Pathfinder 2E [IC] JM's "Doomsday Dawn" Playtest Chapter#2

jmucchiello · Jan 23, 2019

This is chapter two of the Doomsday Dawn PF2 playtest adventure path.

[thread="652473"]OOC[/thread] [thread="652575"]RG[/thread]

PCs
[MENTION=1231]Kaodi[/MENTION]: [post="7548001"]Antony Doss, the Lightning Rider[/post], Male Versatile Human Scholar Sorcerer 4
[MENTION=6803188]VLAD the Destroyer[/MENTION]: [post="7543738"]Jayesh Sangeer[/post], Human (Vudrani) Nomad Monk 4
[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION]: [post="7542131"]Setis[/post], Half-orc/Nomad/Druid 4
[MENTION=6847138]Charlotte of Oz[/MENTION]: [post="7541955"]Janivel[/post], Half-Elf/Entertainer/Rogue 4 (female)
[MENTION=5044]Charwoman Gene[/MENTION]: Siobhan, Human Scholar Ranger 4

The players should come up with a story for their previous exploits. Those adventures shouldn’t give you a particular advantage in this chapter. But the PCs’ previous exploits are what brought them to Lady Vord’s attention, and her mysterious invitation and her offer of a healthy payment have drawn the PCs to this, their latest mission.

When this adventure begins, the PCs have been summoned to a meeting in the trade town of Kelmarane in the nation of Katapesh. Overrun years ago by bandits, gnolls, and slavers, the town spent most of its recent history in ruins. Within the last year, the town was reclaimed by adventurers and is now well on its way to seizing its original mantle as a prosperous trading post. While several buildings in town remain in ruins, numerous work crews toil at repairing the major structures, while canvas roofs on smaller buildings provide temporary lodgings. It’s in one of the larger buildings, an ancient church, that the PCs have been hired to meet with a representative of the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye: Lady Kamisora Vord. Lady Vord offered an enticing sum of 45 gp for each PC, along with the promise of great treasures to be found on the journey.

Lady Kamisora Vord hails from Ustalav, where the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye is based. Camadus Gatea, a low-ranking member of the organization and Vord’s assistant, stands at attention near the door to invite in or repel visitors. When the characters arrive, he stops them at the door and requests that they tell him their business coming here. He identifies himself as Vord’s attendant if necessary.

As you give him your invitations, the young man steps aside and gestures toward the descending stairwell in the center of the room. Clearing his throat, he loudly proclaims, "You enter the distinguished presence of Lady Kamisora Vord, First Throne of the Esoteric Order of the Palatine Eye. My lady, your mercenaries have arrived."

A bemused voice echoes out from the stairwell. "Camadus, I might remind you we are meant to be a secret society. Perhaps next time you might refrain from speaking our name in front of every common laborer.

"Send my new arrivals down to meet me, if you please."

Lady Vord is sitting on a small stool, her posture refined despite her surroundings. Her features are stern and she keeps her black hair, streaked with strands of gray, pulled back into a long braid. Despite the heat, she wears an embroidered black gown. An expensive lantern rests on the floor near her, illuminating a door that appears to have once been barred. A metal plate in the center of the door is covered with etched lines in strange patterns. Lady Vord is in the process of copying those runes into a journal emblazoned with a golden scarab beetle with a single eye on its back. As the PCs arrive, she sets the journal down and rises to meet her guests, speaking in a heavy Ustalavic accent.

"The Order appreciates your presence here today. I trust the figure in my summons was sufficient to secure your services. I have been studying with great interest a report from one of our agents, a Magnimarian named Keleri Deverin, regarding an object of interest. We have reason to believe a treasure of particular import lies under Pale Mountain, in an ancient complex called the Tomb of Tular Seft. I had been planning an attempt to retrieve it for some time, but I’ve received word that dangerous cultists called the Night Heralds seek this treasure as well and have sent forces to retrieve it. Hence, I secured your services rather than waiting for agents of the Order to arrive.

"Fortunately, we have an advantage they do not. The majority of the Tomb of Tular Seft is a labyrinth that, while compact, is difficult to navigate and is rumored to be filled with traps and beasts. Keleri’s research, though, reveals a back entrance to the tomb hidden in the lower slopes of Pale Mountain. This entrance is said to appear as a blank stone within a ‘scar’ across the mountain. With luck, you can reach the tomb and secure the treasure before the Night Heralds can even enter the complex. Camadus has prepared a map of the route.

"The object I require is a large gemstone with a series of shifting hieroglyphs glowing within it. If you can read the hieroglyphs, you will note they represent a number that appears to be counting down. Keleri’s text refers to this gemstone as a ‘countdown clock,’ but other than the rumors of it being hidden in Tular Seft’s tomb, we know little about its specific location within. All other treasures you find in the tomb are yours to keep, though the Order may wish to purchase any items vital to our efforts at an especially fair price."

Lady Kamisora Vord

Kaodi · Jan 23, 2019

They called him a hedge wizard. The man on the dusty roan who wandered from town to town. He had quick hands that crackled with electricity. But he carried no book or tome that might explain the source of his powers. Ruffians learned to avoid him. Bandits on the open roads fell beneath the hooves of his steed. And from time to time a fellow mage would seek to duel him, though they were always found wanting. Antony Doss, the Lightning Rider.

The deserts and plains of Garund were not precisely to his liking but he had found himself here in Katapesh all the same. He stroked his short cropped beard as he considered the proposal. "A bit grand for my taste; fancy gemstones, sealed tombs, unhinged cultists," he says, his voice rough sounding. "But I am here and your coin is as good as any other I suppose."

CharlotteOz · Jan 25, 2019

Janivel is the picture of grace and poise, as befits someone trained in maneuvering the niceties and not-so-niceties of high court. It was rumored that she sabotaged an entire banquet in plain view, causing a noble to fall drastically down the social ladder in a single night, while disguised as the entertainment (in an outfit that left very little room for tools of the trade, and people are still wondering how she pulled that off.)

"Not what I'm used to, either. But there's a saying about how variety adds spice to life, of course." She enjoys a bite out of an apple she brought with her.

Shayuri · Jan 26, 2019

There's a certain...brutishness to Setis that conveys itself through her posture, and through her roughly made garb of leather and fur and bone. Next to Janivel, that quality shines through even more in comparison. An alert eye might catch the very slight yellow-green cast to her skin, might note how her lower canine teeth are elongated into small fangs...or perhaps tusks, though they aren't big enough to poke out through her lips.

And yet there are counterpoints. The staff she is carrying is a pretty thing, carved from what looks like living wood, with fresh green leaves in little bunches, with white flowers blossoming. The shield strapped over her back is of exceptional quality as well; steel banded darkwood, carved such that the planks interlink and support one another. It has notches, but not a single crack.

Setis hasn't got the reputation the others have...or at least, not attached to her name, or this face. The villagers of White Grains have a story of a wolf that drove away a whole gang of bandits that had been plaguing them. The mines in the nearby foothills had been cleared of a kobold invasion by what seemed to be a catastrophic fight breaking out from within.

And of course, many of her accomplishments weren't done for the benefit of towns or civilized things like mines either. How many fey circles, druid camps, or ancient trees owed her? Well, she would say none owed her for acts that simply needed to be done...but many would remember her interventions with gratitude nonetheless.

Now she was here.

"What is it counting down to?" the druid asked.

jmucchiello · Jan 26, 2019

"What is it counting down to?" the druid asked.

"The end of the world," Kamisora says flatly. After a moment she adds, "Any other questions?"

Kaodi · Jan 27, 2019

Antony snorts. "Just the end of the world, is it? When do we leave?"

VLAD the Destroyer · Jan 28, 2019

Jayesh follows the others into the meeting. The man was unassuming in comparison to his companions. He wore simple unadorned robes of blue and grey. The man carried no weapons, his hands slipped into the sleeves of his robe. His black hair is pulled back into a topknot. Several intricate braids run through his hair and the topknot is adorned with charms and baubles which clatter together when he bows his head. Jayesh bows to the Lady upon her greeting. He stays silent as the woman speaks and the others ask their questions. When Lady Vord asks for other questions he clears his throat and speaks in a thick Vudrani accent.

"Who are these Night Heralds and why do they Seek this gemstone?"

jmucchiello · Jan 28, 2019

“The Heralds worship horrid things from beyond the stars and seek to bring these monsters to our world. The specifics of their mission are unknown to me, but I do know they flee from the enlightened path and see only destruction in our future. As to why they seek the gemstone, they perhaps know of some way it can aid them in their cause that we do not know.”

Charwoman Gene · Jan 29, 2019

Her travelling clothes dyed a deep forest green, contrasting with her fiery red hair, Siobhan stayed quiet, listening to all Kamisora Vord had to say. She tried taking stock of her new companions, wondering if any of them shared her academic pursuits, or if her best connection with them would be her fieldwork. She had spent much of her time learning about the forest, and battling threats against people trying to use the forest respectfully.

CharlotteOz · Jan 31, 2019

"The end of the world? Goodness. Well, fair enough, if the Night Heralds want it then I imagine we don't want them to want it. What more can you tell us about the tomb itself?"