Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 25 [RPG]

In the week that follows, it seems Queen Ileosa’s deceitful speech taking credit for “her agents” stopping blood veil is largely successful.  Without hard evidence that she was involved, most of Korvosa’s citizens still only see their queen as vain and unpleasant, but not capable of such evil.  More, they’re eager to get back to their lives, and the city is too wounded to contemplate open rebellion.  Patrols of Gray Maidens become more prominent on the street and progressively oppressive laws and edicts begin to appear, but few have the courage to publicly question them.  And inexplicably, the quarantine of Old Korvosa is maintained.  At least with Dr Davaulus and Lady Andaisin defeated, the creation and spread of blood veil begins to slow. Deaths in pockets of the city continue, but a cure is formulated after several days’ work by alchemists using materials seized from the secret temple under the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden.

For their part, the Harrowed Heroes follow Field Marshal Kroft’s suggestion that they lay low.  The trio spend most of their time hiding out in Skaldwood, occasionally visited by Sergeant Clenkins for sword practice and the latest gossip.  When not training, The Reckoner and Goldcape spend some time (respectively) in the library and with informants to learn more about Ileosa and her associates.  Meanwhile, Yraelzin frets about not having access to his "Temple of Razmir" but shows off some impressive and expensive new purchases, including a pinkish ioun stone that orbits around his head.
There is also time to check in on friends and associates.  Repairs to Old Lady Cloggins' home are completed, and she moves back in.  Grau Soldado is raised from the dead thanks to the scroll discovered by the Harrowed Heroes.  He seems like a changed man when he returns, no longer overwhelmed by sadness and alcohol.  Surprisingly, Grau quits the Korvosan Guard and becomes intent on organizing opposition to Queen Ileosa's evil reign.  He even takes to sleeping in a different place every night to avoid being caught by her agents.

His sister-in-law, Tayce Soldado, and her surviving children decide to move to Magnimar to start a new life.  The other Varisians of Trail's End know what the Harrowed Heroes have done for them in helping stop blood veil, and they are extremely grateful.  They know enough not to believe the queen's lies, and they make it clear they’ll provide a safe hiding place, food and lodging, or whatever other assistance their saviours need.

[26 Desnus, 4708 A.R.]

Spring transforms more and more into summer as the Harrowed Heroes keep a low profile by camping in Skaldwood.  On a dark night beset by rumbling thunder and jagged arcs of lightning, everyone in the camp hears a surprising sound carried on the wind—the gentle melody of flute music!  Goldcape rushes off to follow the sound and emerges into an unbelievable scene: a clearing where the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, butterflies are dancing, and a boxy Varisian carriage-home is sitting.  A door opens, and The Harrower appears, smiling and beckoning Goldcape to join her inside.  Yraelzin and Ralph accompany the vanara inside to see that the inside of the carriage looks like a snug but traditional Varisian fortune-teller’s quarters—a small table, a deck of Harrow cards, and just enough room for the seer and her guests.

The Harrower is welcoming, though she deflects most of her visitors’ questions and instead provides advice through her interpretation of the cards.  First comes a part of the reading called the Choosing, where each participant draws a card to see what fate has in store for them.  Goldcape draws the Snakebite, and the Harrower tells her this means venomous threats will strike suddenly and without warning—but that she will prevail.  Ralph draws the Hidden Truth, and hears that some wear masks that aren’t obvious as such, and that betrayal lies in his future.  Yraelzin draws the Inquisitor, and here the Harrower says the meaning is more literal: the priest’s activities in Korvosa will soon come under scrutiny. 

After the Choosing, the Harrower lays down cards representing the past, the present, and the future.  The past is fixed and thus represents law, she says—and so when she turns over the Empty Throne, she says it means Ileosa’s reign is, strictly speaking, lawful.  When she turns over the Plague, the Harrower says it is a sign that blood veil has run its course.  And curiously, when she reveals the Courtesan, she says it indicates someone who enjoys both pain and frivolity has recently come to Korvosa—someone the Harrowed Heroes will soon meet for the first time.  The Harrower’s statement about the present are vague and cryptic, but become more certain when she turns to the future and reveals both the Fiends and the Labyrinth.  Those who wear masks may be monsters, she says, and betrayal could lead to the gullible finding themselves lost in a lethal maze of darkness and confusion.  The Harrower lingers over the spread a few moments longer, and then taps the Plague card again, admitting her interpretation may have been facile.  She says that one who helped bring the sickness is still a danger to those present—one who helped make her what she is.  Ralph presses, and with a nod she acknowledges the figure could only be Rolth Lamm.  When the Harrowing is completed, she rises from the table and thanks her guests from coming.  Thunder can be heard booming in the distance, and in the time it takes to draw a breath, the three visitors find themselves standing in a bare patch of ground in the middle of a midnight thunderstorm!

The trio hurry back to their shelter to discuss the Harrower’s prophecies.  Ralph is concerned about the ominous references to betrayal from those wearing masks, and pushes Yraelzin to make his loyalties clear: is the queen’s “lawfulness” as ruler of Korvosa enough for him to betray the group?  The priest demurs, noting that even if her reign is lawful, it need not be permanent: for the seneschal of Castle Korvosa has lawful authority to depose a sitting monarch who is oppressing the people.  Ralph muses aloud whether Field Marshal Kroft or Grau Soldado could betray the group, but Goldcape is confident in their trustworthiness as well.  As the insights of a Harrowing can prove just as vexing as they are useful, a troubled night’s sleep awaits the group.

But the Harrowed Heroes are no fools.  Even in the relative isolation and shelter of Skaldwood, they wisely rotate to keep watch throughout the night.  Yraelzin is alerted to the presence of hostile intruders in an exceedingly painful way—by serving as the target for multiple javelins!  A band of bugbears have encircled  the camp and reached throwing range before being detected.  Yraelzin’s cries of pain and alarm rouses his allies.  Goldcape’s  command sends Rocky forth to quickly kill one of the attackers, while Ralph’s hammer quickly crushes the skull of two others.  Yraelzin’s magically-amplified shout bursts the eardrums of a fourth murderous bugbear, and the battle is over as quickly as it began.

[27 Desnus, 4708 A.R.]

In the morning, the decision is made to follow up on The Harrower’s cryptic allusions to Field Marshal Kroft needing aid and not knowing where to turn.  Ralph uses a disguise kit to assume a nondescript appearance, Yraelzin shows trust in his allies by removing his mask, and Goldcape uses a newly-purchased magical hat to look human.  Together, the three return to the city and visit Citadel Volshyanek.  The Korvosan Guard headquarters is in a shocking state: apart from Sgt Clenkins, hardly any guards are visible—the training courtyard is empty, the halls are silent, and refuse, trash, and dust give the place an overall state of creeping neglect.  Once the trio reveal their real identities, Clenkins explains that many guards have quit, others have been reassigned to an expeditionary force to the north, and some—especially female members—have simply disappeared.

Kroft looks more haggard than ever when the visitors arrive, but before they speak she ushers them into the central keep.  She leads through a series of maze-like hallways to a nondescript door and then explains that she used almost the last of the Guard’s resources to commission the construction of what stands behind it.  When she opens the door, the room beyond looks to be shrouded in fog, and Kroft explains that it’s a magically-guarded chamber that should completely foil conventional and magical eavesdropping.

After everyone is seated, she speaks in a low voice.  “I’m going to be blunt.  What I’m about to say will constitute high treason.  If you don’t wish to be implicated, walk out now and you’ll have committed no crime.”  Yraelzin decides it might be safer if he waits outside, and quickly departs through the fog.  Kroft raises an eyebrow but continues.  “Korvosa is dying.  No—it’s being murdered.  By our queen.  The evidence you’ve uncovered that links her to the plague is damning enough, but now that she’s disbanded the Sable Company and reallocated our own funding to the Gray Maidens, she’s more in control now than ever.  I can’t move against her—the Guard would be executed to the last officer by her Gray Maidens before sundown.  But she must be stopped, and I don’t know anyone else but you to do this.”  She sighs and runs her fingers through her tangled hair.  “Whatever foul magic the queen has wrapped herself up in is obviously of the highest order.  Endrin’s aim was true, and his shot should have dropped her.  I had feared he was going to take matters into his own hands like this, but hoped he would find it within himself to find a better route.  If only he could have waited.”

“But just this week,” Kroft explains, “new information came to me.  You’ve met Vencarlo Orisini before—he’s long been one of my most trusted sources.  When the queen quarantined Old Korvosa, I’d feared his messages would end, yet he managed to find ways to smuggle updates to me every day.  Recently, he wrote of discovering something of vital importance regarding the queen.  He mentions something about dark magic and a pact with a devil, but until the events of this morning, I found his claims difficult to believe.  But even more astounding, he hinted that he’d found a lead on Seneschal Kalepopolis, and implied the man might still be hiding in Old Korvosa!  If you don’t know, the Seneschal is the only person with lawful authority to remove a monarch from power.  If we can find him and get him on our side, people will flock to our cause.  But that message was the last I heard from Vencarlo.  It’s been several days, and I’ve started to worry for his safety.  The rumors about riots and gangs seizing control of entire neighbourhoods in Old Korvosa are disturbing.  Certainly, the plumes of smoke we all see rising from fires on the island are proof that as bad as things are elsewhere, they’re probably worse there.”

Goldcape guesses what Kroft is leading towards, and she confirms it. “I don’t think it’ll be long before the Korvosan Guard is disabled.  Even now, I don’t have the resources to conduct investigations.  That’s where you come in—trusting you has been my best decision these past few months.  I’m hoping you won’t let me down.  I’d like you to seek out Vencarlo in Old Korvosa to find out what he knows about the Seneschal and the queen’s newfound powers.  Getting into Old Korvosa won’t be easy but, ironically, you might find it safer there—her forces simply aren’t on the ground there.  Hopefully, if you find Vencarlo, he’ll have a course of action we can take to help save this city.”  When they agree, Kroft opens the coffer to reveal a small supply of magical potions and wands, stating that the very last of the Guard’s resources went into purchasing them.

The Reckoner inquires why Old Korvosa is still quarantined given the rapid decline in blood veil cases since the cult was smashed and the cure was discovered.  Kroft says she can only speculate that perhaps Ileosa wished to contain the “undesirables” there, or perhaps it’s a move against the Arkonas, one of the city’s “Great Houses.”  The Reckoner acknowledges the possibility.  He then arranges a signal that Kroft can use (involving raising a particular flag) that will indicate she is in need of rescue or needs additional information.  He tells Kroft something she agrees with: she’s the last symbol of real, legitimate authority in Korvosa, and she needs to remain visible.

Once they emerge from the safe room and fill Yraelzin in, Goldcape and The Reckoner decide to head for Old Korvosa right away.  However, they know they’ll need a good plan to avoid Gray Maiden patrols.  With only one (heavily-guarded) bridge providing land access to Endrin’s Isle, the group decides on a nautical approach.  They walk to Trail’s End and quickly find an offer of help from a Sczarni smuggler who agrees to take them across the channel under cover of night.  To make discovery even less likely, one of the magical items in Kroft’s coffer—a partially-charged wand of invisibility—will be used on the rowboat itself.  With the need to wait until night, Yraelzin and The Reckoner pass some hours waiting in Tayce Soldado’s old house, while Goldcape helps some of the local residents with chores.  She hears a wild tale about a crazy man who has proclaimed himself the “Emperor of Old Korvosa” and wields a magic wand that can do anything and everything.

When the time comes, the midnight crossing is successful.  Even by moonlight, it quickly becomes obvious that Old Korvosa has been hard hit by rioting and fires.  Homes and businesses are vandalised and ransacked, entire tenements have burned into nothing more than smouldering rubble, and raucous mobs can be heard shouting and laughing in the distance.  Yraelzin’s “Temple of Razmir” is very close to the area where the group came ashore, so the group make haste to it.  Alas, Yraelzin is disappointed to realise that not a single one of his “acolytes” stayed behind to tend to the place during his absence.
The Harrowed Heroes decide to push on towards Vencarlo Orisini’s academy.  But they barely get three blocks before a group of armed, jeering ruffians block their path, demanding to know why the strangers have “intruded in the emperor’s domain.”  A show of strength gets the thugs to back down and even earns an offer to take the group to see the “Emperor of Old Korvosa”, but Goldcape is ready for a fight, and attacks!
----------------------

GM's Commentary

This session sees the beginning of Chapter 3 (I always give the group 3d6 days of Downtime between chapters).  Developing an actual cure for blood veil was something the PCs never got involved in, so it happened "off-screen" (and they missed out on some XP).

Here we start to see the development of Grau as intent on overthrowing the queen, which will eventually lead to multiple (separate and rival) rebel groups in Korvosa.  I was happy with the portrayal of Kroft and how her charge to the group came about organically.

Doing a live Harrow reading is always a fraught task because it requires a lot of improv.  I hit the theme of masks and betrayal hard to hint about the rakshasa, and was amused that The Reckoner thought it was referring to Yraelzin!  The interpretation of The Courtesan as involving the group soon meeting someone who mixed pain with frivolity ended up being one of The Harrower's rare misses--it was supposed to refer to Laori Vaus, but as the adventure went on, it turned out the group didn't come across her until Chapter Five.

Pathfinder Module: "Clash of the Kingslayers" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Winner of the first RPG Superstar contest, Clash of the Kingslayers is an interesting, original module.  It has one awesome cinematic sequence, but the story and plot as a whole need some work.   I'd recommend it with the caveat that the GM might want to rewrite some of the story background to make it fit better into the Golarion setting.  It's also one that GMs need to put some prep time into (I tried to run it just from the book and made a bit of a hash out of it!). 

SPOILERS!

Clash of the Kingslayers starts with the PCs arriving on the bridge leading to the dwarven tower fortress of Glimmerhold.  There are a few (extremely short and vague) adventure hooks to get the PCs to Glimmerhold, but it'll be mostly up to the GM to customise something for their group.  The action starts immediately as an extraplanar rift opens up over the bridge and disgorges several "doomguides", half-fiend dwarven spearwomen mounted on flying rams!  The attack naturally causes a panic amongst the crowds on the bridge, and I like how the module gives a lot for the PCs to do in terms of rescuing civilians, dealing with the rush toward the gates, and keeping themselves safe all at the same time.  From the PCs' perspective, they'll have absolutely no idea who's attacking or why.

Once the battle is over with the PCs (presumably) victorious, they're ushered into a meeting with King Ezelgar.  There's a dilemma for the PCs I really like where the king asks them to swear an oath of fealty, which means may either have to violate their consciences or risk offending the leader of the city.  Ezelgar thanks the PCs for what they've done and explains that Glimmerhold has been assailed in recent days by a variety of troubles.  In the middle of Ezelgar's speech, however, three divine curses strike the city--turning ale into poison, gold into lead, and awakening a kaiju-sized lake beast that begins to attack the city.  Ezelgar urges the PCs into action, declaring that the monster is the spawn of Angrammora, a dragon he killed a century ago that cursed him and the city with its dying breath.  But he doesn't want a (seemingly-suicidal) assault on the creature attacking the city--instead, he says the key to breaking the curse is to visit the ruins of Sigreir's Pledge, a monastery destroyed by the dragon just before Ezelgar slew it.

There's a lot to unpack here!  First, the monster assaulting the city is named Legangrammor and it's a nine-headed half-dragon hydra!  It's CR 12, but in an adventure for 10th level PCs, the group would have a reasonable chance of defeating it if they're smart.  Second, Ezelgar is lying!  He wasn't brave enough to face Angrammora, and instead allied himself with loathed, Lamashtu-worshipping outcasts from Glimmerhold called the Mistbreather Clan.  They helped him slay Angrammora so he could return to the city as a great hero and ascend the throne, but they also burned the monastery of Sigreir's Pledge to the ground and killed (almost) everyone within (the dragon had nothing to do with it).  Third, the terrible curses inflicted upon Glimmerhold aren't due to Angrammora, they're divine vengeance from Torag, Father of the dwarven gods.  I don't quite get why Torag has waited a hundred years to punish Ezelgar (not to mention a lot of innocent dwarves in the city).  Setting-wise, fairly direct intervention like this seems pretty unusual for Golarion, and I don't know if this module's premise really fits.  There's also something about Rovagug being involved, which confuses me.

The second part of the module sees the PCs heading to the monastery.  The first challenge they'll have is getting out of Glimmerhold without fighting Legangrammor and several doomguides, though magic they have available at this level may make it pretty easy.  Getting from Glimmerhold to the monastery requires a journey into the Mindspin Mountains, and the module includes several customised and interesting random encounters that can occur along the way (something I always appreciate).

Part three takes place in the subterranean monastery itself, and this is the bulk of Clash of the Kingslayers.  At first glance, this looks like a standard dungeon crawl.  The PCs proceed room by room fighting monsters and recovering treasure, with foes like belkers, spectres, fire elementals, "guiltgorger giants" (new monsters), and a cool dwarven monk.  The "boss" of the monastery would then be Helrún, a dwarven cleric/wizard who has survived, entombed within the monastery, for over a century through magic!  It was her constant prayers that swayed Torag into action in the first place.  However, Helrún isn't the bad guy in this scenario, and the PCs may very well be inclined to ally themselves with her once they discover the truth about what Ezelgar did.  But there's a catch!  As I said, this isn't the standard dungeon crawl it first appears, because partway through the PCs' exploration, the monastery gets up and starts walking!  In fact, it's transformed into a colossal object called the Agronach and starts marching towards Glimmerhold to destroy it.  For the PCs, this means they're suddenly trapped as everything goes topsy-turvy.  Each room in the monastery has a description for its normal state and for its transformed state, and there are some cool "special effects" created by the transformation.  (I should add it would require a lot of work by the GM to prep for all this, so don't try to run the module cold)

With the Agronach on its way to destroy Glimmerhold, the PCs have a real dilemma.  There's probably no way they're going to be able to destroy the Agronach directly (it's got 784 hp, SR 50, an AC of 42, and fast healing 20!), but if they slay Helrún it'll stop.  In the alternative, they can slay King Ezelgar, an act that will also bring the curses on Glimmerhold to an end.  I would have left it right there with a really interesting moral dilemma, but the module makes it much easier by having Ezelgar inexplicably follow the PCs all by himself and try to ambush them (not something one really imagines a cowardly dwarven king doing).  In any event, the module provides a lot of cool detail on what happens if the Agronach reaches Glimmerhold, and it'd be an incredibly cinematic experience for the players.

After a brief conclusion, the module contains an appendix with full stats and flavour for the doomguides, King Ezelgar, Legangrammor, and the guiltgorger giants.

Overall, I can see why Clash of the Kingslayers won the contest--fighting within/upon an enormous invulnerable construct on its way to smash a city is pretty freaking cool, and not the sort of thing PCs get to do everyday.  On the other hand, there are some story elements that need work and perhaps a minor rewrite would make it fit better with established setting lore.  All in all, I'd say that the module isn't the best written, but it certainly is memorable.

Pathfinder Pawns: "Base Assortment" [RPG]

There are actually two different versions of the Pathfinder Pawns Base Assortment.  The "normal" version contains 10 black medium bases, 5 large bases, and 2 huge bases (17 in total).  The other version is exactly the same but contains an additional medium base in a random color with a little blurb on the front of the bag as if it's a special selling point.  

Note that these are product sold under First Edition branding
(PZO1001-A and PZO1001-B) and come in a bag, compared to the larger product with the same name sold with Second Edition branding.  I can't even find these bags on the Paizo website anymore.  

In any event, the bag I have (with the colored pawn) is exactly what you'd expect--some extra bases.  I'm drowning in bases from all the Bestiary and Alien Archive pawn boxes I've bought, so it's not particularly useful to me, but I guess if you don't have those, then this could be worth picking up.

Pathfinder Map Pack: "Rooftops" [RPG]

 Rooftops is one of those map packs I haven't used nearly as often as I should.  It would be perfect for my Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign to represent the Shingles (a sort of "city above the city" made up of rooftops dwellers).  In addition, the tiles work great to depict narrow alleyways.  There's some great (and suitably subtle) details, like racked rooftop tiles, a makeshift bridge spanning an alleyway, chimneys, and more.  I think the main thing I like about the set is that sometimes it's nice to have urban scenes without the visual clutter of the interior of buildings that some other map packs and flip-mats provide.  It's an excellent set, and one definitely worth using.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 0-22: "Fingerprints of the Fiend" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Fingerprints of the Fiend is an interesting little scenario.  Like all Season Zero ones, it's almost exclusively concerned with combat and has very little opportunity for role-playing or social skill use.  But the combat encounters are certainly varied in terms of opponents and terrain.  I ran the scenario via play-by-post at low-subtier, and it didn't present much of a challenge at all to modern PFS characters.   I found it a solid early scenario and enjoyed running it, and it's cool that some of the lore is picked up on in later scenarios.

SPOILERS!

Venture-Captain Adril Hestram explains in the briefing that the PCs are headed towards an exciting new discovery: a lost city of the fabled ancient civilisation known as the Jistka Imperium!  The city, named Rachikan, exists under (or inside?) one of the Pillars of Anferita in Cheliax.  The Pathfinder Society learned of the city's existence from a retired Pathfinder, Benton Grone, whose nephew discovered the city but has since gone missing.  The PCs' mission is a straightforward one: head to Rachikan and rescue Eldis Grone.  What the PCs don't know is that Eldis Grone's discovery came to the attention of the Aspis Consortium, and that evil mirror image version of the PFS now occupies the site--and doesn't plan to give it up.

Like many Season Zero scenarios, Fingerprints of the Fiend actually starts in media res with the PCs arriving at the base of the pillar (although this type of start is good for stories, it's awkward for gaming as it's never clear whether the PCs can "flashback" and ask questions, buy supplies, etc.).  After running and re-reading the scenario for the purposes of this review, I still don't really understand what the Pillars of Anterifa are--they're large enough to have "plateaus" at the top, so maybe they're a natural geographical feature like islands with tall cliffs?  Anyway, as the PCs ascend the pillar, they have their first combat against an erinyes devil.  It wasn't a hard fight, but it was funny to see just how much trouble mid-level PCs had with basic climbing (too many ranks devoted to Perception and not enough to Climb, I guess).

Once on top of the plateau, the PCs can see an excavation camp about a half mile in the distance.  My PCs approached in broad daylight, so as the scenario instructed, I had the Aspis guards immediately attack.  This started a very long range encounter with arrows raining down on the PCs as they *slowly* crossed a completely open plain under fire for several rounds.  But it pretty much took a natural 20 to hit any of the PCs, so not a lot of damage was done.  I do like long-range encounters though, as they actually make things like Far Shot or Enlarge Spell worth taking.

Once at the camp, the PCs will see a couple of dozen slaves and several armed guards around a wooden building.  Inside are mining carts and rails leading down into darkness.  A renegade Pathfinder named Talia is here, and she'll jump into the cart to escape while a couple of guards try to keep the PCs from pursuing.  If the PCs act quickly, they can give chase in a cart and the scenario has rules for such a chase.  My group wasn't fast enough in dealing with the guards to give chase in that way, which I (secretly) appreciated because it made things much easier to run (the mining cart chase rules looked complicated and a lot to digest for one encounter).

Once at the bottom of the shaft, the PCs find themselves in the decaying remnants of Rachikan.  I wish there had been more and better description of the city, but the PCs are pretty quickly assailed by a group of morlocks and their golem servant.  Morlocks just aren't much of a threat to PCs at this level.

The final encounter takes place at a Jistkan Temple-Foundry, where the leader of the Aspis Consortium (and several hidden guards) await.  The leader, a cleric of Asmodeus named Halidurs Karn, did hold a few nice surprises for the PCs with his spell resistance and fire shield spells active and his tactic of separating PCs with wall of fire.  I thought it was a solid encounter.  The PCs will, unfortunately, discover that the individual they've come to rescue has been killed and reanimated as a zombie!  And then, after the encounter, they have to immediately flee Rachikan as thousands of morlocks can be heard approaching.  These Season Zero scenarios certainly don't have warm-fuzzy endings unlike some in later seasons.

 Overall, I thought it was pretty good, especially for a Season Zero.  My only advice would be to allow just four PCs to help make the encounters adequately challenging.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 24 [RPG]

 [18 Desnus, 4708 A.R. continued]

Lady Andaisin of Nidal, a leader of the secret effort to infect Korvosa with blood veil, has been slain and reborn as an undead abomination known as a Daughter of Urgathoa!  As The Reckoner charges, Goldcape—badly wounded from previous fighting—calls upon the aspect of the bear for strength before trying to tumble away to safety.  But the Daughter of Urgathoa’s massive, scythe-like appendage cuts deeply into the vanara’s back, simultaneously infecting her with a debilitating disease.  Goldcape keeps retreating, much to the consternation of The Reckoner who calls her cowardly.  With Yraelzin providing little assistance due to a paucity of magical power, The Reckoner effectively stands alone against a divinely-manifested threat twice his size!  But although he suffers some grievous wounds and is also infected with the plague, his magical battle-maul slams again and again into the Daughter of Urgathoa until finally it succumbs.

The rescued captives and the surviving Korvosan Guards continue evacuating up the lift shaft, bearing the bodies of Grau and others who fell in battle.  Goldcape is intent on leaving as well, but The Reckoner is keen to see what lays beyond the double-doors on the eastern wall of room containing the large vats of raw blood veil.  The threat of being cut off from a share of any treasure found in the remainder of the complex is enough to persuade Goldcape to relent.  Yraelzin is concerned given how badly wounded and depleted everyone’s resources are, but he decides it’s better to stay with the group. 

The Harrowed Heroes burst through into a new, unexplored chamber to see some sort of alchemical laboratory in which the prime source of experimentation seems to be four large, cylindrical glass vats, each filled with a bubbling emerald fluid that tints the chamber’s light a noxious green.  Within each suspension floats a malformed abomination—something part human, part angel, and part horse—things of half-formed muscle with dead, fleshless equine skulls.  Three of the forms are motionless, but the fourth twitches now and then.    A small number of devoted cultists in the room vow to fight to the death, which is something that they quickly get!  Afterwards, Goldcape and Yraelzin examine the twitching creature in the vat but have never seen the like before.  With The Reckoner’s permission, Goldcape smashes open the glass cylinder to free the creature.  Instantly, it stretches and stands tall, reaching a full height of 14’ while spreading the rotting wings of a carrion bird.  It exhales a cloud of corpse-bloated black flies on Goldcape which bite her relentlessly until she collapses to the floor, near death!

Yraelzin does perhaps the bravest thing in his life by daring to pull Goldcape to safety as the massive daemonic monster attacks everyone in the room.  The Reckoner realises his cold iron greataxe is having little effect, but when he switches to his mithral battle-maul, the hammer’s head sizzles against the monster’s skin.  Yraelzin drinks a potion to turn invisible and tries to magically heal The Reckoner’s wounds, but even the Priest of Razmir can’t keep up with how quickly they appear.  The battle rages back and forth, teetering on a knife’s blade, and perhaps not since the battle against the derro sorcerer in the vaults under the Grey District has the entire group come so close to perishing.  But again, The Reckoner’s strength is enough to carry the group to victory.

Yraelzin no longer pretends to rely on his own inner reserves of magical power as he expends all the charges of a wand of magical healing in bringing Goldcape back to consciousness and then to fighting shape.  Tempting fate again, the group continues exploring until they reach a circular chamber rising into a high dome.  Seven basins jut from the walls, each filled with a unique liquid—blood, bile, milk, and other, unidentifiable, fluids.  On the floor around each basin lie several small metal boxes carved with images of skulls, while at the room’s center, rising from a wide pool of crystalline water, is a golden statue that is both erotic and horrifying: the statue depicts a beautiful nude woman who is human above the waist but nothing more than a skeleton below.  Obviously the inner sanctum that the nosferatu spoke of, Yraelzin quickly discerns that one of the metal boxes still contains potent magic that would infect anything placed inside with a deadly disease.  The Reckoner—after having been told the statue is radiating dark necromantic magic—decides to smash it.  And in so doing, uncovers a cache of treasures hidden in its base—including a magical scroll that can bring the dead back to life!

The intrepid warriors, battered and bruised, finally make their way back up to the ground level of the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden.  But as they’re making their way outside, they’re surprised to see Field Marshal Kroft hurrying towards them, her hands covered in blood.  She breathlessly relates a disturbing tale.

Just an hour ago, word spread that Queen Ileosa was going to make an immediate public announcement.  A large crowd quickly gathered, and Kroft herself was summoned to appear alongside Marcus Endrin, Commandant of the Sable Company.  When the queen stepped forth into the palace courtyard, she was accompanied by her Gray Maiden bodyguard and a newcomer named Togomor who has apparently taken up the duties of castle seneschal since the former seneschal, Neolandus Kalepopolis, disappeared at around the same time that King Eodred II died.

The queen, wearing a new fang-adorned crown, announced triumphantly that the plague had been defeated, although unfortunately her own advisor, Dr Davaulus, had to be executed for his role in the crime.  She thanked her personal special agents she assigned to the case—“The Golden Monkey, the Man in the Iron Mask, and the Reckoner”—for their courage in exposing Davaulus’ crimes.  Kroft says she was shocked to realise that Queen Ileosa had somehow turned an execrable crime into a resounding success by publicly taking credit for the defeat of her own scheme!

Kroft says Queen Ileosa then went on to say that both the Korvosan Guard and the Sable Company suffered terrible losses over the past weeks and were unable to fulfil their traditional role, so she was naming the Gray Maidens as the official new protectors of Korvosa, with Sabina Merrin as the city’s new general. Queen Ileosa then went on to announce that feeding and caring for the Sable Company’s hippogriffs was putting too much of a strain on the city’s coffers, and given its poor performance in handling the city’s unrest, she had decided to disband the organization: she asked Commandant Endrin to step forth to surrender his badge of office.

Kroft seems to hardly believe herself what she recounts next.  As Endrin reached for his badge, trembling, he threw it at Queen Ileosa’s cheek, drawing blood and leaving everyone in stunned silence before bellowing “Your shameful reign ends now!  Korvosa will be free again!”  And a half-second later, his bow was in his hands and an arrow was flying toward the queen.  Endrin’s aim was true--the arrow struck Queen Ileosa in the right temple, sinking deep into her skull.  But  . . . she didn’t fall!  Instead, Kroft says, Ileosa calmly pulled it free and then, with incredible speed, had grabbed Endrin by the jaw and stabbed him with the arrow spraying blood everywhere!  As Endrin fell to the ground, a furious Ileosa shouted “This shall be the fate of all enemies of Korvosa!  Mark well his punishment!  It is only the first!”  Togomor then teleported Ileosa away and Kroft rushed to Endrin’s side, she says, but the man was carried away by Grey Maidens—probably dead.

Kroft says she’s just come from the palace, and has no idea what will happen next.  She may be suspected as a co-conspirator, and, even if not, now has even less authority in the city than before.  She says Goldcape, Yraelzin, and The Reckoner should lay low until she can figure out how Ileosa gained such incredible supernatural resistance to harm.  They reluctantly agree, and decide on a plan to hide out in Skaldwood since the Shoanti moved on when the rioting turned deadly, agreeing on a signal so they know how to communicate with one another.

The Harrowed Heroes have achieved an incredible victory in stopping a conspiracy to spread blood veil and even worse diseases throughout Korvosa.  But Kroft’s story holds ominous implications for the future: if Queen Ileosa is further consolidating her power in the city and has become personally immune to harm, how can she ever be stopped?

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

GM's Commentary

The battle against the Daughter of Urgathoa was a close-run thing, but literally the closest the group has gotten to a TPK was against the leukodaemon.  They were already battered and low on spells when I described the vats the creatures were in.  Goldcape's player is a kid, so I added an explanation that the vats were glass cylinders kind of like a big jar.  He interpreted the reference to a "jar" to mean they were about hand size, so when Goldcape shattered it, what happened was not at all what the player anticipated!  I'm genuinely surprised they made it out of that battle alive.  It was the right time for such an exciting session, as it was also the end of Chapter 2 of the AP.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 5-11: "Library of the Lion" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

Library of the Lion is a really cleverly-designed scenario that has both an original premise and original gameplay.  This is not your traditional "Act 1 Encounter, Act 2 Encounter, Act 3 Encounter, Act 4 Encounter, Conclusion" PFS scenario.  It's a scenario that truly shines a spotlight on characters good at underused skills like Disguise, Bluff, and Stealth, as well as on those good at research and knowledge skills.  In fact, it may be the only PFS scenario I can think of where combat may not happen at all--at least if things go well for the PCs.  I would peg it as one for more experienced groups and GMs, but overall it's a great scenario, especially when hacking and slashing have lost a bit of their charm.

SPOILERS!

Library of the Lion takes place in the middle of the Season 5 "Year of the Demon" story arc, which sees the Pathfinder Society enmeshed in demons pouring out of the Worldwound.  To help combat the threat, the Society needs information on previous campaigns (successful and unsuccessful) to seal the threat in.  Enter the secret archives of the Kitharodian Academy, a storehouse for historical records and confidential intelligence files produced by Taldor's legendary Lion Blades.  In a joint briefing in Oppara provided by Venture-Captain Muesello and Lady Gloria Morilla, the PCs are asked to infiltrate the secret archives during an extravagant orchestral performance for the Grand Prince, which will make a lot of noise and provide an excellent distraction--but it only lasts two hours.  Although the PCs' primary mission is to find records on the Shining Crusade that will help in current efforts to stem the tide of the demon armies, their secondary mission is to do it without leaving any trace of their presence!  Early discovery could be fatal to the mission and potentially fatal to the PCs themselves.

Getting into the main (non-secret) library in the Academy is easy, as the PCs have a secret weapon--permission from Princess Eutropia, who is cooperating with the Pathfinder Society.  But from there, the PCs have to slip away into the secret wing (once they find the hidden door).  As an aside, I love that (quite naturally) large and exotic animals aren't allowed in the library.  In another scenario, I once saw a player try to bring a giant cockroach animal companion into a fancy opera house!

The core gameplay mechanic is to search the various rooms of the secret archives using skills like Linguistics or Knowledge (history), but there are also room-specific skills that can be used--so in the recital hall records, for example, Perform skills could be used.  Success turns up either clues to help bypass traps and secret doors or pieces of the historical information the PCs are seeking.  It's really smart how the writers allocated which rooms have which bits of information, with some randomness seeded there as well.  All of this has to be done within the two-hour (in-game) time limit, and the duration of various tasks are set out clearly for the GM.  I love how characters with the right aptitude can listen to the music from the orchestra (playing above them) to get clues as to how much time has passed or when a really loud crescendo is about to play, which then helps them coordinate anything noisy the PCs need to do.  This is all against a backdrop of a library attendant in the non-secret room making periodic checks to notice anything suspicious.

The scenario does have a couple of role-playing opportunities, in the form of a intelligent object that guards the library (Glorymane) and a blind caretaker--each of them could sound the alarm or be bluffed or persuaded into cooperating with the search.  The necessity of the PCs carefully covering their tracks is represented by the accumulation of "Discovery Points"--including, in a bit I love, that *not* taking magical items as loot helps contribute to the group's success here.  If the PCs are discovered early, they'll have to fight successive waves of Lion Blades and capture is treated as the equivalent of character death (unless the player wants to spend some Prestige Points).  High stakes!

I've glossed over a lot of the details and additional flavour the scenario provides, but suffice it to say it's excellently written.  My only regret playing it is that I brought a deranged dwarf spouting prophecies of doom instead of my professional scholar PC--but that's the fun of PFS, you never know what a mission might involve.  Anyway, I highly recommend Library of the Lion.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 23 [RPG]

[18 Desnus, 4708 A.R. continued]

Having penetrated deeply into bowels of a newly-built Temple of Ugathoa under Korvosa, the Harrowed Heroes press on, conscious that time—and their protective magicks—are slipping away.  It seems Doctor Davaulus was confident that foreknowledge would make no difference to the intruders’ prospects of success, because the intelligence he provided remains accurate: the next room they enter does indeed contain an impossibly ancient vampire!  The nosferatu is holding a syringe and leaning over a table with three heavy iron crossbeams securing an unconscious young Varisian man.  The nosferatu looks irritated at the interruption, but unlike the cultists and Queen’s Physicians, has no interest in fighting.  Indeed, the nosferatu, Ramoska Arkminos, says he’ll forgive the intrusion if the raiders leave immediately!

The Reckoner strides quickly into the room with a spear at the ready as Goldcape shouts that they can’t leave without the prisoner.  Arkminos explains, all too calmly, that the prisoner (Ruan Mirukova) is a valuable laboratory subject and difficult to replace.  Nonetheless, he offers to sell the youth and leave quietly for a substantial sum of gold.  When the offer is refused, Arkminos offers an alternative: if the intruders bring him an intriguing magical item called a death’s head coffer from Lady Andaisin’s inner sanctum, he’ll leave the boy behind and depart.  But confident in their fighting strength, the intruders refuse to negotiate and launch an attack!

The resulting battle turns into a long stalemate, as the nosferatu’s wounds close up in just seconds, but The Reckoner’s and Goldcape’s willpower is strong enough to resist Arkminos’ attempts to mentally dominate them.  While The Reckoner and Grau trade blows with Arkminos, Goldcape and Yraelzin work to free the prisoner from the table that looks to be a combination of restraint and torture device.  With his prisoner freed, Arkminos is irritated.  In a swift combination of slashing claws, he renders Grau helpless and threatens to kill him if the others don’t immediately withdraw. 

Arkminos

The Reckoner has prepared to fight a vampire by bringing garlic with him, and tries to surreptitiously draw it from his pack to force Arkminos to flee.  But Arkminos’ vampiric eyesight sees the trick coming and follows through on his word—killing Grau!  The Reckoner hurls the garlic at the doorway to block Arkminos from following them as he and his allies escape with both the rescued Varisian and Grau’s body.

Although an explored area of the temple stands to the east, the Harrowed Heroes decide to first gather the spoils of their victory by carefully searching the slain cultists.  Goldcape finds a set of keys and hurries to start freeing all of the prisoners held in the cells and manacled to beds, forming a group that, along with Ruan and the injured Korvosan Guards, start making the difficult ascent up the rope dangling in the elevator shaft.  Meanwhile, The Reckoner sets about searching the cultists’ quarters.  Several valuable treasures are found, but the delay means the matriarch of the temple has come to find them!

The eastern doors of the room containing the vats of raw blood veil are thrown open.  A quartet of surprisingly speedy zombies march in, followed by an imposing woman wearing dark black and red robes and an unholy symbol of Urgathoa.  The deadly-looking scythe she holds adds to her intimidating presence, as she greets the scattered intruders with an icy smile.  “So you have found your way to me, hopeful heroes.  You must be Blackjack?  We were hoping you would visit us here. Know that you stand before Lady Andaisin, the architect of your city’s death.  You call this sending blood veil, yet I know it as the gentle kiss of the Pallid Princess.  Your reward shall be great—choose of the seven scourges to become one with the goddess.  Those who drink I shall only cripple, leaving you alive to enjoy her as she quickens inside your flesh.  Those who abstain are fools, not fit to house the divine gift.  You may prostrate yourselves at my feet, and I shall make your end all the more swift for it.  Swifter, in any event, than—“ but her villainous monologue is cut off by an insulting interjection from The Reckoner.  The battle begins!

A wanted criminal in Nidal,
 Lady Andaisin sees blood veil as
her personal contribution to the
glory of the pallid princess.

The Reckoner cuts down zombies left and right, depriving Lady Andaisin of her undead shields.  She responds by casting a spell to climb into the air.  Seeing a rival cleric amongst her foes, she tries to magically blind Yraelzin, but the Priest of Razmir resists and responds with the last of his magical power to speed up his allies.  “Which one of you is the leader?” demands Lady Andaisin, and Goldcape announces she is!  An even icier smile appears on the cult leader’s face as she “steps” down next to the Vanara and tries to slay her with her most deadly spell.  But the incantation is disrupted at the last second.  Furious, Lady Andaisin turns to her enchanted scythe—a weapon that visibly seethes with greenish energy that seems to harm both the wielder and its victim.  Goldcape is grievously wounded but still manages to stand when The Reckoner comes to the rescue!  His powerful attack sends Lady Andaisin’s broken and dying body hurling against a nearby wall.

But that’s only the prologue to the climactic battle to come.  For Lady Andaisin’s corpse begins to crackle with unholy power and is lifted into the air before her sundered flesh explodes with boils and pustules as torrents of the foul slurry from the vats flood forth and congeal into a sickening new body: Lady Andaisin has been reborn as something even more dangerous.  What was once a woman now towers as a monstrosity of ectoplasmic flesh, horns, and a tremendous scythe-like claw!

The Harrowed Heroes have smashed into the hidden Temple of Urgathoa, freeing prisoners and disrupting operations.  Yet their ultimate test has come: can they stand against a priestess reborn with a spark of life from a goddess?

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

GM Commentary

The PCs were over their heads fighting the nosferatu, and didn't seem to grasp it until Grau was killed.  Overconfidence kills!

One thing I always try to keep consistent is that characters spend a lot of time doing something, that doesn't mean the rest of the world stands still.  In this case, spending extensive periods of time searching the chambers gave Lady Andaisin the opportunity to become *fully* buffed before seeking out the PCs.  It made the fight harder than it could have been.

We still laugh to this day about Goldcape proclaiming herself the group's leader, which led Lady Andaisin to attempt her most lethal spell.  Sometimes it's best to *not* be the leader.

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: "Ships of the Inner Sea" [RPG]

Though I've been running and playing Pathfinder for years, I've still never managed to do much in the area of pirates or naval combat.  I read Ships of the Inner Sea more "just because" than because I was actively planning on using it anytime soon.  Nonetheless, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.  It's a great full of interesting NPCs and adventure ideas.  Someday, I'll get around to some naval adventure, and when I do, I'll definitely pull this one out.

Ships of the Inner Sea is a 64-page, full-colour, softcover.  The front cover features the Iconic Skald fighting a "fjord linnorm"--it's okay in my opinion, but nothing memorable.   After some important front matter, the book then provides detailed coverage of seven different ships--including full deck plans, an overview of crew, custom NPCs, a full stat block for naval combat, a discussion of tactics, some new magic items, and some adventure hook ideas on why the PCs might encounter the ship..  Here's what's inside:

* Introduction (2 pages): This section provides a brief overview of the seven ships that are covered, noting that all of them have been built in accordance with the ship-to-ship combat rules in the Skull and Shackles AP--I always appreciate coordination like that.  There's also a little pointer to some other resources GMs could use if running nautical adventures--it's incomplete, but it's a start.

* Sailing the Inner Sea (4 pages): Written by Chris A. Jackson (a Pathfinder Tales author who has extensive real-life sailing knowledge), this is an excellent primer on nautical terms, different types of ships one might encounter in the Inner Sea, trade routes, and dangerous regions.  There's a useful full-page map showing the trade routes and trade winds, which would be useful for GMs who really want to add detail and "realism" to their games.

* Burnt Saffron (8 pages): The first ship we get detailed is the Burnt Saffron, an Okeno slave galley.  It has a really cool backstory, and is definitely a ship to fear!  It'd be perfect for a random encounter, but there are also some good adventure hooks if the GM wants to use it in a more involved storyline.  The ship also has a (supernaturally?) mysterious aura around it--for example, freed slaves often try to return to it, and it's been reliably reported sunk on numerous occasions!

* Cetaceal (8 pages):  Our second ship is the complete opposite: the Cetaceal is an Andoren slave-raider operated by the Gray Corsairs.  It's a hit-and-run skirmisher that can be easily disguised so it can dock at hostile ports, and is commanded by a Paladin.  It'd be a good ship to make a "timely" rescue if the PCs ever find themselves over their heads in a naval battle (or taken prisoner).

* Hu-Hazhong (8 pages): The Hu-Hazhong is a merchant ship from Tian Xia.  It has a fantastic backstory, with some beautifully-written NPCs and accompanying flavour.  It's the sort of ship PCs could book passage on for some excellent role-playing opportunities. It's also the sort of ship the PCs could rescue from pirates (or attack themselves, if they're being pirates!).

* Impervious (8 pages): Impervious is a classic Chelish man-o'-war, the sort of ship that shows up to make it clear that the Empire is not to be trifled with!  Packed with Hellknights and a captain who's a level 16 magus, this is the sort of ship that PCs should run away from unless they're also nearing the end of their adventuring careers.  There's an adventure hook involving the blockade of Pezzack, which could be of interest to GMs running a certain adventure path.

* Kraken's Spite (8 pages): I could see a whole campaign modelled on the premise of the Kraken's Spite.  This Ulfen longship is crewed by former raiders who have decided to turn to exploring the Inner Sea.  Along with the great backstory, I have to recognise the opening flavour-quote--it's the kind of dialogue every player wishes they could improvise during an encounter.

* Mark of Yunnarius (8 pages):  Ghost ships are a staple of the fantasy genre, and the Mark of Yunnairus is likely the most fearsome that Pathfinder PCs will ever encounter.  Full of banshees, baykoks, and drauger, this ghost ship haunts the Eye of Abendego.  It features a classic backstory of treachery, love , and mortal.  With a CR18 Captain, this may unfortunately be too high-level for anything other than an end-of-campaign big bad.

* Ravishing Ruby (8 pages): A more traditional pirate ship, the Ravishing Ruby has a bit of a twist in that the captain is obsessed with retrieving a lost bauble that she thinks holds a treasure map to immortality.  It'd be fine as a random encounter, but could certainly be woven into a larger storyline.

Overall, Ships of the Inner Sea is an impressive, well-written, and detailed book.  For GMs interested in this corner of Pathfinder gaming, it's definitely one to seek out.