Starfinder Society Scenario # 2-13: "Storm of the End Times" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I ran Storm of the End Times with a live tabletop group (crazy, I know!) at low subtier.  It has an original story and some interesting gameplay elements, with a focus on skills and role-playing over combat.  It's not related to the season metaplot so could be good for a standalone game, though I'd suggest more experienced players and GM (there's a lot to prep and track) would be ideal.  Overall, I'd slot it in the "average verging on above average" category. 

SPOILERS!

The backstory to Storm of the End Times connects all the way back to Starfinder Society Quest: Into the Unknown, a scenario that was in the first batch ever released for Starfinder Society!  In that adventure, the PCs salvaged the logs from a derelict exploration ship and learned of a stormy oceanic world named Wealdriad far out in the Vast.  Now, a few years later and with the Scoured Stars behind it, the SFS has the time and resources to send a team out to Wealdriad to investigate what unmanned probes have discovered is a once-in-a-lifetime atmospheric event: an aurora tied to strange basalt columns that thrust out from a particular location on the watery world.  The SFS has invited several other groups to attend and take their own astronomical readings as well, but what it doesn't know is that cultists of Groetus have decided to crash the party and blow up the basalt columns!  (I think maybe the scenario should have used cultists of The Devourer instead, but why quibble?).

When the PCs' starship exits the Drift, they immediately receive a distress call from the halfling captain of a Church of Ibran explorer vessel called the Whispered Wish.  Captain Jinnra explains that her vessel's astronomical recording equipment started malfunctioning as soon as the ship entered orbit, and she's worried they're going to miss out on the big show.  She asks the PCs to help investigate.  If they say yes, they have an encounter with some ferrofluid oozes (apparently the recording equipment was stabilized with a "ferrofluid suspension") and receive some thank-you gifts, but it also means they miss out on the best available spot on the planet to watch the aurora.  If they say no, they get that spot but will receive no cooperation from the Ibrans in the events that occur later.  It's a reasonable array of consequences (though I imagine most groups will assume they have to help).

The bulk of the adventure takes place planetside among the basalt columns.  In an inexplicable coincidence, the PCs and all the other groups (except for one) that have come to see the aurora have emerged from the 5d6 days of Drift travel with less than 12 hours to spare.  The groups need to scramble to get their recording equipment set up on one of the columns, but the columns have various topographical and other features that make some more desirable than other.  In-game, this scramble is represented by the PCs needing to explore the sites and negotiate with the other groups for a certain number of Recordings, Favors, and Findings.  Recordings are from the PCs' own observation equipment and those of the other groups, Favors are essentially goodwill from the other groups, and Findings are interesting discoveries the PCs make from exploring the columns (such as links to Morlamaws and a Great Old One named Ghatanothoa!).

It's a lot for the GM to keep on top of, but fortunately the scenario does provide a secret timeline sheet and a separate tracking sheet.  The various groups are mostly described succinctly and with just enough information (a named NPC leader with a line about their personality) to enable some role-playing, but a good GM will add some improv.   An exception to that is for one group that arrived on Wealdriad days ago and set up shop at the best location: a group of "shatoris" (a race I'm not familiar with from Alien Archive 3) from the Aeon Empire.  The scenario provides a great deal of setting lore about shatoris, and they do sound like an interesting species to continue developing.

There's a possible (and rather forgettable) fight between the PCs and some leaping fish ("sailpikes"), but the only mandatory combat in the scenario is the big end sequence when the PCs learn that Groetans have arrived on planet and are attaching explosives to the columns.  This fight is pretty cinematic in that it features the PCs on a hovercraft versus the cultists on hovertrikes as all parties skim just above the stormy waves (one could imagine the beautifully-atmospheric Jango Fett/Obi-Wan battle in Attack of the Clones).  As the GM, I wasn't able to pull off as much excitement as I would've liked (vehicles are challenging!), but I think it was still pretty fun and everyone seemed satisfied at the end.

In sum, Storm of the End Times turned out to be a well-written, well-designed, and solid gaming experience.  But hey, next time you see a Groetan on the street corner proclaiming "The End is Nigh", toss them a credit!  If the world doesn't end, it means they've had a bad day.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 57 [RPG]

 [Toilday, 14 Erastus 4708 A.R. continued]

The Harrowed Heroes are in trouble!  Their raid on Deathhead Vault to strike a blow for the resistance has come up against the self-described Mother of Thorns, a terrifying creature with magicks so potent she’s mentally dominated The Reckoner and forced Goldcape and Rocky to flee the complex entirely.  With only Anorak left to carry on the fight, the situation seems dire indeed.  But help comes from the most unexpected direction: above!  A thin, hand-sized card wafts down from the ceiling—and then another, and another, until suddenly there are hundreds of cards swirling around the room.  And from the vortex, a woman wearing the brightly-coloured skirts, scarves, and gauzy veil of a Varisian fortune-teller steps out: it’s the Harrower!  “I had a premonition you needed a hand,” she says to Anorak.  The Mother of Thorns shouts for The Reckoner to attack the newcomer, but with an immense act of will, he breaks free of her control!  As The Harrower hurls cards that turn into unerring bolts of magic to weaken the fiend, The Reckoner draws an earthbreaker crackling with freezing magic and starts swinging.  In seconds, yet another fearsome foe is laid low by his awesome onslaught.

Although the immediate battle is won, The Harrower says there’s no time to rest—the fighting here has surely been heard and reinforcements will be on the way.  Intriguingly, she adds that in her last Harrowing, she intuited that someone is hiding or hidden in Deathhead Vault, and if they can be found, it will do much to aid the city.  Despite her advice, the other two spend several precious seconds searching for treasure and identifying magic items worn by the Mother of Thorns.  An adjacent room is revealed to be a filing office.
 
The Reckoner leads the way back to the corridor and smashes down a door to reveal a long hallway with cells on one side, each containing a badly beaten and nearly unconscious “recruit” for the Gray Maidens.  Unable to pick the locks, The Reckoner resorts to smashing down more doors with his hammer—a process that frees the recruits but surely carries yet more proof that intruders are present.  Magical wands heal the tortured women’s physical wounds but can’t do anything for their emotional trauma.  The Harrower volunteers to lead the small group to safety, promising to return as soon as she can.  Meanwhile, The Reckoner scouts to where the corridor turns north and sees an even longer hallway, with several more cells on one side and two pairs of double-doors on the other. 
 
Using a wand to turn himself invisible, he tries to pick the lock on the first set of double-doors, but can’t manage it and has to break it down.  On the other side, he sees a sort of “reception” room for Deathhead Vault—doors lead off it, but more importantly, a staircase leads up to the Longacre Building where dozens of Gray Maidens must be stationed, especially since Kroft’s surface raid must have already ended some time ago.  The guards here are ready for a fight, but The Reckoner’s sudden appearance after being invisible is enough to terrify a pair of them.  Anorak follows, but even working together, they can’t silence the guards fast enough to keep the shouts from alerting nearby reinforcements:.  More Gray Maidens begin pouring down the stairs, while one knocks on the northern door and shouts “Commander Destaid, they’re here!” The fighting continues, with Gray Maiden after Gray Maiden falling.  “Don’t get overconfident,” shouts The Harrower, arriving like last time in a swirling vortex of cards.  “There’s a legion up there!”  The Reckoner shouts that they need to get to the commander, so Anorak uses his dwindling magical reserves to blindly teleport himself and The Reckoner to the north, while The Harrower stays behind and conjures illusions to distract the reinforcements.
 
Anorak and The Reckoner find themselves in a large torture chamber that has been outfitted with all manner of pain-inducing implements.  Three hapless and obviously-tormented prisoners are in cages, while a full contingent of five Gray Maidens stand in the center of the room.  Behind a barred portion of the room secured with a strong iron gate, an imposing woman wearing a bright-red dress and a Gray Maiden commander stand ready.  Anorak recognises the imposing woman as Zenobia Zenderholm, a well-respected senior arbiter who went missing months ago.  The Gray Maiden next to her speaks: “I am Kordaitra Destaid, Second-in-Command of the Gray Maidens.  In the name of the Queen, stand down.  Your execution will be swift and merciful.”  No one really expects a surrender, and no one is surprised as the battle starts.  The Reckoner skilfully evades the rank-and-file Gray Maidens to reach the iron bars.  As he starts to wail away at the gate, Kordaitra directs her soldiers to surround Anorak.  The dwarf is alarmed as, one by one, his illusory duplicates are destroyed, and he decides to use an even more powerful illusion to disappear from sight completely!  For her part, Zenobia Zenderholm reveals herself as a cleric of the Pallid Princess.  A deathly glow surrounds her hand, a glow whose merest touch would kill The Reckoner—but even this is impossible!  With an array of magical protections drawn from his mastery of wands, The Reckoner manages to avoid Zenobia’s touch, batter down the gate, and slay the two leaders.  The Harrower appears just as the last defenders in the room are dispatched.

 
Despite a delayed start, the Harrowed Heroes have pushed deep into the subterranean bastion of the Gray Maidens and won a tremendous victory.  Will they play it safe and retreat, or tempt fate and press on?
--------------------------------------
GM Commentary

The appearance of The Harrower at the beginning of this session looks like a total deus ex machina, but it's really a stylish way I chose to portray one of the players cashing in their one-time sort of "get out of jail free card" boon I gave them (it might have been as a Christmas gift; I don't quite remember, the perils of writing these commentaries a couple of years later!).  Because I had established that The Harrower and Blackjack were occasional crimefighting companions in the past, I wanted to show The Harrower here in her full street-level super hero glory as she swirled around, flung Harrow cards (that had the effect of magic missiles), and disoriented foes with her spinning scarves and such.  It played well in my head at least, and I was happy at how I portrayed her.  At this point, the players still don't know that she's dead and that her spirit is using its dwindling time on the Material Plane to aid them.

The Harrower's reference to someone hiding or hidden whose rescue would do much to aid the city was a hint about Sable Company Commander Marcus Endrin being held captive in a secret cell.  Unfortunately, the PCs didn't find him and (if I recall correctly) it was later established that he died.
As the timing of the underground raid and the surface raid ended up not being coordinated, I had the surface levels swarming with Grey Maidens; I used the Troop rules to represent this.  I think we see more of this next session, but the fact that Troops do automatic damage to creatures around them was very vexing to The Reckoner's player, who was used to relying on super-high AC and multiple buffs to fight most creatures with impunity.

Pathfinder Tales: "Noble Sacrifice" [RPG]

 

NO SPOILERS

Noble Sacrifice is a short story available for free on the Paizo blog or as a 99 cent e-book here.  The story is set during the Goblinblood Wars and involves a rivalry between a Steel Falcon and a Hellknight.  The action scenes are fine, but ultimately it's pretty forgettable.

SPOILERS!

Set in Isger in the year 4701 A.R., Noble Sacrifice features a pair of warriors: a young Steel Falcon named Kal Berne and an Order of the Nail Hellknight named Tiberius.  When Kal accidentally walks into a hobgoblin trap, Tiberius reveals himself to be an amazing warrior and rescues him.  The pair follow some refugees to their camp in the Aspodell Mountains, and during the voyage there's some good debate about the views of Andorens vs Hellknights.  Big drama occurs when they spot a horde of goblins sneaking up on a garrison at Wolfpoint (which really should have had scouts and sentinels), and it looks like Kal will have to sacrifice his life so Tiberius can warn them, but then the latter turns back and saves both Kal and the day.  In short, the the story is excessively-fawning toward Hellknights, which might be because the author also writes for the Warhammer 40K universe (and Hellknights are pretty much the whole shebang there).

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 56 [RPG]

[Toilday, 14 Erastus 4708 A.R. continued]

Deep under the Longacre Building, the Harrowed Heroes continue their assault on Deathhead Vault.  While The Reckoner renews various enchantments to improve his fighting prowess, Goldcape flies over the deep pit in the chamber on Rocky’s back.  She then cleverly uses her magical cloak to help Anorak cross by turning a small patch into a full ladder that spans the pit once laid down.  Once everyone is back together again, they move cautiously down the tunnel and hear voices coming from somewhere far around the corner.  A woman is speaking to a goblin she calls Mogmora, as it seems the latter has sounded the alarm that there are intruders in the vault.  Anorak tries to lure them into an ambush by singing loudly in Dwarven, but the cautious defenders don’t fall for it, and maintain their positions.

The Reckoner decides to strike!  Racing around the corner, he finds himself in what surely must be a newly-built temple to Achaekek, the monstrous mantis deity of the Red Mantis assassin cult.  The vast, crescent-shaped cavern features stone benches facing a pulpit.  Behind it, stairs lead up to a worked stone façade that bears a looming carving of an immense mantis, its arms arrayed downward like an archway over a set of double doors.  The goblin that escaped from the intruders just minutes ago is standing in the room along with a beautiful woman with strawberry-coloured hair and a severe expression.  She pulls on a mantis mask as the Reckoner comes into view, and orders forward the cultists’ version of a guard dog: a massive ten-foot-long centipede-like monster!  But The Reckoner is undeterred, and slays the beast in seconds.

As Anorak and Goldcape arrive for back-up, they see the assassins have reinforcements as well.  The doors at the far end of the cavern open to reveal an aasimar wielding sawtooth sabres, walking on the air.  The goblin Mogmora, a seemingly innocuous foe compared to the others, suddenly laughs and begins to transform, flesh rippling as it grows into a snarling, wolf-like canine beast—a barghest!  The barghest lopes around the side of the cavern to try to reach the attackers’ back ranks, but Goldcape sends Rocky to intercept it.  The resulting fight is a savage death match of talon against claw and beak against fang, but (with a little help from Goldcape’s ice magic) Rocky prevails!

The angel-like newcomer must be a powerful spellcaster, for she conjures magical spinning blades in a bid to cut The Reckoner off from his allies.  But Anorak is no mere adept, for he uses a spell of his own and becomes fast enough to race around to stay close to his ally.  Giant praying mantises conjured by the strawberry-haired Red Mantis can’t pierce The Reckoner’s magical duplicates, and fall quickly to his battle-maul and Anorak’s fireballs.  Yet when the angelic Red Mantis prays to Achaekek and evokes wave after wave of nauseating energy, the dwarf falters.  The Reckoner’s mental fortitude is too strong for the spell to affect him, and he dashes forward, shrugging off more hidden assassins to dispatch the strawberry-haired Red Mantis with astonishing ease.

The angel-like Red Mantis evaluates the situation and realises she’s no match for The Reckoner.  With an arcane utterance, she disappears with a flash of light.  The remaining defenders in the room fall quickly, though Anorak is forced to temporarily restrain Goldcape from harming herself while under the effect of a hostile spell cast during the fight.  Fortunately, the effect soon wears off and the group is able to advance.

 

After ensuring it’s not trapped, the Harrowed Heroes push through the ornate doors at the top of the stairs.  They find themselves in some kind of inner sanctum with the walls magically-enhanced to show an eternal scene of slaughter as immense, mantis-like monsters destroy towns with various forms of architecture. Although a set of double doors lead to the north, The Reckoner remembers from the mission briefing that a secret door can be found on the southern wall.  Once again, Boule’s information proves to be correct, as a hidden door does indeed exists.  It leads to a steep stairwell that terminates at what must be another hidden door, though its outline is obvious from this side.  At last, the Harrowed Heroes emerge into the basement level of the Longacre Building in a wide hallway set with glowing, polished ivory tiles.

The Reckoner chooses a door around the corner of the hallway and opens it to reveal what is obviously an execution chamber.  No victims are present, but the executioner surely is!  A tall, emaciated woman with thorny vines growing from her eyes and fingers is in the room, and merely gazing at her fills The Reckoner’s and Anorak’s knees with water.  Both drop their weapons and flee in supernatural terror!  Goldcape sends Rocky in to fight as the terrifying creature begins blinking rapidly in and out view.  Vines with tiny red flowers and incredibly sharp thorns cut Rocky with jagged wounds that refuse to close.  Just as The Reckoner gathers his courage and returns, Goldcape shouts for Rocky to retreat. But before The Reckoner even has time to pick up his battle-maul and attack, he finds himself falling under the hypnotic sway of the emaciated woman, compelled to stand next to her with a single message resounding in his mind: “Defend me.”

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

GM Commentary

I liked Goldcape's robe of useful items--it's a fun magic item compared to the standard ones that just give fixed bonuses.

The various Red Mantis leaders all have beautiful artwork and elaborate backstories.  Although I always appreciate fully-fleshed out NPCs, I don wonder if it's wise to spend the word count on enemies that will likely be defeated in a single encounter.  I'd rather have more colourful shopkeepers, neighborhood descriptions, or interesting optional encounters to slot in--things that are likely to see more value in actual play.

The Reckoner is really overpowered by this point, especially with the myriad buffs.  He wrecked several of these encounters one after the other.  On the other hand, the cliffhanger's pretty good!  (and I don't remember what happens next)

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 3-03: "The Ghenett Manor Gauntlet" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

The Ghenett Manor Gauntlet is a really good example to me of how different we might judge a scenario from a player perspective vs a reader/GM's perspective.  I played it via play-by-post with my Oracle of Grossness/Groetus, Makras Vekker, and thought it was a lot of just wandering around, waiting for something to happen.  But a lot of that negative experience may be attributed to an unmotivated character, the time dilation of play-by-post, or the GM's style.  When I read the scenario for the purposes of this review, it looked great!  A bit sandboxy, which is unusual for PFS, a great backstory, some good role-playing opportunities, interesting NPCs, and more.  Plus, it contributes nicely to the Season 3 "Year of the Ruby Phoenix" theme.  

One of my biggest regrets about PFS is having been unable to start it from the beginning and keep up with scenarios as they were released, as playing them in essentially random order (based on whatever someone offers) means I don't get to appreciate story arcs and NPC development over time.  I got to experience that with Season 1 of Starfinder Society, and it was great (but then my gaming got derailed in Season 2).  Anyway, that's all an aside.  My verdict is that this scenario has a lot of potential for the right GM and the right group.

SPOILERS!

The backstory to The Ghenett Manor Gauntlet feels like it could have been a short story or fun scenario in itself!  As the Pathfinder Society gears up to compete in a world-class martial arts competition (the Ruby Phoenix Tournament), it decides it could use an edge in the form of the Mutani Manual of Martial Mastery, an extraordinarily rare and exhaustive compendium of the fighting styles of distant Tian Xia.  The problem is that the only known copy in the Inner Sea region is owned by Temel Passad, a prickly Druman merchant (and Prophet of Kalistrade).  The Society sent envoys to Passad to negotiate the book's purchase, but various missteps led to them grossly insulting the man!  Passad detained the worst of the ham-fisted negotiators (a scholar named Harmidio Besai, who unwittingly compared Passad's wife to a prostitute) and kicked out the others, angrily vowing that the Pathfinder Society would never get the Mutani Manual unless they could prove their worth by taking it from him.  Because Passad owns extensive holdings throughout the Inner Sea, the Society has sent teams to twelve different locations to find the book and rescue Besai.  And the PCs just so happen to draw the lucky straw sending them to Katapesh . . .

At Farseer Tower in Katapesh, Venture-Captain Wulessa Yuul gives the briefing.  Wulessa sums up the backstory and tells the PCs they're going to Ghenett Manor, a luxurious property owned by Passad that lies about 50 miles west of the city.  She emphasizes that the Pathfinders are *only* to retrieve the book and Besai if either or both are there, and are not to steal anything else--after all, the Society doesn't want to offend the powerful Kalistocrat any further.  This bit is important, as during the adventure, the PCs will come across an awfully tempting array of treasures, but if any are pocketed, they face severe reprimands (including the potential of negative boons) when the mission is over.

The journey to Ghenett Manor is uneventful.  The map of the place is excellent, and could certainly be used for other purposes (it could be a flip-mat, but I think the grounds would be too large to be accurately reflected).  The scenario also provides excellent details about mundane but important-in-gameplay details like walls, windows, etc.  Upon arrival, the Pathfinders will face their first surprise: they're welcomed inside by a very friendly caretaker!  Gamaradim Po, and his demure wife Domitilla, have strict orders from Passad to be courteous to all visitors, even Pathfinders who have come intent on violence or theft.  The scenario does an excellent job portraying the scope of information Gamaradim will provide as he and his wife serve tea to the Pathfinders.  I was going to write about how there will surely be paranoid players who refuse to have their characters drink the perfectly-innocuous tea, but it turns out the tea is indeed drugged with a sleeping draught!  It doesn't lead to harmful consequences at all, but is apparently Passad's way of making a point.  It would be interesting to see how many groups try to bully and threaten the perfectly-nice and innocent caretaker and his wife.

From this point (or really even prior to this point, if the PCs decided to sneak over the wall and enter the manor stealthily) the adventure is open-ended.  The manor is large, and the PCs are unlikely to visit every chamber.  There are some clever traps that might catch-out even experienced dungeon-crawlers, and an assortment of guardians like hell hounds, flesh golems, and chaos beasts.  The kidnapped envoy, Besai, is indeed being detained here, in a secret room under the kitchen (the trapdoor has a stinking cloud trap whose soul purpose is to heap a little more indignity upon the rude man).  Besai is extremely cantankerous and verbally abusive towards the PCs, no matter how efficient they are, and I think many groups might regret having rescued him!

As for the Mutani Manual, an unpredictable factor in the scenario is that the Pathfinders aren't the only group who have come to steal it!  A team of Aspis Consortium agents breached the manor some hours prior to the PCs, and have lost two of their number in scouring the place.  They've found what they think is the real book (though it's actually only a decoy) and will encounter the Pathfinders at some point depending on how events proceed.  The PCs might think the Aspis agents have the real book and attack them (which might lead to a running battle as they try to escape with it), the two groups might just stumble into each other, or the Aspis agents might overhear the PCs' discovery of the real book and attack them (leading to a pitched battle).  The Aspis agents are interesting and well-characterised, which is good (though makes me feel sorry for them when they're inevitably dispatched in a single encounter). It's also perfectly possible that the PCs will get the decoy book from the Aspis agents, assume it's the real one, and travel all the way back to Katapesh for certain mission failure! I appreciate that it treats the players as grown-ups and is willing to levy some consequences for their actions, as I hate scenarios that feel obliged to ensure everything is happy ending all of the time.

As a scenario that's a bit more open-ended and could resolve in various ways, The Ghenett Manor Gauntlet is best for a GM who is flexible and can improvise, and a group that doesn't need to be led around by the nose.  Assuming those two conditions are met, I think this excellent scenario should provide a fun experience. 

Starfinder Society Scenario # 4-12: "A Festive Operation" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

A Festive Operation is certainly something different and memorable!  It's a very low-stakes, low-drama scenario that features the PCs helping ordinary people navigate holiday stress!  It would be right at home on something like the "DisneyKids!" channel.  That doesn't mean it's not well-written and fun, and it could be a good, relaxing game to play with friends and family over the holidays.  I wouldn't want to see *most* Starfinder Society adventures be like this, but an occasional change to a light-hearted tone is fine.  I played it via play-by-post.

SPOILERS!

The scenario begins with the PCs having a meal at a cafeteria in SFS headquarters during the winter holiday season on Absalom Station.  Is it a bit weird that "winter" holidays are so big on a space station where such a thing like winter doesn't exist?  Yes, but I guess we have to go with it.  The PCs are approached by a little plant person (a "raxilite") named Camellia and (seemingly out of the blue) asked for help in spreading holiday cheer "because it's the right thing to do!"  Again, I guess you just have to go along with it, even though Neutral-aligned PCs might struggle.  Camellia is the link between what are essentially three unrelated mini-adventures, each themed to a different holiday.

"First Choices" is a shirren holiday that involves gift-giving.  Camellia asks the PCs to help a shirren named Kinnik who is throwing a party but struggling to find the perfect gift for his best friend/secret crush.  The answer is a hoodie with the logo of a cult-fave rock band called Sonic Tumult, but to find one, the PCs have to visit the stall of an NPC named Dot in the Freemarkets.  I liked Dot, and it's always good to have more "civilian" NPCs in the game that authors can use (and there are some really nice connections to Intro: Year of the Data Scourge here).  Dot sends the PCs off to her storage unit to find the hoodie, but while the group is searching, a couple of skittermanders named Olive and Violet accidentally set the place ablaze with fireworks!  Essentially, it's a skills challenge to keep the fire contained and recover the merch.  It does contain one of the Starfinder organized play things that really irks me: an NPC giving a crazy-valuable gift (here, a 3600 credit armor upgrade) just for some trivial help (here, cleaning some shelves).

"Newspark" is an android holiday that celebrates android liberation with a street parade of very-elaborate floats.  Camellia asks the PCs to help an android named Yichen to finish their float in time for the parade.  There's several options the PCs can use in terms of skill checks to get the float ready and to make it fun while it's going down the street, though they will have to pause to fight a living hologram created by a malfunctioning projector.  Olive and Violet make a fun return appearance.

"Reunion" gets the PCs off Absalom Station and on to Akiton for a holiday feast celebrating family and kinship.  A shobhad named Alora (love the apron pic!) is trying to prepare the traditional meal exactly like her recently-deceased grandmother would have done, but she's not much of a cook and is struggling.  The adventure plays this for laughs, but I think there was actually a very real and relevant story that could have been told involving grief, family, the holidays, and the stress of trying to make everything "perfect." (an episode The Bear comes to mind)  And I didn't think the idea of the PCs having to go hunting and butcher a wild boar-type creature called an arabak was really the right angle--diversity includes vegetarians!

In a brief conclusion, Camellia thanks the PCs and gives them a magic flower from the First World.

As I said, the theme and tone is right on the edge of being unbearably saccharine to me, but I appreciate what it's trying to do.  It is well-written, and I really like the attention to detail and that consequences are set out for failed skill checks.  Let's just make sure scenarios like A Festive Operation are few and far between!

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 55 [RPG]

 [Toilday, 14 Erastus 4708 A.R. continued]

Deciding that breaking into Hedge Wizardry is a bad idea, The Reckoner instead changes into his alter ego as Ralph Blackfeather.  He heads west, across the mostly deserted streets of the city, towards a white marble building on a hill: the city’s Temple of Sarenrae.  He’s about to duck out of an alley and head for it when an instinct keeps him in hiding—something small and invisible is flying around the temple!  Realising that the government may have set an imp spy to watch who goes in and out of one of the few buildings not under its control, Ralph waits for the imp to fly to the far side of the building and then dashes in.  There, he sees that the recent crackdowns and Gray Maiden-led arsons have led to many casualties, as the temple’s wards and corridors are filled with victims.  When Ralph tracks down the fast-talking ratfolk priestess Wiquita, one glance tells her he’s been the victim of a poisoning.  Although the temple has exhausted its supply of lesser restoratives, she’s able to sell him some more powerful magical scrolls that will have an instantaneous effect.

Another well-timed sprint sees Ralph make it safely out of the temple and back into the sewers to once again don the guise of The Reckoner.  Still, almost two hours have passed by the time he finds his way back to where he left Anorak and Goldcape.  He finds Goldcape unconscious from the strange monster’s poisonous gas, with Rocky looming protectively over her.  A scroll from the Temple of Sarenrae draws the poison out of her body.  Anorak says he’s come up with a plan: he wants to use some minor illusion magic to lure the monster closer to the steel grate and then attack from a distance.  At first, the plan works—conjured lights and sounds draw out the beast, allowing the dwarf to launch a powerful fireball—but the explosion washes over the creature with no effect!  The creature retreats back into the darkness.

The Reckoner lures it out again by throwing his voice like a master ventriloquist, something that has the side effect of waking Goldcape up.  The vanara conjures magical hailstones that pummel the monster, but Anorak makes the mistake of getting too close to the bars and takes a hoof to the face!  The Reckoner closes in a bid to finish it off, but it exhales another cloud of noxious gas that weakens him.  Still, with an incredibly powerful swing of his battle-maul, The Reckoner smashes down the bars and crushes the beast’s skull!  He uses the last scroll purchased from the temple to neutralise the poison coursing through his veins.

Further down the tunnel, they find the secret door exactly where Boule said it would be.  But what they find on the far side is certainly a surprise: a makeshift tavern, complete with a wooden bar, rickety chairs, and dusty tankards.  Sitting on the bar with its little bandy legs hanging over the edge, a goblin smiles and welcomes everyone to “The Sewer Brewer!” and offers them drinks on the house.  But Goldcape’s nature magic reveals that they’re poisoned, and they rush the goblin.  Before they can reach it, it steps into a magically-conjured doorway and disappears!

A door behind the bar leads to a winding tunnel that terminates at a thick cloud of yellowish mist.  Anorak recognises it as a type of magical dispelling field, and manages to dampen its effect for a few seconds so everyone can dash through safely.  Past the mist, the tunnel opens up into a wide cavern with high ledges looking down on a rocky floor covered with softly glowing blue fungus.  On the ledges are a pair of women that Goldcape recognises as members of the now-disbanded Sable Company, and they call out for rescue, saying they’ve just escaped from the derro.  But The Reckoner spots a Red Mantis hiding on the far side of a pit at the southern end of the cavern.  Working together quickly, Goldcape sends Rocky to carry The Reckoner toward the assassin, and the foe is easily dispatched.  But when Goldcape and Anorak go to help the stranded women climb down from the ledges, a trap is sprung!  In life they may have been Sable Company Marines, but now the two are foul undead creatures!  One leaps down to claw the would-be rescuers, while the other emits a supernaturally terrifying screech that sends Goldcape running for her life.  Fortunately, once Rocky and The Reckoner fly back into the fray, the two monsters are destroyed, and the effect on Goldcape wears off.

The Harrowed Heroes have managed to overcome some early obstacles and push forward, but has the passage of time—and the escape of a potential sentry—given their foes time to rally?
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GM Commentary

The Reckoner always kept his Perception score maxed out, which sometimes allowed him to even notice invisible creatures like the imp!  From a game perspective, the downside is that maxing out that one skill means you never have to worry about ambushes, disguises, someone sneaking up, etc., which can make the game less exciting.  That's the trade-off that I can never seem to get players to understand: the better your characters get at something, the less excitement the game has to offer in that area.
One thing the AP doesn't cover is the role of the Church of Sarenrae after the Queen's rise to power.  We're told that the Churches of Asmodeus and Abadar quickly throw her their support (as she is, ostensibly, the lawful ruler of the city) and we know that the leader of the Church of Pharasma supports the rebels.  Sarenrae is a goddess with multiple dimensions (healing, redemption, destroying undead, etc.), and I could easily imagine a more active role for the Church in the story.  But I went with them serving primarily as a hospital for all those sick from Blood Veil, injured in the rioting, beat up by the Gray Maidens, etc.

The weird creature behind the gate was a catoblepas.  I had never used one before, but it ended up being very dangerous for the party with its poison gas breath! It's funny how much something like a metal grate can increase the threat of a creature if it means the PCs can't get it to as easily.

The plan was for the underground entry to be a surprise attack timed exactly with a main attack on the surface to draw away defenders.  As the last line of the recap foreshadows, because the PCs had to retreat and come back, that timing is off and they'll face a much harder time of it.