Pathfinder Compleat Encounter: "Death Shrine of the Ninja Cult" [RPG]

Death Shrine of the Ninja Cult was another set in Paizo's short-lived "Compleat Encounter" line of products, each of which included a short adventure, some flip-cards that connected together as a battle-mat, and three pewter miniatures.  Some sets were sold at a reduced price without the miniatures in "adventure only" form, and I either got one of these or the miniatures were lost before I picked this up used.

This set represents a nice little evening's drop-in adventure for any campaign in an urban area.  As the title indicates, the adventure takes place in a secret shrine to a death god operated by a trio of ninjas (one of whom is a doppelganger!).  Because this uses 3.5 rules, the enemies mostly have rogue levels with some use of the assassin prestige class.  The adventure is pitched at levels 6-8, though there are scaling adjustments for various other levels.  I didn't think the scaling was handled well though, as it basically just adds additional monsters of an easier or harder level while keeping the main antagonists (the ninjas) exactly the same.  In any event, I stuck with the default range and it worked fine for PCs who were around level 5--and may have been a bit too easy (sneak attack damage can only take enemies so far when fighting in confined quarters).

There's not a firm hook to get the PCs involved here, so the GM can come up with pretty much anything that will get the group to stumble upon the ninjas' secret lair.  There's a cool (and fair) trap at the entrance, and some of the treasure is seeded with potential hooks for further adventures that a homebrew GM can use to continue the adventure.  For the most part, though, this adventure is a setting (the lair) and three enemies (the ninjas) and the GM can pretty much improv from there.  I love the artwork by Wayne Reynolds for each of the ninjas, and two of the three (Eseldrin Nightstar and Kelzerin Thoughtstealer) have interesting backstories.

I did find the product confusing in how the numbering of the encounter cards jumps unintuitively (a requirement, I think, so that the grid cards can be double-sided).  In addition, I didn't really get the difference between what the two sides of the grid cards were supposed to be showing: as far as I could tell, one was a "neat and orderly" presentation of the lair and one was a "bloody and messy" presentation--I guess the latter is for after the battle is over?  Again, it was just confusing during the session and complicated the matter of figuring out which sides to use.

On the whole, the product is okay.  It's definitely useful in the way in which it's intended (as a quick encounter for a busy GM), though it can be a bit harder to use than it should be.  It doesn't have any ties to cool early Golarion lore like some of the other Compleat Encounters packs.  I also can't judge the miniatures since I don't have them, though there are painted pictures online.

Pathfinder Compleat Encounter: "Throne of the Gorilla King" [RPG]

Before Pathfinder was a thing, Paizo made all sorts of accessories for D&D 3.5  One thing they experimented with was a line of "Compleat Encounter" sets that included a cleverly-designed set of 10 double-sided cards that could be laid out to form a gridded encounter map--like a small version of the map pack sets.  The other side of the cards contained a small adventure (maybe three or four linked encounters) using that map, along with artwork of the adversaries.  Finally, they included three pewter miniatures of creatures or objects encountered in the adventure.  There was truth in advertising here--with one of these sets, you really had everything you needed for a "compleat encounter."

Today these things are long out-of-print and hard to track down, but I got lucky with spotting a few dusty ones at a gaming store while on a business trip a few years back.  Then, someone who was giving all their PF1 stuff away (to get ready for PF2) gave me the other ones I needed to complete my collection.

Throne of the Gorilla King is an interesting set designed for 5th-level characters (though there are instructions on how to scale it for other levels).  The encounter takes place in the ruins of an ancient, foreboding temple to a dark god somewhere in the depths of the jungle.  Here, the Silverback King, leader of a tribe of feral, carnivorous ape-men called charau-ka, rules his domain with the aid of a powerful magical artefact devoted to an evil deity: the totem of Angazhan.  A few different adventure hooks are given for why the PCs may have come here--they could be treasure hunters after the artefact, heroes trying to stop the predations of the charau-ka, or simply travellers who take an unlucky path in the dense jungle.

The first battle takes place against Prince Tekawhan (a "normal" charau-ka) as the PCs reach the base of the stairs leading to a throne room.  Although this ape-man only has 3 hit dice, it's a tougher encounter than it first appears because he stands at the top of the stairs throwing rocks and dangerous concoctions.  When the PCs naturally try to close to melee, they set off some really nasty spear traps while ascending the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, they'll see the gorilla king, Ruthazek, reclining on his throne next to the totem of Angazhan.  Ruthazek is a combat-beast when he starts power-attacking, and is as dangerous unarmed as he is with his sword--he's got the rend special ability.  (the GM will have to make some quick adjustments from 3.5 rules to Pathfinder for this encounter)  But even more dangerous than Ruthazek is the artefact he's guarding: apart from a panic-inducing fear aura, it can cast phantasmal killer once a round at any creature within 30'!  Suffice it to say, this is a *really* tough encounter for 5th level PCs--they'll likely be wounded from the trap, some with poor Will saves will have fled from the artifact's aura, the gorilla king is a tough melee foe, and the artefact itself can spam a lethal spell at will.  When I ran this, the PCs were only 4th level so I didn't use the artifact's magical attacks, and the gorilla king still took out all but one of the PCs before being finally dropped.

The artwork on the cards is really well-done and perfect for clipping to the GM screen to show players what they're encountering.  The pewter miniatures are heavy and well-sculpted.  I usually stick with pre-painted plastic miniatures because I have no artistic skills, but in the right hands these could be made into something really impressive.  Regarding the cards, I did find it a bit awkward to flip back and forth, and the way they're numbered can make them confusing to use.  Still, it was pretty cool to get a chance to see some of the early versions of characters and concepts (like Ruthazek the Gorilla-King and Angazhan the evil deity) that would later be incorporated into the official Pathfinder campaign setting.  It's too bad these sets must not have sold well enough, because they're a fun (and handy) addition to a gaming collection.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 81 [RPG]

[10 Calistril 4708 continued]

Jodar isn't exactly the best guardsman, 

but he's always been friendly to the adventurers.

Fresh from their brief sojourn to Korvosa, the adventurers return to Sandpoint to find that early morning grey skies are drizzling a light rain.  The group walk directly to the sinkhole, where an astonished Jodar Provolost is surprised to see them since he never saw them come out after going in the day prior.  Jodar says that the howling from inside the hole could be heard all night long, and he confesses that most in town think the members of the previous guard patrol are probably dead.  The adventurers decide they’ll find out one way or another, and proceed down to the catacombs under the city.

They find the newly-revealed section much as it was when they abruptly teleported away.  As before, whispering from a hidden figure asks them many questions, such as “where does the King of Varisia live?” and “what nation has the most powerful weapons of war?”  Kang and Salma tell pieces of the truth, and in return are told that the secrets to Runeforge are hidden deeper in the tunnels.  After proceeding through the shattered Lamashtan cathedral where they slew the glabrezu demon, the adventurers find a passageway to the south covered in blood and bits of flesh.  Obviously, whatever happened here ended poorly for someone.  The adventurers push on along a winding southward passage, but soon hear, quite nearby, the howling of some fearsome beasts!  Kang and Yuzo are chilled to the bone and panic.  Ava quickly uses a charm to suppress Kang’s terror, but Yuzo runs into the darkness and smashes straight into a pillar!

Some sages speculate that babau demons are 

formed from the wretched souls of serial killers.

The whispering from the mysterious figure continues as the adventurers recover in the shattered cathedral, with the voice asking more information about the disposition of forces of the various city-states in Varisia.  The group grow tired of the questioning and more and more reticent about answering, and start moving back towards the southern tunnels.  “So the time for talk has come to an end, my sucklings?” taunts the hidden figure in ancient Thassilonian.  “Then learn the true glories of Lamashtu!”  Suddenly, three demons manifest around the lone figure left behind in the cathedral—Salma!  Each of the demons looks like a horned human skeleton smothered with a bone-tight hide of slimy leather.  Armed with longspears, they begin stabbing before the surprised fire mage can react, and in but an instant she crumples to the ground, dead!  Ava teleports to Salma’s side and magically breathes life back into her lungs, only for the cruel demons to continue their stabbing of the now-prone figure!  Bombs and the sound of battle echo through the ancient chambers as the demons teleport right next to the surprised adventurers before being slain and, oddly, disappearing instantly.  Having seen enough, and hearing more arcane chanting from their unseen stalker, Ava shouts for everyone to assemble and then she teleports the group back to the front door of the Rusty Dragon.

Ava sobs as the adventurers walk to the Cathedral, concerned that Salma (like Nerissa before her) won’t be raised from the dead because her spirit will have chosen to move on.  When they reach the building, a brusque Sister Arva allows the group use of a room.  Ava prays to Sinashaskti and then draws upon a spark of his divine power to communicate directly with Salma’s spirit.  But the only response to the question of whether spirit will return to flesh is cryptic: “the wood has burnt, the fire dies.”  Ava becomes convinced that it means Salma’s spirit has moved on, and in her despair she blames Sinashakti for not helping.  The others discuss the meaning of the cryptic words and what Salma indicated she wanted while she was alive, but they can’t find anything conclusive one way or the other.  Ava decides only further prayer can clear her mind.

Kang returns to the sinkhole and tells Jodar what happened just minutes ago.  Jodar says the situation is dire, and notes that Daviren Hosk still hasn’t returned from following the trail of whatever emerged from the hole a couple of nights back.  Kang decides to take up matters directly with Sheriff Hemlock.  Hemlock says he’ll double the guards around the perimeter of the hole, and look into arranging for cartloads of rock and gravel to fill it in.  When Kang asks who in town might be an authority on Thassilon, Hemlock recommends Brodert Quink down by Old Light.  Kang finds the somewhat cantankerous old man quite enthusiastic about anything to do with the empire that ruled Varisia millennia ago.  Quink shares his theory that Old Light was never a lighthouse, but actually a powerful weapon of war capable of hurling balls of fire miles into the sky.  He explains that Sandpoint sits on the border between two parts of the ancient empire of Thassilon:  Shalast, to the east, once ruled by the Runelord of Greed, and Barakhan, to the west, once ruled by the Runelord of Wrath.  In his excitement at finding a willing listener, Quink goes on to talk about how Thassilon enslaved giants to build the massive monuments that still dot the landscape, such as the Irespan in Magnimar, Skull’s Crossing in central Varisia, and the Cyphergate in Riddleport.  However, Quink seems confused to hear that there’s a temple to Lamashtu underneath Sandpoint, and admits he doesn’t know much about the religious leanings of the Thassilonians apart from their reverence towards something called the “Peacock Spirit.”  When Kang reveals the adventurers’ discovery of an ancient library under Jorgenfist, Quink literally trembles with excitement and wrangles a promise form the alchemist to take him there.

Brodert Quink spent three decades 

as a cataloger at libraries in Magnimar.

Back at the Cathedral, after hours of prayer, Ava announces that she knows what must be done: Salma must be laid to rest, and she must help the grippli consecrate their shrine to Sinashakti.  Upon hearing that his former adventuring companion won’t be brought back to life, Jinkatsyu raises the matter of Salma’s possessions.  Yuzo says he doesn’t want anything from the corpse of an ally, but the others show no such compunction.

That afternoon, the surviving adventurers meet over drinks at the Rusty Dragon to talk about their next steps.  Kang shares about his conversation with Brodert Quink, and concludes that perhaps the old man isn’t as crazy as most people think.  Jinkatsyu suggests returning to Jorgenfist to collect and sell the treasures accumulated there so that they can purchase new equipment for a return engagement against the mysterious whispering figure.  Kang worries that could take time they don’t have.  Consensus is reached to return to the tunnels in the morning.  In the remaining hours of daylight, Ava asks Kang if he can obtain some rare herbs for her so that she can atone for her blasphemous words against Sinashakti.  Kang is able to find what Ava needs at the Pillbug’s Pantry, and also uses the opportunity to make a hefty profit by discreetly selling the proprietor some vials of drow poison.  Hoping to find out if anyone in town knew Salma personally, the others are directed to Cracktooth’s Tavern, where the proprietor tells them that Salma was a regular some years prior but hadn’t been around in months.  Yuzo takes the opportunity to entertain the clientele with a raucous story.

The adventurers meet up at the Cathedral and see Father Zantus comforting a sobbing teen—the son of missing guardsman Bosk Hartigan.

-------------------
Director's Commentary

This session was a good demonstration of how the Scribbler had important information to drive the rest of the chapter, and how he could be pretty dangerous if he could stay hiding.  The sudden attack by the babau demons was one of those unfortunate reminders that the presence of powerful martials won't be enough to save the "squishies" when enemies can start to appear anywhere.  The Scribbler wasn't much of a thread in direct combat, but definitely had some tricks up his sleeve.

I think it was after this session that I had to just be frank with the whole group that they needed to make PCs who wanted to live, and would, under normal circumstances, come back from the dead if an opportunity presented itself.  The issue was that turning down being raised from the dead was becoming something of a trend, and that then both dramatically increased overall party wealth (because the other PCs rarely showed qualms about taking the dead PC's stuff and new PCs often came in with more wealth than the other PCs had) and because it was hard to get any consistency in party coherency when having a new shiny character seemed all advantages and no drawbacks.

Brodert Quink really starts to get involved in the storyline with this episode.  I like how naturally it occurred while fitting in exactly with what the AP expected--that the PCs would turn to Quink for help in figuring out where Runeforge is.  I think I role-played him less cantankerously than previously, but I wanted to emphasize just how excited he was to be brought in on something involving real locations dating to Thassilon.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 10-12: "Breath of the Dragonskull" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Ugh.  I played through this at low-tier and was not a fan--I think it's one of the worst of the Season Ten scenarios.  It's one of those scenarios that tries, awkwardly and unsuccessfully, to redeem goblins to get them ready for PF2.  It has a "Pathfinder Junior" sort of tone, with no consequences and a simplistic plot.  In my opinion, this one is safely skippable.  They didn't even both to update the placeholder cover, which is maybe fate's way of telling us something . . .


SPOILERS

Breath of the Dragonskull is best understood as a product of a very specific moment in Paizo history.  PF2 was just about to come out, it was going to include goblins as a core race, and some sort of justification had to be given for the radical change in setting lore that changed goblins from almost universally despised pyromaniac psychopaths to loveable, socially-acceptable scamps.  Unfortunately, this was not a change that had been foreseen and developed over time, nor was it the subject of some sort of major story arc in an adventure path.  Instead, all of the heavy lifting was dumped onto PFS Season 10--and that's why we have multiple scenarios in the season that suddenly include perfectly nice goblin tribes.  It's frankly bizarre, as if learning that brain-eating zombies aren't so bad--you just have to get to know them!  Breath of the Dragonskull is a good example of this issue, but it has several additional faults to boot.

The scenario starts with a briefing by Venture-Captain Jorsal.  He tells the PCs that he's received a letter from the leader of a village called Mishkar in Iobaria.  The letter indicates that the village is being threatened by raging forest fires, and urgently asks the Pathfinder Society for help.  This scenario is a sequel to # 9-18, Scourge of the Farheavens, in which the Society apparently promised to aid the villagers of Mishkar.  So, with little more to go with, V-C Jorsal arranges for the PCs to get teleported to the outskirts of the village.

When the group arrives, they see a town in chaos.  Fire and smoke is everywhere, villagers and goblins are trying to fight the fires, but a troupe of centaurs seems to be attacking.  Before doing anything else, the PCs have to deal with the centaurs--either through violence or diplomacy.  They can then head to the village and help stop the flames from engulfing the town, or visit the (apparently nearby) centaur encampment.  The choice seems an obvious one, but the scenario treats them as equally acceptable.  Indeed, there are no consequences for going to the centaur encampment first and the town second--I guess the fires weren't that dangerous after all!

When the PCs go to the centaur encampment, they'll have a chance to parlay with Kaana Korag, their leader.  It seems they're convinced that goblins have set the fires, and they want the villagers of Mishkar to turn the goblins over for justice.  During negotiations, fires break out in the encampment and the PCs can earn some goodwill (and awkwardly dropped loot) by making some skill checks to help put out the flames.

When the PCs go to Mishkar, they'll be greeted by a cool bearlike eidolon of the village's "god-caller" (summoner) and meet goblins from the nearby Dragonskull tribe.  Apparently, all it takes to save the town from imminent destruction are a few skill checks by the PCs.  The leader of the Dragonskulls explains that they've always used fire to carefully maintain the health of the forest (by burning sick trees, etc.), but one day an old stone monument in their own village caught on fire and started burning everything around it.  The PCs are asked by the leaders in Mishkar to accompany the goblin chieftain back to his village and stop the "burning stone" from spewing additional fire into the forest.

So the PCs head into the burning Finadar Forest.  I thought the issue of smoke inhalation was handled well, as each PC has to make a check before each encounter or be fatigued.  Encounters in the forest include wolverines and a chance to rescue a personality-free druid who was trapped in a "flame-shrouded bower."  Dang druid, this fire has been raging for (according to the scenario) two weeks  now--you really need to prep more create water and spam as needed!

Once they reach the goblin village, the PCs will realise that an ancient cyclopean monument was somehow reactivated and it's responsible for spewing burning skulls--essentially, small fire elementals.  By destroying the flaming skulls and deactivating the monument, the PCs save the day.  There is some potentially interesting negotiations afterward where the PCs are supposed to persuade the centaurs that the goblins weren't responsible for the fires.  However, it doesn't really matter, because even if the PCs utterly fail on the Diplomacy checks, the centaurs grudgingly leave the goblins alone.  Actually, one of the interesting things about this scenario is that the PCs aren't really needed--even if they fail on all the skill checks to put out the fires in the village or the encampment, nothing bad happens to either.

I'm a Negative Nancy in this review, but there's really just a lot about it that irks me.  The "goblins are great" ret-con, the safety rails everywhere, the story deficiencies, and more.  It has the sort of plot and tone and lack of real danger or consequences that would make it a perfect fit for a sort of "Kid's Track" adventure designed for pre-teens.  But for an adult, it just comes across as kinda dumb and cheesy.

Pathfinder Flip-Mat: "Bigger Keep" [RPG]

At first glance, the Bigger Keep flip-mat is really impressive.  The "front" side is a top-down view of a castle built entirely, I guess, on an island, with the only land access through a drawbridge--pretty secure!  There's a large courtyard, some buildings, and some towers, along with what I think is a central well.  This side could work well if you needed a big "king inspecting the ranks" scene.  It's less useful for a traditional "castle siege" encounter because of the water surrounding it--you'd need some sort of flying or amphibious assault to capture this place.  Some of the problems with this side is you can't see where the doors are into the buildings, it's a bit confusing to tell whether the stairs are going up or down, and it takes som
e thought to understand the different vertical levels in different parts of the keep.  If you stare at it long enough, you can figure it out--but it's not intuitive.  The "back" side is a representation of the interior of the different parts of the keep--there's a mess hall, a shrine, and some offices (oddly, no bunks or barracks).  The problem I had with this side is that it's a shifted top-down view and hard to match up with the "front" side.  The interior of the towers, for example, are abstracted elsewhere--I guess--and there are some rooms that I can't figure out how they're accessible to the rest of the keep.  I can see what the designer was going for, but I just don't think it works well--flip-mats are supposed to make encounters faster and easier, not require puzzle-solving.

Pathfinder Flip-Mat: "Arcane Library" [RPG]

The Arcane Library flip-mat is really nicely designed.  The front side cleverly uses multiple levels of elevation to create a really interesting space for encounters (and it's clear where stairs start and stop and how the levels related to one another, which isn't true for all flip-mats!).  There's plenty of bookshelves (obviously, a must!), but also worktables, statues, and a large orrery in the center.  I use this side of the mat to represent Mad Multivar's house in my Roots of Golarion campaign and it's worked well.  This side of the mat doesn't even need to be an "arcane" library, and could function perfectly well as a normal public library--though perhaps a bit of a messy one, with some books scattered on the floor here and there.  The other side of the mat is one I've only ever used in PFS as it contains "magically separated practice and experimental spaces"--essentially, a collection of rooms separated by what looks like walls of fog.  I'm dubious.  One great side and one okay side still add up to a pretty good flip-mat overall though.  The usual advantages of Paizo flip-mats (folds easily, clear gridlines, wet and dry erase, etc.) are here as well.

Pathfinder Player Companion: "Faiths of Balance" [RPG]

Faiths of Balance is a thirty-two page introduction to the major "neutral" faiths in the official Pathfinder campaign setting of Golarion.  The eight faiths covered are Abadar, Calistria, Gorum, Gozreh, Irori, Nethys, Pharasma, and (more a philosophy than the deity) the Green Faith.  The introduction explains that this book isn't so much about the gods themselves but about their average worshippers.  I occasionally found a minor bit here or there that expanded on what we already knew about these faiths from major books like Inner Sea Gods, but for the most part this companion book is better thought of as a readable, capsule summary for players than any attempt to introduce "new" lore into the setting.  Still, it's much more reasonable to expect the average player to read a page or two about their new cleric's god in a companion like this than a lengthy treatment in a hardcover book.

The inside front cover depicts the holy symbols of the eight faiths covered in the book along with their alignment, domains, favoured weapons, and centers of worship.  The inside back cover reproduces the covert art, sans logo.  The interior artwork is generally of a high quality, with the depictions of individual priests of each god a highlight.

The first part of the book is on the faiths.  Each of the eight faiths gets a two-page overview that includes a discussion of its goals, identifying symbols and tenets, taboos, how they interact with adventurers and other faiths, how different (core) classes are or are not represented, and two new religion traits for characters who worship that deity to select from.  Unfortunately, most of the traits are rather mundane and unimaginative--very much in the "you get a +1 bonus to a skill, and it's a class skill for you" vein (which can be useful, but doesn't exactly spark creativity and distinctive backgrounds).  I was originally going to go through each of the eight faiths in this review, but it's probably more useful for me to sum things up by saying the entries are generally well-written and informative.  I didn't know, for example, that Nethys rarely pays any attention at all to his worshippers, that Gorum believes that those who surrender on the field of battle should be spared, that Pharasma has some surprising beliefs about abortion, or how well Abadar plays into the old-school D&D idea of advancing civilization and bringing order to the dangerous wilderness.  There's also a two-page summary of minor neutral deities in the setting (like my favourite, Groetus, the God of the End Times)--each of these gets a paragraph or two of description and one new trait.

The remainder of the book is a series of two-page entries on topics including religious organisations, feats, magical items, spells, and holidays.

The religious organisations covered are The Companies of the Red Standard (a knightly order sworn to Gorum), The Reborn House (adventuring spellcasters sworn to Nethys who try to right wrongs caused by magic), The Sacred Order of Archivists (scholars of Irori who try to preserve history from destruction), The Sea Dragons (Abadarians who maintain civilised seaways), The Voices of the Spire (militant Pharasmins totally devoted to the destruction of undead), The Wasp Queens (female thieves who worship Calistria), and The Wind Callers (worshippers of Gozreh who work with ship's captains).  Although there's only a couple of paragraphs of description for each of these organisations, they're really flavourful and interesting--and I could definitely see entire campaigns premised on every PC being a member of one of these groups.  Certainly could be a fun change from the "a bunch of random adventurers meet up" tradition.

The feats section contains a reasonable selection, and (appropriate for a book like this) they're reasonably balanced.  This section also contains new "channel foci" (a concept introduced in an earlier book) which allows clerics of particular faiths to use channel energy on a special holy symbol to create a particular effect.  For example, Abadarian clerics could channel through small gold-plated scales to influence creatures' attitudes (through Diplomacy) as a swift action instead of the normal rule of a minute's interaction.  I like the concept.

The entry on magic items is interesting, as the items can be used by anyone (even non-worshippers), but have an extra effect that only works when used by worshippers of the relevant faith.  The clockwork key, for example, leads constructs to avoid attacking its wielder, but a worshipper of Abadar can use it to try to paralyze a construct entirely.  (I think this particular item is really cool, but overpowered given its price.)  This section also contains a sidebar detailing a code of conduct for  Paladins of Abadar.

The spells section isn't clear on whether they can be cast by anyone or only worshippers of the deity they relate to.  The only spell that jumps out at me as being particularly interesting is one called Early Judgment, which shows the target what their fate will be in the afterlife!

The section on holidays provides just a brief description of different special events within the eight faiths--I don't think there was enough room to do this topic justice here.

Overall, Faiths of Balance is a solid, concise introduction to the eight major neutral faiths in the Pathfinder pantheon.  It's very surface-level material, so don't expect major revelations or deep analyses.  But for what it is, it's good.

Pathfinder PaizoCon 2015 Pint Glass [RPG]

The PaizoCon 2015 Pint Glass is one of the more interesting ones they've released.  In stereotypical fortune-teller vibe (with headscarf, loose robe, earrings, and a crystal ball), "Zordinni, the Great and Gobbly" is here to predict that in just four years goblins will somehow become a core race!   I don't know if Zordinni relates to something else in Pathfinder or was just a random idea.  I like the little details on the glass, like the symbol of "pi" on the crystal ball and the Paizo logo and "PaizoCon 2015" in small print at the bottom of the design.  And as with all of these pint glasses, I've used it several times and it stands up well to the dishwasher.  Not a bad little addition to a collection.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 80 [RPG]

[9 Calistril 4708 continued]

Toff Ornelos has served in his post for almost 30 years

 and is among the most skilled arcanists in Varisia.

Having accepted an offer to take part in the Acadamae’s Breaching Festival, the adventurers find themselves teleported directly to the headmaster’s office!  Behind a large oaken desk is a wizened figure in robes whom the courier introduces as Toff Orenlos.  Upon seeing Jinkatsyu, however, Toff rises to his feet angrily and stomps over, literally tearing the mask from the swashbuckler’s face!  Toff berates Salma for letting her “servant parade around in a mockery sure to draw the attention of the real Red Mantis!”  Jinkatsyu stuffs the mask in his backpack, and Toff is mollified.  He returns to his desk, opens a drawer to retrieve one of several wands, and uses it to remove the memory of the incident from the courier, lest word spread and earn the ire of the notorious group of assassins.  

Toff then launches into a recitation of the history, purpose, and rules of the Breaching Festival.  He explains that it started back in 4551 as a means to test the defences in the Acadamae’s Hall of Wards, that it’s only ever been won once (and on a technicality), that the challenge requires contestants to enter one door of the Hall of Wards and exit through another door on the opposite side, and that the first person to do so will win over 15,000 platinum pieces.  Toff explains that Salma has been invited because diviners within the Acadamae identified her as one of Varisia’s most promising young wizards, and that her feats in slaying a red dragon in Sandpoint, devastating the ogres of Hook Mountain, and defeating the stone giant enchanter Mokmurian “in a wizard’s duel” has drawn attention far and wide.  The other adventurers are bemused to find themselves constantly referred to as Salma’s “bodyguards”, “servants”, or “entourage.”  At the end of his impromptu speech, Toff summons another of his assistants (a lanky recent graduate named Jandar Lilswin) to serve as their guide, reminding them that since the invitation has been accepted, they cannot leave the grounds of the Acadamae until after the Breaching Festival (which will start promptly one hour after dawn tomorrow morning).

Retrievers are extradimensional constructs often 

bound in service to powerful wizards or demons.

As Jandar leads the adventurers through the hallways of the administration building, he explains that a handful of other contestants have already arrived and are waiting in the guest dormitories.  But before the adventurers can exit the building, they hear a scream and a sudden thunderous crash coming from a classroom on the first floor.  Rushing to the scene, they see a student lying on the ground, dying from severe burns, while a demonic spider the size of a bull elephant rears up on its back four legs, its eyes shimmering with magical energy!  Jinkatsyu charges into battle with his rapier and stabs it multiple times.  It tries to bite and claw him in return, but he nimbly parries the blows.  But when energy courses out of its eyes in a random direction, it’s Salma who stands in harm’s way!  The fire mage doesn’t have time to dive for cover and is struck by the beam and instantly turned to stone!  Yuzo gives a battlecry and kills the strange beast (which Kang later identifies as a Retriever) with her falchion.  Ava rushes in and manages to save the burned student’s life and even bring her back to consciousness, only to be snidely rebuked for interfering.  Soon, Toff Ornelos arrives to investigate and quickly discerns the truth: the student, planning to participate in the Breaching Festival, had stolen a scroll far beyond her ken to summon demonic assistance.  Toff banishes the student to the kitchens, promising she’ll spend years labouring there to repay the damage she’s caused.  When the adventurers threaten legal action against the Acadamae if he won’t de-petrify Salma, he reluctantly agrees to see what he can do in the morning.

After much conversation about what to do with Salma in the meantime, the adventurers finally decide to just hoist her up and carry her to the dorms.  Jandar, who had been trembling in fear during the Retriever attack, quickly takes them across the campus and towards the dormitory.  On the way, the foursome talk about the contest.  Ava notes the rude selfishness of everyone they’ve met at the Acadamae, and speculates that maybe no one wins the Breaching Festival because a mad wizard murders them when they enter!  Kang speculates that maybe the headmaster is in on it, while Jinkatsyu raises that possibility it could be Karzoug himself!

Knur spent years working in Riddleport's gas works

 before moving to Korvosa

 and working as muscle for various street gangs.

When the group reach the dormitories, Jandar introduces them to the other contestants and then takes his leave.  A burly, confident dwarf named Knur tries to intimidate the group with a crushing handshake, while a nervous, rodent-faced halfling named Fatmire seems to be having second thoughts about the whole thing.  A scarred and bruised Varisian woman named Illia candidly admits she’s this year’s representative of the Cerulean Society (Korvosa’s thieves’ guild!), while an Ulfen wizard named Maganrad proclaims he is certain to win because he’s a student teacher at the Acadamae and has been studying the Breaching Festival for years.

After meeting the competition, the adventurers step outside to continue their discussion about how to win the contest.  Kang says that if the only way the Breaching Festival has ever been won is on a technicality, they should try to think of another technicality—he proposes a complicated plan involving entering and exiting the front door and then racing around the side of the building to enter and exit the back door, thus satisfying the condition of entering one door and exiting another! Yuzo, however, is reluctant, saying that plan would do terrible things to Salma’s reputation when the most prestigious wizards in Varisia will be watching.  Ava, however, backs Kang, saying they can’t gamble away their lives on a contest when Sandpoint needs them.  Jinkatsyu remains more optimistic that they could win the contest fairly, especially if they let the other contestants go in first to clear the way.  With no clear resolution to the debate, the adventurers return to the dormitory and rest for the night.

[10 Calistril 4708]

The adventurers and their fellow contestants are awakened at dawn by the tolling of bells.  A quick glimpse outside shows that, already, streams of people are pouring through the gates of the walled campus in order to get the best spots to watch the festival.  An irritated Toff Orenlos suddenly teleports into the room, casts a spell to return Salma to flesh, and then teleports away.  Seconds later, Jandar arrives with a set of disclaimers that the contestants need to sign.  But to the surprise of all, Salma tells them not to bother.  She explains that she doesn’t have the spells prepared that she needs for the Breaching Festival, and she doesn’t have time to prepare them before it starts.  Some conversation follows, but Salma remains insistent that it’s too dangerous.  So, with no further ado, the adventurers teleport to Sandpoint and leave the Acadamae behind.

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Director's Commentary

Most of this session went as I had planned, except for the big surprise at the ending.  There really was over 125,000 gp as a reward for a couple of sessions' adventure if the PCs succeeded in the module.  This was the second time in my gaming experience I had a hook to the module rejected, but I finally managed to run it a couple of months later for some of the players' back-up PCs--none of whom actually made an appearance in the main campaign.