Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 63 [RPG]

 [Sunday, 26 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

 

In Old Korvosa, The Reckoner and Goldcape cautiously approach Anorak’s workshop, where the majordomo of House Arkona waits outside patiently.  But much to their relief, he hasn’t come with news that their spy in House Arkona has already been discovered, but instead with an offer!  He wants them to deliver Blackjack—either his body, or his public proclamation that he supports House Arkona.  The majordomo adds that his master is prepared to pay handsomely for the former, and even more handsomely for the latter.  In response to a query from The Reckoner, the majordomo explains that Blackjack’s recent return has riled anti-aristocratic sentiment in Old Korvosa, and that the support of the city’s legendary “hero of the masses” would go a long way to cementing House Arkona’s efforts to restore order to the city.  The Reckoner and Goldcape confer, and then say they’ll need time to think about it and will return with an answer in 24 hours.

 

After the majordomo and his carriage depart, The Reckoner signals to his dandasuka spy, Xoza, who was waiting on the rooftop of the workshop.  Goldcape meets Xoza for the first time and expresses scepticism that recruiting a double-agent was a good idea.  The Reckoner asks Xoza what he’s learned so far about Glorio Arkona and his plans for the city, but the spy reveals little that the Harrowed Heroes don’t already know.  He says he needs more time, but The Reckoner has another task in mind for him: hunting down the mysterious new masked vigilante, Trifaccia.  Xoza’s sarcasm about the wisdom of the idea obviously brings himself delight, and he promises to see what he can do and return tomorrow.

 

Afterwards, The Reckoner and Goldcape discuss who they should support in leading the city after Ileosa is deposed.  They both agree that it can’t be Glorio Arkona, and with Grau Soldado often rash and unpredictable, the safest bet would be Cressida Kroft.  The Reckoner says they need to ensure that Grau ends up supporting Kroft, rather than the two becoming rivals.  The two discuss whether they should pretend to accept Glorio’s offer by faking Blackjack’s death, but that also seems risky.  The Reckoner suggests they simply say they tried to persuade Blackjack to support Glorio but failed.

 

The two return to Goldcape’s resistance cell safehouse and talk to Anorak.  The dwarf wants to take the strange box the xill have been hunting to The Reckoner’s safehouse where it will be mystically shielded from divination magic.  The three come up with a plan for Anorak to teleport across the river while Goldcape and The Reckoner drop Rocky off at Trail’s End and then disguise themselves before walking across the bridge, with everyone to meet at the Burnt Honey Inn.  Anorak makes his journey with no difficulty.  When Goldcape leaves Rocky with some friendly Varisians in Trail’s End, she notices several wagons being loaded—it seems that (given all of the city’s unrest) most of the travelling folk have decided to move on to greener pastures. 

 

After disguising themselves as unremarkable Chelish residents of Korvosa, Goldcape and Ralph Blackfeather stroll past a large patrol of Gray Maidens guarding North Bridge.  But then, the unthinkable happens: Goldcape’s tail slips free from its binding right in front of the patrol!  Happy to have an excuse to bash more Gray Maidens, The Reckoner calls on Plate for magical flight and swoops back and forth over the bridge, crushing skulls left and right.  Goldcape climbs up the side of a guardhouse and uses her nature magic to conjure swathes of nettles with sharp thorns to weaken the foes.  At first, it seems like this battle will be another easy victory like the previous day’s battle at High Bridge.  But as the rank-and-file Gray Maidens fight as hard as ever on the bridge, completely unaware of what is to come, their officers quickly retreat until they’re no longer standing on it.  Then, one of them lights a long fuse that snakes through the fracas of battle until it reaches some strategically placed barrels.  It’s a trap!  A massive explosion of alchemist’s fire and Tien firework powder rock the bridge, blasting a huge hole in the center and sending flaming rubble high into the sky!  The Reckoner, flying over the bridge, is almost blasted out of the air and loses a valuable magical cloak.  Goldcape faces even more danger, as she’s blasted into the turbulent waters below.  Fortunately, the vanara is a strong-enough swimmer that she’s able to reach shore safely.

Nearby residents pour out of their homes at the sound of the explosion.  An angry mob quickly gathers, blaming The Reckoner and the Gray Maidens alike for the destruction.  The Reckoner manages to mollify the mob somewhat by explaining that it was the Gray Maidens and not he who destroyed the bridge, but widespread discontent remains.  When, after changing into Ralph Blackfeather, he and Goldcape reach the Burnt Honey Inn, they discover the battle at the bridge is all anyone is talking about.  Accusations and blame flow freely, as do shouts favouring Glorio Arkona for bringing order to Old Korvosa and for Blackjack having allegedly returned.  Potter Minehan has a warm drink for the battered, bruised, and soaking wet Goldcape.  Anorak is there, somewhat inebriated, and uses magic to dry her off.  The two are led upstairs by Ralph so they can talk in his room about what happened.

 

Later, as darkness falls, Goldcape waits at the inn while Ralph leads a blind-folded Anorak to his secret safehouse.  Anorak hides the mysterious box in the rafters and then passes out, quite intoxicated.  Ralph returns to the inn and tells Goldcape that she can watch from a distance as he meets with Kroft, but that his instructions were clear to come alone.  The two head down to the docks and there, near midnight, The Reckoner steps onto the indicated pier as Goldcape watches from a hiding place atop a nearby warehouse.  Soon, the sounds of gently sloshing water can be heard, and a small, weathered rowboat emerges from the darkness.  The only inhabitant is a hooded figure who motions for The Reckoner to board.  The Reckoner does so and asks several questions before realising the figure is not only blind, but his lips have been sewn shut!  The silent boatman rows out into the middle of the river.  The Reckoner feels a moment of disorientation and notices that, somehow, a dense fog has arisen all around them, blocking the sights and sounds of the city completely.  Ahead, what is surely a derelict hulk floats on the river, its black, rotting wood looking as if it would crumble from the merest touch.

Beckoned aboard by another mutilated figure, The Reckoner is led to a hatch leading below decks.  There, in a corridor filled with grotesque stalls offering to sell everything from zombie slaves to poisons and illicit narcotics to a living unicorn, the vigilante realises where he is: the Black Ship!  A legendary underground market for the illegal, unsavoury, and just plain immoral, the Black Ship has always eluded Korvosa’s authorities.  The Reckoner is led to a cabin amidships, and as he approaches the door, he can hear the voice of Cressida Kroft shouting in anger at someone.  Once in the room, he sees the target of Kroft’s wroth: Boule, Grandmaster of the Cerulean Society.  In her diatribe, Kroft rails at Boule for having had to spend almost two weeks in a hiding space that was supposed to be just one night, but Boule is unapologetic, explaining that his other plans to hide her had fallen through.  Bishop Keppira d’Bear is present, and welcomes The Reckoner, while Boule immediately admonishes him for failing to attack Deathhead Vault on time despite being given nearly perfect intelligence on how to breach it.  The Reckoner growls back that no mention was made of the “guard dog” with the poisonous breath, and the two start to argue before Bishop d’Bear plays peacemaker by gently persuading Boule that she and he should leave Kroft and The Reckoner to speak alone. 

 

After the two depart, Kroft provides an update on the situation in the city.  She says the collection of blood from residents, ostensibly to help prepare antidotes against future plagues like blood veil, has concluded.  The Gray Maidens’ hold on the city is clearly slipping, and reports are that most have been redeployed to Castle Korvosa.  But most ominously, Kroft says, is that Ileosa hasn’t been seen in public since the unveiling of her statue on Jeggare Isle.  Kroft says that whatever Ileosa is doing or preparing surely bodes a disaster for the city that looms nearer with each passing day that she’s still in power.  Kroft asks if The Reckoner and his allies discovered anything valuable in Deathhead Vault, and hears that Marcus Endrin may still be alive.  Kroft says his release would certainly have helped the resistance, but more importantly, they’ll need to bring Neolandus Kalepopolis back to the city when the time comes. As the lawful seneschal of Castle Korvosa, his presence will add legitimacy to a movement that could otherwise be labelled seditious.  Kroft says she’s heard word from Vencarlo Orisini that he and Neolandus have had to flee Harse because agents of the Queen have been asking questions in the town.

 

The two discuss the situation in the city, and fears that if the Gray Maidens are retreating back to Castle Korvosa, there will be no other forces to keep order in the city: the Korvosan Guard and Sable Company have been disbanded, the Hellknights returned to Citadel Vraid months ago, and so far House Arkona is only exercising influence over Old Korvosa.  The Reckoner tells her that Glorio Arkona is a rakshasa, and wants to rule Korvosa after Ileosa is dethroned.  He adds that Grau may be positioning himself to lead the city as well.  Kroft says the last thing she wants is a civil war in the city.  It’s clear that just being in the Black Ship and hearing what transactions take place (with even worse occurring in the ship’s hold) is having a draining effect on her.  But she explains it’s still the safest place for her and d’Bear for now, as it’s impossible to find the place without being led to it by its ghastly mutilated “crew.”  Before departing, The Reckoner promises that he and his allies are almost ready to depart in search of the key to stripping Ileosa of her newfound magical invulnerability.

 

Once back on the docks, The Reckoner shares what he learned from Kroft.  Goldcape sends a magical silver raven to Jasan Adriel in Harse with a message asking for information about where Vencarlo went.

 

[Moonday, 27 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

 

Everyone assembles at the Burnt Honey Inn the next day.  Ralph fills Anorak in on the Black Ship and how uncomfortable Kroft must be there.  The three discuss the majordomo’s offer, with Anorak (not realising Goldcape is Blackjack) wondering why they don’t just kill the vigilante considering how much gold is being offered.  But Ralph replies that having Blackjack on their side could be important considering his legendary status in the city.

 

Ralph leads Anorak back to his safehouse so the dwarf can continue working on the ritual that has delayed their departure for Scarwall.  Then, he and Goldcape visit Eodred’s Walk and see that looters have been at work.  Fortunately, Hedge Wizardry remains untouched—perhaps due to its magical protections, or perhaps just plain luck.  Goldcape whispers that if they don’t hurry, they could have a new Old Korvosa on their hands.  After making some purchases, Ralph transforms into The Reckoner and heads across the city to keep his appointment with the majordomo of House Arkona, informing the man that he’ll try to speak with Blackjack but can’t make any promises.  Later that day, Anorak casts a spell to take him and Goldcape back to Old Korvosa as well.

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GM Commentary

I forgot about the little subplot of House Arkona being interested in enlisting Blackjack's support (or at least ending his anti-aristocratic symbolism).  I don't think I did a lot more with it, probably because the group soon leaves the city for Chapter Five's main journey north.

I thought having most of the Varisians leaving Trail's End made sense.  They're a generally nomadic people, after all, and the city is in such dire straits that moving on would seem like a pretty attractive option.  (I also try to keep a dynamic gaming setting--just like real life, things don't always stay the same, and the PCs aren't the only ones who change)

From the description, I'm guess Goldcape got a natural 1 on that Disguise check when crossing the bridge.  There are a few skills that I roll on behalf of the players behind the GM screen so they don't know how successful they are.  The bridge battle was pretty exciting, especially with the explosive trap!  I had figured that by this point, the Gray Maidens knew they were outclassed by the Harrowed Heroes and were willing to take some pretty elaborate efforts to kill them.  The Reckoner rolled a natural 1 on his saving throw, which as per the Core Rulebook, means an item takes damage as well.

The Black Ship is something of my own creation.  I imagine it's an extradimensional place that can be accessed through the harbors of many major cities, but the means of access can change.  I've had it exist near Riddleport in Second Darkness, the AP I'm running now.  There's lots more I could say, but I have to be careful of certain readers!  It has a pretty dark, creepy vibe.

I liked the interaction with Boule.  I didn't get to do a lot with him in this campaign, but not every campaign can make full use of every NPC.

I think the PCs are starting to see how their continual delay is harming the city (Anorak was making a magical item of some kind, I think).  As I discussed in a recent post, outside of official Downtime, the "clock" keeps moving and consequences can rack up quickly if PCs delay too much.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 0-27: "Our Lady of Silver" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I ran Our Lady of Silver at subtier 5-6 via play-by-post.  One of the nice things about it, compared to most Season Zero/Season One scenarios, is that it has a lot of role-playing opportunities.  These are pretty free-form, and there are a lot of NPCs that a good GM could really make come alive if time and circumstances permit.  The combat encounters were fine (and pretty easy for modern PCs).  I’d rank the overall story and use of setting lore a little above average, and I appreciated the connection to an earlier scenario.  There’s one twist that may appear a bit forced and that some players may bristle at.  Overall though, I’d rank this one as definitely playable.

SPOILERS!

Our Lady of Silver takes place in Katheer, the massive city that serves as the capital of Qadira.  After a briefing from the (hardly ever seen in PFS again) Venture-Captain Osretia Cassomiran, the PCs are sent to a wedding feast!  The leader of the important merchant family House of Silver (Bashir al-Mudaris) is overseeing the marriage of his daughter (Lujine, the Lady of Silver) to a foreign scholar and Pathfinder, Farendir Faireven.  It’s apparently quite a coup for the young man, and for the Society as well because al-Mudaris plans to donate several valuable relics to burnish his new son-in-law’s reputation with the organisation.  The PCs, then, are representatives of the Society at the wedding and simultaneously guards to make sure the relics are safely delivered afterward to Katheer’s Pathfinder Society Lodge afterward.

The scenario encourages role-playing at the wedding feast, and introduces multiple NPCs to facilitate this.  One of the NPCs, Al’Jahar abu-Targos, is the nephew of the deceased Venture-Captain Targos Min-Katheer and is grateful to the society for the return of his uncle’s remains in # 0-3, Murder on the Silken Caravan.  I love little connections like that, and the nephew returns again later in the scenario to provide a potentially valuable service.  Apart from perhaps faction missions, the role-playing here doesn’t have a set goal and is mostly free-form—so some groups and GMs may really get into it, and others not so much.  (I love RP, though I find it hard sometimes to figure out how much time to spend on it when it comes to play-by-post)

Of course, the wedding feast doesn’t go off without a hitch!  You see, a rejected suitor of Lujine, a merchant-sorcerer named Raamiz Ibn-Chadli, has hatched a revenge plan to discredit the Pathfinder Society and, by extension, Farendir Faireven.  He arranges for dervishes from the Fraternity of the Unforgiving Flame to sneak into the wedding and let wild animals loose (lions and elephants) to cause a distraction while they steal the gifts meant for the Society!  I like the little sidebar that was included of dramatic events that can happen during the ensuing chaos.

I guess it’s a fait accompli that the gifts are stolen, because the premise of the rest of the adventure is that the PCs are trying to recover them.  (though it would work just as well if their mission was to track down who was behind the attempted heist)  A lead will take the PCs to the Hall of Purifying Flame, the decrepit headquarters of the Fraternity.  The combats here are really easy, though I actually managed to land a flaming oil trap which was fun!  A search of the premise uncovers Ibn-Chadli’s role in the scheme, which naturally causes the PCs to seek him out at his villa.

The scenario provides a fair amount of text on the villa, but there are no maps or encounters there.  Instead, the PCs need to find their way out back to where there are slave huts.  There, disguised in heavy robes, is Qutirh the Prudent: Ibn-Chadli’s vizier and actually an Erinyes!  For an encounter where the monster’s tactics include teleportation and ranged attacks, the map here is *really* small (just one tile from a map pack).  Interrogation of Ibn-Chadli’s slaves or papers in his library will point to the merchant-sorcerer’s interest in the tomb of High Priest Ubaidah, and since that’s their only lead, that’s where they’ll likely head.

However, there’s a sudden turn of events when a company of three dozen mounted warriors along with several sorcerers appear to arrest the PCs!  They’ve been accused of murder, theft, and grave robbing, and are to be taken into custody to defend themselves in the Satrap’s court.  It’s a bit heavy-handed and sort of comes out of nowhere, and it doesn’t really lead to anything interesting as success in the ensuing role-playing opportunity is automatic.  (in later seasons, writers would get better with using skill challenges to represent situations like this)  In other words, it’s a bit of an interlude that throws off the pace of the adventure without adding much to it, apart from perhaps foreshadowing the idea that the PCs are being framed for crimes they didn’t commit.

The final encounter is at High Priest Ubaidah’s tomb outside Katheer.  Ibn-Chadli has used magic to disguise a couple of ogres as Pathfinders to help him with the grave robbing!  I did have fun having large-sized duplicates of a couple of the PCs’ tokens in the ensuring battle.  Ibn-Chadli went down like a punk, as one might expect when a sorcerer is forced into melee range in confined quarters.  Capturing or killing him clears the PCs of any lingering suspicion, and the return of the gifts allows the marriage festivities to continue.  All’s well that ends well!

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 62 [RPG]

[Sunday, 26 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

In the dead hours between midnight and dawn, three monstrous xill suddenly solidify in Goldcape’s resistance safehouse.  One appears on the first floor, with two more on the second floor.  Fortunately, the vanara insists on maintenance of a constant watch on both floors of the building, and cries of alarm ring forth quickly.  Goldcape, awake herself on the first floor, instantly sends Rocky into battle against the insectile intruder.  The watchman on guard there, a former member of the Emperor of Old Korvosa’s band of thugs, hurls handaxes into the fray.  Anorak wakes to the sound of combat, sees a pair of the relentless xill fighting a lone guard, and quickly realises his own vulnerability—his mithral fullplate is neatly stacked next to his cot!  Hearing more combat on the floor above, the dwarf rushes for the stairs only to run into another xill trying to descend.  The two scuffle in the narrow stairway as the rest of Goldcape’s band get to their feet and grab whatever weapons are closest.  The former Korvosan Guard, still called “Sergeant” Clenkins by everyone, fells one of the intruders while Rocky, a floor below, dispatches a second.  Anorak finds himself bleeding from multiple wounds and has had enough: “I don’t like being woken up!” he shouts as a tremendous burst of electricity springs forth from his hands and blasts the third xill into submission.

In the aftermath of the battle, it’s clear that Goldcape’s band acquitted themselves well despite the surprise attack.  They kept the xill from reaching their obvious goal—“The Box of Passage” said one in the Infernal tongue—and only one of the troops was seriously wounded.  Fortunately, Goldcape’s magic was strong enough to pull his spirit back from the brink of the Boneyard.  Once the unconscious xill are bound securely, Goldcape tells Anorak that he owes her for bringing trouble to her doorstep.  Anorak acknowledges the point.  With magic, they heal one of the xill’s wounds just enough to bring it around so they can try to question it.  Immediately, it begins to fade away towards the Ethereal Plane, but Clenkins reacts quickly enough and knocks out the xill before it can escape and perhaps return with reinforcements.  The group try again with a second xill, and it only issues threats in guttural Common (“I will kill you and make more xill!”) before also trying to escape before Rocky’s beak tears out its throat.  Clenkins suggests bringing in a “specialist” in interrogation—someone they know who is an expert at intimidating his foes for information: The Reckoner.  Goldcape agrees.  At first she plans to send a magical silver raven with the message, but then realises she still doesn’t know where The Reckoner’s new safehouse is.  She’s forced to resort to the pre-arranged signal of leaving an old mattress on the wall outside and hoping he’ll spot it.

Over in North Point, Ralph Blackfeather wakes to what promises to be another hot day.  He decides it’s time to have a frank talk with Plate about their mission, because the sentient armor has recently been acting beyond its role.  Ralph explains carefully why they need to go to Scarwall and can’t just attack Queen Ileosa immediately, how the information he’s sharing needs to remain top secret, and how Plate is a trusted officer in the rebel army but needs to act on his wearer’s command, not impetuously on his own.  Plate is fully persuaded, and promises to merit Ralph’s trust.

Later that morning, Ralph has a quick conversation with Majenko to confirm that there’s been no sign of the mysterious new vigilante, Trifaccia.  As The Reckoner, he turns himself invisible and assesses the situation on the bridge to Old Korvosa.  During his surveillance, he suddenly hears a voice in his mind—that of Bishop Keppira d’Bear: “Message received loud and clear.  Come to Slip 17 at midnight, alone.  Kroft is waiting.  Don’t judge our allies.”  The Reckoner decides to check in with his own allies, and makes his move, leaping invisibly over the fortification the Gray Maidens built to secure the bridge.  Once in the slowly-improving slums of Old Korvosa, well-patrolled by the forces of House Arkona, The Reckoner spots the old mattress outside of Goldcape’s base and knows he’s needed.  Inside, Goldcape explains what happened overnight.  Anorak says the box they’re after has powerful conjuration and summoning magic inside of it, but that they still don’t really know what it does, why Mortimont was so insistent that it not be opened, and why the xill are hunting it so persistently.

It’s fortunate that two xill remain alive, because the first one utterly resists The Reckoner’s questions.  The second, however, is more persuadable, though making sense of its alien viewpoint isn’t easy.  It seems that the “Box of Passage” provides access to where the xill come from (the Ethereal Plane) and that they were sent on a clear mission: “Take Box, Destroy Box, Kill Mortimont!”  When asked who Mortimont is, the prisoner can explain only that “Mortimont is the Maker”.  Believing that the xill must operate on some sort of hive mind like the insects they resemble, The Reckoner decides that killing them would be the same as stamping on a bug.  After the interrogation, the group discuss what they should do with the information, but they don’t reach any firm conclusions.

With Plate’s insistence that Anorak hurry up with his ritual so that they can get on with the job of saving Korvosa, the dwarf promises to spend the day on it.  But first, per Goldcape’s request, he carves a stylized “B” on the front door to show allegiance to Blackjack.  Plate notes that having Blackjack’s support for the rebellion would go a long way toward rallying the people of the city, since he’s Korvosa’s greatest hero.  The Reckoner shares with the others that he’ll be meeting with Kroft that night but that she must have some “dodgy” allies given d’Bear’s warning.  Plate comes to The Reckoner’s defense when Goldcape teases that perhaps it’s The Reckoner who’s dodgy.

Later that morning, Goldcape leads The Reckoner down a secret trapdoor and into the sewers underneath Old Korvosa.  There, she reveals a monumental secret: Goldcape is the new Blackjack!  Having been chosen by the previous Blackjack to continue his legacy, Goldcape now bears the full costume of the legendary vigilante—including, perhaps most importantly, a magical amulet that keeps diviners from learning her location.  The Reckoner is impressed, even if he suspected it given recent events.  Goldcape explains she’s revealing it to him because she could learn from him on how to successfully maintain a costumed identity, and if anyone suspects she’s really Blackjack, The Reckoner could aid in a deception to throw people off the trail.  The Reckoner agrees it’s a good strategy, and thanks Goldcape for trusting him.  Goldcape asks if she should reveal her secret to Anorak, and The Reckoner says it’s an important decision she should make after careful thought.  The vanara says she’ll ponder it overnight.  As the two ascend the ladder back up to the trapdoor, Goldcape hears a welcome voice in her head—from Yraelzin!  “I made it!” says the voice. “Are you coming? Since you guys are late, I’ve opened negotiations.  It’s complicated.”

Upstairs, Anorak expresses concern that yet more xill may come seeking the box.  The Reckoner says if they moved it to his safehouse, the xill wouldn’t be able to find it.  Anorak agrees that it’s a good idea.  The dwarf gets back to his ritual, and The Reckoner asks Goldcape if she would like to meet their spy in House Arkona, the dandasuka named Xoza.  Yet when the two walk over to Anorak’s workshop, the first creature they spot isn’t Xoza—it’s the majordomo of House Arkona, waiting patiently outside.  Has their spy been detected already?
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GM Commentary

I thought the xill attack on Goldcape's safehouse was a fun encounter.  It was a good opportunity to put Goldcape's efforts at recruiting a rebel cell to use, and a late night attack keeps everyone on their toes! (and reminds folks why the Endurance feat's ability to sleep in armor is worthwhile)  I hadn't expected the interrogation of the xill, but it was a smart way for the PCs to learn more about why they wanted the box.

Plate got a lot of attention in this session.  I think The Reckoner's player was worried I was going to use the intelligent armor to undermine him, when really I was just trying to give it a bit of personality because one of my pet peeves is familiars/companions/sentient items that exist purely for mechanical purposes and are otherwise forgotten about.

Just a touch of Yraelzin in this one, but he's always fun to roleplay and I like how the word cap on sending leads to intriguingly ambiguous messages.

What I Read (2023)

 62 books this year.  Not my best.  In my defense, those Gormenghast books were long and dense!

5 January 2023: Phobos by Ty Drago.  “Classic-style SF mystery on a Martian moon. Solid story!”

13 January 2023: A Military History of Australia by Jeffrey Grey.  « Ok. »

19 January 2023: The Charming Man by CK McDonnell. « Second Stranger Times book.  Not bad. »

22 January 2023: Angel: Redemption by Mel Odom.  “Pretty good Angel book, with villain decently hidden.”

12 February 2023: Herodotus: The Histories ed. Walter Blanco and Jennifer Tolbert Roberts.  « Norton edition of ‘Father of History’ account of Greek-Persian war. »

26 February 2023: The Hemsworth Effect by James Weir.  « Not nearly as funny or cutting as I expected. »

4 March 2023:  The Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos.  « B5 novel, focussed on Anne Sheridan’s fate.  Excellent. »

11 March 2023: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.  « Memorable tale of Afghanistan. »

13 March 2023: Feersum Endjinn by Iain M. Banks.  « Hard work but interesting. »

26 March 2023: The Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow.  « Horus Heresy book. Good. »

8 April 2023: Four Past Midnight by Stephen King.  « I still really like the Langoliers, but the others seem kinda cheesy now. »

13 April 2023: We Run Tomorrow by Nat Amoore.  « Fantastic!  A fun story of friendship that made me tear up. »

22 April 2023: Dragon Skin by Karen Foxlee.  « Beautiful book—made me tear up. »

24 April 2023: Australian Peacekeeping edited by David Horner, Peter Londey, and Jean Bou. « Edited collection. »

30 April 2023: Liar’s Island by Tim Pratt.  « Roderick and Hrym tale set in Jalmeray.  Funny. »

1 May 2023: The Detective’s Guide to Ocean Travel by Nicki Greenberg. « Well-researched kid’s mystery on 1920s ocean liner.  Sweet ending. »

7 May 2023: Beautiful World Where are You? by Sally Rooney.  “All of it was great except the banal ‘have a baby and live happily ever after’ ending.”

15 May 2023: The Bravest Word by Kate Foster. « YA novel about childhood depression.  A bit cheesy maybe, but well-intentioned. »

18 May 2023: Religion and Change in Australia by Adam Possamai and David Tittensor.  “Sociological account, introductory and quite readable.”

18 May 2023: Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Todd Stewart.  “Excellent overview of daemons in Pathfinder.”

30 May 2023: Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout.  “Well-drawn protagonist, but story doesn’t really go anywhere.”

10 June 2023: Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief by Katrina Nannestad. “Story of a young boy adopted by a Russian army unit during WWII.  Very sweet, and doesn’t whitewash the horrors of war.”

10 June 2023: Pathfinder Unchained by Various. “Interesting options, well-done book.”

20 June 2023: The Gifts That Bind Us by Caroline O’Donoghue. « Second in trilogy.  Really great writing.  I never know where it’s going. »

1 July 2023: Crows Nest by Nikki Mottram.  « Murder mystery set around Toowoomba.  Pretty good, and the first in a series. »

3 July 2023: Sleepwalk by Dan Chaon.  “Really good, hard to describe novel.”

15 July 2023: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams.  “Excellent historical novel about women and the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.”

20 July 2023: To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.  “Boring.”

21 July 2023: Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger.  “Very much a Harry Potter bandwagon; second half is better.”

21 July 2023: Wolf Girl 9 by Anh Do.  “Okay.”

21 July 2023: Detective’s Guide to New York City by Nicki Greenberg.  “Main characters and setting are really fun!”

3 August 2023: City of Buried Ghosts by Chris Lloyd. “Better than the first one.”

8 August 2023: Born Survivor by Bear Grylls.  “Lots of info!”

17 August 2023: Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson.  “Excellent second book about podcasting mystery solver.”

26 August 2023: Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller.  “Fun and original!”

26 August 2023: The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake.  “Unforgettable setting.”

10 September 2023: Happy Head by Josh Silver.  “YA dystopian—really good.”

12 September 2023: A Principled Framework for the Autonomy of Religious Communities by Alex Deagon. “Initially appealing, but ultimately disappointing.”

16 September 2023: De Luxe by Lenny Bartulin.  « Super fun pulp style mystery with crackling dialogue. »

25 September 2023: The Détectives’s Guide to Paris by Nicki Greenberg.  “Third book.  Great!”

28 September 2023: Mud, Sweat, and Tears by Bear Grylls.  “Determined guy!”

29 September 2023: The Praise of Folly and Other Writings by Erasmus.  “Norton Critical Edition.  I learned a lot.”

2 October 2023: Harriet Hound by Kate Foster. “Kids book. Inane.”

11 October 2023: Natural Law: An Introduction and Re-examination by Howard P Kainz.  “Useful if gets a bit ridiculous in the last chapter.”

11 October 2023: Midnighters Book 2 by Scott Westerfield.  “New layers add to depth—great!”

16 October 2023: Love Will Tear Us Apart by CK McDonald.  « Third Stranger Times book.  Nice arc for characters. »

18 October 2023: A Killing Fire by Faye Snowden.  « Murder mystery featuring cop who is daughter of a serial killer.  Pretty good. »

24 October 2023: Natural Law and Natural Rights by John Finnis.  « Tries to establish natural law without a theistic base. »

30 October 2023: The Bodyline Fix: How Women Saved Cricket by Marion Stell. « Well—written. »

4 November 2023: She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran. « A haunted house story set in Vietnam with a bi protagonist.  Amazing; should win awards for the first-time author. »

9 November 2023: Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes.  « First half is hilarious.  Second half is too earnest. »

9 November 2023: The Problem of Natural Law by Douglas Kries.  “Very clear and useful account.”

17 November 2023: Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett.  « Pretty fun take on Hamlet and Macbeth. »

2 December 2023: Melt With You by Jennifer Dugan. « Very sweet, if a little too repetitive. »

4 December 2023: The Bone Code by Kathy Reichs.  « Temperance Brennan novel.  Not bad, actually. »

4 December 2023: Natural Law and the Nature of Law by Jonathan Crowe. « Tries to establish a socially evolving form of natural law. »

6 December 2023: As Good as Dead by Holly Jackson.  « Fantastic conclusion to trilogy!  An author to watch. »

10 December 2023: Eleanor Jones is Not a Murderer by Amy Doak.  “Pretty good YA mystery novel.”

24 December 2023: Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow.  « Novel about a cutter.  Good. »

26 December 2023: Unbound by Jim C. Hines.  « Third in book magic series.  Very imaginative. »

26 December 2023: The Peppermint Cookie Murder by Trixie Silvertale.  « Santa’s daughter leaves the North Pole and solves a mystery.  I was very sceptical at first, but it ended up being really fun! »

31 December 2023: Watermelon by Marian Keyes. « Great first half but overlong/overwrought second half. »

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 9-05: "Call of the Copper Gate" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I played Call of the Copper Gate with my vigilante (shh!) character, The Shining Knight (a.k.a., Siegfried).  I have to admit, I didn't have a lot of fun, but I think that was mostly because the GM frankly wasn't very good.  In reading the scenario for the purposes of this review, it looks like a really solid adventure that makes great use of previous PFS scenarios and continues a long-running subplot.  For PFS lore aficionados, this is a must-play scenario.  For others, it has a good mix of combat and role-playing, and features some creatures and concepts from later in the bestiaries that may be unfamiliar.

SPOILERS!

Call of the Copper Gate is another adventure involving the long-running saga of the Blakros Museum.  Before it was a museum, it was the estate of a powerful wizard and astrologer named Ralzeros the Overwatched.  Ralzeros became obsessed with the endless expanses between the stars and the unfathomable creatures thought to live there (the Dark Tapestry) and created an extradimensional observatory to watch them.  He reinforced the door to this observatory with a mystically warded copper gate linked to three magic beacons to alert him to danger.  In past scenarios (going as far back as Season Zero), the Society has become wrapped up in the dangers presented by the legacy of Ralzeros the Overwatched and its effect on Imrizade Blakros as well as the museum's current curator, Nigel Aldain.  Call of the Copper Gate involves these key elements and a servant of an Outer God!

The initial "briefing" is a fun and fast start, as the PCs are in the Grand Lodge when alarms sound and Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin and Paracountess Zarta Dralneen rush around the corner, agitated and arguing.  One of the vaults below the Grand Lodge is suddenly being overrun with magical plant matter presumably being spewed from one of the arcane devices stored there.  Zarta persuades a reluctant Valsin to let the Dark Archive handle the emergency, and she enlists the nearest Pathfinders she sees (the PCs) to follow her into the vault.  There's no time for questions, no time for Knowledge checks, and no time to prep--it's straight into danger!  It's a great change of pace from the way scenarios normally start.

The vault is filled with fungal strands that are hard to move through and coated with toxins harmful to living creatures because they aren't native to this world--they're from the foreboding planet Aucturn!  And more, an "Aucturn Shard Golem" (a variant junk golem) is in the chamber as well, protecting the device responsible for bringing it and the fungus into the vault: a magical beacon (one of the three Ralzeros created to protect the copper gate to his extradimensional observatory).  The Shining Knight rushed in to smash the beacon to pieces and would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for meddling kids a GM mistakenly thinking the scenario didn't allow it.  In a nice story addition, Zarta takes part in the battle (though if she has to do everything, the PCs get fewer rewards, which makes sense).  

Zarta recognises the beacon as something the Society purchased recently from the Arcanamirium (the largest school of magic in the Inner Sea) and says it was one of three.  She suggests that if this one has malfunctioned, the other two could as well, and sends the PCs off to find them and place them in special warding containers.  At the Arcanamirium, the PCs face the most fearsome foe of all: bureaucracy!  I really like it, as dealing with a large institution can be enormously challenging.  The PCs eventually find their way to journeyman wizard Maren Fuln (from # 3-07) conversing with a denizen of Aucturn named Nggith-Tsa.  This part is handled really well.  There's a lot of information to be gained from Nggith-Tsa before an (inevitable battle), and the scenario is detailed about how conversational strands affect the fight to come.  I'm not explaining it well, but suffice it to say, a well-prepared GM will find themselves well-supported by the scenario here.  Like Zarta, Fuln will also participate in the battle.

With two beacons secured, the PCs learn that the third is in the Blakros Museum.  Once the PCs arrive, curator Nigel Aldain reports that intruders broke into the basement and have taken Imrizade Blakros prisoner.  Nigel joins the PCs in the assault (I like how he tells them he's learned to start preparing combat spells every day given all the previous problems at the museum) where they learn the culprits are cerebric fungi and a psychic worshipper of Nyalathotep (with bad art) named Fylzilka.  (I liked that the longer it takes the PCs to bash down the door to the basement, the longer Fylzilka gets to buff--trade-offs like that make for a game where actions matter).  The beacon is spewing Aucturn's poisonous atmosphere into the room, so the rare PC who has prepared gust of wind will feel very clever!  Imrizade is unconscious from wounds, but if healed, will also participate in the battle.  It's nice to see key NPCs be more than just plot- and RP-fodder and instead feel like active participants.

With the third beacon in safe hands, the present danger is over--though the lure of the mysterious copper door remains (perhaps for a future adventure?).  Zarta asks the PCs to do additional research and write a report on the beacons for her, which is a neat way of allowing them to make a Knowledge (arcana) check for their Day Job if they wish.  In the end, I thought Call of the Copper Gate was an excellent continuation of the Pathfinder Society's involvement with the Blakros Museum.  Someday, it might be a fun idea to run these scenarios in order as part of a mini campaign.

Armageddon 2001 # 1-2 (DC Comics, 1991) [COMICS]

 Armageddon 2001 is a famous DC Comics crossover not because of its merits (good or bad) but because of the how the company handled it.  As most fans of the era will know, the whole premise of the 1991 series was that a hero named Waverider travelled back in time from 2001 to the then-present to warn super heroes (sequentially, in each book, of course) that one of their number would become a despotic tyrant named Monarch in a decade’s time.  The crossover lasted almost six months in real time, launched and concluded with a 64-page special. 

The driving force of the entire crossover is the attempt to figure out who becomes Monarch and stop them before it’s too late.  What made the crossover notorious is that, due to some clues in early issues, readers put together a pretty solid theory that made the fan press: it was Captain Atom!  When DC saw the theory and, knowing it was absolutely correct, they panicked.  Thinking that if everyone knew who done it in a whodunnit the crossover would flop, they changed, mid-stream, who it was!  Instead of Captain Atom (a character with truly astounding cosmic-level powers that one could imagine defeating most of earth’s heroes) it became Hawk (a third-tier character who was one half of a duo and could mostly just jump around and punch low-level threats).  In other words, it was a desperate attempt to “salvage” the crossover, and resulted in clues and character motivations that no longer really made sense. 

The general takeaway, which I think is right, is that it’s okay if clever fans put the pieces together to figure out where a story is going—they can still have a great deal of fun along the way along with the satisfaction of seeing themselves proved correct at the end, whereas no one will really be satisfied by a resolution that seems to come out of nowhere because it was a last-minute, knee-jerk switch.  Writing a true whodunnit-type mystery is hard, and it’s better that it’s a little too easy to identify the culprit than that the reader feels they’ve been treated unfairly all along.

Anyway!  This post covers the two specials that bookended the crossover.

Issue # 1 has a great cover, with the tagline: “Ten years from now the world will survive.  These heroes won’t.”  As a child, Matthew Ryder was saved from an earthquake by a super hero, but he never knew which one.  In the year 2001, an unknown super hero betrayed all the others and killed them!  Now, in 2030, Matthew Ryder lives in a world ruled by the fascist Monarch, and even Ryder’s own daughter is a member of the authoritarian government.  Learning that time-travel has just been discovered, Ryder sneaks into the facility and (through some trickery) manages to get sent back in time, though the process transforms him into Waverider (because he’s riding the waves of time!) with the super power of being able to touch someone and see their future.  It’s a classic, compelling story and an excellent start to the crossover.  It also gives a natural reason why Waverider needs to visit each character’s book, because by touching them he can see whether or not they’re the one who becomes Monarch.  The artwork isn’t stellar, but reading this 30 years later, I really enjoyed the story.

Issue # 2 has “At last! The shocking identity of Monarch revealed!” on the cover.  It seems that Captain Atom’s future is to see his children and grandchildren murdered by street gangs, their bodies sent by the “police” to the town dump in a world that has slid into anarchy and degradation.  Enraged and perhaps a little insane with grief, he destroys entire city blocks!  I wonder if this was the core of DC’s original plan, because it’s easy to see just a step further that future Captain Atom decides he has to intervene to set the world on the right course, and thus becomes Monarch.  But instead, back in the present, Monarch arrives from the future and abducts Hawk and Dove.  Monarch kills Dove to force Hawk to become him in a completely unpersuasive story twist (that is, I can see why Hawk would hate Monarch, but why would Hawk then decide to take over the world?).  Anyway, Monarch lures all the world’s heroes into a huge battle where he plans to detonate a neutron bomb to kill them, but Captain Atom absorbs the blast and is sent way back in time to the era of the dinosaurs! (a story told in some subsequent limited series).  The only nice bit is that it’s revealed the hero who pulled a young Matthew Ryder out of the rubble was . . . Waverider!  Nice.