Pathfinder Society Scenario # 1-09 (Scenario # 37): "Beggar's Pearl" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Admittedly, I played Beggar's Pearl a while ago, but I have to say it didn't make much of an impression on me.  It's pretty much a standard dungeon crawl scenario, notable only for a dungeon that's surprisingly large (in terms of number of rooms) for a PFS scenario.  Depending on how the GM runs it, there are some potentially fun role-playing opportunities with NPCs.  The flavour and setting lore is fine, but nothing particular noteworthy.  The encounters are fairly pedestrian, and the main antagonist's special power doesn't really apply in a combat encounter so might not even be noticed by the PCs.  I guess in sum, there's nothing particular bad and nothing particularly good about the scenario, so we'll have to classify it as "fine"--play it if you've got some extra time for the session and don't have anything else lined up.

SPOILERS!

There's a bit of a convoluted backstory to Beggar's Pearl, only some of which the PCs will learn about.  The thrust of it concerns a dwarven prospector named Torvic Scrathmane.  One of Torvic's ancestors was a renowned dwarven craftmaster named Barek Triongger, famed for creating the now-lost Gallery of Wonders (a sort of display area for his artistic creations) deep in the Candlestone Caverns in the Aspodell Mountains.  Torvic came into possession of a luminescent pearl and fragmented manuscripts which he believes originated from (and pointed the way to) the Gallery of Wonders, and set off on a quest for it.  Along the way, a bandit named Beggar stole the pearl and manuscripts, while Torvic (and some of his associates, Aspodell Rangers) went on to discovery the Gallery.  However, they didn't know it had been taken over by a dark fey creature named Lady Morilaeth, who uses nightmare powers to reshape dreams and torture those she imprisons.  

As the scenario starts, Venture-Captain Brackett from the Almas Lodge has bought the pearl and manuscripts from Beggar.  He and librarian Wystorn Telfyr ask the PCs to see if they can find Torvic (his location divined magically) and the Gallery of Wonders (presumably, so the Society can pillage it for all its worth!).  The weeks-long journey from Almas into the Aspodell Mountains is handwaved, and the action starts when the PCs locate Torvic in a cave he's sought refuge in since escaping Lady Morilaeth's clutches.  But Torvic isn't alone: he's being attacked by mites riding giant ants!  After the PCs defeat the foes (a pretty trivial task, especially with modern builds), they'll realise Torvic is suffering from confusion and poor memory.  He reveals he found the Gallery of Wonders but can't remember much about being there; he insists on accompany the PCs, and fortunately (conveniently) remembers just enough to lead them to the entrance but can't remember anything about what's inside.

The scenario has some nice background exposition for the GM on the Gallery of Wonders, detailing its construction and abandonment during the Empire of Tar Khadurrm.  From the PCs' perspective, however, it's pretty much just a standard dungeon--but a large one for a PFS scenario, numbering 13 rooms!  (The cartography is nicely done)  Not all of these rooms have encounters, of course, but if the players adopt standard cautious exploration tactics, it's easy for the scenario to blow out of the normal time limits just from exploration and a bit of role-playing.  Encounters in the dungeon include more mites and giant ants, derro (or goblins and trolls at higher subtiers), and some traps (which can mostly be disarmed if the PCs think to use the phosphorescent pearl--apparently it's a magic key of some kind).  Prisoners can be rescued, though like Torvic, they aren't able to meaningfully assist the party--still, some role-playing opportunities in a dungeon delve is a good thing.  The big bad, Lady Morilaeth, is a cleric of Lamashtu with a special template giving her nightmare-themed powers.  The powers are pretty neat, but her tactics during the big battle are pretty much to just channel negative energy--a bit of a yawn.

And that's pretty much that.  Assuming they're successful, the PCs gain a bit of celebrity with dwarves from the Five Kings Mountains.  As far as I can tell, Paizo has never done anything with the Gallery of Wonders since, so that might something for an enterprising GM to homebrew on.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 7-12: "The Twisted Circle" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Life has gotten busy, so it's nice to have a little time to write a much-belated Pathfinder review!  Today I'm tackling The Twisted Circle, an interesting and original scenario that I played via play-by-post many moons ago using my Prophet of Kalistrade character (he allegedly turns into a savage, bloodthirsty beast when harmed, but that's just a Society-wide prank that he resents!).  The Twisted Circle takes place mostly in the rarely-visited Mana Wastes and features an interesting setting, some open-ended investigation of a mystery, and a solid moral decision.  I think it's an especially good scenario for when no one's in a rush and folks are good to put their thinking caps on and look for clues.  I'd definitely recommend it.

SPOILERS!

The scenario officially begins with a briefing by Venture-Captain Roderus in the Winding Road Inn lodge in Katapesh.  Roderus explains that the PCs are being sent to a small village called Mercy in the Mana Wastes.  Their mission is to find out what's happened to a missing investigator named Amenira.  Amenira is a priest of Nethys (God of Magic) and she went to Mercy to investigate reports that it was somehow able to perfectly withstand a fearsome mana storm that devastated all of the surrounding area.  Amenira sent in reports regularly after reaching Mercy, but it's now been four months since the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye in Osirion has heard from her.  It's not made clear why the Pathfinder Society is getting involved in this matter, but it's a solid hook for an adventure.

The nautical journey from Katapesh to Alkenstar is hand-waved.  In Alkenstar, the PCs can gather some information about Mercy, and may learn that the village worships a god, Robori, that is not worshipped anywhere else.  There's not much else to do in Alkenstar, so soon the PCs will hit the road into the Wastes.  The first encounter is against an ambush by gnolls.  The encounter takes place in an "invisible magical fog" that (very subtly, likely unnoticeably) has some effects on certain spells, and this is the only tangible manifestation that the PCs are in the Mana Wastes--a boon for spellcasting PCs, but disappointing to me, as I would have loved to see some real chaos and confusion! (that's part of the fun of setting adventures in the Mana Wastes, after all).  Now, what the PCs are supposed to do is notice a nearby cave that the gnolls were lurking nearby and go explore it, as it holds some very early clues to help build an understanding of what's going on in Mercy.  My Prophet of Kalistrade was understandably against the idea of exploring random gnoll caves when a potentially-profitable mission needed to be pursued elsewhere, but unfortunately Pathfinder Society players are trained to never skip an encounter or piece of treasure, regardless of the role-playing ramifications.

The writer of The Twisted Circle (John Cazares) did an excellent job with Mercy.  Players will immediately notice some things that seem "off"--large weapons are prohibited, there's a strict nightly curfew, children are nowhere to be seen, there are a series of unspoken rules, and more.  That, and their one-of-a-kind deity, will likely put players into a Call of Cthulhu-style "we've stumbled into an evil cult" vibe.  While staying in Mercy, the investigation of what happened to Amenira is open-ended, as the PCs can talk to residents, explore her house, gain some insight into Robori ("God of Trees"), and more.  This is a section of the scenario that the GM will have to be flexible and well-prepared for (there's a lot of lore, and a lot of directions the PCs can take).  One bit that could have been improved is more NPCs to help the GM from having to improv who the PCs are talking to when they go around and ask questions. The scenario is well-integrated into the history of Golarion (with some intriguing connections to the origins of ghorans, a race that doesn't get a lot of attention in Pathfinder).

At one point, Mercy will be attacked by a bat swarm.  During the encounter, the PCs will notice a strange, child-like animated doll lurking around the edges of the village.  Following the doll will lead the PCs to an underground area outside of Mercy, and closer to understanding what's going on and what happened to Amenira.  It's a bit complicated and hard to explain, so I'll just say I really like the twist that the people of Mercy *aren't* evil cultists.  They've innocently misunderstood what's protecting them from the dangerous mana storms, and it's up to the PCs to decide whether to tell them the truth (and undermine their faith) or let them remain in blissful ignorance.  It reminds me a bit of some of the best of the Starfinder scenarios that verge on Prime Directive territory--how much should outsiders meddle with the affairs of remote cultures?

So all in all, unless you're looking for a simpler or more combat-heavy scenario, I'd definitely recommend The Twisted Circle.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 88 [RPG]

 [Sunday, 9 Arodus 4708 A.R. continued]

The battle against Castle Scarwall’s third spirit anchor begins!  Having gleaned from the song of the Sun Shaman that a powerful devil resides in one of the fortress’s towers, the Harrowed Heroes smash their way into the central spire.  There, they find a tall, hollow tower, silent and menacing.  Forty feet above, an opening at the tower’s peak lets in faint light, while at the bottom of the tower is a shallow pool of stagnant water, a wide bed swathed in rotten and moldy blankets, and a large gilt throne.  To Lorien, the tower reeks from the presence of foul and abhorrent evils, though no creatures are visible.  He and The Reckoner move inside cautiously, only to be set upon instantly by a pair of bony, nine-foot-tall scorpion-tailed devils emerging from nowhere!  And to make matters worse, the beating of wings and whisper of a blade slicing through the air alert The Reckoner that another monster is hovering just above him, invisible!

“I’ve been watching you, little manling!” cackles the voice from above.  “Little manling loves his toys—will he pout if they’re taken away?”  A moment later, one of The Reckoner’s orbiting ioun stones is shattered into pieces!  But the masked warrior focuses on a visible foe, and shatters one of the bone devils into dust with his hammer.  From the doorway, Yraelzin calls out “I’ve been waiting to try this!” and briefly opens a portal to Hell itself that pulls the other bone devil through!  Frustrated by The Reckoner’s layered defenses, the true danger in the room, still invisible, uses devilish magic to draw the moisture from the Harrowed Heroes flesh, nearly dropping Yraelzin.  The arrival of several imps harry the former priest of Razmir and keep Lorien distracted, but The Reckoner stays focussed and somehow avoids being trapped in a cage of magical force.

Using his mask of the mantis, The Reckoner sees beyond the visible spectrum and spots his foe: a twisted, contorted humanoid with as much iron as flesh to her body, flapping batlike wings, and holding a brutal glowing scythe.  Swooping and diving, the devil tries to destroy The Reckoner’s vast array of magical items, but can’t land a single blow!  For his part, the vigilante has his enchanted armor lend him the power of flight to take the battle into the air.  The outcome is never in doubt, and soon the devil is destroyed.  A keening wail from somewhere in the castle confirms that another spirit anchor has been destroyed—as does the tower almost collapsing on the Harrowed Heroes! Lorien and Yraelzin barely survive.  After extricating themselves from the rubble, the victors reap the spoils by recovering thousands and thousands of coins hidden under the bed, as well as a vast array of jewellery and precious artworks—so much treasure, in fact, that after hours of sorting much has to be left behind!

A return to the chamber where Anorak’s body lays shows that it fortunately remains unaffected by the curse of Scarwall.  Discussion is had whether to rest for the night or continue on, with Plate and Lorien swaying the other two into starting an immediate search for the fourth and final spirit anchor.  Despite having spent a week in Scarwall, the Harrowed Heroes discover many unexplored chambers: an elegant, well-preserved room with valuable bottles of wine, an abandoned workshop rigged to pull the corks out of bottles if the main doors to it were opened, a hallway that leads nowhere, and more.  One room contains perhaps the strangest sight of all: a battered and nervous-looking halfling trapped in a net hanging from the walls!  She pleads for help, claiming that a witch kidnapped her from the forest nearby and will be back soon.  The lies are blatant and transparent, however, and the group starts to leave before the halfling changes her story.  She says she can direct the group to the last spirit anchor if they’ll take her with them; but The Reckoner replies that they don’t need any help, and shuts the door with finality.

 

The Reckoner hammers a hole in an interior wall to reach a small room with rotting scrolls on a desk and a rusty iron footlocker near a bed.  He starts fiddling with it before Lorien reminds him the group is looking for a dragon, not valuables, and should continue on.  “Focus!” the half-orc says.  A nearby guardroom looks out over the tarn and contains a dead orc inside; Lorien is able to read the Orcish message written in blood on the wall: “Beware of Ukwar”.  With a shrug, the group continue on.

 

In the long hallway that runs adjacent to the courtyard, the trio spot some doors they hadn’t previously opened.  The first one they breach reveals what must have been the castle kitchen: three huge ovens loom to the west of the room, each covered in layers of char and bits of blackened bone.  Four outlines of humanoids in positions of agony and death are burned into the brick of the oven walls.  After rubbing himself with magical Shoanti war point from the Cinderlands, The Reckoner proceeds into the room.  He resists a spectral apparition of the ovens opening and filling the room with flames, but what happens next is very real: the four outlines on the wall suddenly peel away and ignite into horrifying monstrous clouds of burning ash and bone, reeking of scorched flesh and roaring like a wind-stoked fire!

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GM Commentary

The invisible foe with the scythe and a predilection for sundering magical items had a little luck at first, but then The Reckoner's high CMD helped him avoid more loss.  When fully ready for a battle, he made for a pretty impressive combatant!

Yraelzin managed to use banish or dismissal (I can't remember witch) against one of the devils; a handy spell when it works.

If I remember right, the "halfling" was a hag of some type in disguise.  It didn't fool the PCs for a single moment.

The last, fiery creature are custom Curse of the Crimson Throne monsters called Cinder Ghouls.  Through the vagaries of exploration, the PCs ended up in one of the less dangerous areas of the of the castle near the end of their time there.  Perhaps a bit anticlimactic, but that's how things turn out sometimes in a free-form adventure.