Pathfinder Society Scenario # 9-22: "Grotto of the Deluged God" [RPG]

 NO SPOILERS

 

I got to play Grotto of the Deluged God via play-by-post with my Prophet of Kalistrade character, Nistivo Cirek.  The scenario takes place in the Shackles, a pirate-infested chain of islands near the infamous Eye of Abendego hurricane.  The scenario has a nice connection to a Season 7 adventure (# 7-19: The Labyrinth of Hungry Ghosts).  As a whole, I found it about average.  Artwork and maps are good.  The individual encounters are fine (if a little cliched at times) and I like that there are some non-violent ways to bypass some of them.  The plot can seem a little random in sort of “and then this happens, and then this happens” way.  In sum, Grotto of the Deluged God isn’t going to win any awards, but I imagine most players will have a good time.

 

SPOILERS!

 

We don’t often get a ship-board briefing in Pathfinder Society, so it’s interesting to start off on board the Grinning Pixie—the mobile Pathfinder lodge helmed by Venture Captain Calisro Benarry.  The ship is moored off Tempest Cay, the northernmost island in the Shackles, and Benarry explains that strange winds around the area have altered currents and tides and made visible the wreck of a ship called the Pride of Aspenthar.  As told in PFS1 # 7-19, the Pride of Aspenthar was sent on a mission to the Gloomspires but never returned.  Benarry wants the PCs to board the wreck and try to figure out why it sank.  To help them out, she provides the group with some potions of water breathing, a feather token (swan boat), and a wand of touch of the sea.  By Season 9, the Pathfinder Society takes a lot better care of its agents compared to the early seasons!

 

The wreck is visible on the outer edge of a coral reef.  As the PCs cross the reef on foot, they’re attacked by the traditionary giant crabs (and a crab swarm, which might prove more challenging to a low-level group if they’re not prepared for fighting swarms).  Exploration of the ship itself requires fighting off some zombie sailors (been there!) before discovering of the captain’s log and why the ship sank: a mutiny followed by a collision with the reef!  Importantly, the log contains the captain’s suspicions that someone or something had been manipulating the currents around the reef with magic.  The PCs are expected to follow another vague clue (found by peering through a spyglass on the rail) to a nearby sea cave, but if they miss the clue (which seems likely) the currents take them to the sea cave anyway when they try to leave!  A bit of forced plotting there.

 

The sea cave features two encounters that can be resolved through either role-playing or combat.  The first is with an injured triton named Nalu and his hippocampus mount.  Nalu was on a diplomatic visit to another undersea community when the currents pulled him in and he was dashed against the rocks.  The second (and the one more likely to start a fight) is with a young brine dragon named Tempest Monarch.  Tempest Monarch, like many brine dragons, is ambitious and bombastic, and wants the PCs (“lesser beings”) to “swear fealty” to them. I liked this encounter because it’s a good way to seeing just how prideful most PCs really are.  Tempest Monarch’s “lair” is near a planar anomaly, which is why wind and currents have been so strange.

 

When the group leave the sea caves, they may assume they’re done with the adventure, but they haven’t counted on the Cult of the Eye!  The cultists consider the sea caves sacred, and unless the PCs do some fast talking, there’ll be a battle.  After getting past them one way or the other, the group can then return to Venture-Captain Benarry to report in.

 

As a final note, one bit I really liked on the Chronicle is that if you do “swear fealty” to Tempest Monarch, you get a rare “negative boon”—you’ve got to bring her treasure or she spreads word that you’re an oathbreaker, costing you Prestige Points.  A fun addition.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 73 [RPG]

 [Toilday, 4 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

Unbeknownst to the Harrowed Heroes, another outsider has fallen prey to the mysterious lure of Castle Scarwall!  Lorien Craie Foie, a half-orc battle-cleric of Cayden Cailean, was in Urglin during the recent giant siege.  After the siege was broken, he met and began drinking with a strange, bombastic spellcaster in purple robes named Yraelzin, who spoke endlessly about a tyrant in Korvosa, a growing rebellion, and the key to victory laying in an ancient castle called Scarwall in the Hold of Belkzen.  Seeing Yraelzin trade an ostensibly magic jade carving of an elephant to a wizened shaman for fast passage to Scarwall, Lorien began thinking of his own, relatively sedate life in Urglin.  A life of adventure, danger, treasure, heroism called to him.  Not believing most of the stories Yraelzin related about a “haunted” castle, Lorien decided to see for himself.  Weeks passed in preparation and travel, but finally Lorien reached the crater lake where the fortress stood.

Now, sneaking past a small tribe of orcs guarding the causeway leading to the castle, Lorien pushes through the unsettling wet blanket of fog shrouding the entrance and finds himself in a horrifying scene of a recent battle’s aftermath, with bodies and blood everywhere.  The sound of clashing weaponry and battle-cries echo from somewhere ahead, leading the warrior to draw his own rapier and approach cautiously.  But what he witnesses is far from what he could ever expect!  An imposing, fastidiously-dressed man with a Nidalese accent is berating a blue-skinned woman who wears only chains.  A thin trickle of blood slides down the aristocratic man’s high cheekbones, and it appears as if the woman just struck him and is now coming to her senses as the sounds of clashing blades dwindles. “I forgive you, Asyra,” says the man curtly. “But let there not be a recurrence.  You must steel your will against the shades and phantasms of this place.”  Realising he’s being observed, the man turns to Lorien and his lips curl in disgust when he realises it’s a half-orc.  “What are you doing here, half-breed?” the man demands.

Lorien replies that he’s a warpriest of Cayden Cailean, and his purpose here is his own business.  This reply is met with cold anger, but before the conversation can continue further, others have come to investigate the disturbance: The Reckoner, Goldcape, Anorak, and Yraelzin have arrived!  Recognising Shadowcount Sial and his bodyguard, Asyra, The Reckoner asks Sial to explain himself.  The reply is a cutting remark about the usefulness of keeping fools close at hand—with an implication that perhaps Sial is trailing the Harrowed Heroes, letting them deal with the dangers of Scarwall for him!  Sial stalks away with a dismissive sneer, motioning for Asyra to follow him.  Yraelzin is delighted to see Lorien again, and introduces him to the others.  As Yraelzin and Lorien talk, The Reckoner leads the others a short distance away for a private conversation.  He says having another ally on their side could be very useful, especially if Shadowcount Sial is waiting to snatch Serithtial out from under them.  But Eldritch, Anorak’s strange reptilian bird familiar, is instantly suspicious, and says the newcomer could be a spy sent by the queen—or even worse, an assassin out to kill Anorak!  Knowing that Eldritch has a tendency to be paranoid (and excessively violent), the group consensus is to trust Lorien for now, while keeping an eye on him just in case.

 

Returning to Lorien and Yraelzin, the others share what they know about Shadowcount Sial.  A worshipper of the Midnight Lord, Zon-Kuthon (the deity of shadows and pain), Sial ostensibly wants to find Serithtial because it is a potent weapon against followers of his faith, and he wants to ensure it is never used against them.  Interjections from Yraelzin show the former priest of Razmir clearly hasn’t forgiven The Reckoner for blowing up the agreement he had made with the Brotherood of Bone to enter Scarwall together.  Conversation is had about whether the group should attack Sial immediately, but for now they decide to wait and continue their search.

Returning to the gloomy courtyard that marked the previous extent of their exploration, the group cautiously decide to climb the staircase that’s on the other side of a door creaking in the chill wind.  They emerge in a chamber on the second floor of Castle Scarwall, but their ponderous footsteps and Yraelzin’s magical light have alerted the room’s inhabitants: a quartet of howling corpses swooping through the air with hideously-elongated legs and longbows made of bone!  The blood-curdling shrieks literally paralyse Goldcape, and Yraelzin with fear, but The Reckoner leaps high into the air to smash one of the abominations.  The swooping figures fire arrows that seem to be conjured spontaneously with each attack, and their shrieking continues.  The Reckoner finds his muscles seizing up, completely unable to dodge a flurry of arrows fired his way.  But his elaborate magical preparations pay off, as every single arrow strikes an illusory image of him!  As two of the animated corpses drop awkwardly to the ground, Lorien utters a prayer to Cayden Cailean to free Goldcape from her paralysis—and in turn, Goldcape is able to free Anorak.  The dwarf’s fireball weakens the foes as Lorien then charges into battle.  But this leads the defenders to focus their fire on him, and he’s nearly pin-cushioned by arrows!  Goldcape frees The Reckoner from paralysis and the vigilante charges in to aid their new ally with more leaping attacks.  Yraelzin, finally recovered from his own paralysis, shows his magical prowess is not all rhetoric, as his spell takes control of the last monster and forces it to fly right into range for Rocky, Lorien, and The Reckoner to finish it off.

Before the group has time to recover, it becomes apparent that the sounds of the fighting have brought yet more danger right to them.  Bursting through the room’s southern door, a grinning spectre with mad eyes and blood-red hands switch and jerk like a puppeteer’s, somehow giving a stuffed wyvern a semblance of life!  The Reckoner laughs until the grinning figure’s mere touch sends waves of pain through his body. “Who’s laughing now?” the spectral woman croaks. “Kazavon shall return, and my loyalty will be proven!”  But The Reckoner doesn’t give her time to elaborate—his enchanted battle-maul tears through her ghostly form and dissipates it.  The animated stuffed wyvern collapses to the floor.  The entire battle lasted only a handful of seconds and was over before anyone else in the room could even react!

Plate, The Reckoner’s sapient enchanted armor, whispers to its master that the easy battle shows the others aren’t needed on the current quest—that their constant need to rest to heal wounds and prepare spells is slowing things down and giving Ileosa more time to consolidate power in Korvosa.  Plate says the others in the group are brave and worthy allies, but that they’re being put in unnecessary danger when The Reckoner can handle anything Scarwall has to offer single-handedly!  However, The Reckoner refuses to consider the idea of leaving the others behind.

The group debate whether to continue exploring or rest.  Anorak and The Reckoner suggest the latter, while Yraelzin and Goldcape push for the former.  Lorien casts the deciding vote to continue on, but resting becomes a far more attractive option when the next chamber (filled with ruined beds and tattered paintings) looks like a perfectly defensible spot because there’s only one entrance to it. Using their magical iron spike to create an illusion of bodies piled in front of the door, the group settle in for a long day and night of rest. 

[Wealday, 5 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

Sleep finally comes, but it’s an uneasy one, filled with vague and disturbing nightmares.  Anorak dreams of ceaseless toiling enslaved to House Arkona, Rocky is tormented by dreams of being endlessly chased by a huge predator, and Goldcape suffers traumatic nightmares of Old Lady Cloggins dying in a fire.  The three are kept tossing and turning all night, and awake more exhausted in the morning than when they went to sleep.

But there are far worse things than bad dreams in Castle Scarwall.  As everyone readies themselves for another day, they realise Lorien is missing!  And spectral hands are emerging from the walls all around them . . .

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

GM Commentary

This session is important for the introduction of Lorien, a new PC who would continue to appear throughout the rest of the campaign.  The character was played by the daughter of The Reckoner's player which I think sometimes gave him too much influence over the character.  Lorien was fairly quiet when it came to role-playing, but it was nice to have another PC at the table.

I always had fun playing Eldritch, Anorak's familiar.  I gave Eldritch a paranoid, almost psychopathic personality.  Exaggerated personalities are useful for familiars, intelligent weapons, and others NPCs that I'll probably only remember or have time to role-play occasionally.

The battle against the baykoks started off pretty dire, as paralysing arrows are nasty.  The group displayed some good teamwork to recover.  On the other hand, no teamwork was needed in the battle against the spectre, as The Reckoner destroyed it single-handedly before the others even got a turn!

I liked that Scarwall inflicted nightmares on those who sleep within its walls (at least if they fail their Will saves).  It was both thematically appropriate and kept the pressure on.

Pathfinder Flip-Mat: "River Crossing" [RPG]

I got to experience a battle firsthand on River Crossing during a Pathfinder Society scenario last week.  I learned that giant crocodiles are no match for alchemist bombs, but dwarves and nagajis need to watch out for spiked pit traps!  Anyway, this flip-mat has two sides.  One side is a straight river crossed by a wooden bridge, with trees on either side of the path leading to and from the bridge.  It's a solid design, and surely useful in a wide variety of contexts.  The other side depicts a bend in the river with some boulders and a potential (but hazardous) place to ford in the center.  Again, pretty useful.  My only suggestion is that it would have been nice if one side hadn't been set in a traditional forest--a jungle river, a partially frozen river, or a river in the mountains would have added to the flip-mat's versatility.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 72 [RPG]

 [Toilday, 4 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

Having penetrated Castle Scarwall and faced some fearsome threats already, the Harrowed Heroes discuss whether to press deeper or secure their flanks by backtracking.  Deciding on the former (with Anorak instructing Eldritch to lurk in the back of the group to watch for anyone sneaking up), the group presses onward after clearing a door barricaded the previous night.  In the room where they found the lingering, corrupted spirit of Mandraivus, the sounds of clanking swords and shouts of battle again start slowly before intensifying.  Yraelzin is suddenly overcome with madness, babbling incoherently before using magic to assault The Reckoner!  Although a non-spellcaster, The Reckoner has become intimately familiar with spells and wandcraft, and instantly uses magic to restore his ally to sanity.  Yraelzin is ashamed about what just happened, and pleads for forgiveness.  The Reckoner says he should think nothing of it.  Although this is the second time the strange manifestation has occurred, no one in the group is able to discern exactly what is causing it.

Noticing a door to the south, the group open it to reveal a nondescript hallway with arrow slits looking out into the main keep’s entry corridor.  Human bodies in chain shirts lie on the floor among the broken remains of shortbows and quivers of arrows, with a curious yellow smoke wafting among the bones and ruined weapons.  As the bodies lurch into a blasphemous semblance of life, the yellow smoke rises up and starts to flow toward the intruders of this ancient resting place, threatening to engulf them!  Anorak reacts quickly and shuts the door, only to find the mist seeping through cracks all around it.  Goldcape and Yraelzin aren’t able to move out of the way fast enough and scream in agony as every tiny particle of the mist’s moisture burns like acid!  And the mockeries of human life on the other side of the door are clearly more advanced zombies than normal ones, for they know enough to open the door and move quickly to launch an attack!  As The Reckoner’s enchanted weapon somehow tears away the mist’s form and Yraelzin uses magical force missiles against it, Rocky destroys three of the zombies in one overwhelming fury!  The battle is soon won, but for Yraelzin at least, the trauma won’t soon fade.

The group decide to head north, deeper into the ground floor of Castle Scarwall.  With The Reckoner and Goldcape able to see in the omnipresent darkness thanks to their masks of the mantis and Yraelzin emitting light from his robes, only the total silence and stillness of the fortress conveys that this is not a place for the living.  Taking the lead, The Reckoner opens another door to reveal a long corridor running east and west, with several doors on every side.  Arrow slits look out over a gloomy courtyard, but there’s no time for sight-seeing, as the group’s unsubtle entrance has alerted a quintet of massive, skeletal minotaurs wielding greataxes longer than a man is tall!  Undeterred, The Reckoner quickly destroys two of the undead abominations.  Anorak darts in to guard his back and destroys one with a dose of magical electricity.  With a nod from Goldcape, Rocky flies into the fray, but an ill-timed approach leaves him vulnerable and he takes a grievous, near fatal wound!  Goldcape assists with magic that weakens the remaining defenders, and one by one they’re destroyed.  After the fighting, Yraelzin uses a wand to heal most of Rocky’s wounds, but explains frankly that their stored magic is being rapidly depleted—if the group don’t hurry on their quest, they may not escape alive.

Through a door, the wide courtyard gives an inside view of the castle’s looming walls and towers.  Although it should be a bright summer’s day, unnaturally-long shadows cast a gloomy pall over the entire place.  An unseasonable, chill breeze whips through the courtyard, carrying a few dry leaves from scraggly scrub bushes that grow fitfully at the yard’s edges. Bent, rusted, and in some cases partially broken spikes protrude from the walls of the courtyard, and here and there, holes in the hardpack soil hint at long-missing structures or poles that once stood within.  To the north, stairs rise to a platform fifteen feet above the courtyard; atop it, a black double door provides entry into what must be the castle’s donjon—its inner, most fortified keep.  Along with the sound of leaves skittering on the flagstones, the creaking of hinges can be heard—a door to the northeast stands open and sways gently with the wind.  At the western end of the courtyard, a broad, stone-rimmed well stands, though its stone lip is crumbling and has collapsed in places.  The Reckoner instantly realises that the thick patches of vegetation growing around the well aren’t just unnatural—they’re positively carnivorous!  The group decide to skirt the wall away from the well, and open another door leading out of the courtyard to reveal a spiral staircase heading up.

Before they can decide whether to ascend or continue exploring the ground floor, The Reckoner hears a familiar voice in his mind—Bishop d’Bear!  It seems House Arkona has taken control of Trail’s End—and more significantly, the Tower of Passage. 

One thing is certain: whatever happens in Castle Scarwall, the city of Korvosa will surely not be the same when—or if—the Harrowed Heroes return.

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

GM Commentary

There was something about The Reckoner's frequent use of wands (and general knowledge of spells) that always annoyed me a little, simply because the character didn't have any connection to magic in his background.  I like to see some story justification for mechanical abilities so a character feels like an organic part of the world.  On the other hand, I acknowledge this may just be an idiosyncratic pet peeve of mine.

The trench mist was pretty cool.  I think it would have been even better if it weren't a creature (limited to a specific size and shape) and instead a hazard that could take on irregular sizes and shapes (and just described instead of given concrete form with a pawn, etc.).  Sometimes giving such concreteness to dangers (necessary in a tactical combat game) takes away from the "scare factor" when trying to build atmosphere.

Yraelzin's reference that the group had limited healing magic was both correct (wand charges can be burned through pretty quickly at this level) and intended to add to the feel that the longer the group stayed in Scarwall, the more dangerous it would become (versus a "fight-heal-rinse & repeat" feel).  Sometimes having a party cleric is pretty handy!

I spoke in a previous commentary about just how *big* Scarwall is.  I ran the campaign on a pretty large table (actually two long tables side by side), but I still had to frequently switch out flip-mats, leading to the "Game Loading" jokes.  I remember the courtyard was especially challenging for me because it came at the conjunction of several large flip-mats.  And because it was a courtyard, I had to try to think about everything that overlooked it.  What could the PCs see?  What could creatures on various towers or higher levels see?  Which encounters should trigger when and under what circumstances?  It's one of those situations where those people who actually build out full 3D structures out of styrofoam probably feel their efforts are worth it, even if generally I think such a thing is impractical.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 71 [RPG]

[Moonday, 3 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

Having pushed through the black mist that separates the interior of Castle Scarwall from the outside world, three brave souls find themselves in an entry corridor.  Rows of arrow slits line the walls, murder holes look down from above, dozens of orc skeletons and scattered bones cover the floor, and the way forward is blocked by yet another combination of portcullis and heavy gate.  At first, there’s an eerie silence, but then the sound of quiet breathing and creaking armor can be heard from all around.  In sudden unison, an onslaught of crossbow bolts are fired through the arrow slits while liquid cold enough to instantly freeze the flesh is poured through the murder holes above!  Unable to see or fight their attackers, Anorak cleverly conjures illusory walls along the side of the corridor to stymie the crossbowmen while The Reckoner charges the portcullis and gate, smashing them with swing after swing of an adamantine war-maul!  Still, a crossbow bolt longer than a sword embeds itself deeply in his back.  Yraelzin is quickly on the scene to magically heal the wound, and the trio push forward out of the murder hall.

But it’s from the frying pan and into the fire, for the large chamber they find themselves in is stomach-turning.  Bodies lie everywhere, orc and human alike.  Judging by the sprawled and mutilated nature of the corpses, they fought brutally before succumbing to their wounds, dying in heaps on the floor.  Many corpses are riddled with arrows and crossbow bolts, and a few appear to have perished while locked in mortal combat, still holding weapons embedded in various parts of each other’s anatomy.  Strangely, while the room reeks of death and the bloodstains appear incredibly ancient, the corpses themselves seem quite recent.

The Reckoner instructs Plate to turn him invisible as he moves cautiously through the room toward a huge mound of corpses in the northwest corner of the room.  But even the most sensible of precautions may be of no avail in Scarwall!  The mound begins to somehow animate and move, scuttling forth on dozens of arms and legs, speaking in a dissonant, disturbing tone that no one can understand.  Suddenly, it lets forth a horrifying shriek as all of its many mouths scream at once.  Yraelzin’s knees turn to water at the sound, but Anorak bravely rushes forward only to find himself grabbed by a dozen mismatched arms and pummeled relentlessly.  As Yraelzin recovers enough to evoke magical bolts of force, The Reckoner does an amazing leap over the mound, landing on the other side with a powerful blow!  Anorak tries to extricate himself and cast spells, but the intricate gestures and words of his spellcraft are disrupted time and again.  Finally, with great effort and nearly at the cost of Anorak’s life, the hideous aberration is destroyed.

 

After benefitting from several uses of a healing wand, Anorak is able to continue exploring.  A heavy door that must be barred from the other side stands to the northeast corner of the corpse-ridden chamber.  The Reckoner smashes it down with one resounding blow that echoes through the castle.  Jagged splinters are added to the bits of ruined tapestries, ancient bones, and broken weaponry lining the hallway on the other side.  Only one skeleton appears whole, slumped against a far corner of the room, clad in dust-caked full plate armor.  Sure that that skeleton is going to animate and attack, The Reckoner moves in slowly while Anorak and Yraelzin wait at the doorway.  The silence of the ancient castle suddenly shatters as the hall fills with a cacophony of clashing weapons and battles cries intermingled with the screams of the dead and dying—individual words are impossible to make out, but as the sounds reach a crescendo of violence, smoky black shapes boil up out of the bones and swirl into a vortex of angry shrieking spirits!  But just as suddenly as the mad vortex arises, it disappears.  Yet there was reason to be cautious: a towering, smoky form rises a moment later from the plate-clad figure in the corner!  It lunges towards The Reckoner, shrieking “You shall not have Serithtial!  It is mine and no other’s!”

Although The Reckoner has prepared for the spirits of Scarwall with an enchanted weapon that can destroy the incorporeal as easily as the corporeal, his armor is not similarly enchanted.  The wraith plunges smoky hands into his body time and time again to drain the very life out of him, but somehow The Reckoner manages to resist!  “I brought Serithtial here!  I used it to slay Kazavon!  It’s mine!” screams the fearsome shadow monster.  Yraelzin contributes more force missiles, while Anorak brilliantly bluffs the unnatural menace into thinking that he’s the one who wants to steal Serithtial.  As the spectral evil flies away from The Reckoner and toward the dwarf, it leaves itself open to another blow from the enchanted weapon and disappears with a final shriek of torment.

After the bracing event, Anorak examines the plate armor on the intact skeleton and realises it’s among the most powerfully enchanted he’s ever seen!  Marked with the heraldry of Lastwall, it must have been worn by a true knight.  The Reckoner urges Anorak to put it on.  The explorers then decide to barricade themselves in the adjacent room, using the magical spike they purchased in Kaer Maga to make it appear as if their camp is a mound of bodies.  Disturbing noises and vague but troubling dreams make for an uncomfortable night’s rest, but everyone is ready to continue when morning finally comes.

[Toilday, 4 Arodus 4708 A.R.]

Despite their surroundings, the day begins auspiciously for those slumbering in the cursed castle:  Goldcape and Rocky have arrived!  After some misunderstandings over the illusory campsite, Goldcape explains that Thousand Bones had been poisoned with purple worm venom by an evil Shoanti intent on assassinating the tribal elder for his own gain.  Fortunately, Goldcape explains, she arrived just in time to neutralise the poison ravaging the shaman’s body and managed to capture the assassin.  After the explanation, Anorak shows off his new armor and explains about the wraith’s remarks about Serithtial and Kazavon.  Goldcape puts two and two together, and surmises that the armor must have been on the skeleton of Mandraivus, a paladin from Lastwall who led a small band to infiltrate Scarwall and kill the evil warlord.  Yraelzin interrupts to say that he wants to move quickly to break the curse of Scarwall and strip Ileosa of her invulnerability, whether or not they find Serithtial.  He says he can’t bear to spend another night in Scarwall, but The Reckoner replies it could take days to search a castle of this size!  Yraelzin quickly apologies for a hastily-made insult about The Reckoner breaking the deal with allies (Shadowcount Sial and Laori Vaus) who would surely speed up the search.  He explains Scarwall must be getting to him already.

With their first full day inside Castle Scarwall ahead of them, the Harrowed Heroes are at full strength!  Perhaps the legends around this haunted place are overblown, and success will come quickly.  The time has finally come to find out.

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

GM Commentary

The animated mound of bodies is a monster called a "corpse orgy", and it certainly put up a good fight as well as tying in well to the atmosphere of Scarwall.  Mandraivus' appearance also helped provide some of the backstory to Scarwall and Serithtial.  I tried to have Yraelzin's fright contribute to the idea that just being in this place would be terrifying.  Anyway, for a first session in its walls, the group made solid progress; in future sessions though, the sheer size of the place will bog them down.

I made a mistake in my commentary for last session; it wasn't then that Goldcape left and his player became "Assistant GM"--it happens a little further down the line.

Pathfinder Adventure Path # 11: "Curse of the Crimson Throne, Part 5: Skeletons of Scarwall" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Skeletons of Scarwall is the fifth chapter in the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path.  I ran it in a traditional live tabletop campaign using the updated PFRPG hardcover collection, but this review focuses on the original 3.5-era adventure.  This chapter has a heavy dungeon crawling element, which some groups will love and others loathe, but I want to emphasize that it's a really excellently written dungeon crawl with lots of creativity, flavour, and integration into the setting.  It's also a bear for the GM to prep!  Overall all though, my thoughts are generally positive.  Anyway, there's a lot to talk about in this ish, and it happens to be moving day in Castle Jhaeman, so let's just dive right in!  This first section, non-spoilerly section of the review will only discuss front- and back- matter, not the adventure itself.

Start with the cover.  I really like the background image with the skeletal knight (notice the orc heads dangling from his lance?).  Lini, the druid, may not have been the most fitting choice for the adventure within, but it's hard to argue with Wayne Reynolds art.  The inside front cover continues the "Korvosan Hierarchy" chart, with some members of the hierarchy reddened to indicate they're dead!  I have to admit I've never noticed the inside back cover until this very moment; it's a hierarchy chart as well, but of a very different (and even more ominous) kind, but has to do with the adventure itself so I won't talk about it here.

The foreword by Wes Schneider talks a lot about drawing inspiration from gothic horror, and provides tips for GMs on making things atmospheric.  I can confess I tried *really* hard with the atmosphere by making everyone play in the dark by candlelight to really amp up the oppressive feel of the adventure, trying to can the OOC chatter, etc., but--the players hated that style of play!  After a few sessions I was forced to give up.  It's hard to find a group that is simultaneously a) into the extreme crunchiness of Pathfinder and b) into deep atmospheric role-playing.

The back matter consists of four major parts (or a fifth, if you want to count the two pages containing stats for Level 12 Iconics).

First is an overview of the Hold of Belkzen (6 pages).  It contains a really nice, detailed map of the region, with just one flaw: no scale bar!  The text provides a ton of great adventure hooks, however, and it remains a solid gazetteer.  I know there's a full campaign setting that expands considerably on the material, but as an overview, these six pages remain quite useful.

Next is an entry on Zon-Kuthon (6 pages).  It's a detailed, grisly, and frankly great description of the Midnight Lord and his devotees.  The artwork of Zon-Kuthon himself is pure nightmare fuel!  And indeed, there's some elements (like the Joyful Things) that I don't think would be deemed appropriate in today's more PG-oriented Paizo.  The text is broken down into headings: Temples and Shrines (I'd like more location-specifics here), A Cleric's Role, Two Myths (the myth about Nidal and the "first shadow" is really cool), Aphorisms, Holidays, Relations with Other Religions, Priests of Zon-Kuthon (two capsule descriptions), and Planar Allies.  I'm sure much of this material has been collected and reprinted, but it remains an excellent overview.

Third is "A Friend in Need", the next short fiction chapter describing Eando Kline's journey in pursuit of a mysterious object (frankly, I forget what the Macguffin is he's chasing after; this tale is more about the journey than the destination).  In this instalment, Eando and his new half-orc companion Joskan travel through the Hold of Belkzen on the way to Urglin.  However, as outsiders, they need a tribal chief's token to avoid being murdered on site.  Negotiations take place with a nearby tribe for such a token, when a (genuinely) surprising betrayal occurs.  This story shows why it's really handy to speak multiple languages in Pathfinder!  There's also a great depiction of an ankheg stampede.  I'm looking forward to reading all of these instalments as an e-book someday.

Last up is the Bestiary (14 pages).  The first two pages are flavor text and a wandering monster chart for one of the major regions the PCs are likely to traverse in the adventure.  Next up are two-page-long entries for several new monsters.  The Chained Spirit is a cool, original concept (a ghostly creature that is "anchored" to the Material Plane by living creatures).  But watch out for those four Charisma-draining chains (nasty!).  The Danse Macabre (a pack of ghostly dancers haunted by the grim reaper) is also pretty cool and pretty scary--with a scythe that does Constitution drain!  Gugs are Lovecraftian beasts with terrifying maw-heads.  The Prince in Chains is the Herald of Zon-Kuthon, and certainly not something you want to encounter.  The section ends with a four-page-long entry on the first new true dragon to be introduced to Golarion: umbral dragons!  It's pretty neat that they feast on incorporeal creatures!

SPOILERS!

Long story short, Skeletons of Scarwall is all about a massive, extremely haunted castle!  The AP goes into extensive background about Castle Scarwall, and this background heavily ties into the threats the PCs face when they enter to explore it.  It's a fairly interesting story, and it's worth the GM learning the broad contours to draw upon for running the adventure.

Part 1 (6 pages) contains the Sun Shaman's Tale, as he explains to the PCs that they need to venture to Castle Scarwall to retrieve the legendary sword Serithtial, a holy weapon forged to combat the followers of Zon-Kuthon that will be crucial for defeating Ileosa and the Crown of Fangs she wears (the Crown of Fangs itself is tied into the history of Castle Scarwall and its former ruler, Kazavon).  This section of the adventure is mostly exposition and, presumably, PC preparation.  Castle Scarwall is located in the Hold of Belkzen, far away from Korvosa.  The adventure assumes that, by this level, the PCs will be using magical means of transportation, so there are no scripted encounters along the way.  Indeed, my PCs windwalked their way there.  In terms of preparation, it's interesting that the GM knows Scarwall will be a truly massive dungeon and exploring it will take up the entire remainder of the chapter, but the players aren't really sure what they're in for; some of mine apparently initially assumed it'd be a quick in-and-out!  Two members of the Brotherhood of the Bone are waiting for the PCs outside of Castle Scarwall, and they propose a truce.  This is a good opportunity for some role-playing and the adventure definitely changes depending on whether the PCs accept or reject the truce, and which member of the Brotherhood they befriend.

Part 2 (4 pages) is "Approaching Scarwall".  It details the Deadwatchers, an orc tribe devoted to ensuring nothing goes in or comes out of Scarwall.  I like them, and they have a good backstory, but at this level they're nothing but a forgettable speed bump to the PCs.  Of more importance, this section has a description of what different dangers await the PCs if they approach Scarwall by land, by air, or by water (as it's surrounded by a crater lake).  What this section urgently needs is an art piece of what Scarwall and its surroundings look like from a distance.  It's really hard to piece together how exactly the castle sits in the lake, how the different levels look from outside, where the various exits and entrances are, etc.  I found a handy 3D model on Youtube and showed it to my players, and that was a tremendous help (to them and to me!) in trying to conceptualize the place.

Part 3 (40 pages) details Scarwall itself.  This is by far the *largest* and most complex standalone structure I've ever had to prepare.  I've got a lot of blank flip-mats, and this one stretched my resources to the limits!  There must be something like 200 rooms (even more in the hardcover!) and a *lot* of encounters.  (In a way it's equivalent to Chapter Five of Rise of the Runelords, which was also a combat-heavy way to get the PCs a lot of XP to prepare them for the final chapter.)  But the thorough backstory informs which foes are chosen, so Scarwall is certainly not just a lazy exercise in stocking empty rooms with generic monsters.  There's a lot to love about it, including the potential soul trapping if a PC dies within!  The presence of a Chained Spirit means the PCs may face a steep learning curve (mine did) before realising just what they need to do and how to do it.  This is certainly an experience that will test the PCs' resources (and perhaps patience) and the GM's preparation and game management skills.  Online, I know that some groups were frustrated by having another chapter set completely away from Korvosa, so some GMs reworked things to bring it closer to home and the AP provides an alternative too.  In any event, assuming (a big assumption!) the PCs are successful, they'll break the curse of Scarwall, retrieve Serithtial, and be ready for a big (and dangerous) homecoming in Chapter Six.

There's a lot more I could and should say about Skeletons of Scarwall, but time and space are limited so I'll just sum it up by saying it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I for one enjoyed it.  And as either a GM or a player, it's not an experience you'll soon forget.