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[1 Pharast 4708 continued]
Amidst the blasted rubble of the Abjurant
Halls in the mysterious demiplane known as Runeforge, the Heroes of Varisia
continue their battle against the noxious mustard jelly. Although it gives them a run for their money
and Yuzo is badly hurt, they eventually triumph. Returning to the pools of ooze from where the
creature emerged, the adventurers search the room. They find a hidden panel in the northern
wall, behind which is a lever and several potions. They take the potions, but decide to leave
the lever alone for now. The explorers
return to Runeforge’s central hub and decide they’ve had enough for this first,
tentative expedition. Less then an hour
after having entered, they walk back through the portal and then teleport back to
Sandpoint. There’s a commotion at the
Rusty Dragon, as a small fire seems to have somehow broken out in Kang’s
room. Although a strong patron of
adventurers, at this point even Ameiko has had enough and informs the alchemist
that she’s made arrangements for him to spend future nights over at the White
Deer. On a more positive side, Yuzo
realizes that most of his magical items only had their energies temporarily
suppressed.
[2 Pharast 4708]
Ava tries to teleport the group back to Rimeskull, but something goes
awry and they end up on a snow-covered plain.
The adventurers decide to play it safe, given the limitations on how
often Ava can draw upon such magicks, and teleport back to Sandpoint for another
day’s rest.
[3 Pharast 4708]
Ava successfully ferries everyone to the
dragon’s cave inside Rimeskull. Seeing
that the portal has closed, the adventurers reenact the ritual outside to
obtain the keys necessary to open it again.
Once through the portal, Kang sees the central hub of Runeforge for the
first time. He seems particularly
enamoured with the statute of the strikingly handsome, smirking man wearing
extravagant clothing and holding a lucerne hammer. Yuzo draws everyone’s attention, however, by
acting on a dare to actually drink some of the liquid in the central prismatic
pool! His stomach churns and he
collapses to the ground, spasming as strange visions of metal men,
doppelgangers, naked winged women, and more rush through his mind. He recovers from the experience, but swears
never to go through it again!
 |
Xanderghul, Runelord of Pride,
held himself above the other six.
|
Kang suggests exploring the archway behind
the statue of the well-dressed charmer, but the others talk him into finishing
the exploration of the wing they ventured into the day before yesterday. They show Kang the pool of what appears to be
quicksilver, but he’s astonished to realize it’s actually a chemical substance
he’s only heard obliquely referenced in far-fetched tomes: ethillion! The rare substance actually leeches away
magic from any object it touches, and, once “charged,” can be used to
dramatically speed up the creation of magical items. Kang fills up several empty flasks, draining
the pool. Meanwhile, Erik is intrigued
by the mysterious lever they found behind the secret panel earlier. When the others are ready, he pulls the lever
. . . but nothing happens.
After returning to the hub, the
adventurers debate which archway to proceed down next. With Yuzo’s support, Kang persuades the
others to follow him down the tunnel he originally suggested. The tunnel becomes a brightly lit corridor
lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, giving the dizzying impression that the
corridor opens up to each side, extending infinitely into the distance. Before long, a T-junction can be seen ahead. Jinkatsyu and Yuzo enter it side-by-side, only
to find reflections of themselves somehow step out of the mirrors down the passageways to the left and right. But these are not mere illusions of glamer
and shadow: they have substance, and charge into battle! Jinkatsyu enters into a duel of master bladecraft
with his double, finally getting the upper hand with the aid of Kang’s
bombs. But Yuzo is overwhelmed by his
enemy’s fury. “I’m the real Yuzo!”
shouts the doppelganger, before knocking the real one to the ground and
stabbing him through the sternum so hard the blade digs into the stone
floor. The others rush into battle and
dispatch the double, but, even with Ava’s magic, Yuzo is too far gone to save
and breathes his last.
------------------------------Director's Commentary
Kang's player was away the previous session, so it was great to have him back here. He was always game for improv role-playing, like getting kicked out of the Rusty Dragon. As the GM, I think it's always good to shake up the status quo occasionally. Speaking of Kang, he was the clearest example of a PC that fit into the concept of Runeforge by being associated with one of the seven Thassilonian sins (specifically, pride). I magnified the benefits and drawbacks of being in a wing of a PC's associated sin, though I don't think the theme really popped as well as I would have liked. There's a lot going on in that place, and it's not fair to expect players to always get the meta-implications.
I love a lever that doesn't do anything (in this case, because the mechanism behind the wall was broken)--it's hilarious to see how much time some groups will spend on such a thing, and the theories that they'll propose.
I've probably said it before, but the biggest thing PCs need to fear in Pathfinder is fighting each other or themselves. This session was another good example, as faux-Yuzo wrecked real-Yuzo!
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