Blue Devil # 1-10 (DC Comics, 1984) [COMICS]

I didn't collect Blue Devil when it first came out--I got into comics just around the time its run was finishing up.  But the character really stood out, and the more light-hearted vibe of the series was appealing when I got deeply into the "Bwah-ha-ha" Justice League, so I went back and assembled a complete collection.  Re-reading it now, the series is obviously in an awkward time period, as it started about a year before Crisis on Infinite Earths, a series that changed a lot of the story-telling expectations in DC Comics.  Blue Devil is definitely silly in tone, and could easily have come out in the late 1970s.  Still, the series is a lot of fun (though rarely laugh-out-loud funny) and the character continues to make appearances to this day (and is apparently going to make its live-action small screen debut in the new Swamp Thing series, played by Ian Zering of 90210 quasi-fame!).  Anyway, on to the capsule reviews.

Blue Devil # 1 kicks things off with a great cover and an origin story.  Dan Cassidy is a movie stunt-man and special effects assistant.  He designs a monster costume full of electronic gizmos to wear while portraying the "Blue Devil," the bad guy in a B-horror movie.  While the moving is being shot on a jungle island, a couple of the lead actors (Wayne Tarrant and Sharon Scott, both major parts of the series' supporting cast) wander into an old ruin and awaken a real demon: Nebiros!  The rest of the issue is a big group fight scene.  After absorbing a demonic blast from Nebiros, Dan Cassidy is stunned to realize that his monster suit has bonded to his skin and can't be removed!  It's also infused the suit (and the trident) with demonic powers in addition to the mechanical ones.  It's a fun, solid introduction to the series that introduces other major supporting characters like Marla (the movie's director), Norm (its cameraman), and Gopher (Marla's kid nephew).  The text page promises the series will never be full of "grimness, grief, and alienation," and that instead it'll be a "fifty-fifty mix of moonshine metaphysics and high-tech-armament smashing."  It's only 1984, and mainstream comics will get way grimmer and angstier in the years to come, but already there's some push-back.

Blue Devil # 2 has Cassidy, still stuck in the suit and rather depressed, return to his home in Metropolis.  The other members of the crew, based in L.A., call to cheer him up, but things are interrupted when the super-villain Shockwave starts knocking down buildings in Metropolis in the act of stealing some "experimental" kryptonite from S.T.A.R. Labs.  Cassidy has to intervene, of course, and we have another big slug-fest issue.  A new sub-plot starts: Cassidy gets sued by the Blue Devil movie's producer to stop making public appearances in the "costume"!  The issue has lots of action and cute little moments, and moves quickly.  I like Cassidy and his supporting cast.

Blue Devil # 3 reveals that Shockwave was sent to steal the experimental kryptonite by none other than Metallo!  It leads to the traditional third-issue guest star appearance (Superman in this era) and another big battle.  It's pretty unremarkable over all.

Blue Devil # 4 is one of the best of the early issues.  Superman takes Cassidy up to the JLA's satellite and introduces him to Zatanna in the hopes that she can figure out a mystical way to remove the suit.  Zatanna says that only Nebiros, the demon who bonded it to Cassidy, could possibly remove it.  The two travel back to the island where the movie was filmed and Zatanna opens a magical portal to Nebiros' dimension.  Suffice it to say, there's a lot more fighting than talking, and Nebiros escapes the island and is free in the "real world."  The artwork in these first several issues is by Paris Cullins, and it's clean, clear, and impressive.  Zatanna looks beautiful!  It's a shame that Cullins doesn't stick around longer.

Blue Devil # 5 features Cassidy, Zatanna, Norm(!), and the Mexican army confronting Nebiros at the demon's secondary temple in Central America.  Nebiros causes volcanos to erupt, but after a big slugfest, the heroes succeed in pushing the demon back to his own plane.  Zatanna makes a great co-star in the issue, and I wish she became a more regular part of the series.  An earlier subplot is resolved with movie director Marla succeeding in getting the restraining order against Cassidy appearing "in costume" lifted.

Blue Devil # 6 gets into pretty silly territory, with aliens whose religion is based on receiving broadcasts of "I Love Lucy" fleeing to earth to escape robot police who are chasing them.  The aliens, Jorj and Lehni (a play on Of Mice and Men) are regular goofballs.  They arrive on earth in Las Vegas, which is where Cassidy and Norm end up after the previous issue's excitement in Mexico.  Shenanigans and wackiness ensue, and it's all too intentionally ridiculous for me.  More interesting is the first mention (with Norm doing the theorizing) that Cassidy is now a "weirdness magnet", drawing strange things to him wherever he goes because of his encounters with Nebiros.  I always loved this as a perfect in-story explanation for why super-heroes always "just so happen" to find themselves in dramatic situations.  The Hellmouth in Buffy does the same story work, as does the concept of ta'avern in The Wheel of Time.  A subplot starts up in this issue as well, with the Trickster on the run from the assassin Bolt (in the latter's comics debut).

Blue Devil # 7 is "Danny and Sharon's First Date."  Sharon, a Hollywood actress, has been a minor supporting character in some of the past issues, and Dan Cassidy has a thing for her.  The date doesn't go well, as Cassidy is much larger than he was before, so his clothes don't fit, he breaks the car (with his feet sticking out the bottom like the Flintstones!), and then the Trickster interrupts invoking "the bond between stuntmen" to convince Cassidy to help him escape from Bolt.  The book has hit its stride, and then are some genuine laughs here.  The Trickster ends up becoming a regular supporting character too, and a nice, surprising addition to the book.

Blue Devil # 8 sees Cassidy and Sharon agreeing to help the Trickster.  Trickster and the Blue Devil have good chemistry together, as Cassidy finds its hard to turn a super-villain bad.  It's revealed that Bolt has been hired by a criminal organization called (cleverly!) "The Organization" to get the Trickster, though the reason why has to wait until next issue.  Meanwhile, to fund his escape plan, the Trickster decides to rob a special mobile bank by lifting into the air for a high-altitude attack.  It's pretty fun, though the Giffen art is a bit of a shock compared to Paris Cullins'.

Blue Devil # 9 has, I have to admit, a completely original super-villain plan.  The Organization wants California to secede from the Union by physically lifting the state into the sky using the anti-gravity technology in the Trickster's shoes!  It's like reading one of those 1950s comics where Wonder Woman lassoes a planet or something.  The joy continues, as it's revealed that "The Organization" is really just three nebbish university professors, and that they've made a gigantic copy of the Trickster's shoe left behind on a previous occasion.  However, the professors don't realize that their giant shoe can only go up--the Trickster has one shoe for going up, and one for going down!  Blue Devil rescues them.  The whole thing was ridiculous but fun.


Blue Devil # 10 continues the goofy fun.  Supporting character Wayne Tarrant once had a career as a pop singer under the stage name Theseus.  But the real goddess Athena was angered by this, and ruined his musical career.  Now, with the Blue Devil movie about to release, Wayne decides to revive his singing stardom--and Athena isn't having any of it!  She sends the Furies (transformed from spurned groupies) after Wayne, and of course, Cassidy has to help out.  Since a Greek goddess is involved, Wonder Woman is a natural guest star and helps Wayne placate Athena.  A new subplot starts with a trio of professors (not the evil ones from the previous issue) who are studying "hyper-normal individuals" getting interested in the Blue Devil.

There's a lot to like about these first ten issues.  Dan Cassidy has the classic "I don't want to be a super-hero!" mentality, but of course keeps getting drawn into situations where he's saving lives and battling super-villains.  The artwork is really good, and the characters are distinct.  This isn't the sort of series you'd give someone to convince them that comics can be "literature", but it's a relaxing, enjoyable read if you're in the right kind of mood.  It's too bad, and surprising, that they've never been collected in trade paperback format.

Pathfinder: "Merisiel, Iconic Rogue T-Shirt" [RPG]

Merisiel has eleven daggers (and a rapier) visible in her depiction on this shirt, so you better buy it or she’ll cut you! Though to be fair, apart from the bared blades, her pose and facial expression are more of a “waiting at a bus stop” sort of thing. Anyway, if you like Merisiel and Wayne Reynolds art, you’ll be satisfied with this simple black shirt depicting the Iconic Rogue and the Pathfinder logo. It’s on clearance, so why not snap one up?

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 68 [RPG]

[30 Abadius 4708 continued]

Inside Sandpoint’s Town Hall, a hearing is about to start on Nagol Scarnetti’s lawsuit against Ava stemming from an encounter where he called her names and she responded by conjuring a burst of water to drench him.  Ava whispers to her friends that she doesn’t want them to do anything violent, as she’s confident she’ll get a fair trial.  Kang says that with himself as her attorney, she’ll surely be acquitted.  However, he sneaks off to the latrines to chug an elixir to increase his personal attractiveness and charm.  Meanwhile, Jinkatsyu and Nerissa talk about the latter’s own legal troubles with Nagol Scarnetti.  Truly, the adventurers have made an enemy!

When doors to the large meeting room are opened, the adventurers are ushered inside.  They see the town council (representatives of the four “founding families”) sitting behind a semi-circular table, ready to hand out judgement at the end of trial.  Present are Mayor Kendra Deverin, Ameiko Kaijitsu, Titus Scarnetti, and Belvan Valdemar (standing in his for his elderly father).  Ava and her friends can tell that Ameiko is favourably predisposed to them and that Titus is downright hostile, but that the other two are remaining steadfastly neutral out of either principle (Deverin) or disinterest (Belvan).  Mayor Deverin explains that the charges against Ava range from assault (for using magic against Nagol) to destruction of personal property (for allegedly ruining Nagol’s fine silk clothing) to seditious libel (for impugning the character of a noble).  

Litigants who want the best counsel 

available inevitably hire Edgeworth.

The proceedings begin with Edgeworth, Nagol’s high-powered Magnimarian barrister, making an opening argument that seems to go over well with the judges.  When Edgeworth begins his well-rehearsed examination of Nagol, Kang jumps to his feet to interject for proof that the noble’s clothes were actually ruined.  Unfortunately, Edgeworth was well-prepared for this eventuality and has a set of ruined clothing introduced into evidence!  Edgeworth elicits testimony that makes it sound like Ava, an “adventurer and spellcaster of tremendous power,” lost her temper and assaulted a defenceless, well-respected resident of Sandpoint.  Edgeworth’s oratory is quite effective, and Kang has an uphill battle to win the judges back over.

Kang, who (despite his bluster) has no particular knowledge of the legal system or trial advocacy, begins the defence case by calling his companions as witnesses.  Jinkatsyu’s testimony does little to change the basic outline of events as presented by Edgeworth, but Nerissa’s passionate defence of Ava’s character and contribution to Sandpoint is quite effective.  Salma’s point-by-point, fact-based breakdown of what happened also goes over quite well.  Edgeworth decides there’s little to be gained from cross-examining the trio, and waives his right to do so.  But then, in a move that surprises many in the room, Kang calls Ava to the stand!  On the verge of tears, she explains how hurtful it was to be accosted and called insulting names over and over again by Nagol, and how she was afraid of the much larger man and his friends.  Sympathy wells up in the hearts of the judges (apart from Titus Scarnetti), until Edgeworth begins his cross-examination.  He adroitly brings out just how many battles Ava has participated in, how she has fought terrifying foes, and how she could not conceivably been afraid of an unarmed young nobleman standing on the streets of Sandpoint across from the Garrison.  “Ladies and gentlemen, I posit to you thus: if the defendant can stand toe-to-toe with massive bears and stone giants, how could she truly be afraid of my client?  Was she afraid for her safety, as she claims, or merely suffering from hurt feelings?”  All of the progress the defence witnesses made are shattered by the devastating remark, and Kang’s closing argument fails to further sway the judges.

During a recess for the judges to consider their verdict, Edgeworth approaches Kang and smugly offers a settlement: if Ava compensates his client to the tune of 2000 gold pieces and publicly apologises for her misbehaviour, he’ll withdraw his earlier request that she be stripped of all property and exiled from Sandpoint.  Kang quickly rejects the offer, and whispers to his friends that if things go really bad, they can just teleport away.  Some of the others argue that then they all might get in trouble and be permanently barred from the town.

When the judges return, it’s clear that only Ameiko is still on the adventurers’ side in the dispute.  The verdict isn’t as severe as it could be, but it’s still harsh: Ava owes Nagol 500 gold pieces as compensation for the damaged clothing, and is exiled from Sandpoint for the assault and seditious libel.  The grippli breaks into tears, but while the others console her, Jinkatsyu catches up to Mayor Deverin and asks for a quiet word.  The kitsune prevails upon Deverin to reconsider the decision, saying that the adventurers have saved Sandpoint in the past and are currently on a mission to stop stone giants from invading again!  However, Mayor Deverin says that the law does not allow past or future deeds of virtue to absolve one from wrongdoing: no one is above the law, she says, and (regrettably) even the “Heroes of Sandpoint” have to respect town law.  She does whisper to Jinkatsyu, however, that Kang was a terrible trial lawyer and the group should seek an appeal of the verdict in Magnimar!

Sheriff Hemlock clearly feels sorry for Ava, and says he can give her an hour to gather her things and say goodbye before he has to escort her to the edge of town.  The adventurers discuss what to do next.  Jinkatsyu raises the idea of hiring a barrister in Magnimar and appealing the outcome, Nerissa says that it’s best just to take it on the chin and get on with things, and Salma suggests using magic to disguise Ava as someone else.  In fact, Salma and Kang are so outraged by the verdict that they suggest just letting the town be levelled by the stone giants!  Jinkatsyu is aghast at the idea of letting so many die just because of one lawsuit.  Ava remains quiet and subdued during the conversation, her eyes downcast.  Eventually, the group decide that they’ll make Magnimar their new base of operations, but that Ava should pay the fine and comply with the exile order to avoid further antagonizing the town leaders.  Ava hurries to the Cathedral to say goodbye to Father Zantus, and he’s clearly saddened by what happened—he explains that many people in Sandpoint despise the Scarnettis.  The two agree that in an emergency, Father Zantus will contact Ava through magical means.  Afterwards, the adventurers are escorted through the North Gate by Sheriff Hemlock.  Nagol Scarnetti is there, smirking, but Ava classily turns her back and ignores him.

These rats like muffins!

Salma’s attempt to teleport everyone to Magnimar fails—twice!  The party ends up on top of a rocky escarpment somewhere in the Sandpoint hinterlands and decides to set camp for the rest of the day and try again in the morning.  Nerissa bakes some fantastic muffins, and says that if Nagol pursues a lawsuit against her, she’ll win.  She ruminates about just sneaking into Sandpoint and assassinating the man (saying there’s no way she’d get caught, and no jail that could hold her), a remark that Jinkatsyu condemns.  Later, Kang announces a breakthrough in his attempts to decipher Nerissa’s coded journal: he says it’s a log of imports from Aldoran to Cheliax.  The others seem sceptical.  Apart from rats swarming through the camp in the middle of the night (easily dispatched by one of Kang’s bombs), the hours until morning pass uneventfully.

[31 Abadius 4708]

In the morning, a snowy day greets the adventurers as they reconsider their plans.  A consensus starts to develop for teleporting back to the Iron Peaks and the path towards Jorgenfist immediately, as the timeframe for the stone giant invasion is not known apart from scattered intelligence that it would take place in just a matter of weeks from the initial raid on Sandpoint.  The heavy snowfall, however, convinces the group that travelling through the mountains is too risky and that they should head to Magnimar instead.  Salma’s initial attempt to teleport the group utterly fails, and angry, he has to be talked out of trying for the Iron Peaks instead.  On the second try, the group appears in Alabaster Park in Magnimar.  The adventurers trudge through the slushy streets into the center of the city and head for the Arvensoar, hoping to gain some sort of reward or sponsorship for their quest to defeat the stone giants.  Soon they reach the massive fortress that towers over the city, and Jinkatsyu persuades the sentinels to allow them in by mentioning their encounter with the scout, Veridian.  After being escorted through the labyrinthine corridors of the massive fortress, the adventurers are eventually taken to meet with Captain Gibble Fank.  Fank listens to their tale and Nerissa’s persuasive request for assistance on their expedition to Jorgenfist; Fank says he’ll consult with his superior and let them know in the morning.  In the meantime, given the weather outside, he suggests they stay at a nearby inn, the Black Shield.

The Black Shield seems to be a tavern and inn that caters to soldiers, mercenaries, and caravan guards.  Battle-scarred shields line the walls, and the half-orc behind the bar grunts as he takes the newcomers’ coin.  Nerissa, Jinkatsyu, and Kang decide to brave the snowstorm to find a library so that Nerissa can research the origin of the strange red insect mask found in the boat belonging to her would-be assassin, and to see if she can learn more about the code she must have used when writing her own journal.  A few hours later, however, when the adventurers finally find Magnimar’s best library, the Founder’s Archive, they have only moments to speak with the matron, Irba Demerios, before it closes.  She confirms that the library should have the resources to assist them, and that patrons can hire private researchers if their own skills are inadequate.  The trio agree to come back in the morning.

[1 Calistril 4708]

While the others are away at the library, Ava and Salma stand outside and endure the harsh weather so they can memorize the façade of the Black Shield to aid in future teleportation attempts.  Just before lunch, a messenger arrives bearing two scrolls.  The first, signed by High-Captain Acacia Uriana, says “Take all means at your dispersal to destroy the stone giant threat.”  The second is a magical scroll that Salma deciphers as holding a spell that should allow them to teleport directly to Jorgenfist!
---------------------------------------------------------
Director's Commentary (May 19, 2019)

The trial was pretty fun.  I set it up as a skill's challenge, with different DCs to persuade different judges.  Kang is pretty much the world's worst attorney, with a very low Diplomacy score that is an essential part of his character.  Edgeworth (a character from a video game that I uncharacteristically implemented into the campaign at a player's suggestion) rolled much higher.  I actually though the verdict was reasonably fair, but I soon realized it was perceived quite differently, with talk of abandoning Sandpoint altogether!  It's hard to add some intrigue without the risk of it backfiring.

I set a *very* high Diplomacy DC for the PCs' attempt to get some direct help from the authorities in Magnimar, and they made it!  Hence, the scroll of greater teleportation.

Pathfinder Player Companion: "Melee Tactics Toolbox" [RPG]

You don't have to guess what sort of stuff is in the Melee Tactics Toolbox.  If you like mixing it up face-to-face, there's a reasonable chance the assortment of feats, equipment, spells, and more will have something that piques your interest.  The book also contains some general tips on tactics, useful for newer players to the game.  Like most books in the Pathfinder Player Companion line, this is a 32-page, full-colour offering, divided into two-page sections.  The interior artwork is really impressive, and I have to particularly call out the great shot of the Iconic Brawler punching out a troll on page 3.  You can judge the front cover art yourself.  The inside front-cover has capsule descriptions of four fighting schools and war colleges in the Inner Sea region of Golarion: the Aldori Academy, the Crusader War College, the Grand Coliseum, and the Tempering Hall.  I thought it was a useful shortcut for coming up with a background for a character.  Maybe someday I'll do a "graduate students" campaign where every PC has to be a student at a fighting school, wizard's academy, or bardic college!  The inside back cover is a "Combat Options Overview" that has a chart of what type of action various things (like combat maneuvers and combat feats) require, along with basic definitions.  I really should print it out for new players.  Anyway, now onto the content.

The first five pages are the table of contents, a "For Your Character" page that summarizes what sort of stuff you'll find in the book, a "Rules Index," and a two-page Introduction.  I guess this would be useful if I were deciding whether or not to buy the book, but the book is short enough that I would rather have more content than multiple pages describing that content.  The Introduction does contain some reasonably good advice for different types of melee encounters, and a useful sidebar that I haven't seen elsewhere summarising the *seventeen* different types of feats in Pathfinder!  Okay, maybe those PF2 fans have a point about bloat . . .

"Up Close and Personal" contains some good advice on offensive melee tactics along with suggestions of which feats to take to support various builds.  It introduces seven new feats for close-combat, some of which have become pretty common with certain builds, like Artful Dodge and Circling Mongoose.  On the whole, the new feats look pretty well-written and fairly powerful.

"On the Defensive" is the flip-side: advice for protecting yourself in melee combat (such as the benefits of different types of armor, whether or not to use a shield, etc.).  There are three new feats, with one ("Just out of Reach") something that would come in very useful in certain APs like Rise of the Runelords.  There's also a new Cavalier archetype called the Castellan; there aren't a lot of Cavalier archetypes, but this one is really only useful in a very niche sort of campaign centered around fortifying and protecting a castle.

"Mass Melee" contains some advice (again, with specific suggestions for feats and class options) for when the battlefield is crawling with multiple combatants on each side.  When I ran homebrew campaigns, I used to love tossing twenty or thirty low-CR mooks on the battlefield, but a few years of playing exclusively APs and PFS have gotten me used to the PCs outnumbering the enemies.  This section contains five new feats; I used Harrying Partners (making Aid Another last for an entire round) to good effect for one PC, and I know Phalanx Formation (eliminating soft cover for reach weapons) is really useful for a lot of builds.  There's a new bardic masterpiece ("Battle Song of the People's Revolt") that looks pretty great, and a bland Fighter archetype called the "Drill Sergeant" (basically, it gives them the Cavarlier's tactician class feature).

"Unarmed and Dangerous" is really designed for monks and brawlers.  It contains six new Style feats (3 for "Cudgeler Style" and 3 for "Kraken Style") and a very brief Bloodrager archetype ("Bloody-Knuckled Rowdy").  I've never gotten into Style feats so I don't really have an opinion, and the Bloodrager archetype pays a heavy price (one fewer spell known per spell level) to get better at unarmed combat.

"Melee in a Pinch" was a clever idea: what to do when you weren't expecting a fight (or, at least, when a fight slides into a situation you're not ready for--like underwater, while grappled, etc.).  I know I've taken the "Aquatic Combatant" feat (no penalties on melee attacks underwater, and your weapons do full damage), for example.  There are eight more feats in this vein.  There's also a "Makeshift Scrapper" archetype for Rogues that are about improvised weapons, and it looks okay but not amazing.

"Anatomy of Melee Weapons" is something very different: poor drawings of several different types of swords and very basic diagrams of the different parts of an axe, mace, and sword.  For most of this stuff, Wikipedia and Google Image search would be better.

"Melee Weapons" introduces sixteen new weapons.  At this stage in the development of Pathfinder, I'm not really sure they're necessary.  The only new one here I've ever seen someone use was the Elven Branched Spear just because it was an elven weapon that had reach and a x3 Crit modifier.

"Tools and Equipment", on the other hand, contained loads of good stuff.  An armor truss is almost a must-have for solo adventurers who want to wear heavy armor, while "exemplar weapon salve" allows you to turn that story-based background weapon into a masterwork weapon suitable for enchantment.  I would like to scare a player so much that they start regularly using Sunderblock, but it hasn't happened yet.

"Magic Armor" contains a good assortment.  Advocate's Armor is really clever (getting hit by a crit has a chance to put a lesser geas on the attacker), an Alchemist's Suit could be great fun (get hit by a crit and automatically apply the effects of one of eight vials stored within it), and my caveman shaman really needs to get the Mammoth Hide armor.

"Magic Weapons" didn't do as much for me.  I liked the Diplomat's Traveling Stick and could imagine characters it would be perfect for.  One of the weapons, the Pirate's Arm, is just bizarre.

"Armor and Weapon Special Abilities" presents some pretty niche material, but it's an interesting array.

"Wondrous Items" has a mostly unremarkable selection.  I do really like the Anchoring Bracers, and would love to see the surprise on a gamer's face when they try to have their character teleport away from a tough battle.

"Melee Spells" finishes the book, containing ten new spells.  Most spells are assigned to four or five different classes, but I'd guess magus and bloodrager would get the most out of the selection.  Some of the spells are cast by swift actions, which is particularly useful.

Overall, Player Companions like the Melee Tactics Toolbox are just a big grab-bag of stuff.  Some of it's great, some of it's dumb, and most is mediocre.  Having this book is excellent for something like PFS, as sooner or later you'll almost surely want an option that appears somewhere within these pages.  I also think the advice given on melee combat is reasonably useful, even if it's rather concise.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 67 [RPG]

[28 Abadius 4708 continued]

As the adventurers continue pushing through the rugged landscape despite the blizzard that obscures their vision, they hear what can only be described as a loud trumpeting ahead of them.  Seconds later, a tremendous rumbling noise seems to come towards them from the north.  With no idea what they’re about to face, the adventurers brace themselves for attack only to find massive boulders rolling over them from out of the swirling snow! Kang and Ava are badly bruised, while Jinkatsyu somehow darts on top of one of the boulders and escapes unharmed.  But Nerissa and Salma are neither so lucky nor so strong, and each is crushed to a veritable pulp by the cascade of rocks.  Ava reacts quickly and is able to magically pull Salma back from the blackness of death, and the weakened wizard’s only thought is escape.  She magically teleports everyone back to the day’s previous campsite a few miles further south.  Ava rushes over to Nerissa and tries to repeat her feat, but it’s too late—Nerissa has slipped away.

Salma conjures a magical dome to keep out the wind and snow.  The others talk about how what happened wasn’t an avalanche, as they weren’t buried under a cascade of snow and jagged rock—just smooth boulders.  Obviously, a trap of some type, but they can’t figure out how the defenders knew they were coming.  Ava prays to her lord Sinashakti, the Walker of Worlds, for the power to bring Nerissa back to life and, fuelled by the sacrifice of a flawless diamond, the supplication works.  Nerissa slowly regains consciousness, looking wan and pale from the ordeal.  Ava’s joy at the miracle is short-lived, however, as she realizes she has no more diamonds to fuel further magicks of the same sort, and not enough money to buy more even if she were back in Magnimar.  Salma suggests simply stealing some, as they’re now far more powerful than any jeweler’s bodyguards, but Nerissa and Ava are strongly against the notion.

Gargoyles are obsessive

collectors of souvenirs

from their kills.

The adventurers’ much needed rest that night is interrupted when Salma realizes that some of the rocky outcroppings near them have moved slightly over the night—gargoyles!  As has proven the case so often in recent battles, the foes cannot withstand the pure destructive conflagration of Salma’s fire magicks and Kang’s explosive bombs.  Searching a crevice in the rock, Salma finds some old trinkets and battered gear that the gargoyles must have collected from past travellers over the years.

[29 Abadius 4708]

In the morning, despite the urgency of their quest, the adventurers settle on going back to Magnimar immediately and then on to Sandpoint the next day so that Ava will be present for the legal proceedings brought against her by Nagol Scarnetti.  Kang again offers to act in her defence, confident that his self-proclaimed status as a “genius” will make up for any lack of legal training.

Salma’s teleportation spell is successful, and the adventurers instantly find themselves at a beautiful public park (lightly dusted with snow) in the city’ exclusive Alabaster District.  Nerissa’s interest in finding a tavern, despite the early hour, leads her to ask a wealthy couple for directions.  Alarmed at her vagrant-like appearance, the couple motion for a nearby member of the City Watch to escort the adventurers away and down from the Summit.  The group decide to find someplace to sell some of the spoils of war they’ve accumulated in their recent adventures and eventually make their way to the Bazarre of Sails in Dockway.   Here, despite the cold, hundreds of stalls have been set up to form the largest free market in Varisia.  Nerissa is enchanted by the array of exotic foods and spices from all over the continent and even further afield, while Kang makes fast friends with a dwarf named Bartol Ehdrick who has been experimenting with mechanical wings, spring-loaded boots, and ink quill finger gloves to write ten messages at once!  Meanwhile, Salma, Jinkatsyu, and Ava learn that the best place to purchase flawless diamonds of the type they’re seeking is at the Bronze House—the regional headquarters of the Aspis Consortium.  There, they speak to a gaunt Taldan named Maiveer Sloan, who is willing to sell them “blood diamonds” from the Mwangi Expanse.

The rest of the afternoon passes quickly, with only Ava’s sobbing (caused by Kang referring to her and the others as “acquaintances” rather than “friends”) marring the day.  At sunset, the adventurers walk to Defiant’s Garden, where Kang intends to see Lord-Mayor Grobaras and collect some sort of reward for having discovered the fate of Fort Rannick.  Unfortunately, he can’t talk his way past the guards outside and is turned away.

The adventurers decide to spend the night in Sandpoint, and teleport into the room at the Rusty Dragon that Salma carefully memorized in past stays.  However, they’re not prepared for the fact that other guests might stay there after their departure, and they find themselves suddenly standing next to a half-dressed, terrified couple screaming for help.  Seconds later, Ameiko Kaijitsu bursts through the door, rapier in hand, and has harsh words for the adventurers’ foolishness.  Jinkatsyu’s attempt to charm her is shut down hard, as he can’t escape the indignity of his embarrassing practice duel in the common room from days earlier.

The adventurers are lodged in different rooms, and spend the evening in the common room.  Nerissa’s alcoholism becomes more alarming as she challenges the crowd to a drinking contest and finds no takers.  When she offers to pay for the wine herself, she’s invited over to a table in the corner with a trio of well-dressed young men sit.  Soon, she realizes that she’s sitting with Nagol Scarnetti and his friends and they’re mocking her for her association with “freaks.”  Nerissa places one of the spicy peppers she obtained earlier from the markets in Magnimar into a flask of wine, and challenges Nagol to drink it after she takes a sip with no visible effects.  He drinks the concoction down and then gasps in agony from the pain before rushing outside to dunk his head in a snowbank—leaving Nerissa chuffed at how well her prank on Ava’s tormentor worked.  Meanwhile, Jinkatsyu, who is down to his last coppers, hears how Ameiko gives a discount to anyone who entertains the crowd with a story or performance.  He takes the stage and tells the moving story of his family’s death at the hands of a coven of hags—there’s barely a dry eye in the room when he finishes.  Ava braves the stage to tell a joke that is surprisingly well-received, but Kang’s follow-up leads to boos and minor outrage in the listeners.

[30 Abadius 4708]

Veridian's map of Jorgenfist could be crucial for the heroes.

In the morning, the adventurers visit local cartographer Veznutt Parooh in order to sell him a copy of the map of Jorgenfist they obtained from Veridian.  Veznutt wistfully expresses his desire to accompany the adventurers, mentioning how the only true death is living the same day over and over again!  He says he’s come across a few mentions of the Black Tower in his work—apparently it has stood since the days of ancient Thassilon, and no explorer who has entered has ever been known to come out alive.  Legend has it that a great storehouse of knowledge exists under the Black Tower, but this has never been confirmed.

After their visit to Parooh, the adventurers hurry over to the Town Hall for Ava’s court proceeding.  They see Nagol Scarnetti in the hallway, accompanied by a well-dressed and imposing barrister from Magnimar named Edgeworth.  Edgeworth makes his way toward the group but instead of speaking with Ava or her “legal advocate” Kang, he instead hands Nerissa scroll.  “You’ve been served my dear—poisoning a Scarnetti has consequences!”

The adventurers’ initial push towards Jorgenfist has been repelled, and now they’ve become wrapped up in local matters.  Will they get on track in time to stop Mokmurian from launching his planned invasion of Varisia?

----------------------------------------------
Director's Commentary (May 5, 2019)

The adventurers had alerted enough patrols in previous sessions, so I thought this time the stone giants would have a sense of their route and prepared some defences.  I didn't expect to kill anyone outright with boulders though, and dropping two of the PCs certainly derailed things for a bit.  It led to the group teleporting to Magnimar for more diamonds and other supplies.  I think I did a pretty good job depicting Magnimar this session, but one of the things that surprised me this campaign was how much time the PCs spent there--I had very good prep for Sandpoint, but not as good of prep for Magnimar.  In retrospect, I would have set aside more time to really bring the city to life.  In other respects, this session was a solid "downtime" sort of session, with a lot of good role-playing, some development of subplots, and a few hijinks with plenty of laughs.

Pathfinder: "Beginner Box T-Shirt" [RPG]

I bought this for my kid who’s recently been having a blast with the Pathfinder Beginner Box, having invoked the PFS principle that wearing it means a free reroll. He’s completely bought into the idea, and looks like a classic grognard while playing! The shirt features the awesome artwork of Ezren and Merisiel squaring off against Black Fang (from the cover of the Beginner Box). I especially like that it’s purple (maroon? I’m terrible with colours) instead of the omnipresent black of other Pathfinder shirts. It’s held up well to several washings. It’s an excellent buy for the little (or not so little) gamer in your life.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: "Giles" [COMICS]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Giles #1
(Dark Horse) (one-shot 2000)

Creators:  Christopher Golden and Tom Sniegoski (writers), Eric Powell (artist), Pat Brosseau (letterer), Guy Major (colorist)

Setting:  After Season Four

T.V./Movie Character Appearances:  Buffy, Giles, Quentin Travers

Major Original Characters:  Archie Lassiter (Watcher), Micaela Tomasi (Watcher), Graham Locke (Watcher)

Summary:  While cataloguing an ancient amulet in the vaults, a junior member of the Watchers Council accidentally sets free a monstrous curse, killing himself and a senior member, Archie Lassiter, in the process.  Giles, an old friend of Lassiter, hears of the man's death and travels to England for the funeral.  Quentin Travers and the rest of the Council stonewall Giles about the cause of Lassiter's death, but an ally from previous exploits in the arcane (a young Watcher named Michaela Tomasi) confides in him:  the curse that killed Lassiter is spreading, consuming and transmogrifying its victims into hideous, tentacled beasts!  In order to set things right, Giles and Tomasi have to find the amulet and perform a sacred ritual: but it's not easy, as a Watcher named Graham Locke enjoys his new Lovecraftian form and won't give up without a fight!  Fortunately, Giles and Tomasi prevail, and Giles is able to return to Sunnydale, further convinced that the Council is not to be trusted.

Review:  Not long after Season Seven wrapped things up for the show, there was a lot of chatter about HBO doing a dark-themed solo show with Giles called Ripper.  It never came to pass, but this issue might have been an example of the type of stories such a show could have produced.  It's a solid, well-written story--and doing that in a one-shot isn't always easy.  It's clear that Giles has enough dimensions to carry his own book (or t.v. series), and the artwork in this issue is fantastic in setting the creepy tone and horrible monstrosities caused by the curse.

Notes

* There are some nice continuity references to a previous run (Blood of Carthage) in the main Buffy series as well as the Gatekeeper Trilogy of novels (where Micaela Tomasi first appears).

* I wonder if Dark Horse didn't have the rights to depict the actor who played Quentin Travers?  The illustration doesn't look anything like the actor.