ago when a particularly powerful flare of trueflame demolished the surface of Kandirion’s Pyre and consumed its inhabitants.
However, historical records contain little information regarding Kandirion, leaving details other than their name a mystery. Kandirion was fond of incorporating fractal geometry into their magic.
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Teriq is far from an expert, but knows enough to realize that where they go, even his fire affinity will not help. He accepts the offered potions with a polite nod.
"This Ayrzul... and Ymeri." He asks. "What elements do they they typically hold sway over?"
As he asks, he spends some time sorting items into, and out of, a small pouch at his waist (almost all of which are too large to be in there), as well as carefully sorting the arrows in his quiver.
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"I was going to suggest we consider chipping in to get a scroll of Life Bubble, but perhaps our Oracle friend is able to cast the spell? It might be a good idea to cast it before we're transported."
Just before they teleport, Akyr leads the party in a marching song.
Then he fires up some buffs on himself. Once those are done, he unfurls his carpet of flying, steps aboard, then firmly grasps in both hands his longspear with a banner sporting the Glyph of the Open Road. "Ready."
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After confirming all preparations are complete, Sorrina nods to the mage Farhanna Zadeh. Farhanna begins to cast the spell, and Sorrina says "Best of luck, Pathfinders! Much rests on your success!"
The world begins to fade from view...
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... And then you gaze upon a new sight. So close to Kandirion’s Pyre, the Plane of Earth is a hellish, blasted landscape of twisted igneous rock and jutting spines of volcanic glass hundreds of feet tall that angle away from the incandescent glow of the horizon like glittering quills.
A ceiling of stone disappears into an inky darkness overhead, and distant formations of rock a mile across rise up in looming columns. The horizon in the direction of Lodehollow entirely dark, and in the direction of Kandirion’s Pyre there is a flickering, eternal dawn of firelight that casts exaggerated shadows across the blasted realm. A highway of fire-blackened stone snakes toward that horizon, leading the way to Kandirion’s Pyre.
The path to the Pyre is clear to you and looks as an obvious choice to follow for reaching it. How do you wish to approach, Pathfinders?
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As soon as they reach the plane, Teriq looks around cautiously to make sure they are momentarily clear, then concentrates. Small tendrils of flame start to form around his torso, and start to spread outwards across his entire body. A moment later he seems to go up in a fiery inferno. When it clears a little, you still see him there, but now he seems to consist entirely of flame!
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The party begins the march to Kandirion's Pyre. A flickering tongue of fire at least a thousand feet high dances on the horizon. Resembling a thin cyclone of white-hot flames, this persistent fire marks the location of Kandirion’s Pyre. The land between here and the flame is even more jagged and broken than before. The ground smolders with heat, and smoke issues from glowing-hot fissures in the earth. A crumbling stone building—little more than partly intact, fire-blackened walls—perches atop a nearby cliff.*
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You all search around, but some of you hear it before it will be seen. The sound of marching approaches. A lot of marching, and what sounds like a military chant.
"Steady as stone!"
"Raise the mountains!"
Then you see it approaching the cliff side; two units of elemental soldiers! They notice you as well, and begin descending down the cliff to face you in combat! As they approach, you also notice that the ground seems to be chasms that would lead down to lava should you fall in! Best be careful, Pathfinders!
Two additional troops of fiery based elemental soldiers follow up from behind the earth ones!
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Light Condition: Normal
Active Buffs: None
Active Penalties: Squares with Lava are a chasm! Falling in will require a DC20 Climb or risk being submerged in lava!
Favian Aldori(-0,Fine)
Teriq Ashfall(-0,Fine)
Thrag(-0,Fine)
Hania(-0,Fine)
Akyr Silvertusk(-0,Fine)
Blue Squadrons(-0,Fine)
Red Squadons(-0,Fine)
C. Julian Duphin(-0,Fine)
Avalanche Legion Troops
N Medium Outsider (Earth, Elemental, Extraplanar, Troop)
These soldiers are absolutely loyal to Ayrzul, and will fight to the death.
Two additional troops of fiery based elemental soldiers follow up from behind the earth ones!
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Favian confirms it; two battalions of troops approach you now!
Not subject to flanking, but subject to critical and sneak attacks if the component creature is subject to such attacks.
Reducing a troop to 0 HP forces it to break up, and effectively destroys the troop. Until that point, the troop does not degrade its ability to attack or resist attacks.
Additional Troop Immunities: Bull Rush*, Dirty Trick*, Disarm*, Drag*, Grapple*, Reposition*, Trip*, Single Target spells or effects that target a specific number of creatures.
Takes 150% damage from AoE spells.
Troop Attacks: Troops do not make standard melee attacks, but instead deal automatic damage to any creature within reach or whose space is occupied at the end of the troop move.
Unless stated otherwise, a troop’s attacks are nonmagical. Damage reduction sufficient to reduce a troop attack’s damage to 0 or other special abilities can give a creature immunity (or at least resistance) to the troop’s attacks. Some troops also have other special attacks in addition to normal damage or deal more damage than their Hit Dice would normally suggest. Troops threaten all creatures within their reach or within their area, and resolve attacks of opportunity by dealing automatic troop damage to any foe in reach who provokes such an attack of opportunity. Troops are still limited to making one such attack per round unless the text states otherwise.
Because of the chaos of combat, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a troop or within its reach requires a successful caster level check (DC = 20 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a successful DC 20 Will save.
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The fiery form of Teriq says something, his voice crackling and popping like coals on a fire.
As he speaks, large fiery wings suddenly sprout from his back, and he takes to the air, trying to get above the incoming hoards.
He throws his arms back, and his fiery form seems to glow even brighter for a moment, until a ball of flame bursts from him, and flies across the field to explode among all of the earth elemental troops.