Finding the Spark (Pathfinder 1E Quest)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Fantasy
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- Tags
- pathfinder
OK, it looks like the party is going for the fire gem
*happy Cob noises*
*happy Cob noises*
Arc 2 Post 9: Of the Path Ever Winding
Of the Path Ever Winding
The Season of Still Stone
In the end you decide that the gem makes for the most useful recompense from the trio of merchants. A treasure little used and hard to sell for not many in the tunnels of Nar Voth have the courage to show themselves bearing the broken treasures of the children of Droskar, but one that will serve the four of you will if you are to keep your hand on the black steel ring.
Or rather hands.
Given what you had learned of the thing's nature and the foes it draw to you it is henceforth passed from hand to hand. One almost smiles to imagine the tendrils of Zura's power reaching through dreams and into the minds of folk near and far, of every kinship here, only to break after a day's travel.
Alas that Mina is less amused. If anything, the revelation of the beast snapping at your heels has set her doubting past choices and future plans alike, but most of all she doubts herself. "What am I even doing here? I'm not a hero out of some Mugget-novel fresh out of the peddler's sack, fighting vampires with a prayer on my lips and a heart pure as driven snow! The only reason I'm even still alive is you and Gorok and even Cob... Sorry Cob, I shouldn't have..."
"What's snow?" you ask, thinking to break her out of her foul mood.
The explanation sounds like nonsense, powdery ice that falls from the sky, but at least explaining the thing has the virtue of distracting her. You might not be much of a talker when you're not lying, cheating, or scheming, but you are at least good at listening, and what you hear is at least as familiar as it is strange.
"I don't know what's going to show up if I hang onto it, I don't know where I come from, why I look like..." she waves her hand palm out in front her her face. "This."
"I'm guessing it's the eyes," you say after a moment, looking her up and down critically. "It is just a guess because all the Burnlanders I've seen are long dead. Could be the pallor, the height maybe, you look a little short. In Nar Voth you are just another stranger from above, if one who can see in tunnels without alerting every reaver and beast down the lenght of it. As for what you might draw, not serpent-kin, no snakes, you are too alive to draw ghouls from their necropolises, too sane to draw a derro..."
"Stop, stop I get the point," she shakes her head, face hidden beneath her hair, though not before you spy the hint of a smile. "Truth be told, I'm homesick. Maybe not for by cell in the temple, but for the sky and the fields, for seeing something green that doesn't glow..."
"Cell? You were a prisoner at the temple?" Briefly you imagine Mina as some sort of sacrifice raised for the knife as you had heard in lurid tales of the drow.
"Novices don't have a lot of room to themselves so cell is more fitting. It's supposed to discourage attachment to worldly things," she answers, shifting her pack, containing among other things a fourth of all your common coin should you become lost from one another.
"Did it work?" you prompt, bemused. What was even the point of denying yourself material rewards when one was a material being? Surely one could look to the spirit alone for answers when one is dead.
"Not really. I'd like to learn more, magic and other things... it's expensive." Her tone is almost defiant, as though you were meant to argue with her, but when it becomes clear you have no interest in doing so she is silent a long while.
Gained 450 (Spider Encounter) + 600 (Dealing with the Temple Complex) + 566 (Dark Folk Encounter) = 1,616 XP
It's Pepper who breaks the silence, meowing resentfully at an arc-worm that brings from under his nose with such force that it knocks his head back. Turning heel with regal disdain the cat looks up at Mina thoughtfully.
"Ah..." Mina visibly hesitates. "Pepper wants to know what you think about gods? He's been jumpy ever since that place, the tomb. If you don't want to answer you don't have to. You know how cats are with their curiosity."
As a matter of fact you do not know cats, but something tells you Pepper's mistress also wonders about the state of your soul after you took up the gifts you did from the hand of the unliving.
What does Kori think of Gods?
[] He doesn't, the gods are distant things who have done him neither ill or good until recently
[] He would like to find a god he can follow
[] He would bargain with them if they are so minded, but not give up all of himself
[] Write in
OOC: Next up Cauldron and then the vote on the next adventure.
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- Location
- Germany
Ignoring the gods is not something an oracle can afford to do, I'm afraid.
But we've been dealt a bad enough hand that actually following one is out too.
And on the third hand (where did that come from?), he doesn't have the sheer inborn arrogance to deal with gods as equals either.
[X] I keep my head down and try not to attract more curses, at least until I'm in a position to do more than that.
A bit of a mix of 1 and 3?
Not quite ignoring them, but try to avoid them out of a mix of fear and pessimism.
But we've been dealt a bad enough hand that actually following one is out too.
And on the third hand (where did that come from?), he doesn't have the sheer inborn arrogance to deal with gods as equals either.
[X] I keep my head down and try not to attract more curses, at least until I'm in a position to do more than that.
A bit of a mix of 1 and 3?
Not quite ignoring them, but try to avoid them out of a mix of fear and pessimism.
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
Don't worry, Mina, you're well on your way to becoming a proper adventurer. A little self-doubt is nothing to be concerned about.
That's a nice chunk of accumulated XP right there, too. We're less than 1,000 XP from 3rd level. 🤓
As for the vote, I don't think Kori would have thought much about the gods up to this point. They're largely outside of his cultural frame of reference, and most of what he's heard of them lately has been fairly contradictory; Zura is bad, Desna is good, etc. It seems like from his POV the gods are probably just immensely powerful people, and like people, they run the gamut from good, to decent, to complete assholes.
[X] He doesn't, the gods are distant things who have done him neither ill or good until recently
That's a nice chunk of accumulated XP right there, too. We're less than 1,000 XP from 3rd level. 🤓
As for the vote, I don't think Kori would have thought much about the gods up to this point. They're largely outside of his cultural frame of reference, and most of what he's heard of them lately has been fairly contradictory; Zura is bad, Desna is good, etc. It seems like from his POV the gods are probably just immensely powerful people, and like people, they run the gamut from good, to decent, to complete assholes.
[X] He doesn't, the gods are distant things who have done him neither ill or good until recently
I'm not really opposed to this option, but I don't think Kori would consider the gods as the source of his curse. He's never interacted with them, not even as a worshiper, and as far as he knows they've never interacted with him, up until Zura started making a nuisance of herself. Oracles don't necessarily originate through direct divine intervention, after all, and that's the sense I've gotten in Kori's case. He's a product of nebulous divine power and inborn traits inherited from his weird Dark Folk-Azlanti ancestry, not actual gods.
- Location
- Germany
Eh, his weird powers and shadow-behaviour can be explained as natural traits, but the fact that trying to be diplomatic invariable worsens his relationships with other people makes for a very obvious Curse.
Nothing less than a great power can so thoroughly fuck with your life, I think.
- Location
- St. Petersburg
It is true that gods have been a non-presence in this LP so far, and neither we nor Kori had a reason to think about it much. However, all choices on offer are in character, and the question becomes, do we want a closer involvement with gods? Having bought into the concept of an oracle, I lean towards 'yes', and I find Artemis1992's point valid.
I think his relationship with religion would be transactional, given his upbringing, but 'power for service' should make sense to him.
[x] If there is a god that aligns with what he already believes in, and he can get empowered by following them, he would see no reason to refuse.
However, it works both ways. What may have been broken by one power, may be fixed by another. In fact, it is a common motive of fairy tales and legends to seek aid from an opposing force when you have been wronged by something greater than yourself.
I think his relationship with religion would be transactional, given his upbringing, but 'power for service' should make sense to him.
[x] If there is a god that aligns with what he already believes in, and he can get empowered by following them, he would see no reason to refuse.
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- Location
- Argentina
So, gentlemen, I have been thinking about a possible development for Kori, and his lack of social skills. I think that a way for him to interact with soiety outside of bluffing out of every situation, but that would neither be talking frankly, is with the skill Perform (oratory). He could become a storyteller, talking in riddles and fables, and using allegory to talk to others. It would be an intelligent way to bypass his curse, and build up his character later when he needs to "Guide the Lost".
What do you think about this?
What do you think about this?
Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
I don't really want to try to bypass the curse in that manner, but more importantly, we don't have the skill points to spare on Perform. It's also not a Class skill, so we would miss out on that bonus.
At least with Intimidate, we would eventually be getting the curse bonuses to make up for it.
Maybe we can eventually recruit a more socially acceptable party member, possibly a Bard, to do the Diplomacy for us properly rather than try to poorly do it ourselves?
- Location
- North Carolina
[X] Write-In: He hasn't thought much about them, but Mina's talk of Desna these past days has him curious, at least.
Honestly, there are worse options for a patron than Desna. She is, among other things, the goddess of travel, exploration, and dreams, the last of which we seem to be having a lot lately.
Honestly, there are worse options for a patron than Desna. She is, among other things, the goddess of travel, exploration, and dreams, the last of which we seem to be having a lot lately.
- Location
- Argentina
True, it not being a class skill is really limiting...
Still, we could go with that route for diplomacy. Use bluff as a proxy to diplomacy by playing as the wise but undecipherable man.
Vote closed.
Arc 2 Post 10: Uneasy Return
Uneasy Return
The Season of Still Stone
"I don't know much of gods," you stumble over the words, and not just because of the strangeness of speaking to what seems a beast for all that your mind is aware that it is not. "Only the one that hunts us and something tells me it would be a poor judgement indeed make on the basis of that one alone."
Mina's expression twists into something you struggle to describe, horrified yet amused perhaps would be the best approximation, to judge from the sudden laugh that falls to silence and a shake of the head. "No, no you are right, that would be a bad idea. Gods aren't usually this direct, meddling in the lives of mortals. They are parts of ourselves reflected upon the Canvas of the Great Beyond, and we are parts of them made onto mortal flesh. When we pray it is not as the supplication of a slave to a Tyrant, but as an acceptance, an expansion of their role in our lives."
"Don't some gods want slaves?" you ask, thinking back to the trio of merchants which had been made puppets.
"They are lying about the shape of the world and in their lie they twist the world. They twist their followers into something lesser than what they should be. That is the First Gift of Desna, the understanding that we do not need her along the journey of life, but she is willing to lend a hand, if we lend one onto others."
That sounds nice enough, but also like something those other gods might disagree with. Hard enough to find the truth of things you can see with your own eyes and hold in your hands, nevermind the truth of gods and men.
***
The road back to Cauldron is thankfully uneventful other than one steep tunnel you had sought shelter in filled with warbling echoes that woke the whole camp and agitated poor Warty to no end. Unable to find a mundane explanation for the strange phenomenon and unwilling to wait for a magical one to show itself, the six of you had made your way up to the main gallery and back onto the road. Crossing paths with hunters out of Cauldron you learn that the settlement had been unsettled by raids from Xulgath armed with more than their usual array of bone weapons, driving many of the traveling merchants to move on even as the elders commanded the scouts to find the source of the raids and return with words of why the scaled folk have turned so belligerent, especially with the bounty of the Season of Sudden Floods soon to be upon this part of Nar Voth. Why, they wonder, would they raid for food when a bounty of blindfish will soon be upon all who have the hands to catch them?
Asking about the troll earns you blank looks, not just from the hunters, but from the few merchants and peddlers of rumors who remain. The reek of the xulgath lingers in the tunnels, their blood marks the walls. It is perhaps fortunate for Gorok that he is in the company of those who are clearly not scaled, for if the hunters had been grim the gate guards are suspicious to a fault, ready to unleash a hail of javelins and alchemical concoctions upon any foes which threaten Cauldron.
The five of you speak little as you behold the main cavern, silence suddenly made more pervasive by the departing of the traders and the wariness of the locals. You had heard stories of times like this, towns which seemed as carved from stone washed away by a tide of unsesonal raids as their foes gain power, or even just new fervor. Life is harsh in the tunnels, like lichen dying off with the shifting of the light, Cauldron too might perish.
What do you counsel the five of you should do?
[] Sell off your treasures, even if the merchants may be few and the price lower tis better to have coin in the hand than crystal shards. Who knows when next you will find a settlement willing to buy them off you
[] Speak to the troll, discover more of his treasures and the fate of the brother he wishes dealt with
[] Set off again at once
-[] To the construct makers, Gorok has waited long enough to unlock their secrets for his tribe
-[] To the caligini shaman the merchants had spoken of, perhaps he has answers about the ring you now pass from one to another
-[] To the surface
[] Write in
OOC: And we are back, now it's up to you guys do decide.
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Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
It's not a good sign that the Xulgath are acting up. Those things are really dangerous at lower levels. They're fairly tough, hit pretty hard, and their psychic magic, while limited, is surprisingly powerful for their HD once you factor in the effects of Psychogenic Secretions. I would really not want to have to fight more than two of them at once with our current party, and even that could be too much.
There's definitely something going on with them, however, given the unusual timing of their aggression, and there's a decent chance Gorok's quest ties into it somehow.
I think we should consider moving on to getting started on Gorok's quest now that the Xulgath have started acting up. We're getting closer to level 3, so hopefully we'll manage that before the most dangerous part of that quest presents itself.
For now, though, I'm voting to sell the crystals. They're not doing us any good at the moment, and depending on how the Xulgath incursion continues, Cauldron merchants might not be willing or even able to buy them from us in the future. Or we might not be coming back for a while, so either way we're better off getting hard currency for them now while we still can.
[X] Sell off your treasures, even if the merchants may be few and the price lower tis better to have coin in the hand than crystal shards. Who knows when next you will find a settlement willing to buy them off you
There's definitely something going on with them, however, given the unusual timing of their aggression, and there's a decent chance Gorok's quest ties into it somehow.
I think we should consider moving on to getting started on Gorok's quest now that the Xulgath have started acting up. We're getting closer to level 3, so hopefully we'll manage that before the most dangerous part of that quest presents itself.
For now, though, I'm voting to sell the crystals. They're not doing us any good at the moment, and depending on how the Xulgath incursion continues, Cauldron merchants might not be willing or even able to buy them from us in the future. Or we might not be coming back for a while, so either way we're better off getting hard currency for them now while we still can.
[X] Sell off your treasures, even if the merchants may be few and the price lower tis better to have coin in the hand than crystal shards. Who knows when next you will find a settlement willing to buy them off you
- Pronouns
- God
Within limits, do not sell for coppers on the gold piece. The reason for a pack beast is to pack.
[X] Sell off your treasures, even if the merchants may be few and the price lower tis better to have coin in the hand than crystal shards. Who knows when next you will find a settlement willing to buy them off you
[X] Sell off your treasures, even if the merchants may be few and the price lower tis better to have coin in the hand than crystal shards. Who knows when next you will find a settlement willing to buy them off you
- Location
- Argentina
Pretty sure the CR 1 Mongrelmen are facing CR 1 Troglodytes, not the full CR 4 Xulgath. We just call them Xulgath because thry are the inheritors of the ancient empire and Troglodyte is offensive. We are an underdark gribbly after all.