Rise of the Runelords: Chapter 2

[Asmodeus]

RISE OF THE RUNELORDS​

Intro Maps

• 
  
  
  
  Chapter 2: The Skinsaw Murders
  
  Five years ago, something awoke beneath Sandpoint. In the catacombs of the lighthouse, a repository of incarnate sin known as a Runewell flared from ancient slumber. The consequences were tragic. A man named Jervis Stoot was possessed by the wrathful energy of the Runewell, and began the spate of killings known as the Chopper Murders. And, darker yet, the mistreated aasimar Nualia spiraled into madness after the stillbirth of her child and abandonment by her sister, An-Nur.
  
  ​
  
  
  Chopper's rampage was quickly ended. But Nualia's persists. She has set her sights on Sandpoint, to burn it as she once burned down the church. With this offering to her dark goddess, Lamashtu, she hopes to transform herself... into something that will never be hurt or imprisoned again.
  
  But Nualia has the aid of something more than a goddess. There is a group, both mortal and devious, exploiting her revenge. This group directed her to the Catacombs, and to the Sentinel... two ancient strongholds from a war long forgotten.
  
  ​
  
  
  Nualia is their puppet.. and she is one of many...
  
  The Skinsaw Men are about to make their move.
  
  ​
  
  
  ENTER THE GAME​
• 
  
  
  "Like no other land I have visited in all my vast and fevered travels, here in Varisia art and environment are truly one. The monoliths of a mysterious and romantic people weather the ages, telling the voiceless tales of a race lost to silence. Each inspired day colors the skies in vivid palettes of placid blue, raging red-orange, and sorrowed gray—heavenly emotions painted across an endless, cloudless canvas. Even the natives live like masterpieces on display, their tattoos becoming the likenesses of their lives, their dances telling their endless tales, and their wisdom tempered by murmured harmonies echoing from both past and future."
  
  
  —Cevil "Redwing" Charms Esq., Eidolon​
  
  
  
  

  1. Cathedral	2. Boneyard	3. The White Deer Inn	4. The Way North Library/Maphouse	5. Jeweler
  6. Junker's Edge (Dump)	7. Gorvi's Shack (Streetcleaner)	8. Sage	9. Locksmith	10. Garrison
  11. Town Hall	12. Savah's Armory	13. Risa's Place (Tavern)	14. Rovanky Tannery	15. Red Dog Smithy
  16. The Pillbug's Pantry (Herbalist)	17. Bottled Solutions (Apothecary)	18. Cracktooth's Tavern	19. House of Blue Stones (Temple of Irori)	20. Glassworks
  21. Sandpoint Savories (Baker)	22. The Curious Goblin (Bookseller)	23. Theater	24. Carpenter's Guild	25. Lumber Mill
  26. General Store	27. Turandarok Academy (Orphanage)	28. Madame Mvashti's (Seer/Historian)	29. Grocer's Hall	30. Vernah's Fine Clothing
  31. Wheen's Wagons	32. Scarnetti Mill	33. The Hagfish Tavern	34. Valdemar Fishmarket	35. Market
  36. Meat Market	37. The Rusty Dragon :Inn:	38. Goblin Squash Stables	39. Two Knight Brewery	40. Mercantile League
  41. Sandpoint Boutique	42. Fatman's Feedbag (Tavern)	43. The Pixie's Kitten (Brothel)	44. The Feathered Serpent (Oddities)	45. Hannah's (Midwife)
  46. Shipyard	47. Valdemar Manor	48. Scarnetti manor	49. Murasaki Manor	50. Deverin Manor

  
  
  
  
  
  ASHEN RISE: A limestone tor, home to uncommonly aggressive ravens and crows.
  
  RISTON'S POND: Named after an eccentric Varisian druid, whose spirit still haunts the shack on the east shore. Goblins from Mosswood often fish here.
  
  BRINESTUMP MARSH: Unexplored swampland infested with giant insects, goblins, and other unpleasant monsters.
  
  DEVIL'S PLATTER: Home to the Birdcruncher Goblins (non-aggressive) and nocturnal, devil-worshiping Bugbears.
  
  DRAGON'S PUNCHBOWL: Bowl-shaped island where Wyverns roost in caves. Rumors hold that a dragon visits the place once or twice a year for unknown reasons.
  
  EGAN'S WOOD: Pine woodland once owned by a local eccentric named Egan. Giant spiders infest it.
  
  FARMLANDS: At any given time, at least 2 or 3 farms need help in running off predators or goblins.
  
  FOXGLOVE MANOR: Home of Aldern Foxglove.
  
  GRUBBER'S HERMITAGE: A small, isolated island of lepers, ghosts, and hostile fishermen. The island has recently fallen silent, but no one has investigated, despite sightings of strangely large numbers of carrion birds nearby.
  
  HABE'S SANATORIUM: A mental asylum build by a rich doctor, Erin Habe.
  
  HAG'S PLUMMET: A popular place for secret lovers and tragic suicides.
  
  THE MOORS: Ashen Moor (low-lying), Bleaklow Moor (high altitude, ghoul-infested) Whisperwood Moor (large and foggy). Goblin dogs, wolves, worgs, and worse hunt here.
  
  MOSSWOOD: Goblin-infested redwood forest. The Mosswood tribe remains the largest of the Sandpoint goblin tribes, but the tribe is constantly killing each other over which god is da best.
  
  NETTLEWOOD: A forest of nettles and thorny underbrush.
  
  PAUPERS' GRAVES: An old Varisian gypsy graveyard. Those who died during the construction of Sandpoint were buried here. Now inhabited by ghouls.
  
  THE PIT: A sinkhole rumoured to be full of all kinds of monsters.
  
  THE PYRE: Ancient Varisian ritual site (no longer used)
  
  RAVENROOST: A ragged wasteland. Not a lot lives here apart from relatively harmless wild animals.
  
  SHANK'S WOOD: Small pine and eucalyptus forest. Seven Tooth goblin tribe claim this forest as their territory.
  
  SOG'S BAY: Bay of many shipwrecks, giant crabs, and other tidal predators.
  
  THISTLETOP: An island infested by the Thistletop goblin tribe.
  
  THE THREE CORMORANTS: Three towering sea stacks protruding from the waves and covered in eucalyptus and cypress forests. Harpies dwell here.
  
  TICKWOOD: Pine and redwood forest, infested by ticks and boars. Popular with hunters.
  
  THE TORS: Stretch of nooks, caverns, and old Varisian tombs. Popular with adventurers/explorers.
  
  WHISPERWOOD: Towering redwood forest, rumoured to contain Thassilonian ruins. Most explores fall prey to the wolves, bugbears, and bandits.
  
  WISHER'S WELL: 30ft stone tower with flooded chambers below ground. Monster-infested.

 

[Asmodeus]

WIP

 

[Asmodeus]

NPCS​

The town Allies Enemies Uncertains Gods

• Sandpoint​
  
  A simple, peaceful town with a tightly-knit community. Wooden buildings and cluttered docks line the town's natural harbour, while farms and manors dot the surrounding countryside. The people spend their days fishing, farming, lumbering, and shipbuilding, and spend their evenings in Sandpoint's many taverns. A playhouse and museum make unusual attractions in this small community, but Sandpoint's true landmark is the Old Light, a ruined lighthouse of ancient origins.
  
  Though quiet, Sandpoint has had its share of troubles. The scars of the Chopper Murders and the Sandpoint Fire have been torn open in recent months. The people are still reeling from news that Nualia and An-Nur, the aasimar orphans once considered good omens for the town, were planning a massacre with the goblin tribes. With one sister banished and the other behind bars, the town breathes a sigh of relief.
  
  And with that same breath they call, louder by the day, for An-Nur's execution...
  
  
• 
  Mayor Deverin
  
  Kendra Deverin never wanted a life of politics. She was in love with the sheriff, Casp Avertin, and planned to run away with him to Magnimar. But fate had other plans. Five years ago, the activation of the Runewell caused a young warhorse named Shadowmist to bolt through town, startled and blind with rage. Kendra's father was caught in its path and trampled to death.
  
  An emergency election was called, and to prevent the ultra-conservative Scarnetti family seizing power, Casp nominated Kendra to succeed her father. She was furious, of course, but as the Chopper Murders wracked the town, Casp grew more distant and obsessed with catching the killer. When Casp became Chopper's 24th victim, Kendra was devastated. But she kept her promise to Casp. She ran for the election, and put aside all thoughts of her own happiness. She lives now for Casp's memory, and for the people of Sandpoint.
  
  
  
  Hemlock
  
  Once the deputy to Casp Avertin, Hemlock is a man made bitter by what he saw on Chopper's Isle, having finally tracked down the murderer. His tenacity in avenging the death of his mentor brought an end to Jervis Stoot and his diabolical crimes.
  
  Hemlock is Shoanti, but hides it well, and treats the tribes with disdain. He has cut off all ties with his brothers and seeks to live and act like a Chelaxian gentleman. Rumours abound that he, like his mentor, has a secret love affair with Kaye Tessarani, the owner of the town's brothel. Knowledge of this has been spread quickly by the sex workers.
  
  Hemlock takes his job seriously, and recognizes the Heroes of Sandpoint as a group who can help him face down the many threats upon the town. He will not hesitate to enlist their help if he deems the situation worth of special attention.
  
  
  
  Zantus
  
  At the same time that Kendra became mayor, and Hemlock became sheriff, there was a third passing of the torch. Zantus was the acolyte of Father Tobyn, and personally picked through the ruins after the church burned to the ground. He found his mentor's body and interred it, along with remains that he believed were Nualia's.
  
  Zantus carries on his mentor's dream of providing a place where all Varisian faiths can worship. He has been inspired by the good work undertaken at Windsong Abbey, a multi-faith convent fifty miles north of Sandpoint. He hopes to emulate this by establishing a cathedral for the six most worshipped gods in the Sandpoint area.
  
  But he also remembers how cruel Tobyn was to Nualia - locking her in her room, accusing her of sin. Zantus witnessed much of Nualia's suffering, but was too weak to intervene. He wants to make amends, and save the souls of wayward children like An-Nur and Serenus.
  
  
  
  Quink
  
  Though recent adventures have bestowed An-Nur, Serenus and Voren with considerable knowledge of the Thassilonian Empire, Master Quink still clings to his title of resident expert on all things ancient. He is the sage of Sandpoint, and can always be counted on to ramble about leylines, birds and tea.
  
  Living in the shadow of the lighthouse, this old eccentric has many wild theories about the ruins that dot the Varisian coastline. He believes that some of them are arcane weapons, and spends most of his time prattling his theories in local bookshops and museums.
  
  Most townspeople consider him a fool, and distrust him for taking on the tiefling apprentice, Voren. But Quink has faith that one day he will show them all just how right he was about things.
  
  
  
  Jin Murasaki
  
  In the space of five years, Jin Murasaki has lost everyone she ever loved.
  
  The Runewell's activation caused Lord Murasaki to murder his wife in a fit of rage - and this very act drove Tsuto to abandon the town and plot its downfall. With her father now slain by her brother, and her brother still at large, Jin is all alone in the world and struggling with the weight of becoming Sandpoint's newest noble.
  
  She is entering a period of depression as she tries to run the Rusty Dragon tavern, sell the Glassworks, and attend to the Murasaki estate. Her latest act of desperation is to give her father's serving staff over to the Brothers, to aid them in their new business. In their absence, she plans to donate the house to Turandarok orphanage, as a place to house the families devastated by the goblin raids.
  
  
  
  Madame Mvashti
  
  The oldest resident of Sandpoint, Mvashti remembers the arrival of the four noble families, and how a massacre of gypsies was narrowly averted before the town was built. She lives in a large, decrepit house in the center of town, and reads fortunes when not providing shelter to travelling druids.
  
  For many decades she has been an anxious, troubled woman. Her powers are failing her. She could not see what Nualia would become when she counselled the girl to keep Tsuto's baby. She also could not foresee An-Nur's murder of Shalelu.
  
  The current age of Golarion is proving resistant to divination prophecies. Many seers across the land are becoming blind to what the future holds. Mvashti fears that great darkness is approaching this world.
  
  
  
  Garridan
  
  Landlord of the White Deer Inn, and spokesman for the Shoanti. Garridan is the rough-and-tumble kind of barman who admires the adventurers for their fighting spirit. He also likes it when they bring business to the White Deer, instead of the Rusty Dragon (his usual competitor).
  
  Garridan has done his part to make Rodeh a popular hero in the town, and is keenly aware that the discoveries of ancient strongholds along the coast may have more to do with his people than anyone realizes.
  
  He is intrigued by Rodeh's revelation that the ancient Thassilonian dungeons may have been built by Shoanti slaves. He is will to offer what help he can to Rodeh's further investigations.
  
  
  
  Chiara
  
  Formerly the highlight of the Pixie's Kitten brothel, Chiara has taken up a more civilized line of work: being the front man to a pair of bounty hunters.
  
  Chiara used to buy special tobacco from the Sczarni, so when her supply dried up overnight she went to investigate, and found Tahlzair and Dhoryl setting up shop in the Fatman's Tavern. She quickly surmised that the two were in need of a prettier face - someone who knew Sandpoint and knew how to work clients.
  
  She told them they needed her, and they told her the starting salary.
  
  With her black bone cigarette holder, Chiara now secures the deals and filters the information on which the bounty hunters make their living.
  
  
  
  Orik
  
  Perhaps friend; perhaps foe.
  
  Orik served with Kolto in the Hookscar Mercenary Company, and fondly remembers the day that Kolto punched the captain and ended his contract. A few months later, the drunken murder of an alchemist sent Orik himself on the run from Riddleport bounty hunters. He fears he can never return home.
  
  Just as Kolto fell under the influence of An-Nur, so did Orik fall under the influence of the other aasimar sister. Orik served as Nualia's bodyguard for two months, but gradually became sickened by the evil he saw perpetrated at Thistletop. Orik did his best to make amends, before fleeing into the wilds.
  
  He remains at large... but will no doubt keep a watch on the events to come.
  
  
  
  Tatharel
  
  When Serenus worked as a transcriber for Sandpoint Church, she had the assistance of Tatharel, an elven sorcerer of the Mierani Forest.
  
  But the link between these two women was more than coincidental.
  
  Tatharel had been sent to Sandpoint as penance for summoning a demon... and the investigation of witchcraft in Sandpoint led her to believe that the same demon was a barghest, in service to the witches of Lamashtu.
  
  Discovering the link between Serenus, the Mother of Monsters, and her own childhood was too much for Tatharel to take. In her paranoia she fled to Magnimar, and has promised to send back whatever information she can learn in the city libraries.
  
  
  
  Topgob and Gogmurt
  
  Two other survivors from Thistletop - but only because they were just about clever enough to not run to their deaths.
  
  The druid Gogmurt leads the remnants of the Birdcruncher tribe, just as Topgob leads the remnants of the Thistletop tribe.
  
  Together the two goblins have journeyed to Shank's Wood and advised the Seven Tooth tribe to cease their aggression against Sandpoint.
  
  They now lurk on the coastline, salvaging from shipwrecks and rubbish tips.
  
  
• 
  Nualia
  
  When two aasimar infants, bearing no relation to one another, were abandoned in Sandpoint within the space of a year, Father Tobyn took it as the best of omens. He adopted the two and raised them as sisters.
  
  But soon after, he became possessed by an insane and terrifying idea - to treat one as a creature of purity, and the other as a creature of sin. With every drop of love he gave to Nualia, he spared a drop of contempt for An-Nur.
  
  But his divine plan backfired. An-Nur fled the town, and Nualia, after losing the child conceived in secret with Tsuto, barricaded Tobyn's door and set fire to the church. Since that day, Nualia has found her every act of wickedness rewarded by Lamashtu, and by the mysterious Skinsaw Men who have funded her mayhem. Her revenge is far from over.
  
  
  
  Tsuto
  
  Born a half-elf to a human couple, Tsuto has always lived in the shadow of his father's hatred, his mother's despair, and his sister's fear. He is an abomination, a living paradox.
  
  He thought he had found love with Nualia, but the revelation of her pregnancy terrified him, and he fled town shortly after An-Nur did. His abandonment of Nualia, together with An-Nur's, were two of the biggest causes of the aasimar's eventual madness.
  
  When later he learned that Nualia has miscarried, and that his own father had tossed the baby into the fires of the Glassworks, Tsuto swore revenge. But it wasn't until 5 years later, when Nualia tracked him down in Magnimar, that Tsuto was given the means and the will to murder his father and punish the town that spurned him. He will not run away from Nualia this time. He will help her, to the bitter end.
  
  
  
  Lyrie
  
  Perhaps a prisoner; perhaps an accomplice.
  
  Lyrie is Nualia's knowledge-minion, an expert on Thassilonian history, having studied with Quink in the Magnimar Library. During her time at Thistletop, she has learned of the connection between the Sentinel and the Sandpoint Lighthouse, and perfected her reading of Thassilonian runes.
  
  She came into Nualia's service after failing to win admission to the Pathfinder Guild (the judges assumed, quite correctly, that Lyrie had murdered two of her competitors).
  
  Angry at the world, and obsessed with Tsuto, the sorcerer is torn between following Nualia into deeper evil, or abandoning her pursuit of knowledge and running for her life.
  
  
  
  Malfeshnikor
  
  The keeper of the Runewell - a mysterious torturer known only as The Tormenter - kept two minions while operating as a double agent for the lords of Thassilon. The first was Erylium, the quasit familiar stranded in the Catacombs. The second was a planar ally known as Malfeshnikor. Once a powerful lieutenant of Lamashtu, who led entire armies of sinspawn, the barghest Malfeshnikor was ultimately betrayed by the Tormentor. Driven mad by the evil he committed, the Tormentor handed Malfeshnikor over to a group of transmutation wizards, who bound him in a cell with forty-eight witches transmuted into candles.
  
  For ten thousand years he has listened to their screams and tried, in vain, to corrupt the dreams of the weak-willed. But stupid goblins, hapless cultists, and defiant adventurers have all resisted his charms. He remains imprisoned, impotent and hungering.
  
  
  
  Jubrayal
  
  After exposing a fellow henchman as a necromancer, Jubrayal Vhisker was awarded command of Sczarni operations in Sandpoint. For ten years he has run a tight ship, using the Fatman's Tavern as a front and siphoning information from contacts in the church, brothel and noble houses. He is something of a master rogue.
  
  His use of the old smuggler tunnels, and his alliance with Lord Murasaki, brought him to the attention of the scheming quasit Erylium, and for many years Jubrayal prospered under the protection of "The Blackbird" - what he believed to be a helpful bird familiar.
  
  Jubrayl considered himself untouchable... until Dhoryl and Tahlzair broke apart his operations and killed his oracle. Now Jubrayal is on the run, heading back to his old gang in Magnimar.
  
  
  
  Gressel and Rozalia
  
  When Jubrayal fled town, he took the poisoner, Podiker with him, but left behind his face-man and his forger. Gressel and Rozalia now share a cell next to An-Nur, and like her are counting down the days before they are transferred to Magnimar Prison.
  
  While Gressel is little more than a blubbering wreck, Rozalia nurses her hatred for Jubrayal, a man she almost believed had feelings for her. They are the last of the Sczarni in Sandpoint, and the only link to their departed leader.
  
  
• 
  Ina-Oster
  
  Ina was there from the beginning. The elven druid aided the heroes in repelling the goblin raiders during the Swallowtail Festival, and afterwards befriended the Brothers, inadvertently putting them on the right trail to track down the Blackbird. He even arranged for the funeral of a slain Sczarni agent, smoothing over any outrage the people might have felt at this murder.
  
  He works for Lord Scarnetti, as a procurer of rare lumber supplies. Recently, he has extended a loan to the Brothers in order that they may purchase the Fatman's Tavern and convert it into a base of operations.
  
  Ina is endlessly fascinated by the events in town, and always enjoys learning more about people.
  
  
  
  Lord Scarnetti
  
  Scarnetti's father was one of the town's founders, and responsible for the murder of several gypsies when settlers first arrived. This massacre left a dark stain on the family, and Scarnetti has lost three elections in a row to the more popular Deverins, despite owning all the town's lumber mills and construction firms.
  
  He is ultra-conservative, but there are rumours that he was once in league with the Sczarni. He also has a beautiful but reclusive wife who never leaves Scarnetti manor, but who is said to be a profound influence on his policies.
  
  But of late, Lord Scarnetti has taken a renewed interest in the town. He is in the process of purchasing the Glassworks from Jin, and providing a loan to the Brothers so they can keep Gorvi's trashmen employed.
  
  
  
  Belvin Valdemar
  
  The heartthrob of Sandpoint. With old Lord Valdemar on his deathbed, most of the shipwright business has been taken over by his handsome, bachelor son, Belvin. The young noble takes his duty seriously, and ignores the crowds of young women who gather at the docks each morning to catch his eye.
  
  The Valdemars and Deverins are on good terms, and Belvin allies with the mayor on most political issues. He is a moderate and a man of courage, always willing to lend a hand, providing he can get home before nightfall to attend to his ailing father.
  
  The recent exploits of the adventurers have come to his attention, and he thinks they may be the key to steering Sandpoint through these difficult times. In particular, he has found some perplexing things down at the docks, which he thinks they may be able to shed some light on.
  
  
  
  Lord Foxglove
  
  Long before the Deverins, Valdemars, Scarnettis and Murasakis even set sail for the Varisian Gulf, a different aristocrat staked his claim to the Lost Coast. This was Vorel Foxglove, a merchant prince who built a mansion on the moors north of Magnimar.
  
  Aldern Foxglove is his grandson, and continues the tradition of working hard to renovate the mansion and bring more people into the region.
  
  Foxglove took a brief vacation from his duties to attend the Swallowtail Festival, where he was rescued from certain death by the adventurers. In that time he developed an unhealthy obsession with An-Nur, who seemed to remind him of someone very dear to him. Luckily, he got over this infatuation a few months ago and returned to his manor on Bleaklow Moor, where even now he continues his work.
  
  
  
  Gaia Acari
  
  A fifteen year old girl, used as a lookout by the Sczarni. Ever since the Sczarni burned down the lumber mills competing with Lord Scarnetti's, Gaia has been looking for a way out, and cringing at every murder, extortion and burglary. She has been feeding information to sheriff Hemlock, but has refused to tell him the full details of Jubrayal's operations until he can guarantee her safety.
  
  With the adventurers slaying the Blackbird Oracle, Gaia has the assurance she was looking for. She is now languishing at the garrison, a "guest" of the sheriff's. But it is unclear how much longer she will be useful to him.
  
  Gaia does not know if she will be next in the prison cell... or if a Sczarni assassin will spare her from that fate.
  
  
  
  Hosk
  
  Once a young farrier living on the edges of Mosswood, tragedy befell Hosk when his farm was raided by goblins. His wife and child were killed, and his horses slaughtered.
  
  But it was not his day to die.
  
  Hosk was saved by an elven ranger on the trail of the goblins. Her name was Shalelu. The beautiful elf escorted him to Sandpoint, and counselled him through his grief. In time, love blossomed between them, and Shalelu gave Hosk the reason he needed to go on living. She taught him the ways of the ranger, and helped him rebuild his stock of horses.
  
  Hosk owns the Goblinsquash Stables... and has just learned that his lover is dead... and that her murder languishes in the town jail....
  
  
  
  Shaonir
  
  The current inquisitor of Windsong Abbey. The convent, fifty miles north of Sandpoint, is an experimental project to create a temple for all faiths. Shaonir has been a long-time supporter of Father Zantus in his similar efforts to establish a universal sanctuary in Sandpoint.
  
  The aasimar is practiced in law and politics, and has been called in to investigate recent events. While his clerics secure the Thistletop dungeon and put the architects to rest, Shaonir himself has volunteered to act as An-Nur's lawyer in the bureaucratic minefield that awaits her. He has done well, and succeeded in stalling the immediate execution or transfer of An-Nur.
  
  Who better to defend an aasimar than one of her own?
  
  
• Desna
  
  Worshipped by the majority of NPCs.
  
  Desna is the deity of freedom, wandering and foundlings. She is the most popular goddess among the footloose Varisian gypsies who form the majority population in this region.
  
  She is known as an immortal enemy of Lamashtu.
  
  Her symbol is the Swallowtail Butterfly, and the legend goes that when Desna and Lamashtu battled, Desna fell to earth and was horribly wounded. A young girl took pity on the goddess and nursed her back to health, and as reward she was turned into an immortal butterfly who could experience all of creation.
  
  It was no coincidence that Nualia, a minion of Lamashtu, choose the day of the Swallowtail Festival, to commit her first atrocity.
  
  
  Lamashtu
  
  Worshiped by Serenus.
  
  Lamashtu is the Mother of Monsters, presiding over abominations and twisted births. With the reactivation of the Runewell, this deity has become active once again in the Varisian region.
  
  Her schemes are unclear, however. The witches who once served her have become playthings for Thassilonian torturers, and their bird familiars have been left to roam the wilderness like ghosts. Worse still, her favoured minions, Erylium and Malfeshnikor, have been stranded on the Material Plane and subjected to 10,000 years of solitude.
  
  Lamashtu seems out for revenge; and is using the one school of magic that the Thassilonians overlooked. Divination - the power of dreams and prophecy. With terrible visions, Lamashtu has manipulated Tsuto, Nualia, the goblin tribes... and even Serenus.
  
  
  Calistria
  
  Worshiped by An-Nur.
  
  Calistria is the goddess of lust, trickery and vengeance. While Lamashtu plots in the open, Calistria's path is entirely veiled. Few can see the moves she is making, or who she counts as friends.
  
  She is associated with the wasp, a creature that can sting the mightiest of beasts at no risk to itself.
  
  Her actions so far, since the reactivation of the Runewell, have been few. On learning of her sister's corruption, An-Nur switched from worship of Desna to worship of Calistria.
  
  If this was fate, it is not yet known. But there is a wasp nest to be found and stirred.
  
  
  Cayden Cailean
  
  Worshiped by Kolto, Tahlzair and Dhoryl.
  
  Cayden is the Accidental God - a mortal who passed a divine test as a drunken dare. But even in godhood he behaves much as he did in life. Cayden is a deity of adventure, freedom and simple pleasures.
  
  Cayden is known as a flirtatious companion to Desna, Shelyn, and even Calistria at times. He is the lovable ally who is always up for a challenge, much like his most memorable follower: Kolto.
  
  The presence of the accidental god has been seen in the paths of coincidence that led the Riddleport characters into Sandpoint.
  
  They are stumbling into a bigger plot, and wandering towards powers they do not yet comprehend. Like a dangerous drunk in the court of gods.
  
  
  Shelyn
  
  Worshiped by Rodeh.
  
  The goddess of love, art and beauty - second most favoured by the people of Varisia.
  
  Shelyn is the sister of Zon-Kuthon, the god of torture. She has opposed her brother since the dawn of time, and works to steal back the souls he imprisons in his wicked blades.
  
  It is no coincidence that Rodeh is following her path and uncovering the histories of torture and imprisonment in Thassilon. The goddess presides over quests of rescue and preservation, and has found in Rodeh a worthy instrument.
  
  Likewise, Shelyn is an easy-going god, liked by all. Even the most evil deities feel unthreatened by her. She is often the glue that holds the pantheon together - a reminder of the good and worthy things.
  
  
  Asmodeus
  
  Worshiped by Voren.
  
  While Calistria plays the long game, Asmodeus plays the eternal one. The supreme lord of Hell, and one of the two primordial creators of reality, Asmodeus has played both gods and mortals since the dawn of time.
  
  It is impossible to imagine the Arch Fiend does not have some hand in Golarion's fate.
  
  Asmodeus is known as the enemy of Free Will. He resents that his brother created such a concept, and killed him for the same reason. Asmodeus has one objective alone: to increase the numbers and loyalty of the damned.
  
  And even now, he sees how some of the adventurers might assist him in this effort.
  
  

 

[Asmodeus]

RULES & STUFF​

Unclaimed Loot Claimed Loot Venue Shopping

• 
  None
  
• 
  None
  
• The game will be played in Roll20. You'll need to set up an account.
  
  When you first log in, go to the settings tab at the top right and turn off your webcam (no one wants to see that shit). You can also reduce your avatar size so the bottom of your screen isn't filled with people's avatars (no one wants to see that shit either).
  
  
  
  For dorky-talky, we'll use TeamSpeak. The Iwaku server is at: voice.iwakuroleplay.com.
• Sandpoint​
  
  You have a 75% chance of finding any magic item under 1300gp in Sandpoint.
  
  If you fail the check, you have to wait a week to roll again (or send a PC to another town).
  
  You can sell anything for up to 7500gp. If you want more money, you'll have to travel to a larger city.
  
  You can purchase spellcasting services up to Level 4.
  
  Deluxe magic items for sale this month:
  
  Ring of jumping; 2,500gp
  Wand of Bless water (1st Level, CL 1st); 2,000gp
  Slaying arrow; 2,282gp
  Dust bolt; 1,730gp
  Ring of feather falling; 2,200gp
  Wand of Daze monster (2nd Level, CL 3rd); 4,500gp
  Scroll of Symbol of Slowing (divine, 4th Level, CL 7th); 1,700gp
  Wand of Protection from energy (3rd Level, CL 5th); 11,250gp
  Pearl of Power (4th); 16,000gp
  Wand of Beast Shape I (3rd Level, CL 5th); 11,250gp
  Ring of Inner Fortitude, minor; 18,000gp
  Wand of Summon Nature's Ally III (3rd Level, CL 5th); 11,250gp
  Staff of spiders; 30,200gp
  Scroll of Cloak of Chaos (divine, 8th Level, CL 15th); 3,000gp​

 

[Tegan]

An-Nur
Aasimar, Dancer, Sister, Spy


Twenty years ago, a farmer killed a thief raiding his stores. His clothes and features were Varisian, and he was caught filling his waterskin with milk and honey.
They heaped his body, along with his posessions--a deck of cards, a starknife--for burning. As the flames consumed the Varisian's body, a wail pierced the heavens.
An aasimar infant, swaddled, unharmed and hidden within his scarfs.

Fearing divine retribution for orphaning the celestial-blood, the farmer took the infant to Sandpoint. He left her, a ward of the temple.

Within the temple walls, An-Nur found a kindred in Nualia, another aasimar foundling. The people of Sandpoint called them the Twins. And it soon became clear who was the misbegotten.

Nualia and An-Nur
Like the moon: light and dark

The fire took a liking to An-Nur. A burst of flame or noxious smoke would manifest from her saturnine tempers. As she grew, she became clever, able to see into the hearts of others, and lend guile to her words. She kept company with whores, gamblers, thieves, and deformites.

It can't be helped, often said in sigh or sneer, she was begotten from a fallen celestial.

No one was surprised when they found her room empty, the window open, her father's cards and starknife, gone.

Regularly Updated Character Plot Notes


​

 

[Hecatoncheires]

KOLTO
RELUCTANT PARTY POINT-MAN​

Varisian boys born into the underclasses of Riddleport tend to meet with one of two fates. They either find themselves embroiled in the Sczarni turf feuds that rage through the city (something that's likely going to earn them a knife in the back before they hit 20), or they have the good sense to get the fuck out of dodge as soon as they're old enough.

Kolto is one of the latter. Escaping the anarchic city in the company of the Hookscar Mercenary Company, he has been trained in the art of street fighting by his upbringing and drilled in the use of axe and shield by the sellswords who took him in. Though not the hardest of hitters he can use both of his weapons of choice to great effect.

For at least a year he was working alongside the roguish fire dancer An-Nur, acting as both partner-in-crime and bodyguard when the situation called for it. Their travels brought them to the town of Sandpoint, a stop that Kolto believed was only going to be a short one. Little did he know of his partner's connections to the town, or the evils that beset it.

Three months on, Kolto finds himself thrust into a heroic role he never asked for and an ex-partner languishing in a cell, accused of crimes she did not commit. And his troubles are just getting started.

I PLOT NOTES AND STUFF TOO​

 

[Zen]

Serenus Novemith Carroway
30 years old
WITCH
TRUE NEUTRAL

Before

CHAPTER ONE:
At the age of twenty, Serenus left the forest that was her and her mother's home. For years she tried to assimilate into elven society, but found that it wasn't working. During a hunt she would scare off the game by stepping on twigs or speaking at the wrong time. When it came to communicating with the animals, Serenus often got frustrated. The elves themselves were starting to distance themselves from her, calling Serenus greedy and selfish. Rumors floated about Serenus' heritage, that having a half breed would harm the clan more than help it. Serenus tried to fight against their prejudice, but when the harassment befell her mother she decided it was time to leave. Serenus' mother, Giselle, bid her farewell and gave the daughter an amulet. The two parted ways when she was twenty-one.

In Sandpoint Serenus intended to live with her father. The two had a decent enough relationship. Serenus' mother allowed the two of them to visit, and at times Serenus would stay the night with him. Tytos Carroway was glad to have his daughter live with him, and the two of them coexisted splendidly. Serenus even befriended some of the city elves, notably Tatharel, although the half elf found that she didn't fully acclimate with city life. A bit of the Wild still remained in the witch.

Serenus found a job as a transcriber of old manuscripts for the Church. While she has no religious ties to the Church, the local priest Abstalar Zantus has caught her eye. She is reluctant to act upon her whims, especially since she's been discharging strange magics. Serenus suspects it has something to do with her amulet.

CHAPTER TWO:
A series of traumatic events, such as Tatheral leaving, the realization of her elven and dark heritage, along with Father Zantus shunning her spurned Serenus into a mental break down. The woman cut her hair, fled her father's home, and tried to make a living in the woods. While Serenus failed miserably at this, she often returns to the woods for seclusion, and comes to the town to gather supplies or otherwise read. After raiding Thistletop and getting rid of the enemies that reside in there, Serenus is growing ever more curious about the witches that reside in the chambers with the barghest.

However, finding out that her amulet represents Lamshtu deeply troubles Serenus. She wonders what sort of person she is, what sort of person she is destined to be, and if she can salvage what remains of her life. Prone to mood swings, the half elf has begun shutting everyone out in an attempt to save herself and her loved ones.​

 

[Asmodeus]

Voren Malechar
The Cynical Scholar


93 years ago a child was born to Canen Malechar, a spice merchant of Magnimar. The mother - a devil conjured and ravished in a secret ceremony by Canen and his friends. The boy was brought home and thrust into the arms of Liza, the downtrodden wife who was both horrified and resentful of the adulterer's spawn.

What followed was thirty years of psychological battle. Liza was no fool, and neither was the self-educating tiefling. "Mother" and son found a hundred ways to hurt one other behind Canen's back. It left Voren with a lasting contempt for women, and a penchant for twisting the rules to get what he wanted. After thirty years the final blow was struck. A decade studying the arcane arts beneath his father gave him the means to vengeance. On the very night Voren learned the art of Burning Hands, he used it to scar his "mother" and burn every hair from her head.

It was one game too many. Canen cast out his son from the aristocratic high life he had become accustomed to. Without his father's money to buy acceptance, the tiefling received a cruel awakening to the people's hatred for a devil-child. Voren fled the city before he was stoned to death.

Sixty years passed in exile, the tiefling living as a drifter in the Hinterlands of Varisia. He followed the Yonabakari River and lived many decades around Nybor. The town was accepting of half-breeds, and Voren might have found peace among the gnomish population. But their magics were not his own, and their nostalgic, fickle demeanours only stirred his anger. He grew tired of the cantrips they taught him, and after a savage magical duel, in which he crippled a gnomish elder, the tiefling went on his way again.

Stories drew him westward, to the Lost Coast. Stories of Thassilonian ruins, abandoned towers, witch cults and harpies. He happened upon the town of Sandpoint, and immediately sought to investigate the Lighthouse (drawn by a large fire on the island near it). Little did he know that the Chopper Killings were at their height. When an old man came out of his hermit's shack and started yelling at Voren to stop skulking around in the dead of night (lest he wanted to be lynched), Voren met his first and only companion in the town that would become his home.

The old man was named Quink, and was a sage of ancient empires. He took on Voren as an apprentice, and they remain colleagues to this day.

But now Voren has new companions... companions who have led him into the heart of Thassilonian mysteries...

And what's more... he has stolen a sword from the Catacombs of Wrath... a sword that trapped the soul of the serial killer who was slain that same night he arrived.

Fate has its humour.
​

 

[Cerulean]

"Wandering Warrior" Rodeh
Member of Shoanti tribe Shundar-Quah (Spire Clan)

The Backup

Prologue

Wandering Warrior was a name given to a child whom liked to play where he shouldn't and reveled when he got into fights. Animals, people, large brush were frequent enemies of his life. Besides that, he wasn't really any different from most Shoanti.

When Rodeh started to learn to truly fight, like a Shoanti, the man found that large weapons were his preference. They tended to be more destructive and mowed down even the most armored of enemies. Anything that needed more than one hand to wield, give it to him and everything would be just fine.

Thankfully, growing into an adult had helped him to keep his emotion in check. Rodeh was also shown the importance of unity, which lead to the tribal tattoos on his body. They represent what a unified Shoanti people could do. Prosper.

However, he felt that to unify his people that he needed to be unified with himself. After much consideration, The Wandering Warrior decided to leave his tribe in search of himself. This is what brings him to Sandpoint. It was a nice fishing port that was poised for a wonderful rise.

Rodeh found work doing manual labor as odd jobs. If someone needed help moving or had a broken cart to push somewhere then he would be there. Otherwise, helping the fisherman out by giving them muscle was what brought in the gold.

He keeps his skills sharp by helping the Shoanti with training the young and things of that nature. Right now, this is what makes him happy. It may not be the solution but it is a step in the right direction.

Overall feelings towards the party: He wants to keep this not so well oiled machine together as much as he can. He feels most close to Kolto and Serenus but keeps the rest of them in his heart (Even if Voren seems to just want to carve his way out).

Chapter 1

After the attempted goblin raid, Rodeh quickly became attached to the idea of protecting Sandpoint. With the events that followed, it seemed that his decision was fateful and most likely the right one. The company he kept wasn't the most righteous or kind, but he still believed they were good people. At least, good in their own way. Whether it was because they were protecting family or following a contract.

Even with the in-fighting and the blood, he managed to also grow attached to his party members. He eventually comes to see them as family, even if it ended up being the loosest sense of the word. Often praying to Shelyn, he hopes to keep Sandpoint and his friends in the light of beauty.

His journey ended up taking him everywhere from shady taverns, to bloody glassworks, and to almost scarring Thassilonian ruins. The experience changed him, fortunately, for the better (he thinks). The information he gathered was reluctantly taken back to his people, not knowing how they would react. His own tribe ended up embracing him as a hero. It was wonderful, and soon enough he returned to jump back into the fray in Sandpoint.

Chapter 2