Pathfinder Society Scenario # 0-11: 'The Third Riddle' [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

The Third Riddle was one of the first dozen scenarios published for Pathfinder Society, and was one of the  handful of "Season 0" scenarios unceremoniously retired later on.  The reason this one was retired isn't a mystery: it's bloody hard!  I played through it with a new character (a summoner named Jakeric with an "uplifted" bear eidolon named Grizzlebin) and a couple of others, and we were lucky to survive the very first encounter.  We had to abandon the mission soon thereafter, when it became clear that proceeding any further would be suicidal.  A modern group of six optimised Pathfinder PCs would probably be okay, but why the writer thought four 3.5-era PCs would be able to handle this mission is beyond me.  The scenario does establish some interesting historical Osirion lore that is reflected in later setting materials, but is otherwise a very old school style mission that doesn't have a lot to recommend it today.

SPOILERS!

There's a fairly elaborate (and interesting) backstory to The Third Riddle.  It seems that thousands of years ago, a wizard-priest named Mektep-Han discovered the last of three known locations of the dread riddles of the insane god of magic Nethys.  Solving these riddles would apparently unbind the universe, so Mektep-Han wisely had the locations hidden away.  He even had his soul bound to the third location, the Ravenous Sphinx, to guard it for all eternity.  Yet recently, a scholarly Pathfinder named Colm Safan uncovered the Ravenous Sphinx.  The poor sod was immediately killed by a trap in the structure's entryway, but news of his discovery reached the Pathfinder Lodge in Sothis.  This is where the PCs come in, with a mission to find out what happened to the missing Safan.

The briefing is told in the odd flashback style used in many Season 0 scenarios, with Act 1 starting in media res as the PCs are in a caravan on their way to the Ravenous Sphinx.  They're promptly attacked by *eight* Aspis Consortium warriors.  Our Level 1 PCs were pretty clearly outmatched, and at that level a few bad die rolls can become catastrophic.  I liked the *idea* of the encounter (a mobile run-n-gun chase with mounted warriors attacking a fleeing wagon caravan), but despite a neat table of random events, the actual execution was problematic.

The exterior of the sphinx doesn't get much in terms of description, so reaching it may feel somewhat anti-climactic.  It's essentially just a housing for a puzzle-ridden dozen crawl.  The layout and room descriptions are given separately from the actual puzzles/encounters in the rooms, which can make for a lot of confusing back-and-forth for an unprepared GM (there was a similar problem with King Xeros of Old Azlant).  

The entryway to the Ravenous Sphinx is a corridor in which the body of Colm Safan is clearly visible (he was obviously a much better scholar than tomb-raider!).  The body is impaled on the blade of a scythe trap, and removing the body resets the trap: it's a +8 attack that does *5d8* damage (x3 crit) at Level 1!  That's an automatic PC kill right there.  More, the corridor has two more (though less lethal) traps beyond that one.  When I played, we managed to detect the traps but then realised we had no way to disable or safely bypass them, which admittedly was a limitation on our group, and not the scenario's fault.  Anyway, we decided that, since our mission was to find out what happened to Safan and we had done that, we'd take his body back to Sothis and call it a win.  Hopefully, the Pathfinder Lodge could send out some professional dungeon-delvers to explore the tomb!

It was certainly wise of us not to proceed any further.  The rest of the sphinx consists of three large puzzle chambers branching off from a central point.  The central point contains the spirit of Mektap-Han, but he's not dangerous and there are some good role-playing opportunities there to learn more about the backstory to the scenario.  As for the puzzle chambers, one features several zombies and a shadow, one features a real giant scorpion mixed with two illusory ones (a clever trick), and the third has a large viper snake.  Each chamber has an additional hazard relating to the puzzle (like being burned up in one or drowned in another).  

One can definitely see the vestiges of classic, 1980s-style dungeon design in The Third Riddle, and although there's certainly nothing wrong with it, I wouldn't recommend it for Level 1 PCs--they just don't have the necessary margin of error or resources to have a fair chance of success.  Perhaps playing it at high subtier with Level 4 or 5 PCs would be a much better experience.   Anyway, I'm still glad I got a chance to play.  The Ravenous Sphinx may sit unexplored, but at last Colm Safan's next of kin knows what happened to him . . .

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 61 [RPG]

[Starday, 25 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

It’s barely an hour after midnight when, having narrowly escaped a nightime attack by strange extradimensional predators known as xill, Anorak races into the slums of Old Korvosa.  Panting with exertion, he finds an alley to hide in and waits to see if there are any sounds of pursuit.  Hearing none, he cautiously returns to his workshop to find his assailants have gone but that the place is in shambles.  After ensuring that the dandasuka is still bound tightly in a chest, the dwarf takes the box that Mortimont gave him and heads for the safety of Goldcape’s new resistance base.  Goldcape opens the door with a rapier levelled at Anorak’s throat, but Anorak’s fresh wounds lend proof to his words that he was just attacked by “monstrosities from another plane”.  Goldcape lets him enter, and wakes up Mishimia, the self-proclaimed “Acolyte of Razmir” to help tend to Anorak’s wounds.  Goldcape’s magic seems to do all of the real healing work, however.  She reluctantly agrees to let the dwarf stay the night, little realising that in the morning, he’ll ask to stay for the next four days!

Across town, Ralph Blackfeather slips out of his own safehouse in North Point.  He signals for Majenko, the house drake who swore service for a year, and asks him to look out for the city’s mysterious new vigilante, Trifaccia.  Afterwards, Ralph visits The Bookmaker and learns that Costa has completed his task as promised: the magical contract is ready for signing.  Soon after, Ralph changes into The Reckoner in a secluded alleyway, uses a wand to turn himself invisible, and heads towards the single bridge still spanning the channel that separates Old Korvosa from the rest of the city.  The Reckoner spots the moving blurs that indicate imp devils are about, and as he’s unsure whether they can also see invisible creatures, he asks Plate to teleport him across.  Plate reiterates his views that instead of all this dithering, they should just go attack the Queen, but he does as The Reckoner asks.

The Reckoner heads over to Anorak’s workshop, picks the lock to get inside when no one answers, and seems unconcerned by the destruction and heavy sprays of blood throughout.  He shows the dandasuka, who gives its name as “Xoza”, the contract and the two negotiate a price of ten gold pieces a month for the shameless creature to spy on its former master.  Xoza rushes to the palace to report to Glorio Arkona’s majordomo that nothing of interest happened the previous night, and then returns to tell The Reckoner that there was a big battle in the workshop but that the dwarf ran away surprisingly fast on his little stumpy legs.  Xoza agrees to keep learning what he can about Glorio’s plans for The Reckoner and his allies.

Later, on the way to Goldcape’s resistance base, the masked vigilante notices at least a couple of the houses in the area have stylised “B”s written in tar on their doors.  Although one old woman slams a door in his face, another resident explains that it means “Blackjack is back, and I’m on his side!”  When The Reckoner arrives at Goldcape’s new residence, she explains what apparently happened at Anorak’s workshop overnight.  He asks for her help in gathering clues about Trifaccia.  While they’re talking, Anorak is in an adjacent room performing some sort of intense magical ritual and is reluctant to be interrupted, but acknowledges the news about Xoza signing the contract—something they now share with Goldcape.

Leaving Anorak to his ritual, Goldcape and The Reckoner talk about the best way to get across to the main section of the city.  They decide to fly on Rocky’s back to Trail’s End, where the predominantly Varisian population has been friendly towards them since they provided assistance in the blood veil crisis.  There, the two leave Rocky in good hands and disguise themselves as ordinary Korvosans before crossing the bridge into the city without incident.  Goldcape stops at the Bank of Abadar to obtain one of the newly minted coins and shows it to Ralph, explaining that they now know exactly what the Queen’s crown looks like.  Plate is excited to see it, and proposes a dazzling array of ideas involving smashing, swiping, sundering, or otherwise getting it off of Ileosa’s head so they can win a fair fight against her and depose her and then make The Reckoner King of Korvosa!  Ralph appreciates the enthusiasm, but has to tamp down Plate’s confidence in their abilities for now.  The two warriors split up briefly, as Goldcape makes some purchases at Hedge Wizardry and Ralph tries but fails to find anything new on Trifaccia.  It seems like the new vigilante has appeared for a few days, and gossip on the street hasn’t added anything credible since then.

When the two reunite, Ralph proposes a bold plan.  He tells Goldcape that they need to do something visible to assure Kroft they weren’t captured and turned during the raid on Deathhead Vault.  Ralph suggests a frontal attack to wipe out the entire Gray Maiden contingent guarding one of the bridges into the city would surely suffice.  Goldcape agrees and sneaks out of the city with Ralph to fetch Rocky.  Ralph pulls on the fearsome raiment of The Reckoner while Goldcape checks Rocky’s barding for the upcoming battle.  Turning them all invisible with a wand, the three get into position on the Trail’s End side of North Bridge and then attack!  The Reckoner’s sudden appearance from nowhere terrifies hardened Gray Maidens and innocent bystanders alike, while Goldcape uses ice magic on her foes.  The Reckoner has a brief argument with Plate over whether the sapient armor should cast strength-enhancing magic, but the fight goes so well and so quickly that in the end, it doesn’t matter.  Eight Gray Maidens are slain within thirty seconds, and none of the victors are even scratched!  One of the Gray Maidens did manage to ring an alarm bell for reinforcements, so Goldcape and The Reckoner decide to split up and get back into hiding.

Back in disguise, Ralph makes his way to the Grand Cathedral of Pharasma—the largest building in the Gray District.  Intent on speaking with Bishop d’Bear, he turns himself invisible and tries to sneak in the fortress-like structure, only to be covered in sparkling glitter at the entryway!  Retreating quickly, Ralph hires a messenger to deliver a scroll that’s to be personally delivered to the Bishop: “I believe I’ve demonstrated my loyalty, it would be good if you and our associates get back in contact.”

When Goldcape returns on Rocky to the safehouse, she tells Anorak what just happened on the bridge.  The dwarf is irked that he missed out on the excitement.

[Sunday, 26 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

Shortly after three bells in the morning, the warm night air in Goldcape’s base is disturbed by a faint shimmering.  Appearing out of thin air over the course of a few seconds, what can only be described as monsters with insect-like mandibles and four arms ending in claws take shape.  The xill have returned for the box, and the gods have mercy on anyone who stands in their way!

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

GM Commentary

I was glad Goldcape went to the bank to get one of the new coins, as it was a great chance to show off the actual Korvosan coin that Paizo had minted.  They make great souvenirs from the campaign.

With everything going on, I often forgot to role-play The Reckoner's intelligent armor, Plate, but in this session at least, I remembered and had a lot of fun with it.

At this stage in the campaign, the PCs are tough enough that even a couple of them can devastate several ordinary Gray Maidens without suffering a scratch.

Pathfinder Tales: "Liar's Island" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Wow, there's a lot happening in Liar's Island!  It's a fast-paced, action-packed, and often downright hilarious novel that I highly recommend.  The con man with a heart of gold Rodrick is back, along with his intelligent ice sword Hrym, and this time they'll be leaving the mainland behind for an adventure in rarely-seen Jalmeray!  I'm a Tim Pratt fanboy, and this novel represents him at his best.  It's full of careful attention to Golarion setting lore without becoming dense, has a knack for fun without becoming silly, and somehow makes you really *care* about a talking magical sword.  It's one of my favourite Pathinder Tales novels, so go read it! (though I give you permission to read the prior novel with Rodrick and Hrym--Liar's Blade--first.)

SPOILERS!

Rodrick and Hrym are up to their thieving ways in Absalom when they're interrupted by, of all things, a djinn with an invitation: come to exotic Jalmeray and meet the thakur (king)!  It's an invitation that's not easy to refuse, but the journey to Jalmeray is interrupted when their ship is interdicted by a vessel from the rival country of Nex.  There's some downright hilarious banter and we start seeing signs that Hrym isn't quite "himself"--the reader will realise that Hrym is being unknowingly affected by a demonic taint received at the end of the previous novel that causes him to act out violently when he's "asleep."  In Jalmeray, Rodrick and Hrym meet the thakur's advisor, Nagesh, who turns out to want the pair to help assassinate someone!  Rodrick and Hrym decide to rob the palace and make a run for it instead, only to get swept up in a jungle treasure hunt for the fabled Scepter of the Arclords and a close encounter with the murderous Knife in the Dark cult.  It's really funny, really exciting, and the ending promises to take the characters in a new direction.  It's a book I want to reread while looking forward to Liar's Bargain.

Pathfinder Module: "Guardians of Dragonfall" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Guardians of Dragonfall is a really interesting, memorable, and lore-heavy module that deserves better recognition.  I ran it in my "Roots of Golarion" campaign of 3.5-era Pathfinder material and found it was a rich and densely-packed adventure.  It's certainly not one to try and run on the fly, but instead rewards careful GM preparation (and some patience for 3D map visualisation).  For reasons that are inexplicable to me, the setting material in the module has been labelled "non-canon" (an issue I'll take up in the section below).  Despite that, I think this is an adventure well worth revisiting.

I'll get to the adventure itself in a moment, but first I'll briefly cover general design and back matter.  This is a 32-page, full-colour module.  The cover is great (undead dragons should be scary!), and the interior artwork is solid.  The cartography is excellent, though they're trying to convey some challenging 3D relationships which isn't easy for Pathfinder tactical combat to encompass.  I love the "Designer Notes" sidebars in these early modules, and still can't fathom why they were done away with in later products.  Backmatter consists of five short appendices:  "Dragonfall and Draconic Belief" (a brief summary of lore covered extensively in the adventure), "New Feats" (two new feats only for true dragons, with "slow exhalation" being a particularly nasty combination of bite and breath attack), "New Magic Items" (featuring a major artifact called a bellwether brooch and a CL15 wondrous item called a hand of the theurge--it fires wands for you!), "New Monsters" (includes cool raw magic elementals called arcanatons and flying snakelike constructs called tongues of rebuke and wings of protection), and "New Spell" (featuring apparent master which is essentially a charm spell for constructs).  Level 11 Iconics (Valeros, Seoni, Merisiel, and Kyra) round out the collection.

SPOILERS!

Apart from a brief opening, almost the entirety of the module takes place in the eponymous Dragonfall.  Dragonfall is the fabled graveyard of the dragons, a remote mountain in the highest range of peaks in Golarion, and the place that dragons who are reaching the end of their normal lifespan fly to in order to be entombed with their ancestors.  To dragonkind, it is the most sacred place in existence, and outsiders are never welcomed.  The module provides extensive background and detail on Dragonfall and the history of dragons in general, and I imagine some readers will eat it up with a spoon!  I might be one of those readers who isn't particularly fussed about dragons, but even I can admire the effort and thought that went into constructing an original and unique contribution to the campaign setting like this.  It was also integrated into the first deep treatment of dragons in Golarion (in Pathfinder AP # 4).  It's excellent, well-written material, and thus I'm baffled that Paizo declared it non-canon as if it were a passing throwaway reference in a product as opposed to a deeply thought-out and integrated aspect of the setting.  I guess that's my mini-rant, and I'll let dragon aficionados hash it out from there.

The adventure is premised on the idea that a tiefling sorcerer named Tornulis (amusingly christened "Tortilla Chip" by my son) learned of the existence of Dragonfall and, with the help of a pair of renegade dragons (a mother-undead son duo) breached the mountain's defenses and has taken over its magical guardian constructs.  Tornulis' motivations are admittedly pretty cheesy--she literally wants to rule the world!  (The artwork for her is also unfortunately top-heavy)  The GM may want to adjust her motivation and perhaps even add some backstory to better fit the plot.

Part 1, "The Herbalist's Home", gets the ball rolling.  The way the PCs get involved isn't necessarily great as an adventure hook--they receive a letter delivered by a young boy named Curthew from a herbalist named Aroon who wishes to hire them.  When the PCs show up at Aroon's residence, another (very long!) letter reveals that he is actually a gold dragon named Auronorex!  The letter indicates Auronorex learned of the intrusion at Dragonfall and has gone to investigate, but, fearing the worst, he is willing to do the unthinkable and invite a band of mortals he trusts to follow in his footsteps, promising them great treasures if they succeed.  Hidden in his basement is a magic teleportation circle that will take everyone to an outlying area of Dragonfall called the Bone Field.  It's a hook that is premised on the notion that Auronorex has been watching the PCs and entrusts them with a mission of the utmost sacred responsibility which, frankly, doesn't seem realistic for most tables of "kill-the-bad-guys&take-their-stuff" adventurers.  Ideally, a GM who is able to plan ahead could have the PCs interact with Aroon earlier and thus provide retroactive justification for his trust in them.  (When I ran it, I came up with the idea that Curthew was Aroon's nephew, and the boy had no idea he was actually a dragon too!  Perhaps also cheesy and implausible, but it made for a fun NPC to accompany the group on the adventure) 

Part 2, "The Bone Field", has the PCs arriving in a vast field of draconic skeletons--the bones of those dragons who were deemed unworthy to enter the sacred mountain.  Not every dragon gets to enter the crypts, as they must first present the Dragonfall Seneschal with an offering worthy of their power.  Normally the construct guardians quickly destroy any undead who arise in the Bone Field, but as Tornulis has seized on the guardians for her own ends, the PCs will have to fight some young adult red skeletons and potentially other undead.  (I like the random encounter table with entries like "avalanche [of bones]" and "bone storm", though the PCs probably won't linger in the Bone Field long enough for the GM to roll very often on it)  Assuming they head toward the mountain in the center of the Bone Field, the PCs will encounter the ghostly spirit of Auronorex, and probably have their first (and potentially only) major role-playing opportunity in the module.  It's revealed that each type of dragon has its own entrance to the sacred mountain, and Auronorex suggests the group try the portal to the Emerald Shrine as the closest.  They need to fight their way through some "half-dragon satyr" barbarians called the Winterhorns who (through some contrivances) have taken up residence near the entrance.

Part 3, "Shearphorus," is the middle sequence of the adventure and the longest.  Shearphorus is the name of the tower of rock that contains the crypts in Dragonfall.  The PCs most likely enter inside the mountain through a magic portal to the Emerald Shrine, arriving on the other side in total darkness to plunge into a roiling and corrosive lake of bone shards!  Called the Maelstrom, this led to one of the most exciting (to me!) or scary (to the PCs!) sequence in the adventure, as some of the PCs were still fighting the Winterhorns on one side of the portal while those on the other side were fighting for their lives against some particularly nasty environmental hazards.  PCs who can't fly or climb well are in big trouble if they don't escape the acid pool quickly.  Further travel through the Emerald Shrine involves encounters with mohrgs, Winterhorn zombies, and an undead green dragon named Lephrelourge who enjoys participating in ritual magic that will not be convenient for the safety of intruders!

A long spiral passageway leads up from the Emerald Shrine into the hollow span of Shearphorus above.  Here, the PCs will have multiple encounters with Dragonfall's construct guardians: tongues of rebuke and wings of protection.  They do different types of elemental damage and explode when destroyed.  It's a great opportunity for me to pull out the flying rules, much to the consternation of my son.  Tornulis' half-fiend ogre wizard apprentice, Trauzek, is also encountered here.  Last up is Tornulis herself.  A level 11 wizard with the disintegrate spell should never be taken for granted, but with just 40 hp (D&D 3.5 rules), she probably won't put up much of a fight.  After capturing her, my PCs made an incredible Bluff check to persuade her they were divine emissaries and she should assist them!

Part 4, "The Gauntlet of Challenge-Cry" has the PCs traversing a series of chambers meant to test the worthiness of dragons who seek to be interred in Dragonfall.  They're doing this, despite having killed or captured Tornulis, because they need to recover the bellwether brooch, the artifact that controls Dragonfall's construct guardians.  Tornulis had given it to her green dragon ally Culpangia (mother of Lephrelourge) for safekeeping.  It's a lot of names, but it all fits together, I think.  Obstacles here include a great wyrm bronze dragon suffering from delirium (diplomatic and compassionate PCs may be able to avoid a fight), more constructs, and the raw magic elementals (arcanatons) that I think are a clever addition to the game and should appear more.  Assuming the PCs can defeat Culpangia, they'll be able to retrieve the Bellwether Brooch and set things right in Dragonfall, and bear witness to the spirit of Auronorex becoming the new location's new seneschal.

Guardians of Dragonfall certainly isn't perfect--there are some character motivations and plot points that could have used a second pass--but as an adventure, it's solid and makes use of a great location.  I think I'll integrate Dragonfall into my Golarion, no matter what Paizo says!

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 60 [RPG]

 [Fireday, 24 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

It’s a hot summer’s day in Korvosa when the Harrowed Heroes, having spent several days apart to tend to their own affairs, reunite to continue planning their voyage to Castle Scarwall.  The meeting takes place at an abandoned building in Old Korvosa repurposed by Goldcape to house her own resistance cell.  After some confusion and banter over code words and security, the three get down to business.  Goldcape shares some information about The Harrower’s final words and that Yraelzin is leaving the Cinderlands after helping to repulse the giant army.  The Reckoner shares his discovery that Marcus Endrin is still alive and kept in a secret cell in Deathhead Vault, and adds his suspicions that the new “hero” Trifaccia is really an agent of the Queen.  He also informs them that Kroft and her band of rebels are safe and are awaiting reassurances before revealing the location of their new headquarters.  Anorak says he hasn’t learned much, as he’s been busy upgrading Plate to make The Reckoner more mobile on the battlefield; the only side-effect of the process is that the intelligent suit of armor seems to be growing confident and outspoken.  Although Plate is ready, Anorak says he wants to spend at least four more days in Korvosa to prepare himself for the journey, and the others agree.  The three agree on a signal for future meetings, with Anorak to hang an old towel outside his workshop and Goldcape to put an old mattress against the wall outside if either wish to talk.

As The Reckoner and Anorak are leaving Goldcape’s new quarters, the two discuss how Glorio let slip that a spy was watching the dwarf’s workshop.  The Reckoner explains it’s probably one of the strange gnomelike creatures that he and Goldcape once scuffled with, as they seem to lurk all over as hidden agents for House Arkona.  Talk slides into how such a spy could be detected or captured, and suddenly a plan is hatched.  Deciding there’s no time like the present, the two make their way to Anorak’s workshop.  The dwarf returns to work normally, while The Reckoner (invisible) hides in an alleyway watching.  Soon, he spots the spy crouching on the workshop’s roof, barely visible in the shadows of the chimney—the creature must be watching Anorak through a chink in the roof tiles!  Anorak later leaves and finds The Reckoner in the alleyway.  With the help of a memory-enhancing spell, he recognises the “gnome” as a type of rakshasa called a dandasuka.  The spell alerts the dandasuka to the presence of hidden watchers, but before it can flee, Anorak uses a short-range teleportation spell to take him and The Reckoner to the roof.  There, with one mighty swipe of his hammer, The Reckoner knocks the creature unconscious.  Fortunately, the fight was so fast that no one appeared to notice, even in broad daylight.

After the pair haul the unconscious dandasuka into the workshop and bind him securely, The Reckoner uses a wand to heal it back to consciousness.  The creature seems surprisingly unconcerned by its dire predicament—perhaps even happy to have some excitement, and readily admits it was spying on Anorak and reports to Glorio Arkona’s majordomo every morning.  It gleefully insults its captors for what it sees as a ham-fisted attempt at interrogation, and cheerfully volunteers to become a double agent for them, while noting that it could just as easily become a triple agent.  Perhaps flummoxed by the creature’s attitude, The Reckoner and Anorak decide to gag it and lock it in a chest until they can decide what to do with it.

Since he’s already in the workshop, The Reckoner decides to put on Plate.  The sapient armor is so enthused about his new abilities he shows off by lifting his wearer into the air without being asked—much to the vigilante’s consternation.  The Reckoner and Anorak discuss what to do with their captive, and eventually hit upon the idea of ensuring its loyalty through a contract—but no ordinary contract, a magical contract that coerces signatories to observe its terms!  Disguising himself as an ordinary day labourer, Ralph Blackfeather leaves the workshop with a plan to buy the contract at Hedge Wizardry, but then remembers there’s only one land crossing left between Old Korvosa and the rest of the city—and it’s guarded by the Gray Maidens!  Fortunately, Anorak is able to teleport him just across the river so he can make the rest of the journey on foot.

At Hedge Wizardry, Phaeton is dismayed when Ralph discloses who he really is underneath the disguise—which means the storekeeper will have to list him as the purchaser for anything he buys.  Ralph decides to go ahead, and scrapes together almost seven thousand gold pieces—nearly the last of his funds—to buy the magical contract.  A tip from Phaeton directs Ralph to a bookstore in Midland where the proprietor, Costa Serimus, has the legal skills to write out the terms that Ralph wants it to say.  It’s going to be quite an elaborate document, as Ralph and Anorak spent a long time thinking of loopholes the dandasuka might try to exploit.  One issues that Costa points out is that the contract will only be binding if entered into voluntarily (not through force or duress), and so Ralph should think of what he will offer in the way of consideration (value).  The nominal sum of 1 gold piece per month is decided, and Costa says he’ll have it ready the next day.  As Ralph is leaving, he notices a handbill posted by Costa offering a reward to anyone who can cleanse his store of a ghostly presence.  When asked, Costa explains that whenever he’s alone in the building, spooky things start to happen—he hears noises, feels chills, and find things have moved from where he left them.  Ralph says he might look into it.

His journey back to Old Korvosa is initially stymied by the Gray Maiden’s barricade of the bridge.  His first plan to rely on Plate’s ability to fly fails (after its resounding battle cry of “For the good of Korvosa!”) because the armor has already exhausted its magic for the day.  Fortunately, the resourceful vigilante combines invisibility and amazing physical prowess to scale the barricade without being noticed by the guards.  After a brief stop at Anorak’s workshop to share the news about the contract being drafted, The Reckoner goes to inform Goldcape of what they’ve been doing.  Once there, the two hear from Clenkins that House Arkona guards arrested several people nearby just minutes ago.  Goldcape and The Reckoner are alarmed to hear the news (fearing Glorio may be emulating Ileosa’s authoritarianism) and decide to investigate under the cover of invisibility.  But a pleasant surprise is awaiting them: the guards have only arrested a band of street robbers unlicensed by the Cerulean Society.  And more to the point, the criminals were bound and waiting for the guards after Blackjack foiled their brazen daylight attack on residents of Old Korvosa!  The return of Korvosa’s foremost hero is sure to improve morale in the neighbourhood.

After easily foiling an attempted theft by a strange spider-like humanoid creature called an ettercap, the Harrowed Heroes teleport across the river to investigate whether the city’s largest bookstore is haunted.  They perform a careful search using means mundane and magical, but fail to turn up signs of any spectral infestation.  Remembering that Costa said the haunting only occurs when he’s alone in the building, Ralph offers to spend the night alone in the bookstore, but Costa reluctantly declines—there are just too many valuable tomes in the store, and he just met Ralph hours ago.  Ralph is understanding and returns to his safehouse in Northpoint, while Anorak teleports Goldcape home and then returns to his workshop.

[Starday, 25 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

It’s just one bell past midnight when Anorak wakes from a sound sleep with tremendous pain—something is trying to tear out his throat!  As his life flashes before his eyes, a sudden burst of strength allows him to push the attacker away.  But the situation somehow becomes even worse, as the dwarf realizes there’s not just one attacker, but three, and they’re not remotely human!  Flame-red mixtures of insect and reptiles, the attackers have four arms and mandibles dripping with what must surely be poison.  As Anorak throws off the bedclothes, turns himself invisible with a mystic intonation and scrambles to his feet, one of the intruders breaks open the chest where the dandasuka is held, but snaps it shut and kicks it away.  The sound of breaking furniture in an adjacent room reveals another has found what it has been seeking: the box left by Mortimont!  Despite being invisible, the dwarf’s attacker has a rough idea of where his prey must be and continues clawing and biting.  Nearly succumbing from his wounds, Anorak makes the desperate decision to grab the box, throw open the door, and race out into the night towards the one source of aid nearby—Goldcape’s resistance cell.  As he runs—not knowing whether the creatures are following—he feels a peculiar sense of ownership over the box and the knowledge that it would let him open it . . .

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

GM Commentary

This was the first session of Chapter Five, and some of the players used their 3d6 days of Downtime to gather some very handy bits of information that they shared to each other in the first scene.  During Downtime, I guarantee to players that there will be no combat interruptions and all ticking clocks in the background will be paused, but I also tell them if they want to continue Downtime activities after the 3d6 days is up, everything is fair game.  Anorak's player wanted to keep crafting, but it's hard to craft when xill are after the box you were supposed to ditch!

The idea of capturing one of Glorio's spies and turning him into a double-agent took me completely by surprise but became a pretty important subplot!  The Reckoner invested not only a substantial amount of money in that contract, but a lot of time trying to avoid any legalistic loopholes.  I tried to make the effort worthwhile in terms of the information received.  I had to improv the dandasuka's personality on the spot and came up with this crazy/creepy/enthusiastic vibe that really hit a chord with the players; he was voted the best NPC in the game when the campaign finished!

The stuff about the bookstore being haunted was my attempt to implement a reference from the Guide to Korvosa, but it didn't really pan out well.  I didn't have anything prepped.  Sometimes improv goes great, and sometimes it falls flat!