Pathfinder Module: "Masks of the Living God" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

 Masks of the Living God

is the second part of the “Price of Immortality” trilogy (along with Curse of the Everflame and City of Golden Death).  The connection between the three parts is pretty small, however, so players won’t be disadvantaged with this middle adventure if they haven’t played the first part.  Designed for third level characters, I ran it via play-by-post for Pathfinder Society credit.

 There are two things I really like about the module.  First, since the cover gives it away, I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say the story involves the Church of Razmir.  All Hail the Living God!  The module was obviously written by a heretic and blasphemer as the Church is likened to a “cult” and accused of nefarious practices like thievery and protection schemes, but nonetheless I’m excited to see one of my favourite groups in Golarion get the spotlight.  Second, speaking of spotlights, it’s a rare adventure that really allows sneaky characters to shine all the way through.  Characters skilled in Bluff, Disguise, Stealth, and Sleight of Hand are far more valuable throughout most of the adventure than a pouncing barbarian would be.  When you’ve played and run a lot of Pathfinder, it’s a breath of fresh air to see some other elements of gameplay come to the fore.

 If I have one knock against the module, it’s the artwork.  Although the cover is great, the interior artwork features a couple of pieces that are downright embarrassing: most importantly, the “boss” of the module looks laughably distorted in height.  The new creature introduced in an appendix is also pretty silly looking.  Most of the “cinematic art” of Iconics getting themselves in trouble is below par.  Fortunately, the maps and a few headshots of key NPCs are fine.

 I’d certainly recommend the module, especially for players who can be patient and GMs who can handle freeform-style reasonably well.

 SPOILERS!

 Prior to the beginning of Crypt of the Everflame, a Razmiri priestess named Iramine stole two parts of a tripartite magical amulet from the eponymous tomb in the town of Kassen (awakening spirits and causing the trouble that led to the PCs being called in to help).  Subsequently, again off-screen, Iramine gathered a large team of her fellow devotees of the Living God from the temple of Tamran in Nirmathas and set off on an expedition (that will terminate in City of Golden Death).  The plot of Mask of the Living God involves the PCs infiltrating that temple in Tamran and learning of Iramine’s journey.  In other words, the PCs are fated to always be one step behind until the end.

The module starts in Kassen (location of Crypt of the Everflame), where the PCs’ handler, Cygar, says he’s arranged a barge to take them to Tamran to continue following the cultists’ trail.  I liked that the barge journey along the river and coast of Lake Encarthan isn’t hand-waved, and that there’s the possibility of random encounters (my PCs lucked out and the dice came in their favour) and one fixed encounter against Molthuni privateers.  The dead of night ship-to-ship combat was set up well, even if one of the PCs (a classic nagaji bloodrager) wiped the floor with the foes.

Once in Tamran, the PCs meet up with their local Pathfinder contact, a man named Reginar Lacklan.  Reginar confirms that a group of Razmirans returned from Kassen some days previously.  He says the Temple of Razmir in the city is protected like a fortress, and that it has influence with several local city guards.  This all points to a frontal attack or break-in as impractical.  Instead, Reginar suggests the PCs infiltrate the cult by being inducted as initiate members!  If they agree, Reginar makes a plan to meet the group a week later to find out what they’ve learned about the stolen amulet parts.  He’s also keen for them to gather proof of the cult’s illegal activities in Tamran so he can get the authorities to shut it down.

 The heart of the module is the PCs’ experiences as undercover initiates in the cult.  After being drugged (or beaten) to unconsciousness at a recruitment meeting, the PCs will wake up stripped of all their gear in a basement cell.  After 24 hours without food, their indoctrination begins.  The module does a great job detailing a daily routine designed to lower initiates’ emotional resilience and willpower as part of a somewhat realistic portrayal of brainwashing.  The smallest rules infractions can be punished severely, all at the whim of someone higher in the hierarchy.  But at night, when the other initiates are asleep, the PCs have a chance to sneak around and start learning the secrets of the temple—and there’s plenty of danger and surprises to be found.  I particularly liked the classic “stairs turn into a slide” trap that leads to a giant snake in the basement!

 Some key NPCs help flesh out the time in the temple.  Most notably, there’s the cruel but intelligent Egarthis (the leader of the temple while Iramine is away), a bully and bruiser named Krant (the master of the initiates), and a fellow new recruit named Evlar (who might be an ally or a foe depending on how the PCs interact with him).  I wouldn’t have minded a couple of other NPCs to work with (drawn from other levels of the temple hierarchy), but overall I thought this aspect was handled well.

 An important part of the PCs’ time in the temple (apart from the daily grind designed to wear them down) is special events that the GM can insert at times they feel suitable.  There’s a crude bloodsport for Krant’s personal entertainment, the shakedown of a local baker for protection money (will the PCs go through with it or find an alternative?), and expected participation in a Temple-led pickpocketing ring (again a moral dilemma).  The events are a really good way to add some drama to the PCs’ stay in the temple, and again a couple of more would have been really good as seven days of lying low and being sneaky is a long time for players used to dungeon crawls and straightforward solutions.

 At the end of their week, the PCs need to figure out how to escape the temple to keep their planned meeting with Reginar.  Assuming they do, he tells them it’s time to take a bigger risk.  They need to slip back into the temple and breach Iramine’s private quarters on the strictly-forbidden second floor of the temple.  This doubtless leads to some combats against Egarthis, a “mask golem” (the silly-looking new monster I mentioned earlier), and potentially pretty-much the entire congregation (depending on how quickly and cleverly PCs move).  I didn’t actually pursue this part in my run, as the PCs had left incriminating clues about themselves during their escape from the temple—killing Krant and abducting Evlar just for a start—and I believed Reginar would surely know it would be suicidally foolish to send them back, plus, in real-life there were some interpersonal issues between a couple of the players that made it seem wise to start wrapping things up.  The written conclusion has the temple being razed to the ground by the Nirmathas authorities, the Church of Razmir outlawed in the country, and the Pathfinders discovering Iramine’s destination: the “City of Golden Death”!

 The freeform nature of the module made it a really fun experience to run.  It’s always exciting to see just how far the PCs can be pushed before they start pushing back (and giving themselves away), and the tension of having to stay undercover for so long (and the consequences if their deception is discovered) worked great.  I can safely say it’s unlike any other Pathfinder adventure I’ve ever played or run, and it’s an excellent example of the type of stories the system can handle if the writer thinks outside the box of “encounter-encounter-encounter” a little. 

 According to the holy words of divine Razmir, there are 39 steps to wealth and glory.  Take the first step now by experiencing Masks of the Living God today!