Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 51 [RPG]

[Wealday, 8 Erastus 4708 A.R. continued]

 

The final stretch in the Trial of the Totems has begun!  Having endured 36 consecutive hours of keeping their totems upright, plus a sudden assault against a pack of hungry bulettes, the Harrowed Heroes know only a single night separates them from success.  With cloud cover keeping even moonlight from reaching them, the lonely mesa is plunged into almost total darkness but for Goldcape’s light spells.  The hours pass slowly, with both Goldcape and Anorak losing leverage over their totems at different points.  Giddy with exhaustion, The Reckoner improvises a song with lyrics about how boring the test is compared to slaying a purple worm.  It’s not much, but may be just enough to keep his allies’ flagging spirits going.

 

[Oathday, 9 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

 

As dawn breaks, the Sun Shaman leads the entire tribe to Bolt Rock.  He inspects each of the totems carefully, looking for signs of damage or trickery.  With a quick nod, he accepts The Reckoner’s totem.  He lingers longer at Anorak’s, and traces his fingers along the multiple cracks, but nods as well.  At Goldcape’s, he pauses for what seems like minutes.  The totem has deep cracks throughout, and is only barely in one piece.  At last, with a sigh, the Sun Shaman nods.  The Sklar-Quah erupt in cheers, as all three have passed the Trial of the Totems!  Before the jubilation gets out of hand, the Sun Shaman holds his hands up for silence.  He states formally that the three petitioners are tshamek no more, and welcomes them as allies to the Sklar-Quah with full permission to traverse and reside in the lands of the people.  Yet with a subtle acknowledgement of Krojun, the Sun Shaman continues.  He says the tribe’s new allies have not yet proven themselves worthy of the knowledge passed down from shaman to shaman from time out of mind.  One final test remains: they must prove they can survive travelling through the harshness of the Cinderlands on their own, without the aid of the Boneslayers or other Shoanti help.  And their judge will be Krojun!

Having passed one test only to learn of another, Goldcape, The Reckoner, and Anorak trudge back to Flameford and spend the day recovering from their ordeal in a guest yurt.  When they wake in the late afternoon, Goldcape dispatches a boy from the camp to deliver a message to the Boneslayers: with gratitude for their aid, they can return to the Kallow Mounds.  The trio discuss what to do for their final test—return to the House of the Moon to enlist the support of a Truthspeaker, follow the Harrower’s seeming direction to have Goldcape be swallowed by Cindermaw, or slay more enemies of the Sklar-Quah.  With Cressida Kroft’s mysterious resistance operation planned in just five days’ time, the trio decide to gamble on a short trip to the south, where they fought purple worms on their way into the Cinderlands, in the hopes they can quickly prove to Krojun their ability to survive in the wilderness and then return to Flameford for the Sun Shaman’s information about the source of Ileosa’s invincibility.

Still unable to endure the full rigors of the heat of the Cinderlands, the trio decide to leave immediately and travel at night.  The Reckoner removes the bulging saddlebags from their horses and leaves them safely in the yurt.  Krojun is waiting for them near one of the near-invisible paths through the spike stones that surround Flameford.  Arms crossed over his chest, he looks at the three with scepticism, and says he will provide no advice or assistance, even should their lives be in danger.  With Goldcape flying on Rocky’s back, Anorak and the Reckoner riding unencumbered mounts, and Krojun trying to keep pace on his own horse, the group set off in a generally southerly direction.

 

It’s a dark night, and soon it becomes obvious how futile it is to try to find purple worms tracks at night.  After hours of searching, Goldcape at least finds a rocky overhang that will provide them some shade against the day’s heat.  The Reckoner continues to tease Krojun, but he replies dismissively that they travel like Moon Maidens.

 

[Fireday, 10 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

 

After sleeping most of the day, the group continue moving slowly southward so Goldcape can try to find the signs of purple worms.  Just before dusk, she notices a wide, smooth line in the reddish sand and follows it to a pit.  Remembering how their Boneslayer escorts previously fell into just such a pit, the trio surmise it must lead to underground tunnels formed by the massive burrowing creatures.  Using a grappling hook, The Reckoner makes it easy for everyone to climb down—though they have to leave their horses at the top.  Knowing that purple worms can sense vibrations in the ground, the trio then start making lots of noise (and light) as they explore the labyrinthine tunnels.  Krojun rolls his eyes, but follows at a distance.

But in their attempt to lure a purple worm, the trio unwittingly stumble into an ambush by cave giants!  With bestial tusks jutting from their jaws and armor patched together from the bones and hides of previous victims, six of the hunched-over monsters appear from multiple side tunnels.  Anorak reacts quickly and conjures a magical doorway before grabbing The Reckoner’s arm and pulling him through—both reappear behind two of the startled giants!  But that leaves four for Goldcape and Rocky, as Krojun keeps his promise and stays out of the fighting.  Goldcape shouts in concern, but she’s far from helpless, conjuring ice spear after ice spear to devastate the giants!  She and Rocky then retreat, leaving no one in between the giants and Krojun.  Forced to fight (only somewhat reluctantly) he drops one of the giants with thundering smashes from his earthbreaker.  Once the giants closest to him are dispatched, The Reckoner rushes to fight the others, tumbling through a clumsy giant’s legs to attack it from behind.  In a matter of seconds, the battle is over, with Anorak stating giants aren’t nearly as tough as he expected.  The three tease Krojun about how the “observer” was forced to fight after all.

Exploration of the subterranean passages continues, with Anorak cleverly leaving magical marks behind so the group can find their way back.  Goldcape finds fresh markings and loose scales, and leads the group to a well-travelled section of the tunnel where multiple branches converge in a sort of crossroads.  The group decide to stay put and again make noise to try to draw out a purple worm, and this time they’re successful—but in drawing out two!  The Reckoner makes the smart tactical move of having the group retreat down one of the tunnels so only one of the worms can attack at a time.  As the first one surges down the tunnel, The Reckoner hammers away, killing it with startling ease.  However, Goldcape is scratched by the worm’s tail stinger, and feels her muscles weakening just as the sound of the second purple worm draws closer and closer!

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

GM Commentary

This session was pretty much all improv by me.  I think maybe the PCs hadn't gained enough Respect Points to get the Sun Shaman's information yet, and thus the additional test to see if they could survive the Cinderlands on their own.  It also gave them some more opportunity to interact with Krojun.  Able to take on multiple cave giants and purple worms, the group is certainly not underpowered when it comes to combat!

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 50 [RPG]

[Starday, 4 Erastus 4708 A.R., continued]
 
The Reckoner, Goldcape, and the Boneslayers can’t help but be impressed by Anorak’s display of pure magical might in the aftermath of his long-range incineration of the bulettes.  If the spectacle has drawn any unwanted attention to them, there’s no sign of it as they continue marching through the night toward Flameford.
 
[Sunday, 5 Erastus 4708 A.R.]
 
By sleeping all day and walking all night, the Harrowed Heroes continue to get closer to their destination.  With the Boneslayers helping them find sources of shade and avoid the myriad natural dangers of the Cinderlands, the group moves slowly but steadily.  Over a meal, Nalmid asks the Korvosans what their greatest battle was prior to coming to the Shoanti lands.  Anorak says it was against the Arkonas, shortly after he met the others.  The Reckoner says it was against Lady Andaisin’s Cult of Urgathoa in their hidden sanctuary under the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden.  Goldcape names a recurring foe, the necromancer Rolth Lamm.  Talk turns to Flameford, and a plan is made for the Boneslayers to camp some distance away from the Sklar-Quah’s settlement to avoid prejudicing them further against the tshamek.  Shadfrar, the Boneslayer who knows the Sklar-Quah the best, expresses concern that the visitors might meet outright violence.  He says it’s a shame that the group was unable to find a Truthspeaker to accompany them, as such a revered guest would put even the Sklar-Quah on their best behaviour.

[Moonday, 6 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

Following Hargev’s advice to detour around a rock formation that holds a roc’s nest, the group enter a region where long grasses poke above the red soil of the Cinderlands.  Here, in Sklar-Quah territory, herds of aurochs—a type of cattle—can roam and graze.  But the thundering sound of approaching hooves marks not an aurochs stampede, but a patrol of Sklar-Quah burn riders!  The riders spur their mounts to gallop in a tighter and tighter ring around the outsiders in a frightening display.  “Sharatok, tshamek,” says one of the riders as the ring slows.  “Storval dharanok ekbit roark Shoanti.”  Fortunately, both Goldcape and The Reckoner know enough Shoanti to realise they’ve received a formal (but cold) greeting, alongside a warning that the Sklar-Quah defend these lands against trespassers.  Goldcape, flying on Rocky above the tense encounter, begins a long explanation of the group’s quest.  But The Reckoner interrupts and says they’ve come to meet Krojun.  The burn riders roar with laughter and their leader responds: “If you wish to see Krojun Eats-What-He-Kills, then so be it!”  The Shoanti whoop as they race toward Flameford to bring word of visitors.  Ahalak says he and the other Boneslayers will camp nearby, and that the Korvosans should continue on their own.

It’s clear the Sklar-Quah had defence in mind when they pitched their yurts to establish Flameford.  Nestled against the edge of an almost-sheer 80’ high cliff on one side and surrounded by a maze of magically-grown spike stones, no enemy could approach Flameford on foot without great difficulty.  A boy is sent to guide the tshamek along the unmarked, zigzagging paths through the spike stones and into the camp itself: a collection of about two dozen yurts, a massive central fire pit, and a horse corral.  The clan’s imposing leader, Chief Ready-Klar, is waiting, as is the stoic Sun Shaman, an amused-looking Krojun, and several other members of the tribe.  When told imperiously by Chief Ready-Klar to state why they have intruded upon Sklar-Quah lands, The Reckoner replies with words that are perfectly pitched for his audience.  Still, it obviously comes as quite a surprise to many of the Shoanti assembled when Chief Ready-Klar doesn’t have them peremptorily ejected.  Instead, he tells the newcomers to wait while he confers with the Sun Shaman. 

 When the two return, the Sun Shaman speaks for the first time.  He says the visitors are still tshamek and not worthy of the sacred knowledge passed down amongst Sklar-Quah shamans since time out of mind.  But, he adds, there is a way for even tshamek to prove themselves as allies of the Sklar-Quah—they could petition to take a Trial.  Outraged at the mere suggestion, Krojun interjects and says these outsiders aren’t even worthy of that!  He says they’ve only survived the Cinderlands because Boneslayer guides have acted as nursemaids along every step they’ve taken.  The Sun Shaman looks on silently while Anorak, Goldcape, and The Reckoner make their case in a battle of words every bit as brutal as a game of sredna.  Finally, the Sun Shaman has made up his mind.  “It is decided,” he says.  “The petition is granted.  At dawn, they shall take the Trial.”  Krojun bellows into the sky, smashes a nearby stone with his bare hands, and summons his thundercallers to ride.

[Toilday, 7 Erastus 4708 A.R.]
 
An hour before dawn, the Sun Shaman enters the guest yurt where the petitioners are staying.  He leads them out through the maze of spike stones and east toward a small plateau that rises about 30 to 40 feet above the ground below.  Several clay columns, each almost ten feet tall, lay on their sides at the bottom of the mesa—the sides of each column are decorated with Shoanti sigils; curiously the top and bottom are rounded, making them obviously unable to stand upright for long on their own.  The Sun Shaman explains that he has chosen the Trial of the Totems.  To be deemed an ally of the Sklar-Quah, a petitioner must carry a totem on their own and, in less than an hour, place it upright on the lower mesa.  Then, that individual must keep their totem upright for a day. At the next sunrise, the petitioner must move their totem to a higher ledge and keep it upright in another depression for an additional day. When the sun rises on the third day, any totem still standing grants the seeker who kept it upright an enduring bond of friendship with the Sklar-Quah.  With the horizon beginning to show the first rays of light, the Sun Shaman says many eyes in Flameford will be turned eastward for the next two days, and then he departs.

 
The Reckoner gets to work immediately.  The clay columns are quite heavy, but he’s able to pick his up and, balancing carefully, take it on the path that leads up to the mesa before depositing it upright in a shallow depression there.  Goldcape and Anorak, however, cannot replicate such an impressive feat, and are reduced to slowly dragging their totems.  With great effort, they each manage to get their totems upright.  Keeping the totems upright seems easy at first, but as hour after hour in the hot sun passes, the merest lapse in concentration can be enough to send one plummeting to the ground.  It’s not long before everyone is completely exhausted, but at least the items discovered in the secret vault in the Acropolis of the Thrallkeepers ensures that food and water are in good supply.  Still, twice in this first day of the gruelling test, Goldcape’s column falls, each time gaining a visible crack in it.
 
[Wealday, 8 Erastus 4708 A.R.]
 
Somehow, minute after minute, hour after hour, the totems have been kept (mostly) upright for a full 24 hours.  As dawn starts on the second day, the petitioners decide to remove their armor and prepare to move the totems up to the mesa’s highest ledge.  In a rare stroke of luck for the Cinderlands, an overcast day takes some of the sting of the sun’s heat away.  Still, the hours of daylight pass slowly, interrupted only by a visit from Krojun!  He walks around the ledge, looking pleased that the Sun Shaman has chosen such a difficult challenge, before departing.
 
Somehow, dusk comes again, marking the final stretch of the laborious task.  But just as victory seems attainable, disaster looms: a full pack of six bulettes can be seen drawing nearer and nearer to the mesa!  While The Reckoner tries frantically to get a wand to work, Goldcape and Anorak casts spells of fire, lightning, and ice to weaken the predators.  But with a crouch, the bulettes are able to leap onto the mesa and pounce!  The Reckoner’s totem gets knocked to the ground, giving the wounded warrior the opportunity to strike back with his war-maul.  Goldcape takes her hand off her totem to help The Reckoner dispatch the attacker, and her totem somehow stays upright for the duration of the battle!  But Anorak finds himself sorely-pressed, with his totem knocked to the ground and a bulette looming over him.  He responds with intense bursts of electrical energy from his waraxe, sending the foe hurtling off the edge of the mesa.  And all the while, an ally silent during the trial proves his worth: Rocky!  The brave roc suffers a deep gash, but kills the remaining bulettes.
 
The Trial of the Totems has begun, and already cracks are appearing.  Can the Harrowed Heroes endure?
-----------------------------
GM's Commentary

I used the Pathfinder Social Combat deck of cards to represent the PCs and Krojun arguing before the Sun Shaman whether or not they should be allowed to take a test to become friends of the tribe.  I thought it worked really well, as the cards turn an important role-playing encounter into something that takes more than a single Diplomacy check to resolve.  Mechanically, it's a little like a Chase but with social skills instead of physical ones.

The Trial of the Totems was very memorable and evocative, and I think it really pushed the characters to their limits (fitting for a chapter devoted to Strength).  My only quibble as the GM is that the hardness of the stones was such that it'd be incredibly hard to actually break one no matter how many times you let it slip.  I kept that from the players though, as I always track hp secretly.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 49 [RPG]

[Wealday, 1 Erastus 4708 A.R. continued]
 
Having freed the House of the Moon from the red reaver which had taken it as a lair, the Harrowed Heroes discuss their next steps.  With the Truthspeaker not guaranteed to arrive until the night of the full moon—a full three days away—The Reckoner and Anorak overrule Goldcape’s suggestion of just waiting and instead decide the group should set out for Flameford at sundown the next night. 
 
Goldcape, however, notices Yraelzin speaking with one of the Moon Maidens and hears something about a journey to the north—away from Flameford.  When the vanara approaches, Yraelzin makes a stunning announcement: he’s leaving!  He explains that it’s become apparent to him that he’s no longer needed, now that Anorak has become so skilled at identifying magic items, The Reckoner prepares himself for every battle with magic boots and wands and armor, and Goldcape can handle the healing when the group’s rare injuries occur.  He’s not leaving permanently, he adds, seeing her look of dismay, but wants to go somewhere he’s really needed.  Yraelzin says that if it’s true the best chance of stopping the giant army’s advance is while they’re besieging Urglin, he may be able to help the orcs turn the tide—and there have been rumors that other tshamek adventurers might be in the area that he could link up with.  Yraelzin promises to check in, via magic, each week, and return to the group as soon as he can—plus, one of the Moon Maidens has agreed to escort him there. 
 

But it’s clear to keen observers that a deeper problem has been brewing within Yraelzin for quite some time: an identity crisis.  Having gradually ceased mentioning Razmir in recent weeks, Yraelzin now makes a symbolic break with his faith: he removes his mask, hands it to Goldcape, and asks her to destroy it for him!  He admits his foray into Harrow reading may have been a desperate attempt to find something else to give him meaning, and that it didn’t really work.  But hopefully, he adds, some time away will give him clarity—and besides, he adds, if someone has to stop the giants, why not “Yraelzin, Master of Magic!”  After the others say their farewells, the former Priest of the Third Step of the Living God departs.

 
Earlier, while Yraelzin was conversing with Goldcape, The Reckoner hatched a plan to lure the Cinderlander into a trap by disguising himself as a Lyrune-Quah Moon Maiden!  Although grateful for the group’s assistance, the real Moon Maidens think the plan too risky and can’t be persuaded to participate.  Nonetheless, The Reckoner walks for two hours into the desert, with Goldcape and Anorak flying some distance away on Rocky’s back.  But the Cinderlander doesn’t appear, and the Korvosans return to the House of the Moon before dawn for some much-needed rest on a day that has mixed joy and sadness.
 
[Oathday, 2 Erastus 4708 A.R.]
 
During a day spent camping in the shade of some rock outcroppings to escape the omnipresent heat, Goldcape calls forth a magical thunderstorm and brings down a bolt of lightning to shatter Yraelzin’s mask.  Once the sun finally starts to slip over the horizon, the travellers continue moving, aided as always by their escorts from the Kallow Mounds.  The Boneslayers don’t move quickly, but they do move cautiously, and help the city-dwellers avoid the many risks an unwary visitor to the Cinderlands might encounter.  A solid sixteen miles in the direction of Flameford are covered before the group set up camp just before dawn.

Dawn is also when the wyverns strike!  Fortunately, the warriors are still wearing their armor and have weapons nearby as the blue, sixteen-foot-long draconic beasts streak down from the sky.  Goldcape, her eyes accommodated to moonlight, sees them first and conjures more nature magic: a heavy hailstorm that batters one of the beasts.  Anorak and The Reckoner still can’t see them as they get ever closer, but then the dwarf’s eyes pick up the lead attacker and he launches a fireball that briefly lights up the night’s sky.  Goldcape conjures more hailstorms and the Boneslayers launch a volley of arrows, wounding the lead wyvern so severely that, when it lands, The Reckoner is able to finish it off.  But the other wyvern, apparently seeking dominance of the skies and irked by an intruder, dives for Rocky!  The roc’s lamellar barding blunts the wyvern’s talons, and the combined ferocity of Rocky’s slashing claws and Goldcape’s magic rapier fell the foul-mouthed attacker just as it decides to flee.

With spirits high from the fight, it takes some time before everyone is able to settle down to sleep.  Anorak and The Reckoner notice that the star markings they received on their palms in the Thrallkeeper’s Acropolis are beginning to fade.  They decide to test out the strange magical gift that accompany the mark, and each calls forth a being from another plane of existence!  The Reckoner summons a fierce-looking bralani from Elysium; the warrior, named Mercil, looks confused to learn there is no evil nearby to smite and fades away.  Anorak makes a very different choice: from the Ethereal Plane, he summons a creature that is completely invisible!  Speaking only in a harsh whisper, the creature (dubbed “Hunter” by the dwarf) promises to do whatever its “master” wishes if it were to be summoned again.
 
[Fireday, 3 Erastus 4708 A.R]
 
Waking again at dusk, the group make good time apart from a quick detour: Anorak is intent on renewing or adding to the magical power of the Thrallkeeper’s Mark by touching the globe in the Acropolis again!  However, nothing happens.  He and The Reckoner try to persuade Goldcape to touch her palm to the globe, but she refuses, saying the risk of being trapped in the globe forever isn’t worth it.
 
After travelling a few more hours, the group again set up camp just before dawn.  The Reckoner is fortunately a light sleeper, because he wakes when he hears a voice—a voice coming from inside his head!  Bishop Keppira d’Bear of Korvosa is sending him a magical communication: “Situation deteriorating.  Church of Abadar swore allegiance to Queen.  Korvosan Guard disbanded, Kroft in hiding.  Grau’s band growing—secret funding? Our plan still on track.”  The Reckoner uses his opportunity to ask whether the mission can be delayed a week, but no response is forthcoming.
 
[Starday, 4 Erastus 4708 A.R.]
 
Travelling by the light of the full moon, Anorak spots the distinctive fins of land-sharks heading to intercept the group.  The dwarf revels in the awesome power of his master of evocation, releasing wave after wave of fire on the predators until they’re utterly incinerated.
 
Criss-crossing the Cinderlands, the Harrowed Heroes have never failed to overcome any foe.  But are they losing the one challenge that perhaps matters most: the race against time?
---------------------------------
GM Commentary

One of the things I'm proudest of in my running of the campaign is Yraelzin.  Since we only had three players to start, I added him as a GM-PC to round the group out to four.  He really came alive during the course of the campaign, and I think his personal story arc evolved in an organic and compelling fashion.  I had him depart here for the rest of Chapter Four to illustrate the "reality" of the danger from the giant armies, and also because, just as he said, he wasn't really needed anymore.  Yraelzin's specialties were identifying magical items and buffing the group, and other PCs took those roles themselves.  Since combats were being won very easily, it seemed like a good time for a story development.

We have a house rule that low-light vision allows you to see normally in dim light.  That really came in handy for Goldcape in the battle against the wyverns, allowing him to see and fight them when the other party members couldn't.

I used the magical messages from Bishop d'Bear to keep up the time pressure in the Cinderlands and to remind the players that the situation in Korvosa wasn't static.

Starfinder Flip-Mat: "Crashed Starship" [RPG]

Man, this ship crashed hard! The Crashed Starship flip-mat for Starfinder features the exterior of a starship that didn't just crash, a big chunk broke off and the rest is buried in the ground almost up to its thrusters.  The crash site design is great, with plenty of debris, some nice artistic rendering of the strained metal exterior, and the giant pile of dirt that's been kicked up.  The other side is the interior of the crashed ship, full of buckled walls, smashed equipment, and torn circuitry.  I like that there's an intriguing little underground tunnel leading away from the ship--did survivors tunnel out, or did something burrow in?  I got to play in an encounter recently on the mat, and it worked well.  A fun idea, well-executed.

Curse of the Crimson Throne Recap # 48 [RPG]

[Toilday, 30 Sarenith 4708 A.R. continued]

After finding the bodies of several slain Moon Maidens and hearing Ahalak’s prediction that the Cinderlander will strike at dawn, the Harrowed Heroes decide to continue travelling through the evening, determined to keep the Boneslayers safe.  With just days until the full moon, the seemingly-barren landscape of the Cinderlands is illuminated to reveal a hidden world of nocturnal activity: redback rattlesnakes, scrub rats, mottled lizards, and more.  Amidst the dry, straggly weeds that grow in patches here and there, short bushes with crimson leaves and more of the bottle-shaped “flask trees” dot the landscape.  And in every direction, strange rock formations, ridges, and deep canyons make travel a difficult, time-consuming affair even with the aid of experienced guides.  After covering almost ten miles, the visitors from the south decide to camp just after midnight, anxious about what the morning will bring.

[Wealday, 1 Erastus 4708 A.R.]

 

Before even the first rays of the sun are visible over the horizon, every member of the group is on their feet, fully-dressed, and ready for battle.  The Reckoner uses multiple wands and his allies use their innate magical powers to cast a dizzying array of abjurations.  But when dawn finally does come, minute after minute passes with no sign of the Cinderlander.  Goldcape uses her nature magic to speak with a snake, and the reptile confirms it hasn’t seen another “two-legged” in the immediate area.  Ahalak looks simultaneously abashed and relieved that his ominous prediction proved wrong.

Deciding to wait out the day’s heat and catch up on some much-needed rest, the Korvosans ask Hargiv to lead them to a place where they can find some shade.  The experienced survivalist finds a nearby rock formation that offers just what the group is looking for.  But just after mid-day, when the sun is at its hottest, rest is interrupted by the appearance of six-legged, bug-like monsters the size of oxen burrowing out of the ground!  One of the monsters bites Goldcape, and its greenish ichor sizzles in the wound like acid!  Anorak tries to leap to her defense, but slips and falls face-first in the dirt.  Two of the Boneslayers get involved in the fight and crush the monster with their earthbreakers before Anorak gathers himself and stuns another with a magical spray of color.  On the far side of the rock formation, The Reckoner easily holds his own against two more of the creatures.  The battle is over almost as quickly as it started, with only minor injuries from what the Boneslayers call “ankhegs.”

Once the sun begins to set and the harsh landscape of the Cinderlands begins to cool somewhat, the group set off again.  The Reckoner asks Hargev about trying to track the Cinderlander, but the Shoanti offers a rueful laugh—none can track the Cinderlander, for is he not a vengeful spirit that glides over the land?  Goldcape flies off with Rocky to look around and returns a little after midnight at about the same time the travellers reach their destination: the House of the Moon!  The silver stone shrine stands atop a low promontory in the foothills.  Although the surrounding rock has been smoothed by ages of wind, the shrine itself somehow remains unweathered, and its entire surface shimmers in the moonlight.  Two side towers attach to the central spire which rises to a height of at least a hundred feet before being capped by a glowing silvery sphere.  Even from a distance, the House of the Moon is a spectacle to behold amidst the stark desolation of the Cinderlands.

 

But before the visitors can approach, their path is blocked by a group of six Moon Maidens emerging from the shadows of nearby rock formations.  The leader, a woman named Tekrakai, demands to know why tshamek would dare approach a site sacred to the Lyrune-Quah.  When told that the visitors are seeking a Truthspeaker, Tekrakai confirms that Truthspeaker Akram is expected at the House of the Moon along with many of her tribe in just a few short days, when the moon is full—but that dangers from within and without may make that impossible.  She explains that a deadly, territorial beast has claimed the shrine as its lair, and that several Moon Maidens have died trying to drive it off.  And perhaps even worse, the Cinderlander has been in the area, hunting those making the yearly pilgrimage to the shrine.

Anorak earns Tekrakai’s trust by recounting the discovery of the bodies of her slain kin and turning over the trophies they wore.  The Reckoner offers his help in slaying the beast in the shrine, explaining that he and his allies are powerful warriors—something the Boneslayers confirm before formally turning their wards over to the Lyrune-Quah.  Tekrakai offers puzzlement as to why all the foreigners but one (Yraelzin) wears the mask of an insect, and The Reckoner explains they are also battle trophies earned by slaying cunning assassins.  Tekrakai is clearly in no position to turn down such sorely-needed assistance, and agrees to a combined assault—one that will begin immediately!

 

Through magical means, The Reckoner turns completely invisible and approaches ahead of the others, planning to launch a surprise attack.  The entrance to the House of the Moon, a thirty-foot-tall archway, is framed by carvings of the long peacock-like tail feathers of an immense star monarch butterfly.  Through it, The Reckoner sees a large gathering hall decorated with religious symbols and imagery, including a massive starknife made of white stone measuring twenty feet from tip to tip!  Resting in the back of the hall is a massive red beast with a stooped-over back, six beady eyes, and tiny wings.  But The Reckoner’s plan of a sneak attack go awry when the head of his war-maul accidentally bangs on the doorframe, alerting the beast to the presence of danger!  The beast rears up and unleashes a terrifying roar that seems to shake the very foundations of the shrine.  Anorak responds instantly, conjuring a huge fireball in the chamber that burns the beast and blackens the white-stone starknife.  The Reckoner rushes in and the Moon Maidens soon follow, surrounding the beast.  Goldcape conjures ice spears that somehow thrust out from the solid stone floor, impaling the beast and flipping it over onto its back!  The stunned beast gets to its feet and tries to bite The Reckoner to stave off more devastating hammer blows, but the clever warrior has prepared by using a wand to conjure illusory duplicates.  When Goldcape calls forth yet more magical ice spears, the beast is slain.  “We are invincible!” shouts Yraelzin, exulting in a victory that was almost bloodless on the attackers’ side.

Tekrakai and her band are overjoyed that the House of the Moon can be readied for the coming assembly, and quickly forgive an apologetic Anorak for the scorching of the chamber.  Talk turns to how to stop the Cinderlander.  Tekrakai says her people are nomadic and could come from any direction, so it’s not feasible to provide escorts to all of them.  Yraelzin continues his newfound penchant for relying on the Harrow, and has Goldcape draw a card; when the vanara draws The Fiend, pictured as a giant devouring worm, Yraelzin interprets it to mean that if the group seek out Cindermaw, they’ll encounter the Cinderlander as well.  But The Reckoner is dismissive of Yraelzin’s skill at Harrowing, and asks Tekrakai if she has any ideas.  She speculates that if a Moon Maiden travelled alone, posing as a messenger, that could lure the Cinderlander out of hiding and perhaps into an ambush—but such an idea would be extremely dangerous.  Goldcape says it sounds too dangerous, and the group should just wait for Akram or go find Cindermaw.

 

Although flush with a victory that will surely improve their standing in the eyes of the Shoanti, the Harrowed Heroes continue to have difficult choices to make.

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GM Commentary

I did a much better job in these recaps describing the unique flora and fauna of the Cinderlands than I did in sessions.  I always find it difficult in-session to remember to describe vegetation and wildlife, or to do so in a way that makes it interesting instead of something that's just met with a shrug.  It's a good reminder that all GMs, no matter how long they've been running games, have strengths and weaknesses.

I don't remember exactly why the Cinderlander didn't strike, but my guess is he observed the *extensive* magical preparations the group went through and decided to bide his time for a better opportunity.  He's not stupid, after all, and fighting a fully-buffed group of alert adventurers would have been a losing proposition.

The Reckoner rolled a natural 1 on his Stealth check trying to sneak into the House of the Moon, which led to some great drama.  Occasions like this are why I keep natural 1s as automatic failures for skill checks as a house rule--they make things interesting!  (The Reckoner's player responded by investing in special abilities so he could Take 10 with particular skills even during combat, which I think is a fair trade-off)

The Red Reaver was defeated handily.  At this point, the group was clearly more than a match even for the toughest opponents in the Cinderlands, and really only struggled when it came to surviving the climate!

Starfinder: "Spell Cards" [RPG]

I'm not usually a fan of player-oriented card decks (like item cards) because I find them cumbersome to use and usually incomplete.  Thus, I only got the Starfinder Spell Cards box because I subscribe to the entire line.  However, playing through the Liberation of Locus-1 recently, I pulled out the box as an experiment and was pleasantly surprised.  Characters in Starfinder have a lot fewer spells to worry about than their Pathfinder equivalents, and it was easy for me and another player to quickly assemble a full spell deck.  From there, flipping through our personal decks was much faster than looking up the spells in the Core Rulebook (something I'm pretty good at!).  

Every spell in the Core Rulebook is in the deck, with longer spells getting the double-sided treatment and shorter cards having the same graphic on the back.  The cards are numbered alphabetically and contain all the information that is in the book, so they can be a complete substitute.  The only complaints I can make sort of come with the territory: if multiple players have the same spell, you'd need multiple box sets; for spells outside the Core Rulebook, you'd need to have the supplementary deck; and if the box gets tipped over, it can be a pain to get a bazillion cards back in order (something that happened to us just the other night).  Overall though, I'm happy with the product and will likely keep using it.

Pathfinder Society Scenario # 9-14: "Down the Verdant Path" [RPG]

NO SPOILERS

I played Down the Verdant Path at high subtier with my completely-randomly-generated multiclass gnome Jilla.  I had no idea what to expect, but it ended up being the perfect scenario for her.  It's a cleverly-written, memorable scenario that really makes the most of a part of the Golarion setting we don't often get to interact with.  I'd certainly recommend it.

SPOILERS!

Down the Verdant Path has a pretty cool backstory, though I have to admit I don't think I got any of it during actual gameplay (it's likely it was there and I just wasn't paying attention).  The gist is that decades ago, a flamboyant First World gnome sorcerer named Azure was punished by one of the Eldest for trying to steal some of the plane's treasures.  The punishment took the form of draining Azure of color and exiling him to Golarion, where he would presumably die from the Bleaching.  However, Azure didn't give up, and instead quested to find a way back to the First World and finally (recently) discovered a portal from the Verduran Forest in northern Andoran.  Azure can feel the palette bag (containing the colors stripped from him) just on the other side of the portal, but knows it's guarded by members of the Wild Hunt--a band of legendary fey hunters.  So Azure has decided to wait, hoping that with a little luck a band of adventurers would come by and be willing to assist.  And as a fey, Azure's luck is pretty good!

The PCs get involved when the Pathfinder Society hears reports of strange weather patterns coming from that area of the forest.  Venture-Captain Brackett sends them via boat to the town of Bellis to meet a local (retired) agent, a gnome herbalist named Falbin.  When they arrive, the PCs find Falbin arguing with a stately woman (secretly a janni) named Jamila.  Both Falbin and Jamila are NPCs who appeared in previous PFS scenarios; I remember Jamila way back from # 0-3, Murder on the Silken Caravan!  (and there are some good additional bits for PCs who have the relevant Chronicle sheets)  Anyway, Falbin and Jamila plan to accompany the PCs to the site of the bizarre weather disturbances.  On the way, the two speculate about what's causing it.  Falbin thinks it's a problematic group of local druids, while Jamila thinks it's a planar rift.  The fun part is that the PCs can wager on which theory they think is most likely (betting gold pieces against minor magical consumables), and gather clues (through skill checks) to support their side.  It's a novel idea and good for some early role-playing.

Just two miles south of Bellis, the weather and landscape suddenly turn freezing cold and studded with junglelike growth.  Soon after entering the unnatural area, the group encounters a father-and-son pair of giant intelligent frogs.  This was a really fun encounter, as (assuming someone like Jamila casts speak with animals) the frogs have hilarious banter as the father tries to persuade the son that humans are a "healthy snack option".  It's really cute, and the sort of slightly skewed theme of the First World in the scenario starts to become really apparent.

After another mile's travel through increasingly tropical conditions, the group arrive at an abandoned elven settlement called Deepstead.  There, they meet the completely hue-less Azure and learn (through some really well-written dialogue) about what's going on.  Jamila and Falbin plan to start working on a ritual to close the portal, while the PCs are tasked with entering and trying to bring back Azure's palette bag.  To enter the portal, a PC has to give up something meaningful to them--my PC sacrificed her rolling pin.  Once in the portal, a skill we don't see come up often in Pathfinder Society games becomes important: Swim!  The PCs are instantly immersed in freezing water on the shores of a wintry forest, and the longer it takes them to get out of it, the more nonlethal damage they'll be taking (and the longer it'll take them to join the encounter that's about to start).  

As the PCs get to shore, they'll be peppered with arrows from the first member of the Wild Hunt, a vanara ranger sitting on a tree branch about ten feet off the ground.  This encounter was a good one, as traditional melee combat wasn't an option and I don't think any of us PCs had much in the way of ranged attacks.

The area of the First World the PCs find themselves in is called Whirlwood, and it features incredibly rapidly-changing seasons: from round to round!  The seasons have different effects in combat, and were another memorable way of making it clear that the PCs were far from the Inner Sea.  Soon the group will find an area of the Whirlwood called Heartgrove, where they can see a dozen or more bindle bags hanging high up on tree branches.  One of them must be Azure's palette bag, but which?  To make things harder, there's a nasty plant monster guarding the trees (that, at high subtier, release some hallucinogenic spores that really messed up our group).  And then to make things worse, the other four members of the Wild Hunt arrive!  It's all fun and games until it's a near TPK, and this encounter nearly got there.  And in an ironic twist, anyone trying to run away from the Heartgrove simply enters it from another direction: it's a fey realm, after all!  (there's a trick to getting out that the PCs might learn during the encounter)  The good news is that the members of the Wild Hunt argue and bicker amongst themselves, and there's a fair chance they'll spend time fighting each other as well as the PCs.  I imagine that with the changing seasons and multiple NPCs, this is a challenging encounter for the GM to run.

Assuming they survive the battle, the PCs can retrieve Azure's palette bag and return to the frozen lake to take the portal back to Golarion.  They'll find their sacrificed item comes back to them, but with a randomly-rolled twist; for example, Jilla's rolling pin now cries like a baby when left alone!  The epilogue features a meeting with Ashasar, leader of the new Concordance faction, who tries to recruit the PCs (as does Jamila).  

I thought Down the Verdant Path was a blast.  It definitely had a fey-themed flavour, which I imagine is a hard writing challenge.  The encounters were maybe a touch more difficult than I would like, but I guess by Season 9 most PCs were pretty pumped-up combat wise.  I definitely have some fun memories of the game, and Jilla's crying rolling pin won't ever let me forget it . . .