Yesterday, I had planned a Pathfinder session of the Council Of Thieves Campaign. We were to begin book 3 - What Lies In Dust, hopefully completing most of the chapters, apart from the dungeon / Pathfinder Lodge of Delvehaven (which, as a 4 floor lodge / dungeon crawl, would not have been doable in the same session as all of the investigation and side questing that the book allowed).
So, we started playing and all, with the group, predictably, outsmarting me in certain aspects (which will be covered in detail below), until I fell ill. Not your regular, "I've got a cold" ill, or the "I've been glutened, brb" ill either. This was more like, "Argh my stomach, it hurts!" *runs off to bathroom*. After returning, I was forced to run again 5 minutes later, to writhe in pain for a while. This was not a fun time for anyone - least of all myself.
The culprit was most likely milk. Allow me to explain.
Two members of our Pathfinder group, Andrew and Mark, have a penchant for purchasing 2 litre bottles of strawberry milk from Woolies, and consuming most of said bottle given half a chance. I like strawberry milk, and so I decided to join them on this endeavour this time. MISTAKE.
In the end, I had no choice but to end the session early, while I lay down and rested. Which achieved a grand total of *nothing*, as I remained ill for the rest of the night.
I did, however, recover enough to finish F.E.A.R: Extraction Point last night, and I feel that should count for something. Below is the summary / tale of what went down in the Pathfinder session.
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After repeated failures, and somehow resisting the urge to simply hit it with a hammer, the Chelish Crux was opened (in the end, by Azelia). The crux held within in several papers, some scrolls, two wands, and a screaming, disembodied head.
The head of an Erinyes, seemingly immortal. Quite clearly insane. In her lucid periods, the head was able to tell the group that she had been stored (in her current form) in Delvehaven for a short period of time, and would be able to assist with some information about the lodge if taken there - since her memory is fuzzy. My group somehow also decided to destroy her head after this deed is done, in an effort to release her from her curse. While this was unexpected, I was happy to let this go on - since it frees up the crux for their use later, as well as disposes of what is surely the most annoying character this side of Thesing!
The papers, after some investigation, revealed some clues about the fates of 5 Pathfinders who were involved with Delvehaven in some way. It also revealed the presence of a cache of items which may assist - though the location and how to unlock it were not known. The crux also contained some grave candles - which the group can use to speak with the dead in lieu of using an actual spell (a good thing too, since none of the group actually knows this spell).
First off, they decided to investigate the whereabouts of Coriana (I *may* be recalling her name incorrectly here). The papers indicated that her ashes were in a jar, in an Asmodean nunnery in the ruined part of the city. These female monks are part of a cult that wishes to become Erinyes after their deaths - and typically hired out as assassins in the pre-Thrune Westcrown. Post-civil war, they have waned and are merely low level monk-thug-nuns. Monks with bladed scarves for weapons.
Seriously, this weapon is a scarf with knives stuck to the end of it. Pretty damn awesome.
Dorn drew the conclusion that since they wanted to become Erinyes, they could barter the head they found for the ashes - a tactic which worked perfectly until it became time to actually hand the head over in exchange for these ashes. My mistake here, was letting said events occur at the door of the monastery, with only a single nun in attendance. Dorn simply cut her in half in a single strike, with Azelia catching the ashes with mage hand. They then ran for their lives - a minor dungeon effectively bypassed. Smartasses...
Coriana's spirit was able to explain a cypher that was part of the notes they had acquired, as well as the location of the goods and how to unlock them. The cache is hidden in a small pocket dimension behind a door known as the Wave Door - above water, at night they must shine a Pathfinder's wayfinder upon the door's location, while someone recites the Delvehaven oath. Then the door opens and the goodies can be found.
For the rest of the day, the group followed up another lead, opting to visit the Devildrome - a semi-legal fighting ring run by Rance Lucca - who has the petrified remains of Aiger Ghaelfin, one of the Pathfinders who went missing. Rance believes the remains to be simply a statue.
Anyway, Rance was a member of the crowd when the group performed the Six Trials of Larazod - and as such was delighted to meet them. He was quite forthcoming with the fact that he has the "bust" of Ghaelfin, and in return for letting the group see it, he wants them to perform in the Devildrome for him.
The devildrome is a fighting ring, where two summoners pit their abilities against each other by summoning creatures to fight each other - like a game of Magic: The Gathering. If they are missing a summoner, he allows the "one person enters and fights a summoner's beasts" type of battle. Occasionally he runs this style of battle anyway, and it is always a crowd pleaser. The group has not yet decided if they will let Kynan have a summon-off in the Devildrome, or send Dorn in alone. To be honest, I would recommend to them that Dorn or Kynan actually enter the ring. I would love to see Kynan kick some ass!
It was at this point where I fell ill, and needed to end the session. Quite lucky that it was able to end so cleanly! When we pick back up again, the group will visit the Wave Door at night, and two days later, have their round in the Devildrome.
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