Pathfinder Society Scenario # 10-98: "Siege of Gallowspire" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Siege of Gallowspire is the conclusion to an eleven-year-long campaign, which is something incredible itself.  The scenario offers two modes of play: Soldier (slightly harder than a normal scenario) and Champion (much harder than a normal scenario).  There are also no four-player adjustments.  An interesting feature unique to the scenario is that each player can bring three other PCs along as Aid Characters--these PCs aren't run in the traditional way but (off-screen) contribute to the success of the mission by taking a supporting role.  However, Aid Characters can be put at risk and even die!  I think the idea was to allow players to have a final send off to more than just one PC, but I tend to find aid mechanisms in these specials a bit clunky and usually unnecessary.  Apart from that, the scenario is well-written and elegantly structured--even at 107 pages(!), it's easier to navigate than a lot of specials I've seen.

As the formal capstone adventure for Pathfinder First Edition, a lot of PCs are probably going to die (mine did--though he got better!).  However, it's not a pure meat grinder (at least at Soldier level)--which is a good thing, because I still see a lot of life in PFS1 and plan to keep playing until I've experienced all of it.  I got a chance to play Siege of Gallowspire with my half-orc paladin, Trokkus, at a Subtier 10-11 table at PaizoCon AP in 2019.  It was definitely a memorable experience.

SPOILERS

As the name implies, Siege of Gallowspire ties into the events of the Tyrant's Grasp adventure path.  The Whispering Tyrant (the legendary lich, Tar-Baphon) has finally escaped his fortress/prison at Gallowspire.  However, he left behind a potentially devastating collection of unholy servants who are now conducting a dark ritual to create an army of undead to serve their master and sweep over the Inner Sea.  Almost the entirety of the Pathfinder Society has been assembled to storm Gallowspire and stop this from happening.

In mechanical terms, the scenario is structured as having three substantive parts.  In each part, tables will face a "primary encounter" which, if they win, counts as one success reported to the overseer.  Once a certain number of successes are reported, the entire room moves on.  There is a (real-life) time limit to each part of the scenario and if this is reached, the game advances as well but there's an impact on Chronicle boon rewards at the end.  In addition to each part having a primary encounter, there are also two sets of optional encounters to be run at the discretion of the GM if their table is quickly mowing down the opposition.  Each of these optional encounters also contributes a success to the overall part.

Part 1 is the general briefing and mustering.  Unlike some specials which give the PCs some skill checks to do to accomplish minor tasks (and earn small advantages) while mustering, that time is taken up with filling out the Aid Characters sheets.  The briefing, delivered by Marcos Farabellus and Siege Lord Wynsal Starborn, is short and straightforward.  The stakes are clear.  I do find it interesting how much the Pathfinder Society has moved into a general "do-gooder" group from its much less idealistic Season Zero roots.  This seems to match the entire setting's gradual shift to a more black and white "good vs evil" morality from an original view that was much more cynical or realistic (depending on your point of view).  Anyway, the actual mission into Gallowspire will be led by Venture-Captain Shevar Besnik and Silver Crusade leader Ollysta Zadrian.

Part 2 covers the Pathfinders' difficult approach to the crater that now exists after the prison was destroyed during the Whispering Tyrant's escape.  Foul necromantic energies from the release have corrupted and altered the landscape and created a sort of unholy jungle.  The primary encounter for each subtier is versus some kind of plant monster that's a couple of CR above the subtier.  For my group, it was a tough battle that lasted longer than I expected and made clear to me that my poor paladin was outmatched!  After the primary encounter, there's a role-playing encounter with Sarenrae-aligned orcs of the Burning Sun tribe.

Part 3 is a long section of the scenario that sees the Pathfinders venturing into the catacombs underneath the crater.  There are a lot of advantages (and risks) to be gained by using the Aid Characters.  The primary encounter for each subtier is against either oozes or constructs (or both at the same time).  For example, my subtier 10-11 table fought an augmented alchemical golem and something called "gravesludge" at the same time.  After the primary encounter, there's a sort of skills-challenge to disable wards that Tar-Baphon had left that bar further descent into the heart of Gallowspire.  Successfully bypassing the wards allows entry into the Silent Shrine, which makes good use of the Arcane Library Flip-Mat.  There's a second primary encounter here versus monsters that aren't (as far as I can tell) really themed across sub-tiers.  There's some free-form exploration here and a chance for PCs to get some "Clue Successes" by figuring out more about the ritual that is being conducted while realising that there's also a powerful holy relic (a statue of Chaldira Zuzaristan) hidden somewhere below.

Part 4 has the cool idea of alternative pathways for the Soldier and Champion tables.  Soldier tables go with V-C Shevar Besnik to try to retrieve the relic, while Champion tables go with Ollysta Zadrian to disrupt the necromantic ritual.

The Soldier mission (which is what I played) was set in a cool underground canyon with cliffs overlooking a river of negative energy below.  This is the big climactic encounter of the special, and the encounter is both epic as a descriptive term and in mechanical terms: each subtier faces a monster at least 4 CR over their level.  At subtier 10-11, we fought a nasty advanced nightwing that made excellent use of its flying ability to make life hard for melee characters.  I learned (with the "aid" of a very snarky player) why every PC needs to have ranged weapon alternatives.  My poor paladin died in this battle, but in a suitably epic way, and fortunately I had just enough prestige to bring him back.  It was awesome.  

The Champion mission requires the destruction of a massive pillar that pulses harmful necromantic energies each round while lending particular advantages to its evil defenders (most significantly to stop cheese, the pillar makes the defenders immune to the dazing condition and makes their Touch AC the same as their regular AC--I wish there were more things that did in this in PF1!).  These encounters are 5-6 CR over subtier!  Champion tables at the highest subtier (15-16) get the choice to take on an even crazier challenge, which the GM is required to tell them goes beyond epic: and it turns out to be against the freaking CR22 Grim Reaper!  Whether your PC lived or died, that would be a pretty cool story to be able to tell as a player.

To add to the epic, cinematic feel of the final battle, both Shevar Besnik and Ollysta Zadrian are killed.  They had a fitting send-off, and I thought it was an effective story device.

After enough successes (or the time limit is reached), an earthquake starts to swallow the remnants of Gallowspire.  Players can volunteer to have their PCs die in a suitably cinematic way if they want them to have a heroic (though narratively delivered) ending here.  The conclusion text is short and sweet.

Overall, I really enjoyed Siege of Gallowspire.  I probably would have been even more impressed if I had been playing since the beginning of the organised play campaign (instead of just the past few years) and if I had more invested in the Whispering Tyrant storyline.  I guess one could say that the scenario essentially amounts to a dungeon crawl, with one scripted encounter after the other.  Sometimes that would bother me, but for something like this, it seemed appropriate.  I hope this scenario is something everyone who loves PFS gets to experience at some point.

Pathfinder Tales: "Killing Time" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Featuring Varian Jeggare and Radovan, Killing Time is a four-part series of free web fiction available on the Paizo website here.  Canonically, it fits after the Master of Devils novel and before Queen of Thorns.  It's a fantastic, dark story, and one that bridges the gap between the two novels nicely.  If you like any of Dave Gross' Pathf
inder work, you'll almost certainly enjoy this story.

SPOILERS

Killing Time consists of two unrelated plot threads--one for Varian, and one for Radovan.

For Varian, we get to see a part of his life that isn't often dwelled on in the novels: his life as a Pathfinder.  Set in the Grand Lodge just after his return from Tian Xia, the story involves tons of intrigue.  We get a member of the Decemvirate as a character (!), references to notables like Eando Kline and Ollysta Zadrian, a tremendously exciting battle in a library, and the first appearance of Prince Kasiya--which helps King of Chaos make much more sense.  I really wish I had read this story before reading that novel.

Radovan is such a delight as a character.  His story takes place in a brothel.  I won't go into details, other than to say the scenes are hilarious and surprising.

I would happily have paid to read Killing Time, and Pathfinder (or fantasy fiction fans in general) are in receipt of a real treat since it's free.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 0-08: "Slave Pits of Absalom" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I played Slave Pits of Absalom at PaizoCon AP 2019 using the Iconic Gunslinger.  It's a scenario that very much fits the norm for Season Zero scenarios: it's on tight rails, the combat encounters are solid (and occasionally deadly), and the morality of the story (especially with the faction missions) is sometimes more grey than black and white.  It's also a very fast scenario to run (I'd guess around 2-3 hours) and not one that will tax the GM at all.  It's not a particularly amazing or memorable scenario, but it's perfectly fine for a few hours' gameplay with little prep.  Hence, I'm giving it the score of average.

SPOILER

The briefing is *very* quick and to the point: Osirion's ambassador to Absalom is an important contact for the Pathfinder Society, and his wife, Lady Anilah, has just been kidnapped!  In order to improve their standing with the ambassador, the Society is going to try to find her, and quickly.  The PCs are told that a possible lead is a "grit den" (grit is an illegal drug that sounds a bit like PCP) in the Puddles district of Absalom where a junky who earns cash by assisting in the slave trade can be found.  Unlike most later seasons, there's no time for questions--indeed, if the PCs try to ask any, they get yelled at!  I found it awesome (and funny), and I really like the Venture-Captain: a fiery and definitely no-nonsense Galtan named Alissa Moldreserva.  I'd like to see more of her.

The name of the grit den is the Second Chance, and when the PCs arrive, there is a full-blown brawl going on.  Yes, it's a cliché, but I think every fantasy RPG player should get to experience a bar brawl now and then.  As is traditional in such things, if the PCs stick to fists then no one bats an eye--but if they draw weapons, then the bartender draws a scimitar and sics an angry dog on them!  Either way, once the PCs win, they'll find a grit addict named Fredrik who admits he was hired to kidnap Lady Anilah and sell her into slavery through a local slave merchant.  In true Season Zero fashion, the PCs miss out on a hefty chunk of change at the end of the scenario if they don't steal the grit den's strongbox from behind the counter.  I sometimes think the Society and the Aspis Consortium weren't too far apart in those early days!

The name of the scenario is the same as the in-game nickname for a large slave market in Absalom.  At this time in the setting's history, the slave-trade is fully legal in Absalom--though, of course, the nobility are exempt from being bought and sold.  The PCs need to (quietly) break into Pildapush's Chattel, an import/export house for slaves, and persuade or browbeat (or otherwise beat) the merchant into confessing that a Taldan spy hired Fredrik to kidnap Lady Anilah (hoping to embarrass the ambassador, since Taldor and Osirion are major rivals).  The merchant says Lady Anilah has already been sold to a Katapeshi slave ship currently moored at the docks.  The scenario actually does a good job of providing an array of information depending on how well the PCs do at changing the merchant's attitude.

If the PCs weren't discreet about breaking into the merchant's shop (which, knowing PCs, is fairly likely!) the official security guards of the slave district arrive and order the PCs to leave.  And if the PCs don't comply, then the city guard arrive; and if the PCs still resist, the GM is instructed that this simply results in the PCs' death or imprisonment (with the latter likely resulting in their being sold into slavery for being a petty thief!).  It's hardcore!

What the PCs won't know is that, prior to interrogating the slave merchant, he already took out a contract on Fredrik to silence him and anyone he talked to (including the PCs).  This means the PCs will get ambushed by a quintet of halflings along the docks.  It's not a particularly dangerous encounter, and mainly serves to soften the group up for what's next.

What's next is raiding the slave galley, which is crewed by gnolls!  The foreman of the ship fights on the main deck and uses a whip to try to knock PCs overboard, while the captain of the ship fights below deck and uses (at high tier) a magical greataxe.  A crit with this thing is going to do 9d6+24 points of damage, so even at Tier 4-5 some bad luck could easily end someone's day!  Chances are, however, that a modern party of six Pathfinder PCs is going to be okay.    After these two quick battles aboard the ship, the PCs find Lady Anilah and can call it a day.

It's obviously a very quick and compact scenario that has four combat encounters and just a little role-playing in the form of interrogating the slavers for more information.  I would definitely encourage GMs to use the faction missions, as they at least give the PCs a little extra to think about and could add a fun element (a couple of the missions tend to be in opposition to one another).  I think of a scenario like this as the "beer-and-pretzels" computer game equivalent for Pathfinder.  It won't take much time or deep thought, and it's easy to run with little prep right out of the gate.

Pathfinder Campaign Setting: "Guide to Korvosa" [RPG]

Published under the "Pathfinder Chronicles" line (that would evolve into the Pathfinder Campaign Setting line), the Guide to Korvosa is a 64-page soft cover gazetteer of the city.  Its release was timed in conjunction with the release of the Curse of the Crimson Throne adventure path, but the text carefully avoids any spoilers.  Indeed, it was written so that players could take advantage of it as well--only a single small chapter at the end contains any secret GM-only information.  The book is also almost completely mechanics-free so that it could be used with any ruleset.  Although an older book (2008), it's still the best singe source for information on Korvosa that's available.

The interior design of the book is quite nice, with plenty of sidebars, maps, and headshots of important NPCs in the city.  The inside front- and back- covers are an in-depth timeline of events in the city's history.  One of the best things about the book is that it comes with a four-panel pull-out map of the city--I had mine laminated as it's still the best visible representation of the city I'm aware of.

Chapter One is a four-page introduction  It summarises some very basic things about the city, such as its symbols and motto, Korvosan slang, punishments for different crimes, and a useful few paragraphs about the "Korvosan Mindset".  Did you know Korvosans respect order, look down on Varisians and Shoanti, and that there's only one thieves' guild and that it's fully registered with the government?   Things like this are crucial for figuring out the "feel" of a fictional city, so when I run some adventures in Korvosa I'll do my best to make use of it.  I'm still trying to figure Korvosa out--it's not an "evil" Cheliaxian city, but comes across as darker than Magnimar while still being cosmopolitan.

Chapter Two comes in at a hefty 28 pages and covers various areas and buildings within the city.  The chapter has a good explanation of Korvosa's role in the region and a summary of its external holdings (Korvosa is essentially a city-state and controls several small towns and villages in the region).  Each of the city's neighborhoods are described and given individual inset-maps.  Key buildings are fleshed out, with particular attention to the Acadamae (Korvosa's most prestigious school of magic) and Castle Korvosa.  I could totally imagine running an Acadamae-focussed campaign someday!  There's good detail about Eodred's Walk, a plaza of fourteen shops that will likely handle most of what PCs will need when making purchases.  Neighborhoods like the Shingles and places like the Church of Aroden and the Pantheon of Many are memorable features.  Having read Curse of the Crimson Throne, I can tell how well locations that feature in that AP are incorporated here, but again in a completely non-spoilery way that wouldn't flag their importance to players. Overall, it's a well-written, detailed, and interesting overview of the city.

Chapter Three is a 14-page overview of important people and organisations within the city.  It's here you'll read about the city's government, military orders, prominent families, religious groups, and criminal gangs.  There's a complex separation of powers when it comes to the city's government, and with the influence of noble houses and legacy of the city as a Chelaxian holding, there's tons of rooms for intrigue, factionalism, and politics.  In short, it's a great setting for a non-hack n' slash campaign.  However, the chapter doesn't focus exclusively on the powerful elements in the city: there's a good description of what "normal" people are like in Korvosa.  The chapter provides important insight and is done well.

Chapter Four is a short, four-page history of the city.  It contains an account of the long series of clashes with the Shoanti after the city's founding, its origins as a Chelaxian colony, and how internal disputes in Korvosa led to the founding of Magnimar.

Chapter Five is a ten-page section on the city's secrets, and is best read only by a GM.  It goes into more depth on what's really happening in the Acadamae, on the ins-and-outs of dangers within the city (such as cults and underground vaults), and more on the city's criminal organisations.  I particularly like the idea of the Darklight Sisterhood, a Chelaxian-only rival to the Pathfinder Society!  I should note that there are some spoilers for Curse of the Crimson Throne (particularly Chapter Three) in this section.

The book ends with a little three-page appendix that contains the only game mechanics in the book: a list of what classes and levels notable NPCs are, a stat block for the Sable Company Elite Marines, and a (frankly not very good) random encounter table for different parts of the city.

Overall, I think the Guide to Korvosa is a fantastic sourcebook on the city.  It contains essential information on pretty much everything I would want.  I know some folks will differ, but I actually didn't mind the lack of "crunch" at all--there's so many feats, traits, spells, and NPC stat blocks scattered across hundreds of other Pathfinder books, so I was happy to just get a focus on the description I need in order to make the city come alive.  Although the book is long out of print, it's available for purchase as a PDF on the Paizo website, and I'd strongly recommend it.

Rise of the Runelords Recap # 83 [RPG]

[11 Calistril 4708 continued]

Having seen Brodert Quink safely to the Therassic Library, the Heroes of Varisia (sans Kang) teleport to Magnimar with their magical sacks full of treasure.  They spend almost a whole day selling their wares and accumulate over 6,000 platinum pieces for their trouble.  Word is starting to spread in Magnimar that the giants no longer pose a threat, and the preparations for war have thus slowed.  Meanwhile, back in Sandpoint, Kang reverse-engineers the “revivification fluid” that Nisk Tander is spruiking and discovers it’s simply sugar water!

[12 Calistril 4708]

Vorvashali Voon's connections in Magnimar allow 

The Feathered Serpent to stock a surprising array of magical items.

When the adventurers return to Sandpoint and the Rusty Dragon, they find Kang in his room with a mysterious goop dripping down the walls—he explains that he’s invented a new alchemical formula to stick his enemies to the ground!  After spending the morning dividing up wealth, the adventurers make preparations for a return journey to the tunnels beneath Sandpoint.  Jinkatsyu heads out to buy something of a magical nature and finds himself in the cramped, exotic-smelling shop of Vorvashali Voon.  The enthusiastic arcanist is able to supply some of what the kitsune needs, but also shares some terrible news: sometime before dawn, just hours ago, there was an attack at the sinkhole!  Jodar Provolost’s throat was slit, and the other guard on duty simply fled.  When tracked down later, the guard said a filthy woman with matted hair killed Jodar with a single swipe of a sharpened fingernail!  Apparently the town leaders (sans Titus Scarnetti, who has decamped to Magnimar) have agreed to have the hole immediately filled in with rock and gravel.

When Jinkatsyu returns to tell the others the news, they decide to hurry to get into the sinkhole before it’s filled in.  Their journey downward proceeds as before, but this time there is no webbing in the stairwell, the secret door is open, and Yuzo finds muddy footprints on the stone floor of the antechamber.  The adventurers decide to explore a corridor that leads southward from the complex’s temple; thick fog fills the corridor, but Ava’s magicks are strong enough that she’s able to remove it on the second try.  Yuzo scouts ahead until she sees a pebble go skittering along the floor of the narrow corridor—something invisible is moving right towards him!  It becomes visible just as it stabs a cruel, serrated blade into her stomach.  The figure whispers something in a tongue that Yuzo can’t understand, and the gillman decides to beat a hasty retreat to the safety of the others.  But the masked figure, obviously the one that had communicated with Kang and Salma previously, disappears only to reappear behind the party—right next to Ava!  The grippli shaman teleports herself away, and Kang reacts quickly, gluing the attacker to the floor with one of his new concoctions.  Erik rushes into battle for the first time with the adventurers, but his unreliable contraption almost blows up in his hand! 

But with the mysterious figure now behind the party, a new threat rushes in from the other side in a coordinated maneuver: a nearly naked elf with sharp, grimy nails and an unholy symbol of Lamashtu around her neck.  A terrible curse erupts from her lips and for the briefest instant, Jinkatsyu takes the form of a fish before reverting to normal!  But the foul witch picked the wrong target in Jinkatsyu: the swordsman’s undramatic but steady attacks make short work of her.  Meanwhile, Yuzo has chased the first attacker in a running battle and bested him to the point where he has to use his uncanny magicks to disappear again.

The Scribbler is master of his domain, 

and will prove hard to catch.

With one enemy vanquished and other gone to ground, the adventurers regroup and decide to press on.  Eventually they reach an area where three once-separate chambers have become one, joined by collapsed walls.  Bloodstained fragments of equipment lie strewn about haphazardly, and the culprits are clearly visible: a half-dozen large black dogs with stingers at the end of their, ratlike tails are flying around the room in circles!  Once the adventurers appear, the hounds bay in unison and their keening turns the stoutest hearts to shame.  Kang and Yuzo are filled with supernatural terror and run for it.  Ava’s able to remove Yuzo’s fear and then gives chase to Kang, while the others do battle against the monstrous hounds and emerge victorious.

With a new danger seemingly around every corner, can even the Heroes of Varisia put an end to the threats that lurk underneath Sandpoint?

------------------------------------------
Director's Commentary

I always liked role-playing Vorvashali Voon as an excited and enthusiastic salesmen.  I sometimes managed to persuade the PCs to buy magical gear they really didn't need!

The mysterious elven priestess of Lamashtu isn't in the AP but comes from the back matter of the first collected volume of the comics.  Issandra is a witchpriest of Lamashtu who maintains a shrine hidden deep in Mosswood, and I thought it would make sense that after reviving the Scribbler, Lamashtu would send visions to her nearby priestess to make contact.  It's also this shrine that Daviren Hosk went to investigate and never (so far!) returned from.  The PCs didn't follow this trail, however.

The mobility and tricks of the Scribbler kept him a viable enemy longer than I would initially expected.

Pathfinder Module: "Hollow's Last Hope" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

Hollow's Last Hope is a 16-page module for first-level PCs that was released as part of Free RPG Day in 2017.  It can be run as a standalone adventure or as a prelude to the first full adventure released in Paizo's module line, Crown of the Kobold King (the two adventures use the same setting, but have different plotlines).  I ran this as part of my "Roots of Golarion" campaign and thought it was a solid adventure in the classic "quest through the wilderness" vein.  The writing is really good, though the interior artwork is more of a mixed bag.  There are hundreds and hundreds of modules out there for first-level groups, and I can't say Hollow's Last Hope is necessarily among the best of the lot.  On the other hand, it has the advantages of being completely free, is set in Golarion, and serves as a perfect introduction to several other Pathfinder modules.  It's definitely worth a look.

SPOILERS

It's a bit weird to be writing this review during the coronavirus pandemic, as the premise of Hollow's Last Hope is about a disease known as the "wheezing death".  Also called blackscour, the disease has infected dozens of people in the small logging town of Falcon's Hollow.  The PCs will have to undertake a quest for ingredients necessary to cure the disease, and this will take them into the depths of the dangerous forest known as Darkmoon Vale.

The module gives the GM several suggestions on why PCs might have come to Falcon's Hollow and how to get them generally interested in seeking a cure for the plague.  The adventure proper begins with the PCs waiting in line to visit a local healer and herbalist named Laurel.  Laurel's shop, Roots and Remedies, is nearly overrun with people seeking folk remedies to help deal with blackscour.  The module contains a good description of the shop and of Laurel's personality.  After some conversation, she'll reveal that her grandmother's herbal recipe book contains a purported cure for blackscour--but the ingredients are incredibly rare.  The curing brew would require Elderwood moss which only grows on the oldest tree in the forest, a specially pickled root called rat's tail which might be in an old witch's hut in the forest, and ironbloom mushrooms which are most likely found in an abandoned dwarven monastery on the far side of the forest.  The "find three ingredients to cure a disease" is a bit video-gamey as a plot device, but otherwise the writing is strong in the opening scene.

The town of Falcon's Hollow is not mapped or really described here, so having Crown of the Kobold King or Towns of the Inner Sea is helpful in case the PCs decide to buy supplies or try to gather more information about these places before departing.  The module does make provision for the PCs to find an experienced woodsman named Milon Rhoddam who can give them more specific advice on where to find the cure ingredients in Darkmoon Vale.  The little scene also serves to introduce the Lumber Consortium, which is good if the GM plans to run other adventures in Falcon's Hollow.

The PCs will need to plot their own course through Darkmoon Vale, and paying attention to overland speed and terrain modifiers is crucial because the group is on a time limit: every day, a randomly-determined number of residents of Falcon Hollow die from the disease (until it "runs its course")!  The three destinations can be approached in any order, and the module includes a good section on random encounters--only a couple of the encounters are combat-based, which I like.  There's also one fixed encounter as the group travels through the forest--a fight against a hobgoblin ambusher.

The first ingredient, Elderwood moss, is found in a clearing deep in Darkmoon Vale.  A new monster called a tatzlwyrm guards the tree.  The back of the module contains a bestiary entry for the tatzlwyrm; it's a sort of wingless drakonkin that looks like a snake except for the fact that it has arms.  The idea comes from real-world mythology, but I didn't find it particularly interesting and a standard constrictor snake would have worked just as well.

The second ingredient, pickled rat's tail, requires finding the hut of a witch named Ulizmila.  Ulizmila isn't home when the PCs arrive, but it's good for the GM to play up her legend as she's further developed in other descriptions of the region.  Once the PCs start snooping around, they'll be the victim of a surprise attack by the hut's guardian: an animated object in the form of a cauldron, complete with the swallow whole special ability!  It could come across a little cheesy, admittedly, but I liked it anyway.  There's a unique magical item to be found in the hut called a soulspeaker, and I particularly like the (ghastly) artwork for it.

The third and final ingredient, an ironbloom mushroom, is the hardest to obtain.  This requires searching the grounds of a ruined dwarven monastery.  There's really nice exterior shot of the monastery that perfectly fits the gridded map on the inside front cover.  Several encounters are here, including wolves, a monstrous spider, a kobold rogue, darkmantles, a bat swarm, some traps and hazards, skeletons, and the "boss" of the module, a worg named Graypelt.  Honestly, I think it's probably too many encounters in too quick of succession.  This is a module designed for first-level characters, so it's very possible some of these PCs will be walking around with just 6 or 7 hit points as a maximum.  Smart and cautious groups will explore the monastery over a period of days so they can heal overnight, but the fact that there's a disease raging in Falcon's Hollow could pressure groups to press on.  In general, I really like tough decisions in gaming and external time constraints to keep the tension high--but I think for an introductory adventure like this, it's probably too much.  I do like how much lore about Torag and Droskar the monastery subtly introduces.  As a side note, the GM will have to decide how to address the connection between the monastery and Crown of the Kobold King, as the monastery has the entrance to the subterranean dungeons in that adventure.

Hollow's Last Hope is an adventure in the classic mode.  As a standalone module, it's a solid product and would work well to introduce new gamers to the genre (with perhaps some subtle guidance from the GM about the need to heal in the final section).  And as a free product, you can't beat the price!  The module works even better as a prelude to the multiple other Paizo modules that use Falcon's Hollow and Darkmoon Vale as a setting.  With those adventures as the skeleton of a homebrew campaign, a budding GM could tell some great stories and introduce players to their own little piece of Golarion.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 10-13: "Fragments of Antiquity" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

They did a poor job updating the 

website with cover art in Season Ten!

I played Fragments of Antiquity with a Level 7 Iconic, Quinn, and thought it was a really solid and satisfying scenario.  It makes good use of a variety of skills, and cerebral PCs will have a good occasion to show off what they can do.  There aren't a lot of NPCs to role-play with, but the plot is interesting and furthers a long-running PFS storyline.  Overall, I'd say it's one of the better Season Ten adventures and definitely worth playing.

SPOILERS

Fragments of Antiquity continues the story of the Pathfinder Society's efforts to salvage as much of the Hao Jin Tapestry demiplane as possible, and to discover the fate of its creator.  Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin delivers a straightforward briefing explaining that the PCs' current task is to enter a special library that was taken whole into the tapestry centuries ago: the Shen Province Imperial Archive.  With the tapestry demiplane unravelling, Valsin says it's crucial to retrieve as many of the rarest and most valuable books as possible before it's too late.  In addition, the Pathfinders are asked to keep an eye out for any clues as to what happened to Hao Jin herself.  It's a solid hook for Pathfinders "in service to lore".

What the Pathfinders don't know, but will very shortly find out, is that a kobold tribe known as the Scalebreakers have long used the library as the place for its rites of passage: becoming an "adult" requires entering and surviving the myriad of traps that others in the tribe have placed inside it.  The PCs first encounter the Scalebreakers after entering the demiplane and crossing a trapped bridge.  It's possible to fight the kobolds, but they're a friendly tribe and are happy for the PCs to enter the library and take the rite of passage.  In fact, with some diplomacy, the PCs can even get them to draw a map of the interior and describe where many of the traps are.  However, the Scalebreakers also ominously state that there are evil spirits in the library.  I thought the kobolds were handled well here--they're fun without being silly.

The bulk of the scenario consists of exploring several different sections of the library arranged by category (such as Poetry, Religion, Warfare, etc.).  The Arcane Library Flip-Mat is perfect for this.  The PCs will need to spot and disable (or suffer from) the half-dozen traps the kobolds have scattered throughout the library.  It's a nice reward for those PCs who have invested heavily in trap detection and removal, and better than the more common situation where a dungeon contains a single trap, the PCs set it off, use a wand to heal the damage, and continue on without a care in the world.  My favourite trap is one that contains an acidic gas that both hurts living creatures but (unintentionally) starts damaging books in the section and requires the group to take urgent action to dissipate the fumes or lose the information there entirely.

In each section of the library, the PCs can use skills from a different specific list in order to help determine the most important books to remove.  Being able to read Tien is really useful in this scenario!  In addition, they'll come across a list of books that Hao Jin was specifically interested in, and these ultimately provide clues that she may have been headed to Axis (the Plane of Law).  I liked the free-form nature of this investigation of the library, as the group can examine the rooms in any order they'd like.  In addition, they'll soon start to get glimpses of what the kobolds referred to as "evil spirits"--something seems to be watching them and intentionally setting off some of the traps as the Pathfinders approach!

What's really going on has a bit of a complicated backstory.  Essentially, after the library was first transported to the tapestry demiplane, its original librarians continued their work.  After waiting over a year for Hao Jin's promised return, the librarians used dimension-crossing spells to try to find her--but instead, the magic created a conduit to the Shadow Plane and drew forth a group of "soulslivers."  Soulslivers are extradimensional shapechangers who can see through (and travel through) mirrors.  It's the soulslivers who haunt the library today, having slain some of the original librarians.  As the PCs explore various sections of the library, they'll realise that there is a hidden section that can be entered--but here, they'll have to directly confront the soulslivers.  I remember the battle as a fun one, with the soulslivers having some cool special abilities.

After having explored the library, the group can exit the demiplane without incident.  The epilogue is brief, but it does nicely set up that the search for Hao Jin has received a major boost.

I don't have any complaints about Fragments of Antiquity.  Although it's not amazingly memorable or epic, it is a strong adventure with a solid plot and a good mix of encounters.  And as a continuation of the Hao Jin metaplot, it builds nicely towards that storyline's conclusion.