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WARNING: This thread contains spoilers for several season 3 scenarios dealing with the Hao Jin Tapestry. Due to the nature of the conversation, it's easiest to just spoiler the whole thread in the title and give this warning up front, so we don't have to bother with spoiler tags going forward.
Don't read this thread if you haven't played the Rats of Round Mountain scenarios.
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So now, on to the point of the thread.
With ratfolk boons becoming more common, I've decided to make my first PC who wasn't born on Golarion: He's one of the rats of Round Mountain, inspired by the Pathfinders who visited his homeland 4 years ago to leave the Hao Jin Tapestry and become a Pathfinder himself. The problem is that I don't remember enough of the details of those scenarios, because I played them 3+ years ago and never GMed them.
Specifically, I remember the basics of the final bosses in both parts of Round Mountain, but I don't remember the reaction of the rat folks, or how friendly they would be towards the Pathfinders who helped free them from those enemies. Didn't they treat the rakshasa in part 2 as some sort of god before the PCs killed it? What exactly is the story there again?
I'm just trying to get the view of the "common man" among the ratfolk of that community at the events of those two adventures. And if someone could remind me of the names and other details of the important NPCs (especially the dragon and rakshasa), that would help, too.
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I'm mostly just trying to remember if killing the rakshasa at the end led to a "All hail the strangers who freed us from slavery!" moment or a "You killed our leader, you bastards!" moment. Other details would also be appreciated, though, especially the name of the rakshasa.
I may have to break down and buy the scenario just to read all the details.
Also, I'm trying to remember what the ratfolks thought of the dragon from part 1. I think they had to pay tribute to it regularly or something, so its death would also be seen as a good thing.
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Having played it recently, our party was very diplomatic with everyone that was amenable to diplomacy. We didn't get the rat kudos for taking out the dragon for the simple facts that the orders were to essentially 'play nice' whenever possible and 'not burn any bridges' if we could help it.
If I should happen to get lucky and run a table before time runs out, that's an interesting backstory idea.
Venture-Lieutenant, Massachusetts—Boston Metro
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There is a permanent hole in the tapestry nowadays. Not going to spoil how it got there.I only vaguely remember that, also. Any chance you could put some details in a spoiler tag, with the name of the adventure outside the spoiler tag? I think I played that one, but I don't remember for sure.
It's a spoiler for a scenario so the name is in the tags.
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So I'm still looking for information about the society and culture of the ratfolk there. Again, what was their relationship to the rakshasa ruler, and what did they think of the Pathfinders killing her?
Also, what gods do they worship? And do they understand their situation of being in a demiplane, not on Golarion?
I'm trying to come up with some details for my PC's personality and back story. I don't even know what his alignment or anything will be yet, so I'm hoping some of those types of details might inspire something.
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The Undying Empress was a mysterious figure that send decrees through intermediaries, and was treated as a sort of mythological figure. There were fanatical servants as well as quiet dissidents, until Pathfinders solved that problem. It is uncertain how much of the demiplane was understood, as most citizens lived in the pagoda and farmed the surrounding cavern, never knowing anything beyond the interior. The contingent of guards at the entrance to the Sundered Path was isolated from that lifestyle and far more open-minded.
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 8
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You could also try summoning the authors of those two scenarios--Kyle Baird and Russ Taylor--to see if they have any further insight.
Locally, we had one fellow that made an oread who was from the tapestry. Very cool thread to follow, enjoy your ratfolk!
Venture-Captain, Netherlands
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I've put it in spoiler tags as its text straight out of the scenario.
Regarding the Dragon:
The mechanical effect is that Krella, one of the NPCs starts at friendly instead of unfriendly, so they definitely look favorable upon the pathfinders having slain the dragon.
Regarding the whole outcome:
G. The Pinnacle (top room)
This chamber has a 30-foot-high ceiling. The crystal stars, while attractive and slightly luminescent, have no significant value. Together, they provide dim lighting in the chamber. The writing on the pillars records the lives of the generations of ratfolk who lived and died since Round Mountain was ripped free of Golarion. Only the bottom quarter of each pillar remains untouched.
The maps in the room’s northwest corner depict much of the Hao Jin Tapestry’s geography, most accurately in the vicinity of Round Mountain. The journals detail the military exploits of the ratfolk, along with accounts of the tribute provided them by the other denizens of the tapestry; and the tribute they in turn pay to the underworld imperial dragon Xiangnuer.
Creatures: Dozens of rats both normal and dire lurk in
the shadows of this room. Most pose no threat to the PCs.
However, a ratfolk druid named Krella in rat form and her
animal companion hide among the rats. They stand out
plainly under the scrutiny of detect magic or similar spells because of their magical protections, but otherwise cannot
be distinguished from the other rats until they separate
from the throng. Krella remains content to observe the
PCs for the most part. However, if any of the PCs played The
Rats of Round Mountain Part 1: The Sundered Path and killed
the underworld dragon—as indicated on their Chronicle
sheet for that scenario—Krella has heard of their deeds
and takes particular interest in the Pathfinders. The
dragon had long demanded tribute from the rats of Round
Mountain, and its slayers have done her and her kin a great
favor. She takes a chance and negotiates with the PCs as
described under Development below.
In rat or humanoid form, Krella has silver fur accented by brown splotches over much of her left side, including a stripe passing from her left eye to her neck. She wears simple clothing except for a well-worn jade pendant in the shape of a wingless dragon, a gift from her grandmother. Descended from the bloodlines of the officers who ruled before the ascent of Durriya, Krella holds much influence in the ratfolk courts. Nominally, she is viceroy to the Undying Empress’s rule, but Durriya prefers to exclude Krella from her scheming. For her part, Krella distrusts the ratfolk’s immortal empress and her mysterious dealings with the world beyond the Hao Jin Tapestry, and
she holds much sympathy for those who openly oppose Durriya’s rule.
Development: Under most circumstances, Krella won’t
directly engage the party in this area. Rather, she observes
them, and should they locate the secret door in the pillar
and head into the sanctum beneath the pagoda, she sneaks
up to the pillar and follows them down, trying to keep
about 80 feet away.
Krella isn’t immediately hostile even if the party notices her. She starts with an initial attitude of unfriendly (after
all, anyone who has made it this far into the pagoda has likely killed many ratfolk). If made at least helpful with Diplomacy, she decides to take a chance on the PCs and eliminate what she views as the ratfolk’s true enemy: their ruler, the Undying Empress Durriya. She informs the PCs about the secret door to the sanctum chamber and advises them what threats they may find therein. Securing her aid in battle against Durriya requires a second successful Diplomacy check.
If any of the PCs slew the underworld dragon Xiangnuer in The Sundered Path, Krella automatically has a friendly attitude and approaches the PCs (shifting into her ratfolk form) to elicit their aid. She offers to accompany them to the sanctum with no Diplomacy check required, feeling indebted to them for eliminating the dragon and her generations-old demands of tribute for safe passage through the Sundered Path.
CONCLUSION
As long as the PCs win the final battle, the defeat breaks
Durriya’s hold over the ratfolk—even if she escapes. The
ratfolk, already weary of her undying rule, now control
their own destiny in Round Mountain. The immediate
future of Round Mountain hinges on whether or not
Krella survives and how she feels about the Pathfinders.
She takes immediate steps to secure leadership over the
rats of Round Mountain if she lives through the final
battle, and quickly wins the support of the other survivors.
If the PCs befriended Krella, they have her gratitude for deposing Durriya, but she insists they take their leave as quickly as possible for the sake of stability. She does not begrudge any treasures they may have acquired along the way, but tries to dissuade them from further exploration of the pagoda, as it may endanger future relations. She credits Durriya’s mad plans for the death of the ratfolk slain by the PCs, and while some ratfolk nurse grudges, they do so quietly. It’s likely the Pathfinders have won a strong ally in the Hao Jin Tapestry.
If Krella fought against the PCs but survived, she stays in hiding until they’ve left the scene. She picks up the pieces as best she can, but enjoys much less support among the other ratfolk. The PCs share the blame for the ratfolk deaths with the Aspis Consortium envoys, and many ratfolk decry the slaughter as the inevitable outcome of bargaining with outsiders. The rats of Round Mountain turn inward and have little inclination toward further contact with either the Aspis Consortium or Pathfinders.
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Venture-Captain, California—San Francisco Bay Area North & East
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Heh, my -13 ratfolk I made when I got my 2014 GM boon is actually from Round Mountain.
My -18, also from Gencon 2014, is a Round Mountain ambassador to the Sovereign Court. (Though he's actually pretty terrible at diplomacy). He was inspired by my gunslinger when she liberated the ratfolk, and went to find guns for himself.
Upon reaching Golarion, took up worship of Mazludeh.
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I'm not surprised that I'm not the first to have this idea. After all, it's the only PFS scenario that has a ratfolk community, so it's an obvious origin to use for some ratfolk PCs.
yeah. I've had a ratfolk for a few years now, and that's what I did. I decided he came from Round Mountain himself, having been inspired by Pathfinders. The sad part is, I've never played him, and he's like level 5 or 6 now.
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"Xiangnuer is a menace. Its cursed blood runs through my veins, and it will prove to be it's own undoing. And when I stand above it I will spit on its corpse for the tyranny that it has wrought. And even still, it's death will only scratch the surface of proper repayment for what it has done to us."
Sabanuer, (an underworld-red-dragon-blooded dragon disciple) looks forward to being sent back to eradicate what the first team of Pathfinders could not.
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"Xiangnuer is a menace. Its cursed blood runs through my veins, and it will prove to be it's own undoing. And when I stand above it I will spit on its corpse for the tyranny that it has wrought. And even still, it's death will only scratch the surface of proper repayment for what it has done to us."
Sabanuer, (an underworld-red-dragon-blooded dragon disciple) looks forward to being sent back to eradicate what the first team of Pathfinders could not.
Don't worry, took her down for you. Some Taldan princess convinced her to throw a party when we got there. Gave me plenty of time to set up, then it was dead before it knew there was a fight.
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Venture-Captain, Michigan—Mt. Pleasant
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There is a permanent hole in the tapestry nowadays. Not going to spoil how it got there.
Why is it everyone remembers a hole was created, but everyone seems to forget that we closed it too...
The Aspis Consortium had their own way in and out of the demiplane.
Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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The thing I most remember about that encounter was asking the sorcerer "are you sure you want to Fireball the Tapestry?"
Then again, that was the party that dumped the dude carrying the [well-known MacGuffin that should absolutely not come near extradimensional areas] into a Create Pit...