ep 13 Runelords of the Shattered Star 8/1/4712 - Against the Bullywugs

A sunny morning. Keelan & Neril spot the Pyrohydra moving east to feast on the corpses on the battlefield. Quillax leads a group of troglodytes into the swamp to locate the herbs for her Filth Fever cure, while Anastasia the 'demon emissary of Zevgizab' stays to guard the trog caves and bond with the giant alligator. The trog priest Ugilo assigns to the group five trog warriors including his son Ugilo Junior, a powerful trog warrior, one of those healed by Quillax.

Three of the group (Neril Keelan Sephiria) sneak south to the Pyrohydra cave while it's out and grab the best items from its piles of treasure, then rendezvous with the five trogs at the stream and head west to the bullywug village, joined by Gedout.

Ugilo Junior sneaks into the village and rescues a diseased trog maiden, Azoresh, from the Filth Fever hut, then proceeds to ravish her. Two trogs take her home. The group then sneak into the village, but a strange frog/octopus monster in the central pit raises the alarm. A fat female bullywug emerges with several others and uses enchanted arrows to explode Ugilo Jnr's two trog warriors. The group fall back, but Keelan blinds the female bullywug leader - she hops into the tadpole-infested lake to escape - then uses a fireball orb to blast the pursuing bullywugs, turning the tide. The party counter-attack, cutting them down - three bullywug survivors flee.

The group loot the chief's hut then head west to the bullywug's temple-cave, dispatching four more bullywugs. The enemy chief Daghop appears, a bullywug barbarian who fights fiercely but falls before their combined onslaught. Further in some giant frogs are easily dispatched. The tunnels beyond are coated with an ochre substance Sephiria identifies as Solifigud repellent/soporific. The group return to the trog caves to report and rest overnight. Quillax has returned with the herbs to brew a cure for the filth-fevered troglodytes.

The Pathfinder Society

The Pathfinder Society
The Pathfinder Society has existed for more than
400 years. Members include treasure hunters,
explorers, tomb raiders, historians, and vagabonds
who roam the farthest reaches of the world seeking lost
relics and answers to the world’s most enigmatic and
dangerous riddles. These heroes brave vine-choked
jungle ruins, ascend snow-capped peaks, and comb
sun-seared desert sands in search of buried tombs and
monuments of bygone ages.
Society members send records of their exploits to
their venture-captain superiors, who in turn review
them for accuracy before forwarding the manuscripts
to the leaders of the Pathfinder Society. The most
exciting and enlightening of these have the potential
to be printed and distrubuted as volumes of the famed
Pathfinder Chronicles.
Though the Pathfinder Society itself isn’t concerned
with the specific actions of individual Pathfinder
agents, they require those agents and their actions to 
conform to the general code of exploration, reporting,
and cooperation. Those Pathfinders deemed incapable of
following these simple rules are removed from the Society.
Most Pathfinders are trained in the necessary skills
at the Grand Lodge in Absalom, but a few experienced
adventurers are given field commissions in the Society
once they’ve proved they’re capable. Such is likely the case
for most Pathfinders participating in the Shattered Star
Adventure Path.
The Society is directed by the Decemvirate—10 masked
and secret members whose identities are protected even
from each other. It’s not known how long each Decemvirate
member occupies the position; likewise, every aspect
of their existence, from nomination to election, from
meetings to formal public functions, and from day-today
functions to retirement, is utterly mysterious. The
identity of the Ten is the Society’s most closely guarded
secret—one, some say, that the Decemvirate is willing to
kill to protect.
The Pathfinder Society is based at the sprawling Grand
Lodge of Absalom, but the organization as a whole has
many official lodges spread throughout the Inner Sea
and toeholds across Golarion.
Goals of the Society: Explore, Report, and Cooperate
The Society recognizes no formal bylaws, but adherence
to a general code of behavior is expected of all members,
and evidence of behavior contrary to this code is grounds
for removal from the organization. The three most
important member duties are as follows.
Explore: Pathfinders are expected to further the
knowledge and reputation of the Society by traveling to
distant lands, unearthing forbidden secrets, and piecing
together the secret history of the world. Agents are
encouraged to travel uncharted lands in search of ever
more fantastic mysteries.
Report: In the course of their adventures, Pathfinders
are expected to keep detailed journals, maps, and
accounts of their exploits. At the conclusion of a
successful mission, agents send a copy of their notes to
their immediate superior, a regional venture-captain,
who makes a full analysis (often involving divination).
Records of especially noteworthy exploits make their
way to Absalom and the Decemvirate, who compile
the best tales into irregularly published editions of
the Pathfinder Chronicles, which in turn make their way
back to venture-captains for distribution to Pathfinder
agents in the field.
Cooperate: The Society places no moral obligations
upon its members, so agents span all races, creeds,
and motivations. At any given time, a Pathfinder
lodge might house a fiend-summoning Chelaxian,
an Andoren freedom fighter, an antiquities-obsessed
Osirian necromancer, and a friendly Taldan raconteur.
Pathfinder agents are expected to respect one another’s
claims and stay out of each other’s affairs unless offering
a helping hand.


Heidmarch Manor

Heidmarch Manor is the home of two of Magnimar’s
most eccentric citizens: esteemed hunters, explorers, and
Pathfinders Sheila Heidmarch and her husband Sir Canayven Heidmarch. 
The world-traveling adventurers
have retired to Magnimar, but have not been content to
settle into the quiet life, instead opening their sizable
manor to the Pathfinder Society. The first Pathfinder lodge
in Varisia welcomes all members eager to explore the still
relatively unknown land, including the surrounding region
and the mysterious City of Monuments itself. Visiting
members of the Pathfinder Society are welcomed to the
manor by comfortable lodgings, a well-stocked library of
far-flung lore, and its owners’ sagely advice.

Magnimar

Magnimar City info - from the free Shattered Star Player's Guide 





Magnimar Major NPCs

Built in the shadow of megaliths, Magnimar
endlessly endeavors to surpass the overwhelming
scale and grandeur of the ancient wonders that
litter the Varisian landscape. A place of great opportunity,
social stress, and cold beauty, the city exudes the air of
a southern metropolis, seeking to rise above its ignoble
beginnings as a refuge for Korvosan outcasts to become
a beacon of culture and freedom in an unforgiving
land. Yet its towering monuments, elegant gardens,
ostentatious architecture, and elaborate sculptures form
but a cracked mask over a struggling government and a
desperate people in need of heroes.
Magnimar’s founders were adventurers, and the spirit
of the adventurer and explorer keeps the heart and soul
of Magnimar alive. It should thus come as no surprise
that the monuments the city is so well known for often
have ties to adventuring themes. In addition, many of
the major works have been magically empowered over
the years. The source of these enhancements are hotly
debated—some assume they were created by now-dead or
anonymous spellcasters as a gift to the city, while others
suspect these magical effects instead represent a legacy of
ancient Thassilonian wizardry lingering in the region’s
stones. In truth, these effects are manifestations of the
mysterious patrons of the Seacleft region, the ancient
empyreal lords so beloved and venerated over the past
several thousand years by Varisia’s native people. These
lords have welcomed the land’s newest settlers, though
their welcome is subtle.
With many of the monuments, boons are granted to
those who perform minor acts of worship and respect to
Magnimar, its monuments, and the empyreal lords who
watch over the city. Any nonevil intelligent creature who
performs a specific act before one of these magically
charged monuments and makes a successful skill check
awakens the monument’s magic, and, in return, gains a
small bonus of some sort with a duration of 24 hours. A
single person can never have more than one monumentgranted
bonus in effect at any one time; attempts to gain a
second bonus before the first wears off automatically fail.
In addition, a person can only attempt to benefit from a
monument bonus a number of times per week equal to
her Charisma modifier (minimum of once per week)—the
city of Magnimar responds most often to those who carry
themselves with greater poise and personality, after all.
Magnimar boasts a population of over 16,000
inhabitants, with the great majority of those being
humans. In turn, most of these humans are ethnic
Chelaxians and Varisians, and while Shoanti and Sczarni
maintain a large presence in the city, they are essentially
marginalized and considered troublemakers. Half lings
make up the next largest demographic, followed by elves
and dwarves. The remainder of the population consists of
gnomes and half-breed races.
The city is split in two by a massive cliff face, separating
the city into two major districts. The one atop the cliff
is called the Summit and the one below that meets
with Varisian Gulf is called the Shore. The slums of
Magnimar, known as the Shadow since that district sees
little sun during the day, lies below the Irespan, a colossal
and ancient bridge ruined ages ago. In terms of the trade
and purchase of magic items, Magnimar has a base value
of 12,800 and a purchase limit of 75,000 gp.
Heidmarch Manor, a Pathfinder Lodge and home base for
characters in this Adventure Path, is found in the Alabaster
District located in the Summit. Other districts throughout
the city offer locations that may interest adventurers. The
Bazaar of Sails, easily the largest free market in Varisia
where all manner of goods can be found, is located in
Dockway as well as in Old Fang, a popular watering hole.
Temples to various deities can be found in the City of
Monuments. The Dome of the Savored Sting, a temple of
Calistria, is found in the Keystone District; this district
is also home to the Church of Pharasma, which tends to
the city’s dead and newborns. Deadeye Lodge, a church of
Erastil, can also be found here, as can the Cynosure Tower,
a church dedicated to Desna. Up on the Summit in the Naos
District lies the Church of Iomedae, and just a few blocks
away stands the Cathedral of Abadar. While in the Keystone
District, those studying arcane magic might want to visit
the Stone of the Seers, a school that focuses on educating
casters in abjuration and divination magic.
On the edge of the cliff overlooking the Varisian
Gulf, many seek entertainment at Serpent’s Run, a huge
hippodrome that features all manner of exciting events
from decathlons, horse and dog races, displays of magic, 
circus performances, and mock-gladiatorial battles. Just
across the Capital District in the district of Naos rises
Magnimar’s tallest structure, the Arvensoar, home to
Magnimar’s military forces.
On the opposite banks of the Yondabakari River lies
Ordellia, known also as the Foreign Quarter. Those
seeking potions and other alchemical products often
search out Billivin’s Benevolent Balms and Effulgent
Elixirs, though some doubt the reliability of his wares.

PC Attributes

Keelan Nightsky (Sorshen Clone Body), Half-Elf Azlanti Human Bard:
ST 10 DE 17 CO 14 IN 19* (15) WIS 13 CHA 16
*'Natural' INT is 15 without the headband of intellect.
Trix, faerie dragon familiar:
ST 3 DE 20 CO 13 IN 14 WI 12 CH 16

Sephiria Kaddren, Human Bladesinger Wizard:
ST 8 DE 16 CON 14 INT 18 WIS 12 CHA 8
Feat - Resilient (Con).

Neril, Human Monk:
STR 12 (+1) DEX 18 (+4) CON 13 (+1) INT 8 (-1) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 10 (0)
Feat - Observant Feat

PC - Keelan Nightsky, Half-Elf Bard (RIP M1 4712 AR) (Joe)

Keelan is a Half-Elf orphan who was brought to the long gone Night Sky orphanage in Riddleport by a travelling band of Starstone Brewers. The exact nature of his origin is unknown to him and not something he has ever paused to give much thought.

The only memory he recalls is watching, with an intense and permanent fascination, one of the travellers playing some manner stringed instrument. Over the following years he would spend much of his free time learning to play a variety of instruments. This allowed him to earn a small amount of coin busking in the harbour or in the many taverns that he would split with his best friend and accomplice in mischief Aleana.

However, Riddleport would provide other opportunities as they grew up. The pair had a strong bent towards adventure and learning and would often spend nights breaking into the libraries’ of the many scholars present in the city. Keelan picked up particular interests in languages, storytelling and anything that detailed mechanical invention, most often of Gnomish origin.

Not all the opportunities the city would provide were so carefree however. Over time Keelan would put his musical gifts and regular residency in the taverns to fence many low key goods. Aleana would solicit business incoming at the docks while Keelan would organise the exchanges, for a small fee of course. A few pilfered sacks of grain here, some dubiously obtained casks of ale there, rarely anything of significance.

This provided a small but steady stream of income and kept them below the radar of the more organised criminal groups. Or so they thought. During one of his regular musical sessions several sizeable thugs burst into the tavern, weapons drawn, and made straight for Keelan. He managed to make a hasty exit and found his way back to the secluded, abandoned building he and Aleana called home.

To his horror upon entering he found that the already run down building had been completely turned over and in the middle of the floor laid the lifeless body of Aleana, a dagger in her chest with a single blood soaked playing card skewered upon the blade. Keelan hastily grabbed what possessions he could and abandoned the city.

He spent the next few years coping with the sorrow while learning to deal both with the confusion over what had occurred and the loss of his dearest friend and lifelong companion. He spent this time travelling from town to city plying his trade as a musician and labourer earning coin until recently arriving in Magnimar. It is time he got his life back on track, if only to honor the memory of his friend, and upon hearing the Pathfinders were recruiting his sense of adventure and love of learning are again piqued.

ep 12 Runelords of the Shattered Star 3-8/1/4712 - Curse of The Lady's Light #1

3/1/4712: On a drizzly winter afternoon, Sheila Heidmarch summons a group of Pathfinders to Heidmarch Manor for their latest mission - to find the next part of the Shattered Star! Group decides to take ship to the Lady's Light; on the way to the docks to meet the Captain they run into a dodgy busker Keelan recognises as Sambin Turshaw of Riddleport, and his youthful companions (Marlan & Shevy Grindsmord) who are picking the crowd's pockets... Gedout interrupts things, Sephiria loosens a lute screw, ending the peformance, and Keelan extorts half of Sambin's donations. Four sailors from the good ship Wanton Ways escort the party on deck; they speak with her captain Yarnelle Fessender and arrange transit to the Lady's Light.

5/1/4712: The Wanton Ways sets sail at dawn. Sheila has provided 2 weeks of iron rations. That night fellow passenger Dialla Marteme slits the throat of Chubby Sewel, the unpopular second mate (brother of first mate Pockeye Sewel), but when caught she persuades the group he had it coming for murdering her 13 year old sister back in Kaer Maga 17 months ago. Chubby's corpse is thrown overboard with the ship's boat, Dialla assumes his appearance.

6/1/4712: Next morning at breakfast everyone comments how much nicer Chubby is. The ship comes in close to shore northwest of the Lady's Light to let down the party's boat. Dialla hands over a dragonstooth dagger & ring of protection to Keelan in thanks/payment.
The Wanton Ways will be coming back this way in two weeks (20/1/4712) - the party can light a signal fire if they want picked up then.
With Quillax swimming alongside in shark form the boat rows in to shore, to a mossy hut atop a small island, home of Maroux, a one-eyed half-orc witch. Her seaweed, rat and swamp water broth does not sit well with Keelan or Quillax -  Gedout enjoys the home-style cooking. After some bickering the party agree to fetch her Kelpie's Hair seaweed from the wreck of the Impdrake - shark-Quillax does so, despite the objections of the skeleton crew. Maroux tells them of the Gray Maidens that have come to the Lady's Light under Captain Oriana. Sephiria  Kaddren recalls the tale of Oriana's many deaths at the hands (arrows) of Naglatha, a follower of Good King Tsadok Arabasti, who three years ago liberated the city of Korvosa from the tyrant Queen Ileosa and her Gray Maiden warrior knights. Not all the Maidens surrendered to King Tsadok's just mercy, some have become outlaws and mercenaries. According to Maroux, ten days ago Oriana visited Marou claiming that Sorshen, Thassilon's Runelord of Lust, had risen again in the Lady's Light. Oriana tried to recruit Maroux, who declined. Anastasia interrogates Maroux, who admits that there was a faint sulphurous stench around Oriana that time. Anastasia suspects a Succubus is at work.
That evening the party return again to the wreck to destroy the skeletons & seize the dead captain's enchanted rapier. Maroux lets them rest in her hut overnight. She seems to quite fancy Gedout, but declines his offer of 'help around the hut'.

7/1/4712: The party head south over Maroux's skull-bedecked bridge, through woods and around Lake Gaulos, to the scene of a recent battle between troglodytes and bullywugs. Amidst the carnage they find a filth-fever infected dagger and a trog holy symbol of their demon-god, Zevgavizeb.
Reaching the trog lair west of the lake, the party detect the trap in the trogs' oil-drenched barricade. Negotiations prove inconclusive until Anastasia appears as 'Emissary of Zevgavizeb' and is taken into the foul-smelling lair. Confronted by the trog priest Uggilo, she summons a great mass of writhing tentacles, apparently convincing the reptile-men of her bona fides. The others are permitted entrance. Anastasia demands and receives the service of Uggilo's giant crocodile, while Sephiria chats with a spell-tranced trog who reveals the back entrance tunnel to the lair, and Quillax cures several filth-fevered trogs; also teaching the trogs a brew that should help cure the disease.

8/1/4712: The group rest overnight in the dune-grass of the hillocks above the trog lair. Two trogs succumb to filth fever overnight. Next morning the party make plans to continue their quest, now with allies...

PC - Neril, Human Monk (Francis)

Some things are elementary mistakes when on the streets. You do not rob adventurers. You do not steal magic items. You do not run away from monks.  And in one fateful day Neril managed to break all three. And it then took the monk in question twenty minutes to run the exhausted and terrified ten year old to earth.

[Mechanics note: Urchin ability: Secrets of the City. Double your speed and that of the group you're with when crossing a city. Hence being able to turn a race with a high level monk on home turf into an endurance race.]

If Neril had been brought down in seconds it would probably have been no harm. A minute and he might well have been killed. Twenty minutes across the streets and decks of Magnimar against a master of the Night Wind temple? That sort of talent gets attention, and Neril was recruited (technically after a choice - but his choice was mostly scared nodding). The monk who recruited him went missing a year or two ago - not unexpected for a professional adventurer.

Most of what Neril knows and will say about the temple is complete and utter rubbish; Master Nichael was someone who fled from an older and more skilled temple, invented and stole a tradition he claims reaches back a thousand years, and added in some ridiculous heroes and fortune cookie style "wisdom". And half a dozen other apprentices to compete against/be exploited. And occasionally he'll drop nuggets of wisdom about his training. All true even if some of them sound as if they are from a horror movie.

Neril graduated about a year ago when he started to gain control of shadow magic - Nichael hadn't thought that that would work and made Neril a journeyman before Neril realised that he had tricks his magic-using master didn't (as opposed to elemental magic).
[Francis note: Nichael is LE who pretends to be LN/LG, but is corrupt, cruel, creepy, and sadistic (and possibly a highwayman, using "training excercises" to get carriages derailed) - and razing the temple to end many of the discipline drills and possibly solve a few missing persons cases might be an idea. Neril will resist this of course]

Since then he came back to Magnamar and joined the Pathfinder Society and relearned the city (some of his old routes don't work but he has some new ones). He's in demand for being impossible to sneak up on (a few rogues have tried - but passive perception 20) and by being willing and able to play decoy wizard.