Starfinder Society Scenario # 1-07: "The Solar Sortie" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I ran The Solar Sortie at Tier 1-2, using the four-player adjustment.  It's a short and very straightforward scenario that could be good for new players, but the plotting is weak and the encounters are mediocre at best.  It's definitely playable and there's a few fun elements, but on the whole I'd rank it near the bottom of the list.

SPOILERS

Historia-7, faction leader of the Dataphiles, provides the usual briefing this time around, and it's an interesting one: The Starfinder Society's data archives have been compromised!  It turns out that Historia-7's predecessor had been investigating several corporations prior to the Scoured Stars Incident, but now all of that data is missing.  However, a hacker identified in a previous scenario (Ceren from "The Commencement") has provided the SFS with links leading to one of the mysteriously-omitted corporations: Arch Energy.  Arch Energy is a manufacturer of solar batteries and has their corporate HQ and research laboratories aboard a space station named Brilliance that orbits the sun.  Historia-7 says a straight infiltration of Brilliance to find out what Arch Energy is really all about is doomed to fail because security is too tight, but that she's identified a weak link: the CEO's drug-addled son, Envar.  The PCs are to travel to Brilliance and manipulate Envar into helping them gain access to the CEO's computer.  The premise has an interesting tie-in to the Scoured Stars Incident meta-plot, and I'm looking forward to learning more.

On the way to Brilliance, the PCs are expected to disguise themselves as participants in gladiatorial combat games that Envar sponsors aboard the station.  Oddly, the PCs are allowed to use a Computers skill check instead of Disguise to make their fake identities, which renders the latter skill rather superfluous.  There is a nice bonus if one or more of the PCs have a particular boon from an earlier scenario ("Abadar Annoyance" from # 1-02), and I hope we continue to see plenty of occasions where these come into play.

Once the PCs arrive on Brilliance, they're ushered into an arena for a battle against a monster called a Crest-Eater.  I frankly found the idea of blood-sports taking place in an otherwise normal corporate HQ rather odd, even if the CEO's son sponsors them.  It'd be like if Google had dog-fighting matches in the lobby of their HQ.  There is a nice little add-on that the PCs are expected to show off in the arena prior to the battle to gain Envar's interest, but the battle itself is pretty average because, although it looks cool, the Arena flip-mat doesn't actually provide much in the way of interesting terrain features for the PCs to take advantage of.

Win or lose, Envar approaches the PCs after the match and offers them a tour of Brilliance.  I had fun role-playing him as a drug-addled stoner, and the scenario provides some fun descriptions of various hallucinations that he might have.  He takes the PCs first to a nearby bar for a drink, and this is when the second encounter occurs.  A ysoki drug-dealer named Razor, accompanied by two vesk bodyguards (something already becoming a meme in Starfinder), plans to rough Envar up for falling behind on his payments for the transdimensional pesh she provides him.  Although my PCs ended up with the classic "laser gun and grenade battle in the middle of a bar" result, I liked how the scenario provided a couple of other good ways the situation could be resolved: paying off Razor, bluffing her that the money was on the way, or taking up her offer to resolve things through a battle of strength (arm-wrestling her goons) or wits (playing a video game).  It's good encounter design to provide options.  It is a bit ironic that the PCs are standing up for Envar only so they can completely take advantage of him later!

After the bar incident, Envar takes the PCs up to an observatory.  In a really forced scripted event, he then spouts something about wanting to play a computer game before accidentally lowering the observatory's solar shielding, which just so coincidentally lets two feral "solar elementals" manifest.  It's obviously combat just for the sake of combat.  One of the odd things about the scenario is that Envar isn't given any stats at all, even though he's often placed directly in harm's way (from Razor and her goons, from the solar elementals, etc.).  I guess the GM can just hand-wave that he survives no matter what, but many players will assume he needs to be protected, healed, etc.  In addition, some (more unscrupulous) Starfinders may decide to get Envar's cooperation through more nefarious tactics, and, again, not having his stats hinders options (say, if the PCs decide to steal his keycard, intimidate him into taking them directly to the computer they need, charming him, etc.).  And in another forced bit, Envar insists the PCs search the lab and nearby storage room and take anything they like (a.k.a., loot must be dropped somewhere!).

After the observatory, Envar takes the PCs to his mother's office.  The PCs can either hack into the computer or simply yank out its data module, with the latter option setting off an alarm.  Not much really hinges on the choice, as, either way, they'll make it off Brilliance with the information they need.  The only way it could matter is that if the PCs pulled off the entire infiltration flawlessly (avoiding multiple opportunities for guards to pierce their disguises; noticing and avoiding an alarm trap on the door to the CEO's office; and hacking into the computer without any failures) they get to skip the final encounter of the scenario: an attack by two fighter starships.  I think most groups will trigger this encounter, but it's nice to see at least the possibility of it being avoided and I think it's a good twist that the space combat occurs at the end of the scenario unlike all previous ones where it has happened near the beginning or middle.  The encounter itself was interesting at first for my group because the fighter's missile batteries could actually do some damage; however, once the PCs realized their ship was faster than the fighters, they simply decided to flee.  I imagine this was an oversight by the writer and developer, and it put me in a tough spot as the GM.  Fleeing without consequences trivializes the encounter, but if the goal is to escape with the data that Historia-7 wants, what point is there in battling the fighters?

Once back on Absalom Station, the conclusion is better than in many other SFS scenarios.  Historia-7 realizes there's a corporate conspiracy to hide the truth about the Scoured Stars Incident, and to unravel it she (and the PCs) are going to have to take Zigvigix up on his invitation to attend a Star Sugar Heartlove!! concert!  It's a fun ending.

Overall though, I found The Solar Sortie pedestrian.  It's as railroad-y as it gets, with the PCs following Envar by the coattails from encounter to encounter.  The gladiatorial combat and fight against the solar elementals were examples of poor plotting, and the starship combat at the end, although a fun idea in theory, failed due to a mechanics oversight.  I guess, in its favor, I can say that the scenario is a very short one to run (on par with "Fugitive on the Red Planet") and that it's pretty easy both RP and combat-wise.  It might be a scenario to use for players new to gaming or to Starfinder, but otherwise it's not a good reflection of the type of story-telling that could be achieved with this system and this fictional setting.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 40 [RPG]

[4 Kuthona 4707]

The crew and passengers of Pinkeye’s Comeuppance settle in for another day’s journey east up the Yondabakari.  Little seems to distinguish one hour from the next, except for incidents that seem minor at the time but that hold greater meaning in retrospect.  Kang notices that one of the halfling shipmates, a man with a pitted and scarred face named Skivolo, keeps glaring at him when he thinks the tiefling isn’t looking.  Kang tells Briza that the fellow is probably jealous of his skills at alchemy and may turn to theft out of anger, and that she should keep her eyes open.  Meanwhile, Kozen returns from a walk on shore to find  fellow passenger Tillia Henkenson, the schoolmarm of Turtleback Ferry, petting her dog, Taz.  Tillia shyly explains that she misses her dog back home, and that this journey upriver is already turning out to be far different than when she accompanied a caravan on the way to Magnimar.  As it starts to get dark, Shalelu draws Artemis aside and gives him a cryptic warning that once they’ve passed Ilsurian, they’ve left the reaches of civilization behind and have to be ready to make some hard choices in the field.  Once the boat lays in for the night, Captain Othlo explains to Briza, in a roundabout way, that he recognizes what she and the others did to fend off the boggards.  He hands her a new fishing pole hand-crafted by the crew.  She’s jubilant over the gift.

That night, Kozen and Briza maintain watch while their fellows slumber.  But as they watch for any dangers approaching the boat, they don’t realize that the true danger is already aboard!  Skivolo, the halfling shipmate who aroused Kang’s suspicions earlier, silently treads over to where Kang is sleeping, unwraps a dagger wrapped in a cloak, and cuts the tiefling’s throat!  But in the darkness, Skivolo failed to realize the slightly different anatomy of the tiefling and missed the jugular—Kang’s wound is serious, but not fatal, and he cries out in alarm as he wakes in great pain to discover his would-be assassin lurking over him.  Kang rolls to his feet, downs a vial, and suddenly disappears from view.  The whole ship is awakened to see Skivolo with the blood-stained knife.  “He was there!  He saw what they did to me!  They’re tortured me and he didn’t even care!” the halfling shouts over and over, stabbing uselessly at the spot where Kang disappeared.  Kozen dodges various crates and supplies on deck and lashes out with the flat of her scythe to knock Skivolo to the ground, and Briza does a flying leap to body slam him to the deck.  Artemis supplies the manacles to ensure the halfling will prove no further threat.  Captain Othlo has him locked in the ship’s small cargo hold and tells Kang that an affidavit against Skivolo can be sworn out once they reach the next town.  Afterwards, Kozen and Briza asks Kang what the halfling was raving about.  Kang says he’s never been in a situation where someone was tortured and that likely the halfling mistook him for another tiefling.

[5 Kuthona 4707]

The vessel continues east.  Save for an occasional barge coming downriver or a wagon passing along the Dry Way, the long stretch between Magnimar and Wartle seems rarely used in winter. 

During the voyage, Kozen slips into the cluttered hold and manages to speak with Skivolo.  The halfling grudgingly explains that he was abducted from his home one night years ago and taken some place far underground, where there were strange, dusky purple-skinned elves.  They experimented on him, he says, for untold months, and during one such torture session he saw a figure that could only be Kang walk right by!  Weeks later, his captors let him go, Skivolo says, and he wandered through tunnels lit only by phosphorescent moss for days until finally finding a way back to the surface.  Kozen is sympathetic to the obviously emotionally-scarred man, but says that his plight still doesn’t justify murder.

Kang spends some hours deep in thought and reaches a decision: he needs to speak with his assailant firsthand.  The master alchemist swallows a new concoction that shrinks his physical form and then enters the hold to confront Skivolo.  Kang endures the halfling’s verbal tirades before admitting the essential truth of what happened.  But, Kang confides, he was as much a prisoner to the legendary “drow” as Skivolo was, and there was nothing he could do to help.  In a show of humanity that his allies have perhaps never glimpsed, Kang tells Skivolo that he’ll ask Othlo to let him go.  Skivolo says nothing will make up for Kang’s callousness those years ago, but that he’ll leave the boat and never return.

Goblins are cruel, vicious, and probably insane.

As Kang emerges from the shadowy hold into the crisp daylight, a general shout of alarm goes up on deck.  Goblins have been spotted on the north shore, trying to set fire to a trapper’s cabin while the trapper himself is perched on the top of it!  Captain Othlo orders his crew to maintain current speed and course, but the adventurers spring into action.  Kozen, Shalelu, and Goragar (while mounted on his warhorse!) all try to jump to shore only to land in the water.  Artemis sinks an arrow into the nearest goblin from almost a 140’ away.  Finally realizing they’re being attacked, some of the goblins charge towards the boat singing “Goblins turn and Goblins fight, goblins sink a boat tonight!”  The ox that pulls the vessel on the port side is the first target of the goblins’ wrath and suffers several stab wounds.  Other goblins continue dancing and setting fire to the trapper’s cabin, leading Briza to call out to Kang to rescue the poor man.  Kang knocks back another elixir and soars into the sky just seconds before a fusillade of goblin arrows injure several of the halfling crewmembers.  Flying swiftly through the air, Kang manages to grab the now-unconscious trapper.  Meanwhile, Kozen realizes the fast-moving boat is leaving her behind and runs to catch up, and Shalelu does the same thing while firing arrows on the run.  Goragar and his steed reach shore and charge into the advancing goblins, sending several fleeing in terror.  The goblins are routed and scatter, with all but a couple perishing from the overwhelming firepower of the adventurers.

That night, Goragar channels holy energies to close the wounds suffered by the halflings, the ox, and the rescued trapper, who gives his name as Shiggogan.  Shiggogan says he doesn’t have any way to repay the adventurers, but that he’s forever in their debt.  Briza feeds Goragar’s horse a carrot as a partial apology for a stray arrow during the fight, while Kozen offers some comforting words to Tillia after yet another brush with danger.

[6 Kuthona 4707]

The last stretch of water before Wartle is travelled without incident, and as dusk falls, Pinkeye’s Comeuppance reaches the docks of the small hamlet.  A handful of muck-encrusted cabins and shacks built on the edge of the Mushfens, Wartle offers little in the way of amenities.  Artemis, Kang, and Goragar follow some of the deckhands and find themselves in a dimly-lit, cramped, and filthy watering hole named the Lean-To.  The locals (bearded, husky men who have obviously lived a hard life) are friendly enough to most of the visitors, but Kang is mocked for his haughty manner and addressed as “Your Majesty.”  The only drink available, served in communal bottles, is called “Bog Grog” and tastes as good as its name implies.  Time passes in idle drinking and conversation until suddenly the omnipresent sound of dogs barking and insects chirping stops.  A look of panic passes over the locals’ faces, and in unison they slap a copper piece on the table, douse the lanterns, and slip under the nearest table.  “The Dark Lady!” one whispers.  “She’s coming!”

-------------------------------------------------------

Director's Commentary (18/3/2018)

Kang's backstory is a really interesting one that I hadn't yet managed to do anything with.  It took me a bit to come up with the idea of a survivor of his time in the Darklands seeking revenge.  I didn't actually expect the coup de grace attempt to come off, but the assassin rolled a natural 20 (an automatic success under our house rules) on his Stealth check.  Fortunately, the damage roll was low and Kang rolled high on his Fortitude save to survive (matching the number exactly).  It's interesting to think about how much sometimes hinges in a campaign on a single die roll, as Kang has become the "oldest" member of the group as I write this now.  I also quite liked the aftermath to the assassination attempt, as we got to see another side of Kang's personality.

The goblins were what turned up on a random encounter roll.  I knew they'd be a complete pushover, but the encounter was kind of fun anyway, with the biggest challenge for the PCs consisting on saving the trapper but not getting left behind by the boat!

Next Recap

RealmsToowoomba Recap # 69 [RPG]

[16 Flamerule 1372 continued]

Just a few minutes' ride into the Evermoors reveals to Dolcetto, Markus, and McBronzebottom that the area is even more ominous than before.  Scarcely a sound can be heard, and a hazy grey mist obscures all sight beyond fifteen or twenty feet.  Even on spectral mounts, the adventures are forced to detour and backtrack frequently to avoid deep pools of standing water and treacherous bogs.  After about an hours' ride trying to keep generally heading west, the trio see a row of razor-sharp spears jutting out of the ground facing east.  Rather than risk an ambush trying to move around or over the spears, the adventurers decide to backtrack again, and look for another way to continue west towards Startop Mountain.  The map that Dolcetto had created in Silverymoon helps to keep the adventurers from getting lost in the largely featureless moors, and after heading southeast for an hour and then west again, the adventurers feel like they're starting to make progress.

A few hours into their journey, just as they're starting to get comfortable, disaster strikes!  Twisted unliving reflections of humanity, recognized by Dolcetto as "wights", crawl out of the ground and strike before the adventurers can react.  As Markus was in the front of the adventurers' formation, he quickly finds himself and his mount surrounded.  A mere scratch from one of the wights seems to drain some of Markus' life-force, leading the swordsman to shout to Dolcetto that her plan for surviving the Evermoors was terrible.  The wights continue to attack until Dolcetto is able to reach Markus and cast a spell to transport the two of them and McBronzebottom several hundred feet to the east.  

Having escaped the wights, Dolcetto explains to Markus that the type of undead they fought can drain the energy and experiences of those they touch, and that there is a chance those afflicted will never recover if treatment is not sought within 24 hours.  She leaves it to Markus to decide whether to continue for Startop Mountain or retreat.  Markus insists that the group needs a cleric, and elects for a return to Silverymoon.  As the adventurers were forced to abandon their spectral mounts to make the quick escape, the trio are reduced to walking slowly east on foot.  When night falls, Dolcetto tries to find a sheltered campsite for the party to hide in, but her efforts come to naught in the barren Evermoors.  

Shortly before midnight, the situation goes from bad to worse.  The adventurers realize they've been surrounded by shadowy, almost intangible spectral spirits that have hidden in the mist.  Again, the adventurers are slow to react before the onslaught.  The wraiths glide in silently and plunge their soul-draining fingers into the adventurers before the trio can mount a defence.  Dolcetto falls to the ground in seconds, a lifeless husk.  Markus and McBronzebottom, too, find themselves trapped with no hope of escape until suddenly Markus' holy symbol to Tymora, the Goddess of Luck, flashes with divine power and drives the wraiths away!  Seizing the moment, Markus grabs Dolcetto's backpack and helps McBronzebottom stumble away towards the east.  

Meanwhile, far away in Longsaddle, Fargrim continues drinking and swapping stories with Trappy.  At one point, as Trappy leaves to fetch more drinks, Fargrim realizes someone is sitting right next to him.  The unremarkable, middle-aged man looks faintly familiar to Fargrim, and starts a conversation asking the dwarf what he would say if told that everything Trappy describes actually happened.  Fargrim, deep in his cups, tries to remember who the man is before being reminded of an earlier encounter the last time the adventurers were in Longsaddle with the member of the wizardly Harpell family, Aldarac.  Finding that Fargrim is too inebriated to hold a sensible conversation, Aldarac tells Trappy to bring the "Harpell Vintage 1358", which turns out to be a potion of sobriety!  Aldarac tells the now-hungover Fargrim that the dwarf has become noticeably darker in spirit than when last they met.  Further, Aldarac says, Cain is even less welcome in Longsaddle than before, as his efforts to burn the humanity from his body are succeeding.  In regards to Mellia, he posits that she is foolish to continue questing for the Crown of Horns after being warned off months ago, and that in a very real sense her mission is a selfish one: to save her daughter, she would risk unleashing a terrible fate on the world.  Fargrim retorts "Well what would you have us do, then?", describing his debilitating visions of darkness coming.  "We are mere pieces of driftwood in a storm," Aldarac replies.  "We cannot hope to turn the storm, we must simply float with the waves and endure it, or push against it and be dashed upon the rocks."  Fargrim seems moved by the analogy, and says that he's been given much to think about.

That evening, as Cain performs a mysterious ritual and Ralkin and Mellia study spells, a distracted Fargrim takes up Trappy's offer to come see the village's new entertainment.  When he was last in Longsaddle, the craze was frog-fighting.  Trappy says that frog-fighting grew old after a while, and that, with the help of Regwald Harpell, they've developed a new sport: frog-jousting, but on giant-sized frogs!  Fargrim is induced to climb onto one of the strange, horse-sized creatures and have a tilt at Trappy, but during one of his mount's jumps, a strange feeling comes over Fargrim.  He feels like he's falling and every nerve in his body spasms, and, suddenly, he finds himself standing in a land made purely of fire!  Waves of heat from a nearby river of molten lava wash over the dwarf as he hears a voice in his head, explaining that one proven pure, Mellia Nightflower, has chosen him to be tested by followers of the Flamelord.  A massive humanoid-like creature composed fire takes form, and attacks with no mercy.  Fargrim raises his red-bladed axe in defence, and some property of its metal wounds the creature!  Enraged by the ambush and perceived betrayal, Fargrim charges the elemental and swings wildly until its reduced to mere harmless smoke.  "You have proven yourself worthy.  Follow the path of the Flamelord and remain pure," says the mysterious voice.  Fargrim instantly finds himself back in the saddle on the giant-frog, and is bucked off.  He hits the ground hard, but is otherwise unharmed and only lightly-singed by the strange encounter.  He returns to the inn, asking Trappy to deliver a message to Aldarac for a meeting in the morning.

[17 Flamerule 1372]

Having left a companion behind to moulder in the Evermoors, Markus and McBronzebottom find that their luck holds.  Walking through the night, they eventually reach the edge of the foreboding land and the same set of fortifications they passed on the way in.  A cleric of Lathander shakes his head at the adventurers, reminding them of the warning he had given them just hours before.  Still, he heals some of their wounds and even invigorates their tired bodies.  Markus and his loyal companion continue walking through the morning, and eventually reach the hamlet of Wistof's Den in the afternoon.  They take up rooms at an inn, hoping to forget of the terrors they witnessed.

Back in Longsaddle, Fargrim has another conversation with Aldarac.  Aldarac says he's just confirmed Fargrim's belief that evil is rising under Startop Mountain, but repeats his assertion that the Crown of Horns needs to be hidden rather than wielded, stating that it will corrupt the soul of any who touch it and will inevitably be misused.  He implies that he had a role in hiding it the first time around, and that if Fargrim or his band find it, they should return it to him to be sent away even further from mortal eyes.

Upstairs in the inn, Ralkin tells Mellia that Fargrim returned last night suffering from minor burns.  Mellia admits that she might know the cause, and seeks out Fargrim.  The two well-travelled companions have a fateful conversation during a long walk along the banks of a stream.  Mellia starts by apologising for Fargrim being attacked by the fire elemental, explaining that one of the tests she had to undergo to rescue Cain in the Flaming Brazier was to name a candidate for purification.  She says she chose Fargrim as a mark of respect, knowing that others would be incapable and unworthy of succeeding in the test.  Fargrim brushes the apology aside, and turns the conversation into a different direction.  "What was the plan for Nesme?" he asks.  "What were we going to do there?"  Mellia, noticing his use of past tense, says that the goal is to free the people of the city from an evil cult, and remove from them the false hope that anyone can shelter them from the plague of undead that is coursing through the Evermoors.  If the remains of the city are destroyed, she says, the people will be forced to leave and start better lives elsewhere.

Fargrim doesn't seem to be persuaded, and asks what Nesme has to do with their long-standing quest to find the Crown of Horns.  Mellia replies that she and Cain are both bound to travel to Nesme as part of the price paid for Cain to gain freedom from the Flaming Brazier; but after that one short task is finished, she continues, the quest for the Crown will be taken up again until successful.  "And what will success entail?" Fargrim asks.  "If you use the Crown to save your daughter, many more will die.  The Crown must be sealed away, not touched by mortal hands."  Mellia says she has to take things one step at a time; others have been sent to find the Crown by the dark figure who kidnapped her daughter, and if one of them finds it first, all is surely lost. 

Mellia reminds Fargrim that he swore an oath to help her rescue her daughter, just as she swore to help him find Grim and kept her oath.  Fargrim angrily replies that he swore to help rescue her daughter, not travel to Nesme--the two have nothing to do with each other.  He says it would make more sense to find the man who has kidnapped the girl, and confront him, but Mellia says she has been turned to glass and would be easily destroyed if the dark figure is angered.

Fargrim declares that he intends to travel directly to Startop Mountain and stop anyone from finding the Crown and unleashing its horrors.  Mellia again reminds Fargrim of his oath, and says there is only one way to rescue her daughter.  She says she knows her daughter is still alive, as her mentor in divination, Gideon, knows where the girl is being held hostage.  She expresses anger that Fargrim would think of abandoning her, just as Markus did.  She says that if he travels alone towards Startop, he'll surely die in the Evermoors.  But if he comes with them to Nesme, she'll vow to think if there is another way to rescue her daughter besides obtaining the Crown.  Fargrim, however, is not persuaded.  He says he needs to talk to Cain before leaving, but that his decision has been made.

[18 Flamerule 1372]

Markus buys a cheap nag for he and McBronzebottom to ride the rest of the way back to Silverymoon.  The horse literally groans under the weight of the two adventurers and their belongings, and falls dead just as it reaches the gleaming walls of the city.  After placating an angry guardsman, the two then walk to the city's Temple of Tymora, where Luckpriestess Aratha Sul finishes restoring McBronzebottom to normality after the attack of the wights and wraiths.  Once back in their old lodgings at Wayward House, Markus summons his Marauders and tells them solemnly to slap him if he ever thinks about venturing back into the Evermoors.

Hunter's Folly [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Josh Vogt's Hunter's Folly, a 4-part series of free Pathfinder web fiction (available here) is a really fun little tale about a trio of friendly rivals who have made a bet about who can be the first to capture a chimera.  The tale takes place outside Whistledown, the gnome village that might be familiar to readers who have played APs set in Varisia.  The three friends (a merchant, an artist, and a warrior) are really well-depicted with memorable personalities, and there's some excellent twists along the way.  There's nothing of earth-shaking importance going on here, but it's a fun character study that's worth reading for something a little lighter.

SPOILERS

Part Two has a great scene where the chimera surprises its would-be hunters, and the description makes the beast sound truly terrifying.  The beast kidnaps Tali, the artist (my favourite of the characters) in Part Three, and there's another great battle-scene in Part Four along with a nice twist at the end.  I really liked the three characters here, and would happily read more about them.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 39 [RPG]

[1 Kuthona 4707]

Reefclaws generally attack aquatic life, but are known to prey on land creatures near the shore.

The first day of winter sees the adventurers make preparations for their planned trip to Turtleback Ferry.  Knowing that there won’t be any cities nearly as large as Magnimar on the voyage, the adventures brave the chill air and take advantage of the opportunity to source items of arcane power and purchase supplies.  While shopping in Dockway, Kozen and Briza are accosted by a gang of disgruntled sailors, but Briza’s glare and greatsword are enough to scare them away.  Just a few blocks away, Goragar is trotting along on his warhorse at the harbor front when he glances at the shadows underneath the boardwalk and notices eyes following his every movement.  Suddenly, two aberrant crustaceans about the size of large dogs scuttle out and slither towards him, clicking their large pincers threateningly.  Reefclaws!  Goragar’s finely-honed battle instincts kick in, and he slices one of the aberrant aquatic predators nearly in half with his sword, but, in its death throes, the reefclaw grazes his leg with a poisonous pincer.  Gorgar is weakened as the poison runs its course, and for a few moments it addles his brain to the point where he slams the pommel of his sword into his own forehead!  But his trained mount keeps the second reefclaw at bay until he can regain his senses and finish it off.

Meanwhile, Artemis walks to the Glowing Embers Inn in Naos District, finding that many pedestrians have taken advantage of its huge hearth to warm themselves before continuing on.  There, sitting in a comfortable chair and knitting, Artemis finds Tillia Henkenson.  He explains that he and his allies have been tasked with travelling to Fort Rannick and finding out why the Order of the Black Arrow rangers have cut off contact with Turtleback Ferry.  He offers to accompany Tillia on her return voyage and, after verifying his identity through documents, she agrees.  She explains that she’s booked passage on a keelboat called Pinkeye’s Comeuppance and that it’s set to depart sometime in the morning.  Although rather shy, Tillia seems friendly enough.

Captain Othlo isn't chatty, but he gets his ship where it needs to go.

 Artemis then follows the directions he’s been given and talks to Captain Othlo, the halfling master of Pinkeye’s Comeuppance.  Othlo continually puffs on a long-stemmed pipe as he explains that Artemis and his companions can come aboard as either passengers or crew, but that either way they have to sleep on the deck amidst crates and barrels, and that the boat won’t be stopping at Whistledown no matter what may come.  Artemis can see that the ship is crewed by (and sized for) halflings, but he agrees to sign on as a crew member for the voyage and promises to return in the morning.  Afterwards, Artemis seeks out his friend and superior, Gibble Fank, and explains that he’ll be departing on orders from the Lord-Mayor.

Later that afternoon, Goragar returns to the Green Lobster to find that his companion from Sandpoint, Shalelu Andosana, has tracked him down.  When she hears that the half-orc is planning to head into central Varisia, she insists, without explanation, on accompanying him to Fort Rannick.  As plates of undercooked, unfresh seafood are put in front of them, Artemis shows up to tell Goragar about the plan to depart the next morning.  Shalelu greets him, remembering Artemis as one of the band that rescued her from the Bloodfangs in Mosswood.

That night, a farewell party is held at the Lahs house for Artemis and his friends.  There’s food, dancing, and a firm statement by Goragar that all giants, sentient or not, deserve to die.  Miryana grows sadder as the evening wears on, but she maintains a brave face. 

[2 Kuthona 4707]

Pinkeye's Comeuppance has made dozens of trips up and down the river.

Having stayed at the Green Lobster overnight after the party, Briza makes the mistake of eating the inn’s seafood special for breakfast.  Despite having grown up on a diet of coarse Shoanti food and having prepared for months as one of Sandpoint’s “Hagfish Hopefuls”, even Briza’s intestinal fortitude can’t fight off food poisoning from the Green Lobster.  With her allies, she trudges down to the docks, rather the worse for wear.  Arrangements are made with Captain Othlo to take on several passengers, though he charges Goragar a pretty penny to transport the warrior’s steed aboard the already-cramped vessel.  When the last of the cargo and passengers are loaded, Pinkeye’s Comeuppance sets off upstream along the meandering Yondabakari River.

The boggards of the Mushfens are a notorious danger along the Yondabakari River.

The keelboat makes slow but steady progress thanks to the oxen that pull it from either side of the river bank and the halflings who take turns pushing it with long, sturdy barge-poles. The outskirts of Magnimar quickly give way to flat, lightly forested land along the north bank (along which the rutted wagon trail known as the Dry Way runs), while foreboding stretches of boggy marshes (called the Mushfens) expand as far as the eye can see to the south.  About ten miles east of Magnimar, the crew and passengers of Pinkeye’s Comeuppance face a common risk of travel along this part of the Yondabakari: boggard raiders!  The human-sized swamp dwellers with frog-like features try to conceal themselves behind rocks and stunted trees on the south bank, but the alert adventurers have no trouble spotting them.  Artemis, standing aloft the rear cabin, lets loose with a volley of arrows as Briza jumps on shore, sword in hand!  An ear-shaking croak fills the air and Kozen  begins to tremble from fear, but Artemis quickly silences the responsible boggard with an arrow through the throat!  Goragar awkwardly jumps off the boat as well (landing on his back!), while Kang jumps to the far shore but hurls bombs with pinpoint accuracy across the width of the river.  Meanwhile, the captain and crew of the vessel haven’t slowed in the least, instead following their standard protocol of trying to outrun the raiders.  The boggards, having come to snatch loose cargo from the deck of the ship with their long, sticky tongues, seem surprised to find heavily-armed warriors trying to kill them!  Most try to run for it, but the merciless adventurers slay all but a couple, and the ship loses only one small crate from the incident.

[3 Kuthona 4707]

The journey east continues with only the loss of Briza’s fishing pole (due to a surprise snag on a rock) the only incident of note.  That evening, as the keelboat is tied up along the shore, the Shoanti warrior is keeping watch while her friends sleep when she notices some of the food crates on deck shift slightly as if something was moving behind them.  She calls out for the others to be wary but pays for her vigilance when the fanged mouth of a goblin snake suddenly lunges towards her and bites into her abdomen!  Kozen reacts quickly and tries to impale the creature with his scythe, but the wriggling creature keeps darting in and out of the maze of containers on the ship.  Hearing the commotion, Artemis casually reaches for his bow and lets a shot fly without even standing up—the arrow pins the goblin snake to a barrel and kills it instantly!  The rest of the night passes uneventfully.

----------------------------------------------------

Director's Commentary

The journey from Magnimar to Turtleback Ferry isn't detailed at all in the AP, leaving it up to the GM on how to handle it.  I went with the traditional "day-by-day" approach.  Before this session, I wasn't sure how the PCs would travel--just walking, trying to join a caravan, trying to find (and pay) a wizard to teleport them, or (the option they chose) taking a riverboat.  I had prepped some stuff for the last option, drawing the NPC of Captain Othlo and his halfling crew from a story in the back of one of the individual volumes of the AP.  I added Othlo's backstory that we'll see featured in later sessions.  For the river travel, I had a nice keelboat from the Vehicles map pack set, configurable river tiles from the River System map pack set, and various flip-mats of different terrain to layer everything over.  It worked out pretty well I think for the various random encounters I had prepped along the way.  I didn't expect this part of the chapter to take so long though--at the time, it seemed like ages before the PCs actually reached Turtleback Ferry.

Next Recap

Starfinder Society Scenario # 1-06: "A Night in Nightarch" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I ran this for a group of five PCs at Tier 3-4.   If the cover or title doesn't give it away, I will: expect drow--lots, and lots of drow, and probably not of the heroic Drizzt-type either!  It's a good scenario for players who like a lot of combat, though there are a couple of skills challenges as well.  It's also a long scenario, and not one that should be attempted in a super-tight time spot.

SPOILERS

A Night in Nightarch begins with the usual briefing, but this time it's from someone new: Naiaj, the bleachling gnome Venture-Captain that PCs may have met in the gala during # 1-05 ("The First Mandate").  Naiaj is a dour, straightforward NPC, but a good choice to send the Starfinders off on a dangerous mission.  She explains that the Society is in desperate need of weapons given the loss of so much material during the Scoured Stars Incident, and that the group has therefore arranged to import some from the drow world of Apostae.  However, before the weapons could be transported, they were stolen.  The PCs' task, obviously, is to travel to the surface settlement of Nightarch on Apostae and recover the weapons without creating a major diplomatic incident.  Naiaj explains that the thief is a minor drow noble named Villyth Zeizerer, but a ranking member of House Zeizerer, Ceobarn, has agreed to serve as a contact to resolve the matter.

There's no drama on the trip to Nightarch, and soon the PCs' shuttle sets down in the domed settlement.  I like the description of Nightarch, and GMs should try to play up its gloomy, ominous nature--this is not a place to trifle with!  The meeting with Ceobarn is handled as a social encounter/skills challenge, with PCs needing to use different lines of argument and different skill checks to persuade him to help; the more successes they get, the more he'll help.  The minimum he'll give is 24 hours of "diplomatic immunity" so that the PCs can get in, get the guns, and get out without further reprisals.  There's a couple of cool things available if the PCs rack up the successes, like Ceobarn loaning them his personal armored transport or even his personal sniper.  I like the idea of social encounters when they can be handled naturally and as an aid to role-playing, but I found this one was awkward because it's unclear if the PCs are to make an argument and then roll the corresponding skill check (some of which are unusual in this context, like Mysticism or Perception), or roll a skill check to know which argument to make.  When I ran this, the RP was a bit stilted and forced, and the DCs were high enough that the PCs attempting the checks usually failed.  I applaud the idea of trying to make more skills than just Diplomacy useful in social encounters, but the way it was handled in # 1-05 was better (with the players getting hints about what types of skills might impress different NPCs, and then RPing and attempting the skill check accordingly).  I should add that a couple of players were frustrated by this part, as they felt their PCs had very little to offer.

The next part of the session is another set of skill checks to locate where the weapons are being held (a warehouse) and potentially other pieces of information such as a floor plan, defenses, access codes, etc.  GMs are instructed to handle this like the montage scenes in a heist movie, and that worked out pretty well in my session.  The players are then expected to quickly plan their raid.  The key issue is that there's a lot of content in this scenario, so all of this work is supposed to take no more than an hour of table-time.  That's a lot to expect of RP-heavy groups (where gathering intel and planning a raid could easily take up a whole session), but I'm glad the warning was given to GMs to pass along to players about what the expectations are.

One of the flaws of the scenario is that locating the weapons, gathering intel, and even getting to the warehouse are all assigned very concrete periods of time (down to the half-hour in some cases) so that the players feel like getting everything done within their 24 hours of diplomatic immunity is a crucial element of the scenario.  Oddly, however, there are no stated consequences if PCs go beyond that time period!  It's a false urgency that could have been handled better.

The bulk of the scenario is the raid on the warehouse, which has two levels: a surface level of offices (guarded by 4 drow) and a subterranean storage level (guarded mostly by half-orcs).  One of the things GMs should be aware of is that the repeated use of the term "heist" in the scenario might lead one to think about movies like Ocean's 11 where disguise, misdirection, precision timing, clever scams, etc., are the key to success.  I guess it would be possible, but there's very little support or information in the scenario for that approach, with either a stealthy infiltration or a traditional frontal assault being the most plausible options for success (with the former possible only until the quite loud elevator to the storage level is activated).

I have to give the writer credit: each room in the office level is fleshed out, and it has a sensible layout that even includes toilets!  Groups can spend a lot of time fiddling around with various computers, etc., (the fake shell countermeasure on the control room terminal really did a number on my PCs!), but their main goal has to be reaching the elevator and either hacking its controls or using a keycard found on one of the drow guards.

Things get more interesting on the storage level.  A quasit who has been mistreated by Villyth Zeizerer can be made friendly and give the PCs some advice, such as how to avoid (most of) the nasty traps that guard the place.  The weapons crate the PCs are after has been loaded on a forklift robot and is guarded several half-orcs, including one who has been "fleshwarped" with a tentacle for a head!  Other reviews I've read have complained that the half-orcs are so little threat that this part was a cakewalk, but that wasn't my experience--their attack roll modifiers are high enough that they wear down the PCs who may have no idea that the worst is yet to come.  Once the PCs activate the forklift and start heading for the elevator, two waves of attackers (including Villyth herself) rush the trapped PCs.  The PCs I ran this for unfortunately split up and had running battles all over the warehouse, leading to all but one of them getting killed! (the lone survivor, to his credit, made it out with the weapons crate and thus accomplished the mission).  It's a cruel trick, quite worthy of drow, to make getting in easy but getting out hard.

Overall, this is probably the most combat-heavy scenario released up to this point.  PCs may not realize when it's safe to rest and recover stamina, as the natural urgency they feel to get the goods and go can lead them to keep pushing on despite getting slowly worn down.  I thought the scenario was tough but fair, and provided a much-needed counterpoint to the sometimes too-easy earlier scenarios.  They say drow never forget, and I'm pretty sure the people I GMed this one for won't forget it anytime soon either.

The Buffy Comic Project: "A Stake to the Heart" Act 4 [COMICS]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer # 63
Dark Horse Comics (Volume 1, 1998-2003)

Creators: Fabian Nicieza (story), Cliff Richards (pencils), Brian Horton (paints), Will Conrad (inks), Michelle Madsen (colors), Clem Robins (Letters)

Setting: Between Movie & Season 1

T.V./Movie Character Apperances:  Dawn, Buffy, Hank Summers, Joyce, Angel, Whistler, Willow, Xander, Giles, The Mayor, Finch,

Major Original Characters: Trepidation Demon

Summary:   A Trepidation Demon has followed Buffy and her family to Sunnydale, and all over the town people are faced with anxiety and indecision.  Buffy confronts the demon but is entranced until, secretly, Angel distracts it and Buffy breaks free and destroys it.  Life returns to normal in Sunnydale--at least as normal with a Hellmouth and the Slayer can ever be.

Review

This was a plot-light but meaningful final issue of the series.  So many people get cameos, from the Mayor to Buffy and Xander to Giles.  It starts with Buffy and Dawn saying goodbye to their father for the move to Sunnydale, and anyone who's been through a marital separation (kids or parents) will recognize the emotion involved.  The scenes in Sunnydale are equally great, supported with some gorgeous painted artwork in parts of the interior.  It's a classy and fitting way to end the comic series, and brings things nicely around full-circle to the start of the show.

Notes

* Dark Horse wouldn't be finished with Buffy.  The month after this issue, the five-part Tales of the Vampires begins.

* I've got the Annual to talk about in one more post, and then my Buffy Comic Project has reached a milestone!

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 38 [RPG]

[17 Neth 4707 to 29 Neth 4707]

Cyrdak Drokkus, Sandpoint's Virtuoso

In the days after the battle at the Shadow Clock, the adventurers find that their reputations with the authorities of Magnimar have improved significantly.  Although the blaze that started during the fight soon destroyed the clock tower and spread to engulf much of the nearby shantytown of Underbridge, the recovery of Xanesha’s body and the complete cessation of Sihedron-marked murders have proven to everyone that the Skinsaw Cult is well and truly destroyed.  With everyone having earned some rest and relaxation, the adventurers take some time to pursue their own interests.  Kang prepares several potions (selling some to Briza for a modest profit) and scours the city’s library for information on Irori.  Briza works out to stay in fighting trim while sparing time to research the mysterious seven-pointed Sihedron rune and the vanquished Skinsaw Cult that made use of it.  Unfortunately, nothing is known of the cult, and little information is available on the rune: it’s clearly a symbol of power from ancient Thassilon and may have symbolized the empire itself, while simultaneously denoting the seven schools of magic recognized by its arcanists, the seven virtues of rule (wealth, fertility, honesty, pride, abundance, eager striving, righteous anger, and rest), and the seven failings of mortals (greed, lust, pride, gluttony, envy, wrath, and sloth).  Artemis continues fulfilling his duties as a member of the Magnimar City Watch and commissions a new bow.  Bey tells her companions that her immediate future is in Sandpoint, and that she’ll take Arnald’s body with her in an attempt to have it raised from the dead or put to rest. 

 Unbeknownst to the adventurers, two figures destined to play important parts in their epic tale are a step closer to meeting them for the first time.  A Gorumite Battle-cleric named Goragar has come to Magnimar from Sandpoint in the company of Shalelu Andosana in the hopes of meeting a warband or hunting party willing to assist him in quenching his thirst for vengeance against the giants of central Varisia responsible for levelling his original hometown.  Goragar and Shalelu travelled to Magnimar in the company of Sandpoint’s leader, Mayor Kendra Deverin, and its most famous resident, skilled actor and singer Cyrdak Drokkus, each of whom was invited to take part in a special celebration at the Lord-Mayor’s residence.  When Cyrdak arrives in Magnimar, he asks Kozen, a young dancer whom he’s worked with in the past, to add a visual flair to his planned musical performance at the party.  The dancer, a member of the rare shadow-touched species colloquially known as “fletchings”, agrees.

Goragar, Warpriest of Gorum

[30 Neth 4707]

The morning of the Lord-Mayor’s party sees the adventurers getting ready for the evening’s formal dress requirements.  Artemis is fortunate enough to have recourse to his parade uniform, but Briza receives bad advice from someone on the street and almost buys a wrinkled frock from a rag shop in Dockway!  Artemis’ wife, Miryana, takes her out for an afternoon of shopping and primping for the festivities to come.  Kang decides to simply have his everyday wear cleaned, considering it quite sufficient for any occasion.  Across town, Goragar is the victim of a cruel prank that sends him to Alabaster District to shop, and he’s turned away by a City Watch patrol suspicious of the heavily-armed half-orc.  He manages to find something at a clothing shop so he won’t stick out too much at the party, but he and Shalelu commiserate about how much they hate aristocrats and their fancy dress balls.  Kozen leaves his dog, Tatters, with a friend while he procures some comfortable performing clothes and then visits Cyrdak as the inn where he’s staying.  Cyrdak seems quite nervous to be performing in front of the Lord-Mayor and his elite, wealthy guests, and is sipping gin somewhat too freely.  He makes constant reference to wanting to show up “that hack,” Bodowen.

At dusk, the time comes for everyone to leave for the party.  Artemis, Miryana, Kang, and Briza travel in an elegant carriage that Artemis hired for the night.  Briza is quite disconcerted not to have a weapon at hand, but Kang consoles her slightly by handing her a potion of invisibility she can slip into her handbag.  The line of carriages slowly moves along the oval in front of Defiant’s Garden, the Lord-Mayor’s residence, with each carriage stopping in front of a red carpet leading to the front door so that servants can announce each visitor.  Goragar, walking to the residence in his plain tunic and breeches, is mistaken for a liveried footman!  Over an archway into the main ballroom, a banner is hung with the awkwardly-worded theme of the celebration:  “Magnimar Appreciates Its Holdings!”  Artemis explains to his companions that around tax time, the city makes a token effort to show it hasn’t forgotten about the various far-flung towns, villages, and fortresses that allow it to aspire to someday becoming a true nation in Varisia rather than simply a city-state.

 

Canapes, cocktails, and cliques are in abundance as the evening goes on.  Briza confronts a pair of merchants making racist comments about her Shoanti kin, Kozen joins Cyrdak in a room set aside for performers to make their preparations, Artemis tries (unsuccessfully) to avoid the adventurers he arrived with, and Kang ends up in conversation with Goragar (as his companion, Shalelu, has slipped into the shadows to avoid her fellow guests with a plan to leave as soon as decorum allows).  Goragar expresses his hope of finding skilled warriors to accompany him into battle against giants, and Kang (noting to himself that the group’s resident “warrior psycho” just died), enthusiastically invites Goragar to join the group on the promise that they will surely find battle for him, even if not against giants.

Tillia Henkenseon, Schoolteacher from Turtleback Ferry

A stirring in the crowd indicates that the Lord-Mayor himself has finally made an appearance.  Haldemeer Grobaras shakes hands, pats shoulders, and makes his way to the front of the ballroom where a stage has been set up.  The crowd hushes as he reiterates the theme of the celebration.  As proof of how Magnimar takes care of its dependencies, he beckons for Artemis and his “irregulars” to come on stage and receive a (quite lucrative!) reward for their service in stopping the cult that was preying on the residents of Sandpoint and Magnimar alike.  Next, Grobaras explains that representatives of three of Magnimar’s holdings have come to the city to bring “some of the frontier” to the city.  First, a schoolteacher named Tillia Henkenson from Turtleback Ferry in central Varisia reads poetry written by the village’s children.  Next, a gnome from the town of Whistledown demonstrates the settlement’s unique form of haunting music made from wind chimes.  Last, Cyrdak comes on stage as a representative of Sandpoint and sings an aria, with Kozen’s delicate ballet as accompaniment.  The two work together masterfully and are a hit, receiving several offers and invitations afterwards from the aristocrats and wealthy merchants in attendance.  Kozen slinks into the shadows (and lets Cyrdak handle the attention) so he can find and personally thank the most enthusiastic member of the audience: Briza!  The two strike up a conversation and become fast friends.  During the aftermath of the performances, Grobaras’ personal assistant seeks out Artemis to convey a message: the Lord-Mayor would like to see him and his “irregulars” after the party on a matter of some urgency.

The partygoers gradually move from the ballroom into the extensive and beautiful gardens that are accompanied by elaborate topiaries, bubbling fountains, and priceless statuary.  Not long after some guests begin to make their goodbyes, a commotion can suddenly be seen coming from the far edge of the gardens.  Shouts, shoving, a tree cut down, a huge scythe whistling through the air, blood!  Briza’s worst nightmare locks eyes with her and advances, the relentless and indefatigable flesh golem from the Shadow Clock having finally tracked down its prey.  Realizing his companions are unarmed and unarmoured, Kang shouts for everyone to run.  Briza knocks back the potion of invisibility and races away, one of dozens fleeing the scene.  Kozen takes cover behind a nearby tree, but Goragar gets in the golem’s way as it tries to follow Briza, and the half-orc receives a deep cut from the creature’s scythe.  Artemis dashes into the undergrowth and tries to draw a bead with his bow, while Kang takes to the air and prepares to hurl explosives at the golem from a safe distance.  The alchemist’s unerring accuracy with hurled bombs damages the creature severely, but it dispassionately chooses the only other target it can reach from the night when its mistress was slain: Artemis!  One cut leaves a deep gash in the archer’s chest, and as Artemis tries to escape, a second gash opens up in his back.  Artemis collapses, mere instants away from death!  A final explosive from Kang reduces the golem to a burning, sickening pile of flesh.  Luckily, Goragar is close enough that, with a whispered prayer to Gorum, sacred light emanates from his hands and closes up the worst of Artemis’ wounds.  The watchman will live, battered but alive.

Before the smoke fully clears, other members of the Watch arrive along with the Lord-Mayor’s bodyguard constructs.  Soon after, Briza appears, fully armed and ready for battle.  Artemis is helped inside after receiving additional healing from Goragar, and, ever true to his duty, reminds Kang and Briza that the Lord-Mayor would like to see them.  The three meet with Grobaras in his private chamber, and the tired politico explains that the Council of Ushers is pushing for him to take action on a call for help from Turtleback Ferry delivered by the schoolmarm they saw read poetry earlier.  Grobaras explains that Turtleback Ferry, a remote village perched on the northern edge of Claybottom Lake in central Varisia, is guarded by a company of rangers based out of Fort Rannick.  Apparently, the rangers have failed to make any contact with the village for weeks now, and a messenger sent to the fort from the village never returned.  Grobaras says the trip is probably pointless, but that if Artemis and his Irregulars are willing to go, they’ll be well-compensated.  The trio agree and later make arrangements with Grobaras’ assistant for travel expenses and the name of the location where the schoolmarm from Turtleback Ferry is staying (an inn in Naos called the Glowing Embers).  When the three adventurers leave the mansion, they see that Kozen and Goragar have been waiting for them.  Explanations are made and invitations are accepted.

With a journey of days, if not weeks, ahead of them, the adventurers must prepare to venture forth from civilization into the untamed wilds of Varisia.  The only thing certain is that the journey will not be a sedate one . . .

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Director's Commentary

One of the things I've liked about each chapter of the AP (so far) is that there's been a natural break to allow the PCs some Downtime (using the rules from Ultimate Campaign).  It's good to give the PCs a chance to retrain, craft, earn some coin, etc., and the passage of time quickly in-game helps solve the "Level 1 to Level 18 in three weeks" problem that some campaigns have.

With Arnald's and Bey's players moving on due to work and childcare commitments, this session was the first for two new players who would run Goragar (Half-Orc Warpriest) and Kozen (Fletchling Bard/Shadowdancer), respectively.  Goragar would prove just how awesome a self-buffing Warpriest could be in battle (as long as the buffs hold out), while Kozen was a bit harder to get a handle on (he had a lot of focus on stealth and rarely used the special bardic abilities) but I liked his relationship with his dog.

This session was the kick-off of Chapter 3, and I fleshed it out a lot more from how it was in the AP (which basically amounts to "Grobaras offers the PCs money to investigate Fort Rannick").  I really liked the idea of an encounter at a fancy garden party, something inspired by an encounter ("The Garden") in Volume 3 of the Pathfinder collected comics; that encounter gave options for various creatures that could attack, but I decided to make use of the dangling hook of the Scarecrow from the end of Chapter 2.  I thought the encounter, and the entire session, was a great success and started things off quite well.

As I write this, we're well into Chapter 4.  All I'll say now about Chapter 3 is that it was a brutal one for the PCs!