Pathfinder Society Scenario # 8-20: "Torrent's Last Will" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I played Torrent's Last Will recently with my half-orc paladin, Trokkus, via play-by-post.  The scenario is a sequel to # 8-19 (Treacherous Waves), and although playing that one first isn't required, I'd definitely recommend it as they flow together quite naturally.  I enjoyed Torrent's Last Will, but it's definitely a scenario on the long and complicated side, and probably not the right choice for beginners.  

I should call out the interior artwork, which is great.

SPOILERS!

The backstory to Torrent's Last Will is interesting, but also really dense and complicated, with a dozen proper nouns and lots of to-ing and fro-ing.  I'm not saying it's 1990s X-Men complicated, but I'm still not going to try to summarise it here.  Suffice it to say, on the Elemental Plane of Water, there's an ancient temple carved out of a giant nautilus shell, and that shell contains an artifact that the Pathfinder Society would like to get its greedy little hands on.  The mission briefer is pretty cool: an undine Pathfinder named Zahra.  In Vialesk (a city on the plane), Zahra explains that the Pathfinder Society has learned about the temple and artifact but that a bloodthirsty band of sahuagin led by a Baron Zemdar have taken up residence there and need to be ousted so the Society can explore the location.  Zahra has assembled an expedition to help ferry the PCs to the temple (as it's a three-week swim!) with the help of a local brine dragon named Razethka.  But what neither Zahra nor the PCs know at this point is that Razethka can't be trusted, and secretly wants the temple for himself!

The entirety of the scenario takes place underwater, but PCs aren't left to their own devices.  They're provided with daily renewals of water breathing, transportation (strapped to the back of sharks!), and can even borrow underwater-specific weapons from the Vialesk city guard.  There's definitely a bit of hand-holding going on here, though some builds may still struggle.  I do like the scenario's concise and helpful summary of how underwater combat works, even if fighting in three dimensions is still complex.

The lengthy journey to the temple is hand-waved, with the first encounter occurring when the expedition arrives.  The PCs need to overcome Baron Zemdar and several other sahuagin who have sallied forth to do battle in the middle of the Lambent Bloom, a miles-wild field of jellyfish.  The battle here isn't a simple one: in addition to the complexity of underwater combat rules, there's a tide effect that pulls PCs multiple squares in one round before pushing them away in the next, and the jellyfish squares can poison PCs, requiring multiple saves in a round.  The players and the GM need to be patient, as this won't be an encounter that's over quickly.  However, the added mechanics create some fun situations.

The rest of the scenario takes place in the Great Shell, as the PCs explore its ten chambers room-by-room.  Monster encounters include coral golems and a bizarre humanoid comprised of a swarm of eels (a galvo).  The scenario expects do-gooder PCs (as opposed to the more mercenary inclinations of early PFS), and there are lots of little rituals and other tasks PCs can perform to cleanse various chambers of evil (and haunts).  The group accumulate "Judgment Points" for these acts, and these points tie into the reaction of a angelic being called a monadic deva that has been charged with protecting the artifact contained with the temple: a crystal decanter called The Breath of Lysianassa.  I may be making this all sound kind of random, but that's only because I'm moving relatively quickly: there's plenty of backstory to support and enrich all of this.

As they're on their way out of the temple, the brine dragon Razethka springs his ambush, aided by some tough sahuagin and sharks.  I personally have an awesome memory of the encounter, because my PC turned out to be the only melee combatant in the group and had to stand toe-to-toe with a brine dragon as the other PCs buffed and healed him--it was epic, and and great redemption for Trokkus after a terrible performance against an umbral dragon in a previous scenario.  But looking at the encounter objectively, there's a real issue with the map.  The spiralling nature of the Great Shell looks really neat, but it makes the encounter a nightmare to run as there are loads of grid squares that are truncated (curving walls are the bane of grid-based combat).  The narrow hallways, weird coral walls (you can sort of see through them and maybe destroy them), and uncertain "ceiling" heights (in a three-dimensional environment) make for a really clunky encounter--especially with so many foes present.  Although I really enjoyed the encounter, it took us ages to resolve.  In other words: don't try to cram this scenario into a fixed convention slot!

I do want to give a quick bit of praise for how the scenario handles the hostages that Razethka has taken and brought to the scene of the battle.  The scenario is fair but pulls no punches, allowing them (including Zahra) to be killed if the PCs don't act quickly enough.  I hate "plot invulnerability", so this was a good choice.

All in all, Torrent's Last Will is a solid scenario, best played on a long weekend afternoon with an experienced group that's in no hurry to finish.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 29 [RPG]

 [Oathday, 28 Desnus, 4708 A.R. continued]

Having completed their exploration of a vault dating to the age of the Thassilonian Empire, the Harrowed Heroes return to the main sewer line.  The Reckoner asks Mifeg, the scavenger who first directed them to the vault, if she can take them through the sewers to get under Arkona Palace.  But Mifeg says she doesn’t go there, and that she needs to find food for her family.  She does lead the group out of the sewer before leaving.  The slums of Old Korvosa seem oddly quiet, as if the inhabitants are waiting with bated breath to see what new calamity is about to befall them. 

The Reckoner takes the group back to his newly-established safehouse in Old Korvosa, where he drops off the heavy cogs and gears made of precious metals that they salvaged from the clockwork automatons below.  The group discuss the need to find fencing instructor (and Field Marshal Kroft’s informant) Vencarlo Orisini as well as Castle Korvosa’s missing seneschal, Neolandus Kalepopolis.  As witnesses report seeing them enter Arkona Palace and never returning, it seems a visit there (whether friendly or aggressive) is inevitable.  Goldcape proposes taking a small rowboat along the coast of Endrin’s Isle and making a sort of amphibious assault on the palace.  The Reckoner suggests the sewers could keep the group completely unseen, and Goldcape adds that she’s heard the Arkonas have a dungeon called the Vivified Labyrinth under their palace where they keep prisoners and test out their field agents.  Katash suggests infiltration through disguise, with him as a knight and the others as his servants.  Yraelzin responds with a modified proposal that sees the others as *his* servants and a bold approach where they simply approach House Arkona’s elders and demand the production of Vencarlo and Neolandus.

After some further discussion, a consensus emerges to try the sewers idea.  Katash and the Reckoner (in his civilian identity as Ralph Blackfeather) hit the streets to see if they can dig up information about the layout of the sewers of Old Korvosa.  Working together, they get the name of a long-time sewer maintenance worker named Mordecai who drinks frequently at the Sticky Mermaid—perhaps Korvosa’s most disreputable tavern, and the site of frequent violence.  Ralph is interested in heading there that very evening, but Katash persuades him to wait, as he needs to rest from the day’s exertions.

The rest of the day in the safe-house passes quickly, and soon everyone has found a comfortable spot to unfurl bedrolls and try to get some rest.

[Fireday, 29 Desnus, 4708 A.R.]

In the middle of the night, just a few hours before dawn, the slumbering group is awakened by shouts from the streets outside.  Looking out a window, they see an orange glow and smoke rising from somewhere in Garrison Hill—the part of Old Korvosa more-or-less controlled by House Arkona since the quarantine.  Although fires were common in the slums during the rest of the anarchy after the King’s death, most of the nicer homes in Garrison Hill were untouched.  Two other points of fire are visible on the mainland.  The members of the group don’t know the city well enough to tell what’s burning, but for three fires to break out simultaneously like this, something must be afoot!

Katash and Ralph disguise themselves as locals and head toward the Garrison Hill fire—when they arrive, they see the granary is ablaze!  A bucket line has been formed to try to contain it.  Katash says the fires could be the perfect distraction to slip into Arkona Palace undetected, but Ralph is concerned that going in while tired and without a good plan could result in failure.  After returning to the safehouse, the two share what they’ve seen with the others.  The decision is made to go now.  Several minutes are spent working on disguises for Goldcape (as a liveried House Arkona guard) and Ralph (as a servant) combined with a plan to gain access to the palace by pretending that more guards are needed to fight the granary fire.

There’s some confusion and delay in getting everyone to the palace at the same time, but the group has no difficulty in making their way onto the manicured grounds.  The grounds are mostly open, decorated here and there with tiny copses of trees, exotic topiary animals (elephants, cobras, and tigers being the most common), beautiful flower gardens, and exquisite fountains.  The palace itself is a breathtaking structure built in the Vudrani style, with golden pillars, high windows that rise to tapered points, minarets, and domes decorated with slender spires.  Instead of approaching the main entrance, the group choose a mahogany side door carved with the image of a six-armed, four-faced woman who rides a tiger with human hands for feet.  Once they get within arm’s reach, however, a semi-transparent elephant appears above the door and trumpets loudly!  Yraelzin says it’s a type of alarm called a magic mouth.

Ralph decides the time for deception is over, and rushes over into a nearby copse of trees to begin donning his Reckoner garb.  Goldcape climbs a tree and has Rocky try to hide.  Footsteps can be heard rapidly approaching from around the corner of the building, and with seconds a pair of palace guards, halberds at the ready, have come to investigate the trumpeting.  Katash quickly spins the planned yarn about needing help with the fire, but these guards weren’t born yesterday and don’t believe it for a minute!  A fracas ensues, but both guardsmen are quickly subdued before Ralph is even finished changing his clothes.  The two unconscious forms are hidden in some bushes nearby.

With stealth and disguise having failed, the group decide on a direct assault, planning to scour the palace until they discover the entrance to the supposed dungeons below.  Goldcape is concerned that Rocky will find it too difficult to maneuver inside the building and has the roc perch safely outside. 

The mahogany door is (surprisingly) unlocked, and leads into a banquet hall.  A magnificent table, also mahogany, dominates the room, its surface decorated with carvings of various snakes.  The Reckoner decides more chaos is to the group’s advantage, and lays a trail of oil under the table which he then ignites with a tindertwig—adding arson to the group’s crimes of assault and breaking & entering!  Meanwhile, Katash and Goldcape investigate an adjoining room that offers a commanding view of the western palace grounds and contains three statues depicting Vudrani warriors holding aloft glittering blue-green javelins with heads carved from bloodstone.  Goldcape moves closer to investigate, but suddenly a magic mouth on each statue begins to shout loudly in Vudrani.  No one in the group understands what they’re shouting, but it seems likely to be another type of alarm.

The group decide to move east to get away from the shouting, and find themselves in a wondrous garden. The chamber hardly seems to be part of a palace, but looks more like a clearing at the heart of a vast jungle, teeming with life.  The sky above is a deep, cloudless blue, while in the distance, hazy towers rise above the verdant canopy.  Exotic bird calls fill the air, the scent of dozens of unfamiliar flowers and plants assault the nose, and everywhere a riot of color demands the eye, whether it’s the wing of a tropical bird, the petals of a brightly hued flower, or the glittering multicolored tiles that make up a round fountain to the north.  The fountain’s central plume is a stone pillar around which entwine two cobra statues that clutch green gems in their fanged maws.  South of the fountain stands an immense, life-sized jade statue of an elephant, a howdah perched on its back, its tusks and trunk raised high in greeting to the southeast doors.  Obviously, the chamber is a masterful combination of real plant-life and statuary with subtle illusion magic.

Goldcape soon realises that a balcony, cleverly painted into the wall, circles the southern part of the room about 25 feet above.  She sees figures running along the balcony, and seconds later, they burst through the lower doors and into the garden—each of the two nondescript men wears colourful, flowing robes and appears unarmed.  But unarmed doesn’t mean innocuous!  One shouts syllables in Vudrani, and suddenly the life-sized statue of the elephant magically transforms into a real one and gores The Reckoner!  Simultaneously, a water elemental rises out of the fountain and launches a surprise attack on Goldcape. 

The two robed figures are clearly spellcasters, but The Reckoner and Katash close the distance quickly to make it hard for them to cast spells.  Katash knocks one to the ground and The Reckoner attacks furiously with his hammer, but the spellcasters must have some kind of mystical defense because they’re able to absorb a tremendous amount of punishment.  They’re finally slain, with great difficulty.  When Katash lands a finishing blow on the elephant, it transforms into a hand-sized marble elephant—but The Reckoner picks it up first.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the garden, Yraelzin and Goldcape try to contain the raging water elemental.  As it brings watery fists down on Goldcape, a strange magical resonance hampers the creature’s ability to fight.  Goldcape users her growing mastery of nature magic to call bolts of lightning on it, while Yraelzin follows up with sonic attacks.  Soon the elemental is dispersed entirely.

Water and electricity don't mix!

But although the group has triumphed in battle, triumphing over human nature is much harder: The Reckoner and Katash begin to argue vociferously over who should be allowed to keep the marble elephant.  Goldcape takes Katash’ side, while Yraelzin offers no opinion.  The verbal strife continues until Katash angrily storms off further into the palace, with the others hurrying to catch up.  Several rooms are traversed in quick succession—storage rooms, pantries, a hallway with a fourteen-foot-tall statue similar to the carved figure on the door, and more.  As the group circle around to the southern edge of the building—still looking for a way down—they pass by the front door. 

Footsteps can be heard approaching from nearby, and tendrils of smoke from the burning banquet hall are beginning to spread.  Can the Harrowed Heroes find what they’re looking for before the flames, more palace guardians, or internal dissension overtake them?

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

GM's Commentary

The PCs never really followed up on the granary fires.  I added them to reflect that bugbear saboteurs (camped in the woods south of the city after the Shoanti vacated the area) had been sent into the city at night to weaken the city and cause further chaos, all in service to Karzoug's giant army to the north.  I've talked about the "Army of the North" subplot for a while now, and it's slowly building; in Chapter 4 and Chapter 5, we see some more direct engagement with it.

I think the rest of the table was shocked by The Reckoner setting fire to the palace *while* they were investigating it.  As GM, it made things far more dramatic, as I tracked the fire's spread and described the billowing smoke pouring through the building.

In the garden fight, the reason it took the PCs so long to kill the "unarmed robed humans" is, of course, because they were rakhasa with something like DR 15.  Over on the water elemental, Goldcape and Yraelzin might have died had not the creature rolled a natural 1 and had to draw from our Critical Fumble Deck with a result that made it dazed or unable to attack with natural weapons (I don't remember exactly which) for multiple rounds.  I roll all my dice and draw all cards openly, so that was genuinely luck breaking in the PCs way.

The Reckoner and Katash arguing over who should get the elephant reflects a real argument that took place partially in- and partially out- of character between the two players (one a father, one his college-aged son).  Having family in RPGs makes things interesting!  Things got sorted before next session, if I recall correctly.

Starfinder Adventure Path: "Dawn of Flame, Chapter 3: Soldiers of Brass" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

Here we go with Soldiers of Brass, the second chapter in the Dawn of Flame adventure path.  I ran this online via play-by-post with a fantastic group of players.  I'm glad they've been a patient and tolerant group, because just like with Chapter 1, Chapter 2 isn't exactly spectacular.  One might even say it's more of the same, just in a slightly different context.  Just as I was surprised that James Sutter wrote Chapter 1 and it turned out kinda bland, I'm surprised Crystal Frasier wrote this forgettable adventure.  But I'll get to all of that in the Spoilers! section below, and instead talk here about the non-spoilerly back-matter.

The art design continues to be stellar (pun intended), and the cover is fine.  The artwork of that NPC on the cover pops, and the background of Iconics facing off against foes in what looks like a museum is pretty neat.  The inside front- and back- covers detail the "Excoriation Combine Jezail", a Tier 6 efreet destroyer from the Elemental Plane of Fire.  The schematic makes it look like a Romulan Bird of Prey, but there's nothing particularly interesting or memorable about the ship itself, and its equipment is a good example of why starship combat is a slog--its biggest weapon does 3d8 damage, and its shields have 25 points in each quadrant.  If multiple attacks manage to hit the same quadrant in the same round, it's *just* possible you'll scratch the hull a bit before those shields get rebalanced and you have to start all over again.

The back matter consists of "Merchants of the Brass Bazaar", "Touring the Archipelago", "Alien Archives", and "Codex of Worlds".

"Merchants of the Brass Bazaar" is an interesting and detailed overview of the sprawling marketplace in the bubble-city of Corona.  There's (secretly) a solar dragon running a kitchen!  I wish I would have had time to incorporate more of it for the PCs, though I did manage to get the lazy Drow merchant Berdac Zeizerer into a brief scene.  Several new pieces of tech are scattered about, but I'd avoid the solar flare grenades--a lot of effort for very little payoff.

My favourite piece of back matter is "Touring the Archipelago".  Written as a "real" travel guide for newcomers to the Burning Archipelago, this would have been *perfect* as a Player's Guide to give players before they started Dawn of Flame.  It's full of great flavour and is also really use for the GM in understanding the setting better.

This issue's "Alien Archive" has six entries.  There are two new playable races (sulis and sylphs).  Mephits are introduced with grafts for various types--some will be familiar (dust or fire mephits, for example), while others are unique to Starfinder (pollution, tech, and radiation mephits).  I would like to make friends with a janni--useful pals for CR 4 creatures!  Salamanders and thoqqua (fire worms) round out the list.  There's nothing spectacular in the entry, but some useful additions to the game.

The "Codex of Worlds" covers Topheki b, a mysterious haven in the Vast for damaged ships.  It's an interesting concept, but the mechanics of Starfinder mean that it's hard to conceptualise why PCs would ever go there--if they don't have a working Drift engine, they won't get anywhere, and if they do have a working Drift engine, they'd surely head back to Absalom Station.

Now, onto the adventure.

SPOILERS!

In Chapter 1 of Dawn of Flame, the PCs put down a rebellion in Asanatown.  There, the PCs learned that the local lashunta rebels had surprisingly managed to hire an expensive mercenary group called the Brass Dragons to lend a hand.  Here in Chapter 2, we (though not the players) learn that the Brass Dragons undertook that operation because their leader, an ifrit from the City of Brass named Jalusann, is an agent of General Khaim!  Jalusann has been ordered to soften up the Burning Archipelago by destabilising it, while also suppressing any signs that an invasion is imminent.  Although the coup in Asanatown didn't work out as planned, Jalusann and the Brass Dragons have a new operation: they plan to hire a local street gang to break into the Deep Cultures Institute and steal data from surveys that could reveal the impending danger to the Pact Worlds.  With this background out of the way, the adventure proper is structured in three parts.

Part 1 is the robbery at the DCI.  The adventure assumes the PCs are staying at the DCI's Museum of Endosolar Sciences, but it doesn't give any NPCs or other background on the DCI to help integrate this concept into the campaign.  (the PCs know Nib from the DCI, but that's it).  The adventure also doesn't provide much information on Stellacuna, the bubble-city where the DCI is located.  One of the things that the reduced page count of Starfinder AP issues from their Pathfinder 1E cousins affects is how much supporting information GMs receive.  Here, GMs have to do a lot of the legwork themselves to make everything fit together.  Anyway, the PCs will be asleep in the museum when they realise intruders are inside. The street gang doing the breaking-and-entering are the Bloodshots, a group of fairly generic ikeshti thugs.  The plus side is that the action starts quickly.  Afterward, there are some good avenues of investigation for the PCs to start tracking the Bloodshots back to their headquarters (because the stolen data has already been transmitted somewhere, and the DCI wants it back).

Part 2 really has three different parts within it.  First, the PCs need to travel through Corona, a bubble-city notorious for solar shields that often flicker, letting in solar flares.  This was fun, and definitely got my players' attention! (they became a bit paranoid to even walk around)  There are a couple of events that can be ran at the GM's discretion (something I always like), my favourite of which is an encounter with a huckster named Practical Prestine.  Second, the PCs can investigate a business called Cryo-Generics which is linked to the Bloodshots.  The gang has an ambush set up for the PCs here.  Third, there's the Meltdown, a scrapyard in which the Bloodshots' leader, Mama Throsh, resides.  She's a good NPC and will 'fess up about the gang having been hired by the Brass Dragons.

Part 3 has the PCs attacking the Eos Athletics Club, the two-level headquarters of the Brass Dragons.  A bit of fun can be had with thoqqua tunnels for surprise attacks and with the vehicles in the motor pool, but Jalusann is not particularly interesting for a "boss battle" because she's built around mobile hit-and-run attacks but there's just not enough room on the map to make that feasible (though I gave my players a surprisingly hard time with a couple of grease spells.)  Assuming the PCs win, they'll recover the data and might even pick up a few hints that the Brass Dragons are part of something bigger and even more dangerous.  The data is pretty scattered, however, and I don't think my players have really put anything together yet.

The epilogue has Nib telling the PCs that the recovered data points to a location somewhere deep in the sun--a place called Noma.  That's a good set up for Chapter Three, when Dawn of Flame really starts to shine.  Yes, another pun.

Overall, the problem with Soldiers of Brass is that it's almost all space dungeon crawl--a room-by-room battle against gang members and mercenaries.  The crawl might take place in a museum (Part 1), a warehouse and a scrapyard (Part 2), or an abandoned gym (Part 3), but it all has pretty much the same feel.  The enemies are fine but forgettable, and there's little that really shouts out "we're having adventures near the freaking sun!"  The problem is magnified because Chapter 1 of the AP was pretty much the same thing just with terrorists and mercenaries instead of gang members and mercenaries.  For a role-playing game, the adventure just doesn't involve much role-playing.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 28 [RPG]

[28 Desnus, 4708 A.R.]

The “Emperor of Old Kovosa” has been deposed!  With the cruel and unpredictable man dead and his henchmen fled, the crowd starts to slowly disperse until and unless a new figure seizes the “throne.”  The Harrowed Heroes and their ally Katash are unsure what to do with Jabyr (the Emperor’s unconscious executioner) and end up leaving him to whatever fate has in store.  The group decide to continue searching for Salvatore Scream, following up Amin Jalento’s hunch that Vencarlo Orisini might have fled to the artist’s house after the assassination attempt by the Red Mantis.  But some shouted queries to the dwindling crowd about the location of Salvatore Scream results only in a variety of contradictory responses.

A thorough search of the tenement “palace” begins.  One chamber combines the executioner’s bedroom with a grisly trophy hall of poorly-preserved severed heads.  Another turns out to be a storage room of theatrical costumes and props, though one piece of costume jewellery turns out to be a magical ring of disguise!  Yet another chamber holds danger in the form of several chokers hidden on the rafters above.  The Reckoner spots them in time to alert his companions and the resulting battle goes well--even when Katash falls through a crumbling piece of flooring, a magical spell slows his fall so he lands safely. Yraelzin even seems to be getting the hang of firing his strange underwater crossbow, hitting both of his shots after enduring Goldcape’s mockery.

Another room, obviously the Emperor’s personal quarters, is decked out with once-fine furniture that is now stained, threadbare, and moldy. But three paintings on the wall are truly magnificent despite—or perhaps because of—their grisly subject matter.  The first painting depicts a full portrait of a thin humanoid wearing shadows as he stands framed by a dolmen of great size.  The figure’s brilliant blue eyes are the only true points of color in the piece, and they seem to almost glow with anger.  The second painting depicts a ragged mountain range above a desert under a harsh blue sky; in the foreground, a quartet of Vudrani tusked camels race across dunes that, upon closer examination, consist of tiny skulls.  The third painting is the most disturbing, for it depicts a handsome man in the process of peeling away the flesh of his arms as if he were taking off a pair of gloves, but underneath, his arms are muscular and covered with glittering blue scales. The man’s expression is one of delight, but his eyes are empty pits of blackness and behind him, half seen in the shadows, are thousands of humans impaled on towering wooden poles erected in the shadow of an indistinct shape looming on the horizon—perhaps a castle, maybe a mountain, but likely something more.  Even a layman can tell the paintings must be worth thousands, though Yraelzin suspects the images hold a deeper significance that he just can’t quite grasp.

The Reckoner gets a chance to exercise a rarely used skill (lock-picking) to provide the group access to what turns out to be a cell—for Salvator Scream himself!  Flea bites cover the sunken-eyed man’s skin, and he looks like he’s barely slept in days as he stands before an almost-finished painting of immense fiends attacking a village.  Scream speaks in a tone of lethargy and pessimism, seemingly depressed for having lost his muse.  But he acknowledges his rescuers and says he wants to leave the Emperor’s service.  The group agree to escort him back to his house on Wave Street.

After walking barely a block, however, they see someone waiting for them in the middle of the street.  Mifeg, the “crazy old lady” who they rescued from a beating by the Emperor’s thugs just hours previously.  Mifeg goes up to Goldcape and gives her a most unexpected gift: a small seven-toothed cog made out of pure gold!  Conversing with Mifeg isn’t easy, as her mind seems to wander, but it seems that she found the cog in the sewers, that there are more of them, and that she doesn’t mind showing the group how to get there. 

Anxious to follow the detour, The Reckoner asks Salvatore Scream if he wouldn’t mind walking the rest of the way home by himself.  The man shrugs and nods.  Before leaving, he’s asked about Vencarlo.  Scream explains in a vague recounting that, after the unrest started and no one was buying artwork, Vencarlo would pay him for information on some of his former patrons.  Scream says Vencarlo was particularly interested in Neolandus Kalepopolis (Castle Korvosa’s seneschal) and how Neolandus turned up at Scream’s home on the morning that King Eodred II died.  Neolandus was desperate and begged for a place to hide, saying that the Queen was dangerous but “the more he knew, the less safe he’d be.”  Scream suggested Neolandus seek help with other powerful patrons of his—the Arkonas—and escorted Neolandus there personally.  But soon after, Scream says, the Emperor of Old Korvosa’s thugs raided his house and kidnapped him, and he doesn’t know where Neolandus is now.

Scream departs, and the group follow Mifeg down a series of streets and alleys.  Word has clearly spread about the morning’s battle, and no one in the slums has the temerity to accost the newcomers.  Mifeg stops at a large, jagged-edged hole in the street caused by debris from a crumbling building.  With surprising alacrity, she clambers down into the hole and the filthy sewer tunnel underneath.  Yraelzin provides magical lighting, though The Reckoner is able to see easily in the darkness thanks to a magical mask taken from the Red Mantis (having attempted to disguise the symbol of the notorious assassins).  With assured ease, Mifeg leads the group through various twists and turns before stopping at a fissure in the tunnel wall.  A soft glow can be seen coming from the other side.  “That’s where the dead gold man lies,” Mifeg says.  She sits down and begins eating some half-rotten meat from a cloth bag full of scavenged items, leading the others to provide her with fresh rations.

Slipping through the crack in the wall, the intrepid explorers find themselves in a corridor made of smooth, marble walls that bear not even the smallest sign of age.  A human-shaped figure lies on the ground about halfway down the corridor, but instead of flesh its skin is made out of metal, and instead of organs there is a complex array of gearwork visible inside its damaged torso.  The corridor opens up into a rectangular chamber, and on the far wall is a large bronze door covered in strange runes.  Two more of the clockwork figures are here, but these are undamaged and stand at attention, like soldiers, wielding halberds.  The skeletons of dozens of small animals are scattered across the floor of the room, and it seems clear that crossing the threshold will activate the automaton-sentinels.  Goldcape pleads with the group to turn back, but The Reckoner and Katash feel confident in their ability to destroy the clockwork soldiers and uncover whatever treasure they protect.

Given time to prepare, the Harrowed Heroes are fearsome foes.  Yraelzin magically imbues his teammates with super-normal speed, Goldcape conjures a lightning storm and icy spears, and The Reckoner and Katash dash into the room together to attack.  Even the clockwork soldier’s dense metallic skin can’t fully protect them from the rain of blows that fall on them, and soon both are destroyed.  Yraelzin studies the runes on the door and realises they’re in the language of Thassilon, an ancient empire that occupied Varisia millennia ago!  He says the runes are the so-called “seven virtues of rightful rule” and reads them out: wealth, fertility, honest pride, abundance, eager striving, righteous anger, and rest.  As soon as he finishes pronouncing the last word, the door cracks open.

On the other side is a seven-walled shrine with murals depicting the seven virtues of rightful rule.  A seven-sided ornate altar stands in the center of the room, and in the corner opposite the entrance, another clockwork creature—different than the others, with a crystal wand embedded in its chest—watches silently.  Katash hatches a plan to race into the room and yank the crystal wand free from the automaton’s chest, but it reacts faster than he anticipated!  The crystal wand glows, and suddenly a massive explosion rocks the room, burning Katash and Goldcape.  But the clockwork mage is quickly surrounded and smashed into pieces before it can do any further harm.  The Reckoner searches the room carefully and notices the altar contains a secret compartment.  Inside are magical treasures dating to the age of Thassilon, including a curious, seven-sided coin that can curse those who practice what the empire considered the greatest sins: greed, lust, pride, gluttony, wrath, sloth, and pride.

Korvosa contains many secrets, and every time the Harrowed Heroes discover one, more questions result.  What happened to Neolandus Kalepopolis at Arkona Palace?  Is there a connection between the seven-sided shrine and the so-called Runelord of Thassilon that leads the army of giants far to the north?  And can anything stop Queen Ileosa before it’s too late?

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

GM's Commentary

I really liked the inclusion of Salvatore Scream and his paintings in the AP.  The paintings have some excellent foreshadowing and the character is interesting and fun to roleplay.  Unfortunately, this was the only session he appeared in.  By asking him to walk home alone, the PCs also missed out on meeting an extremely popular NPC: Laori Vaus.  That's the fun of gaming--no matter how much prep you do, you never know how things are actually going to actually play out.

The stuff with the clockworks was "Enter the Septagon", the Curse of the Crimson Throne Chapter Three side quest from the comic book Pathfinder: Runescars.  I was happy to include it because it was something different (clockwork automatons) and I wanted to work in some more about Thassilon.

The Reckoner, and later all the PCs, went mad for those masks of the mantis--they are an extremely good magical item for the slot if you don't have darkvision, and the ability to see invisibility is also quite handy.  Through occasional NPC role-playing, I tried to present the downsides of walking around looking like a member of a notorious assassin cult, but it wasn't enough to dissuade anyone from wearing them.

Alpha Centurion # 1 (one-shot, 1996) (DC Comics) [COMICS]

 The best part of Alpha Centurion # 1 is the super-villain that appears in the first few pages and then never reappears in any comic book ever (as far as I know).  Ephemera is a time-travelling historian from the future who wants to preserve as much knowledge as she can in order to help civilization rebuild after its imminent collapse.  What a great concept!  She also has a really fun personality.  Our hero, Alpha Centurion, in contrast, is just . . . okay, I guess.  He does have a suitably "go big or go home" origin: a Roman centurion kidnapped by aliens who replaced him with one of their own before being eventually (i.e., recently) returned to modern day Earth with cool alien armor tech.  The problem is that the aliens have decided to take over the world!  There's still a lot I don't understand.  Alpha Centurion first appeared in some early-mid 1990s Superman comics, so it's possible I encountered the character as a teen, but I really don't remember.  All I know is that I'd much rather be reading about the adventures of Ephemera . . .

Starfinder Society Intro Scenario # 2: "For the Factions" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

For the Factions is the second "Intro" scenario for Starfinder Society and follows up from the previous one, The First Test.  As the title indicates, this one is designed to introduce players to the Starfinder Society factions and have them choose one for their PC at the end of the scenario.  I ran this for the same group of brand-new players as I did the previous one, and although I think the general idea is a smart one, I don't think it really accomplishes its goal.  Interactions with the faction leaders are brief, there's little discussion about the goals of each faction, and sometimes the missions don't seem to fit very well into the faction's theme.  There's also no general boxed text, handouts, or instructions for the GM to use at the end of the scenario in explaining why PCs choose factions and what the choice means.  Although tagged as a repeatable, there are no randomised elements or alternative paths in the scenario, and I wouldn't recommend replaying it.  To me, as an experienced GM with brand-new players, For the Factions is a well-intentioned failure.

I *do* really like the new artwork for the faction leaders--they're very well done, and big improvements over the originals!

SPOILERS!

As The First Test featured the PCs graduating into Starfinder Society agents, For the Factions starts with Guidance explaining that it wants to introduce them to the organisations' faction leaders.  Each leader will have a mission for the agents, and that will help them choose which faction they want to give allegiance to.  It's important to note that only four factions are included here: the Acquisitives, the Wayfinders, the Exo-Guardians, and the Dataphiles.  The  Second Seekers and minor factions are not included.  In addition, a GM should note that the scenario contains a spoiler for the outcome of the metaplot of Season Two.

The first faction leader that Guidance recommends the PCs visit is Radaszam of the Acquisitives.  Radaszam asks the PCs to appear on the setting's equivalent of a morning talk show: Station Buzz.  The premise is fun, as the hosts of the talk show ask the PCs questions about themselves, backgrounds, missions they've been on, and whether they have anything cool they can demonstrate.  It's very open-ended, and a good group could have a great time with it.  However, it would actually be better as the last of the four missions because by then the players will have warmed up a bit, grown more comfortable with the idea of role-playing, and actually have some experiences to discuss on the show.  (There's a subplot with some thieves looking to make off with stolen camera equipment, but it's such a slight encounter it's almost not worth mentioning.)  The main thing I realised about the mission is that it really has little to do with the premise of the Acquisitives faction (getting rich while serving the Society), and thus doesn't do much to showcase why PCs might align with it over another.  A mission to improve the Society's PR profile is something every faction would be interested in after the events of Season Two.

The second mission is for Celita of the Dataphiles.  She asks the PCs to travel to a deserted research base on an asteroid in the Diaspora, break in, and steal any data the PCs can find.  The backstory is that the research base was acquired by a company called Astral Extractions (Dead Suns callback!) and Celita is suspicious of their activities.  It really falls flat in gameplay, as PCs explore an entire flip-mat of areas with almost nothing to interact with--just room description after room description.  There's one trap to overcome, and then the PCs find the computer and have to get the data.  I almost wonder whether some element was left out by mistake.  The big revelation from the data is that Astral Extractions has been avoiding performing environmental impact studies to learn whether their activities are harming microbes on the asteroid--man, the Pact Worlds' versions of the Endangered Species Act is strict!

For the Factions is the first time I learned about Ixthia, who must be Ziggy's replacement as leader of the Exo-Guardians.  Ixthia has a cool look, but their personality is surprisingly casual.  Ixthia wants the PCs to assist the Stewards in inspecting ships recently seized on suspicion of customs violations.  This plays out as exploring a ship flip-mat, with a battle against a pair of akatas in a cargo bay.  I was surprised by how much trouble they posed to my players, as the PCs had to flat-out retreat.  It might've just been poor rolls or bad luck in mostly having laser weapons versus creatures with resistance to fire.

The fourth and final mission is with Fitch of the Wayfinders.  This is the *sigh* requisite starship combat mission.  Fitch sends the PCs to survey four new planets discovered in the Vast.  She sends an NPC with them who is provided with fun artwork but no personality description or dialogue.  The survey task is skills-based, and at some point the PCs are suddenly attacked by completely generic, nameless space pirates.  Whatever!  I do like that the PCs get to "officially" name the planets they surveyed--that could be a fun moment.

Compared to famous introductory scenarios like The Commencement or The Confirmation, For the Factions just comes off as under-baked.  It has the makings of a good scenario, but needs to be fleshed out much better.

Starfinder Society Scenario # 4-06: "Combatant's Concerto: Prelude to Revolution" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

There's a lot I don't like about Combatant's Concerto: Prelude to Revolution.  These range from pedantic things like the title, which is far too grand for an SFS scenario and makes one wonder who the (single) combatant is supposed to be, to more substantive things like its plot (full of holes) and its inherent moral philosophy (deeply problematic).   I'll get into explanations in the section below, but here I'll just say that, like for my review of Into the Veskarium (SFS # 3-11), Paizo needs to rethink the in-setting morality of having the Starfinder Society cooperating with the Veskarium's subjugation of conquered worlds.  Even apart from all that stuff, the adventure itself is pretty forgettable.

I'm not a total curmudgeon though--I liked the interior artwork! 

SPOILERS!

It's the anniversary of the Veskarium's conquest of Pulonis (the homeworld of the feline-humanoid pahtras), and to celebrate it, the Veskarium's official in charge of the planet (High Despot Kavadroz) has organised a gala celebration aboard a theatre vessel, the Grand Mezzanine.  In a bid to lessen tensions with the pahtras (and use some propaganda to stave off a long-running rebellion), High Despot Kavadroz has hired a beloved pahtra musician, Miiyu, to perform at the gala.  The PCs are sent to the gala so they can enjoy a luxurious event while displaying what the organization stands for.  It's a pretty feeble explanation for having the Starfinder Society cooperate with the Veskarium in such a morally-dubious celebration of their conquest of Pulonis.  It'd be like the National Geographic Society sending reps to a party in Germany to celebrate the invasion of Poland in 1939.  I really don't get it.  (the invitation handout is cute, admittedly)

Miiyu, the performer, has well-known sympathy for the Pulonis independence movement and is secretly an agent of the rebellion.  She believes that during her big performance, the rebellion will launch a protest demonstration against the Veskarium.  What she doesn't know is that she's being used by a faction of the rebellion, which actually plans to use the event to try to assassinate High Despot Kavadroz, with many civilians as collateral damage.

The moment they get on the Grand Mezzanine, the PCs are informed by Veskarium officials that there may be a security threat from the Pulonis Liberation Front.  Because the Starfinder Society aided the Veskarium in stopping a pahtra rebel operation in Into the Veskarium (bah!), the Veskarium want the PCs to help provide security at the gala.  I think it's not only implausible that the high-and-mighty military empire of the Veskarium would need to enlist a random handful of SFS guests to protect an event they knew beforehand would be a target, but I really hate the fact that the PCs have no choice but to cooperate because the scenario doesn't contemplate anything but PCs jumping at the chance to help the Veskarium maintain its despotic hold over Pulonis.  Indeed, this is despite one of the Veskarium officials offering to torture any captured rebel agents for information!  I'm honestly flummoxed why a company like Paizo, known for its very progressive political ideals, would portray the Starfinder Society (a fictional group of explorers and historians) as wanting to cooperate.

Before anything dangerous happens, the PCs are supposed to impress several Veskarium NPCs.  Mechanically, this uses a tried-and-true gameplay process from previous scenarios, though the purpose of impressing these officials is never explained.  During the gala, the PCs receive an urgent call from the official in charge of ship security, asking them to help explore a surprising outbreak of wolves on a lower deck.  After defeating these "threshwolves", the Starfinders discover empty poison gas canisters and preparations for explosives.  So, apparently, these rebel pahtras smuggled the threshwolves on board, released them for no apparent purpose, and then (in an act of gross negligence) left blatant clues to their scheme in the exact same place?  C'mon, we've got to get better writing than that!

The PCs literally cannot fail to disable the bombs (the scenario makes it clear that there's no time limit and the PCs can try as many times as they want), which is something else that is just plain goofy.  They're then supposed to rush to the auditorium to stop the poison gas from being released, but the two rebel pahtra agents are blocking the doors.  After they're defeated, the doors can be opened and everyone can be evacuated.

Perhaps the only interesting part of the scenario is the moral choice of what to with Miyuu.  The PCs will know she was part of a rebel plot but that she also wasn't aware that the plot had switched from protest to murder.  Should she be set free or turned over to the Veskarium?  I remember some good role-playing about the dilemma amongst the group I played with.

I was a bit annoyed about the scenario when playing it, but I thought perhaps I didn't have the full story.  After reading the scenario, I was very annoyed.  Now, it's the next day and I've had my coffee, and I'm still very annoyed with it.  So my recommendation: skip this scenario and viva la revolution!

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 27 [RPG]

[27 Desnus, 4708 A.R.]

Korvosa is a city in turmoil.  After the sudden death of King Eodred II, his new bride from Cheliax has ascended to the throne as Queen Ileosa.  Riots led to anarchy and then martial law, while a terrible plague claimed hundreds of lives.  Meanwhile, Ileosa’s iron fist over the city has tightened with her personal force of Gray Maidens largely displacing the Korvosan Guard.  But although a failed assassination attempt revealed the queen’s seeming invincibility, a rebellion is brewing.  And in the still-quarantined district of the city known as Old Korvosa, the Harrowed Heroes scour the slums in search of Vencarlo Orisini, an ally of Field Marshall Kroft who claims Castle Korvosa’s missing seneschal knows the truth of the Queen’s dark new powers . . .

In the still-smouldering rooms of Vencarlo Orisini’s home in the Garrison Hill neighbourhood of Old Korvosa, Goldcape and The Reckoner make a final sweep for any clues to the missing man’s whereabouts.  They don’t discover anything of value, but decide to retrieve the man’s comb in the hopes that divination magic might be able to locate him.  When the two return outside, they see that Rocky is looming over a terrified young man.  Goldcape recognises him as Amin Jalento, a harmless young fop she rescued from a mob some weeks ago.  Once Rocky is called off, Amin shakily explains that he saw the fire and came to investigate.  He says he was taking classes in Vencarlo’s duelling academy when the quarantine hit and couldn’t return home, but Vencarlo allowed him to stay in a backroom.  Then, one night several days ago, a group of insect-masked swordsmen burst in and tried to kill Vencarlo!  The master fencer slew one of the assassins but was forced to flee, and Amin hasn’t seen him since.  The young noble says he’s now reduced to squatting in the rubble of the academy as the assassins set fires before they left.  He’s been trying to rack up the courage to brave the Old Dock neighbourhood on the western side of Old Korvosa, because he thinks maybe Vencarlo would have went to stay with a friend named Salvator Scream who has a house there at 140 Wave Street.  But rumors of the cruel Emperor of Old Korvosa have convinced Amin to stay put.

While listening to the young aristocrat’s story, The Reckoner scans the area to see if the late night fight against the Red Mantis assassins and subsequent fire have drawn any more eyes to the scene.  He spots a small figure lurking under a wagon nearby, and realises it’s one of the gnome-like figures that Goldcape spoke about spotting on a previous reconnaissance of the neighbourhood which is kept (relatively) safe by the liveried guards of House Arkona.  The Reckoner decides it’s time for direct action and strides over, his fearsome presence enough to keep the strange little creature from either fighting or fleeing.    Still, although terrified, the creature answers only that he serves the Arkona family and that anyone harming him will risk the wrath of his masters.  With dawn approaching, Goldcape and The Reckoner realise they should hurry back to the abandoned building they left Yraelzin in before daylight draws additional scrutiny.

When the pair arrive, they see that Yraelzin and the mysterious sylph named Katash (who aided them in a battle against ruffians loyal to the Emperor of Old Korvosa) are there, having just finished questioning one of the prisoners.  The Reckoner leads his allies to another abandoned building that seems more secure and that could serve as a temporary safe-house, eliciting oaths never to disclose its location to anyone.

[28 Desnus, 4708 A.R.]

It’s past midday when the group emerges from the safe-house.  Several children, shoeless and filthy, but incongruously happy, are singing as they gather around a crude little guillotine made from sticks, pegs, and a straight razor that they’re using to behead dolls. 

Headless, headless, that’s what you’ll be,

brand-new dolls in the Emp’ror’s cemet’ry! 

Choppy, choppy, chop, the tall knife calls,

waitin’ for the day for Korvosa to fall.

The children aren’t scared when the adults approach, and some music from Katash, coins from Goldcape, and food from The Reckoner quickly wins them over.  The children are especially fascinated by Rocky, and Goldcape lets the braver children pet him.  Some casual questioning elicits a claim that Vencarlo hardly ever strayed into West Dock, and that the gnome-like figures in Fort Korvosa are spies that can change their shapes to look like anything!

The Harrowed Heroes scale a nearby, partially-collapsed tenement and keep careful tabs on the building where they left the Emperor of Old Korvosa’s thugs tied up.  But hopes for an ambush are dashed when no one comes, and realisation dawns that the Emperor just doesn’t care enough about his henchmen to send out search parties if they go missing.  A few kind words from Katash and some not-so-kind ones from The Reckoner persuade one of the men to switch loyalties completely and give up everything he knows about the Emperor.  Most pertinent, are that pretty much anyone can get “an audience with his His Majesty”, but that often these visits end up with the visitors losing their heads to the Tall Knife or forced to play a dangerous game of Blood Pig.  The thug confirms that the Emperor is “patron” to an artist he keeps mostly under wraps, but who paints grisly and disturbing backdrops for the “throne room” and stage plays.  Goldcape remembers to ask if Vencarlo Orisini is held prisoner by the Emperor, but the thug only shrugs and says he’s never heard of the guy.

After setting the prisoners free, the group discuss how to proceed.  Katash says that winning a game of Blood Pig would earn the Emperor’s favour, but Goldcape says she doesn’t like killing animals, and a game where live pigs are torn apart by wolverines is a step too far.  Katash is primarily interested in making peace in the area, and suggests simply approaching a patrol and asking for an audience.  The others agree to the plan.  As they make their way down the refuse-strewn streets, one of the children outside rushes up and says he asked around and heard that Vencarlo was last seen entering Arkona Palace!  It’s an intriguing lead, but the group decide to continue deeper into the Emperor’s territory.  They soon encounter several toughs punching and kicking an old woman who is sprawled on the cobblestones.  Word of The Reckoner has clearly spread, as the men stop what they’re doing as soon as the vigilante appears.  Goldcape asks why they’re attacking the woman, and they grunt that her name is Mifeg and that she’s crazy—her family died of the plague but she talks to the bodies like they’re still alive.  Cowed by The Reckoner, the thugs quickly agree to take the group to see the Emperor.

The “palace” turns out to be a collection of scorched tenements and abandoned stores, their insides gutted and looted, leaving just the hollow shells of buildings.  Rickety wooden stairs lead up to the roof of one building, and makeshift rope bridges then connect to others.  A small mob of the Emperor’s followers escort the visitors to a rooftop that overlooks another one just below it.  Here, a high-backed throne of blood-red cushions and spikes, like a poor man’s version of the Crimson Throne, sits.  At the edge of the roof is an intimidating device: a tall guillotine of carved wood and bone, its base depicting grasping demonic feet while the housing of its glittering blade is a leering demonic face.  Next to the guillotine is a small-figure wearing an executioner’s hood, while seated on the throne, surrounded by four flunkies and dressed in ratty and threadbare costume attire, is the self-proclaimed Emperor of Old Korvosa himself!

Speaking in a grandiloquent and almost hypnotic tone, the Emperor readily admits, when asked, that Salvatore Scream is his “houseguest.”  But the Emperor is bored and in need of entertainment, and tells the newcomers he’ll introduce them to Scream if they first compete in a game of Blood Pig.  The Harrowed Heroes propose various bland alternatives, though Katash piques the Emperor’s interest with the proposal of a duel.  The Emperor says he personally can’t duel Katash because the sylph is “not of noble blood”, but counter-offers to have his “champion” participate on his behalf, motioning to the executioner.  But that offer is declined, leading the Emperor to grow more and more impatient for entertainment, as a crowd starts to form to watch the show.

Tales will vary on who threw the first punch, but with neither side willing to give, an outbreak of violence is inevitable.  A dense scrum starts on the rooftop, with over a dozen of the Emperor’s ruffians surrounding the Harrowed Heroes from all sides, as the Emperor himself looks on gleefully.  At first, the situation looks dire, as Yraelzin takes an axe blow to the back and barely manages to crawl to safety.  The Reckoner yells at Goldcape to clear a path to the Emperor, and the vanaran’s rapier opens up a momentary gap that the Reckoner dashes through.  With but a single swing of his war-maul, The Reckoner cracks the Emperor’s skull open!  Jabyr, the Emperor’s diminutive executioner, is frozen in shock for several seconds, but then leaps into the battle, swinging his greataxe like an enraged madman!  Katash is badly hurt and is lucky to escape death before Goldcape and the Reckoner manage to bring the aggressor down.  The dead Emperor’s henchmen and the audience are left reeling, and quickly filter away, with some giving ragged cheers in expectation that a new Emperor of Old Korvosa has arisen.

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

GM Commentary

The AP was helpful here with ideas to add some flavour to Old Korvosa--the kids using a toy guillotine on dolls, the sad scene with the woman refusing to leave the bodies of her loved ones, etc.

I would have loved for the visit to the Emperor of Old Korvosa to have resulted in a game of Blood Pig or something other than the traditional bout of violence.  The PCs kept trying to bargain with him, but there's no bargaining with crazy.  The Reckoner landed a crit on the Emperor, which made things much easier, though it was still touch-and-go there for a while.