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View Full Version : [PF] Hollow's Last Hope, A Beginner's Pathfinder Adventure!



Hattish Thing
2014-04-03, 07:54 PM
The small town of Falcon’s Hollow is a wild place. Nestled in the shadow of Droskar’s Crag, the people of Falcon’s Hollow are hearty and stern. Theirs is a life of hardships, broken only occasionally by a handful of festivals and the infrequent merchant caravan. They face constant adversity from both the wilderness and the wiles of man. Wolves nip at their heels and cutpurses ply at their pockets. It is a testament to their strength that they even manage to survive at all. Yes, the small town of Falcon’s Hollow has always had to rely on itself to solve its problems. However... the town would soon find itself in desperate need of assistance, but who, if anyone, could be bothered to rise up and become a hero and become Falcon Hollow's last hope?

----

A rough community wholly owned by the Nothern Lumber Consortium, Falcon’s Hollow rests on the edge of Darkmoon Vale, a blunt, sawdust-choked stop on a winding trade route. Home to fewer than 1,500 humans and a smattering of other races, most of the townsfolk care only for the paltry coins paid for their backbreaking work and what simple comforts they can buy. A few, however, understand that what's bad for one is bad for all, and so the community thrives on a tenacious mix of greed, debauchery, and stubborn self-reliance. However... the hacking coughs of the sick are heard throughout town. The plague has come to Falcon’s Hollow and the town’s leaders can’t be bothered to stop it. In the past week, numerous residents of Falcon’s Hollow have fallen ill, each suffering from the same hacking affliction. Local remedies prove as useless as prayers at the Church of Iomedae, goddess of valor, justice, and honor, and already at least one town elder has been claimed by the wheezing death dubbed "The Blackscour Taint".

Officials:

Falcon's Hollow is a harsh place, and here only the cruelest and greediest rise to lead.

Gavin Thuldril Kreed, in charge of all Lumber Consortium business. A fairly greedy man by all accounts, known to be a fierce bargainer, with a reputation for habitual drinking.

Magistrate Vamros Harg, in charge of public speaking and advisor to Boss Tweedum. Known to be a cowardly, manipulative creature, even among halflings.

Sherrif Deldrin Baleson, in charge of carrying out the law and head of the Town Guard. The most moral of the officials, the Sherrif knows how hard life out here can be, and is often seen as one of the few people of the town that actually cares about the citizens as a whole.

Boss Payden “Pay day” Twedum, Overboss of Darkmoon Vale. Boss Tweedum is a thoroughly unpleasant man by all accounts. Selfish, greedy, uncaring, and cruel, the Boss is hardly the kind of person to go complaining to.

Buildings:

The town of Falcon's Hollow composes of only the most vital buildings and structures. A market, a jail, a church, and even a few shops can be found built along the dusty streets. The rest of the area is mostly residential, small homes taking up the majority of the place.

Roots and Remedies, home of Laurel Elethay, is a small potions and herbs shop located besides the marketplace. Here, Laurel mixes up all sorts of strange elixirs and miracle cures. Most of her wares are fairly useless, doing little more than healing a common cold or easing back pain. However, Laurel is widely respected, and rumor has it the woman's grandmother worked with the famous healer Tayle Malloree.

The Church, staffed by Lady Cirthana and a small group of monks, is a small place devoted to maintaining the shrines of all the good aligned gods. There's a small area devoted to each god where citizens may pray or mediate. Unfortunately, Lady Cirthana is nothing more than a glorified sermon-giver, and her weak divine magic can do little to stop the horrific plague.

The Wormwood Inn, owned by Merl Taffsen, is one of the largest and brightest buildings of the town, ironically built right across from the church. Here, the hardworking citizens often gather to tell stories of strange beasts seen in the dark forests of Darkmoon Vale by the fire, or simply drink and relax their feet from a long day with the help of a good meal and an even better song.

The Market, a large area in the town square and home to the various traders of the town, is where the citizens shop for produce, clothing, and sometimes even the occasional rare luxury, such as an expensive bottle of wine or a pretty piece of jewelry. Merchants gather here every two days to open market.

The Northern Lumber Consortium Offices, is where the officials of the town usually lurk about in their private areas, looking over the profit made from their latest endeavor and waiting for their next paycheck. Here is where the lumberjacks come in to gather their paltry pay and drop off the haul gathered from their brutal work.


----

The Characters, and their introductions:

You've always been a fairly simple man, possessing a fair amount of inner strength and a will to help and heal those in need. You are a cleric of Fharlangn, the god of travel, and as your duty you are to wander the many roads of the land, tending to his roadside shrines as they pass. As you pass along through your journey's, the path gets a bit bolder, the dirt darker, and the air a bit more earthy as you begin to trod the man-made path into Darkmoon vale. After a day or two of travel, you eventually come across the small and unfamiliar town of Falcon's Hollow. Good. You'd been running low on rations, and your feet were beginning to really ache. Night was falling, and as you enter the small town, the doorman gives you a suspicious look, causing you immediately feel that something's not quite right. The people are mostly inside, the guards wear strange looking cloth over their mouths, and the town is eerily silent, even for nighttime. You make a promise to yourself to poke around in the morning and try to figure out what's going on, that is, as soon as you've gotten yourself some sleep at the local inn, suitably called "The Wormwood".

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=838295

You've always been a woman of the wild, always appreciating the feel of sun on your face and the familiar sting of a successful hit against a particularly strong opponent. You've lived in a small forest West of Falcon's Hollow for most your life in a large treehouse like structure. You made the trip to Falcon's Hollow for supplies for months, but about a month ago you grew tired of the loneliness of the forest and applied for a spot on the town militia. You've met new people and certainly enjoy this more social life, however you seem to put most people on edge. Regardless... This place is home for you.
You were here when the horrific BlackScour Taint began afflicting the population. You know more than most, but still very little. You're aware that the BlackScour Taint is some sort of fungal infection, spread through ingestion. You also know that that the victims of this terrible plague develope a horrific bloody cough, which often kills the poor wretch infected. Recently, one of your closest friends, Rayegh Willins, a town guard like you, has become infected. This has moved you to go out and attempt help as soon as you can.

You ruled that you'd go out and speak to Boss Tweedum, one of the leaders of the town. You had it in your head that perhaps you'd be able to convince him into putting more effort into investigating the cause of the plague, and possibly volunteering to help. Of course, it was late now, but morning would come soon...

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=458735


You are a member of the most sacred church of Pelor, Lord of the Sun. It is his duty to find and root out corruption and darkness in the world. You were always different than most, and your childhood was plagued by teasing and dejection. You were born different than the others, with nails like claws and eyes the color of blood. However, the servants of Pelor did not judge, and accepted you with open arms. At the age of seventeen you joined the church, and have worked with them for four years. So far you haven't really done too much beside the occasional ceremony or guid the occasional uneventful merchant caravan throught Golarion. However, Father Tusken has given you a new mission. Should you succeed, you'd earn the respect of the church, who you consider your family.

Should you fail, you might meet a particularly sticky end. Having weighed the risks, you've finally decided to accept the quest. Rumour has it that deep within Darkmoon Vale, a large forest located by the small town of Falcon's Hallow, a pack of werewolves lurk. The terrible creatures have become quite the problem lately, and so the church has sent you to go forcibly remove them!

You will not be aware of any sort of plague nor any of the specific happenings regarding the BlackScour Taint. You arrive into town after a few short days of travel by horse and rent a room at the local inn. It's far too late to head out now, and you're eager for the comforts of sleep.

In the morning you intend to head over to some sort of authority to request some time to recruit guardsman from the local area to deal with the supposed werewolf threat. Who knows what the morning will bring...


You, a young man of eighteen can be found working at the Wormwood inn as the only current bard. The last one was one of the first victims of the plague. Now, you remain one of the few bright and happy things in the small town, keeping the people's morale reasonably high. You've always been a bit of an outcast, descended from a long family line of proud rangers and frontiersmen who didn't approve of your musicality. However, you've always found a way to see the bright side of things.

However, recently your optimism's been taking quite a beating. Friends, drinking buddies, and even some of your favorite townspeople to sing and play music with have become infected with the terrible Blacksour Taint. No one else in the town seems to try and help, but instead the population's mostly resigned themselves to accepting the death of their friends and family.

You, however, after watching your good friend die, decide to head out and volunteer to help find a cure if you could. It's pretty late at the moment though, so you've gone to bed. Maybe the morning will bring some sorely needed hope.

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=847855

You've always been an anti-social individual, never fond of spending time with your own kind, preferring to live among the gnoll clan you grew up with. You're used to living among the plains, not by the huge, dark, mysterious forests of Darkmoon Vale. However, since your separation with the clan you've realized that visiting a nearby town would most likely be a good plan. You could restock your food supply, and perhaps look for some sort of work.

You entered the town around midnight, but instead of renting a room at the local inn, you decided to simply camp out your small sleeping bag just outside the marketplace. In the morning you vow to head out and see what this dreary little town could offer you.

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=847726

(The beginning post for each character should be of the individual waking up and beginning with their first actions. As I said, this adventure will be heavy on roleplay!)

---

Beans
2014-04-03, 08:23 PM
[Guardhouse]
Waking in her bunk in the women's side of the guardhouse, Lechy stretches and yawns. Looking out the window, she sees another grey, dreary morning.
Oh, that's great.

She's been here a while, long enough to get to like this town. Oh, it's absolutely horrible on a decent day, and she's one of few guards who isn't on the take, and some people are stupid and/or brash enough to try to play grabass with a lady even if she lugs around a big ol' sword and a spikey gauntlet... but dammit, this is her town, and therefore she can complain about it!

To be fair, she thinks as she changes into her armor, she doesn't often complain much in the first place. After all, sometimes you have to grin and bear it... unless you're Lechner, in which case you can take it a step further. Be brutally, remorselessly happy at a bad day until you've pulped its body into the rough shape of a good day, and then enjoy it.
She wonders why people look at her oddly when she uses these metaphors out loud.

Checking and double-checking her weapons, she straps her greatsword's scabbard onto her back and hooks her spiked gauntlet onto it. She's going to have to go to Boss Tweedum today with her request that he actually maybe do something about the horrific plague, as well as volunteer herself to help. That's... going to be pretty unpleasant, as even she won't try to fool herself that the Boss will be anything other than severely ornery about it. About the only thing he might take well to is her volunteering, given that it'll get her out of his hair... but maybe, since he won't have to be the one doing stuff, he might actually find a thing for her to do that could help. She just has to hope. And, to be a little greedy, hope that maybe she gets to actually kill something.

Recaiden
2014-04-03, 09:29 PM
[Marketplace]

A bird's call wakes Sarau, earlier than she would have liked, but in the perpetual twilight of the forest it's kind of necessary. She brushes the animal off the rope ans swings out of her hammock, struck by how lonely the space is at this hour. On the way in, the wolves had been good company, but she'd learned from experience that they weren't welcome in villages like this.

The woman sets about breaking her camp and getting ready for the day, retrieving her storage chains and dusting off her pack, folding the blanket and rolling the hammock, checking that the javelins remain sharp, gnawing on a piece of dried meat in between tasks, wearing a scarf, goggling the goggles-no, it's far too dark here for those. The little bird is helpful as always, unhooking possessions from high branches, pointing out the locations of things that she had already located perfectly well.

Best get to the business of investigating this town. It's about logging, so it'll have all sorts of queer little wooden buildings, and the people will be strong but somewhat useless. No one here for the market yet. Unusual unless it doesn't meet often. A poor town, or smaller than it looked, if that's the case. The bird had directed her here, though, in one of it's curiously insistent ways; there must be something about the place under the surface. Deep under the surface, assuredly. She strolls into the marketplace and waits near the edge of the town square as people rise and start to appear on the pathways through town.

Taet
2014-04-03, 10:52 PM
[Wormwood Inn]

Mog stretches before he gets up and does not bump into anybody else. He got the bed to himself most nights. That was it. That was the only good thing that happened since the plague started. :smallannoyed: His stuff is hanging from a little tree that was brought in with branches still sticking out of it. Before he goes downstairs for the day Mog takes a few minutes for himself. He carves the clothes tree a little more. It is now looking a lot like the dancer who was working here when the band got here. Not like the bards in the band who ditched Mog here and stuck him with paying off the bill. :smallyuk:

He goes to the kitchen. Says hello to everyone and starts washing dishes in a bucket. Slides a dirty dish with half the bacon left on it to the stable boy and asks him to brush Thick extra nice today. :smallsmile: Gets the clean plates full of hot food and goes out to the tables. "SIX HOT CAKES AND BACON AND TWO BOILED EGGS" he says. Just says. Mog is loud by nature. :smallbiggrin:

Mog looks around the almost empty tables. He knows six hot cakes and bacon and two eggs' name is Jott. Jott is a small guy and nobody knows how he fits in that much breakfast. But Jott and his crew are in here every morning and back every evening covered in saw dust. And Mog knows Jott only eats one egg and takes the other with him for the wood fairies. He said it kept him safe. And Jott was the only guy in his crew who still had all his fingers and toes. But half of Jott's crew has got the plague this month. And now the others are looking at their plates and not up at Mog. :smallfrown:

That does it. He is not going to let Jott go quietly. Mog puts some music in his voice. "I SAID! SIX HOT CAKES AND BACON AND TWO BOILED EGGS! JOTT'S FAMOUS AND FAVORITE BREAKFAST! I WILL GIVE IT TO YOU FREE IF YOU STAND UP AND SAY SOMETHING KIND ABOUT JOTT!"

TechnoScrabble
2014-04-04, 11:06 AM
Wormwood Inn

It's pretty late, then, isn't it? Good time for a song, a story?

Nah, balls to that kiddy tripe. It's time for a meal and a good night's sleep. Maybe a bath and a footrub, if the women in this town are cheap enough.

A good night's sleep. How long has it been since you've had one of those, Ozzy boy? I reckon it's been a good, long, time. Just look at your face. All weather and leather and dust and rust. You're beat, Ozzy boy. Take your damned nap. You've earned it. Wash your boot while you're at it, still a bit of dried blood on it. You'd figure the highwaymen would be smart enough to avoid a big man in a thick leather coat with a stick full of fire and death hangin' on his back, but I guess they just don't make thieves like they used to, eh?

"Ah, who the hell am I kidding?"

Brother Oswaldus Foot was a good man. A simple man. A man who handled problems with a quick, noisy application of lead and fire. But he was a healer at heart. And gods knew this town needed it.

He steps into the The Wormwood as unimposingly as an almost six foot tall man in a thick leather coat can, kicking the dirt off his boots and taking off his wide-brimmed hat as he enters, and making sure to keep his powder horns and mace beneath his coat. He coughs a bit, the dust of the road isn't too healthy at his age, eventually he'll have to admit that to himself.

He waits until whoever manning the bar isn't busy, then steps up to ask, "How much would it be for a room and some meat and potatoes? And uh, is there a bathhouse in this town?"

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=838295

Spells prayed for today:
0
Guidance
Light
Purify Food and Drink

1
Remove Fear
Shield of Faith

Domain
Burning Hands

Arkhosia
2014-04-10, 05:32 PM
Guardhouse

Someone knocks on the door!
Miria, a slender 18-year old girl with abnormally pale skin, a blue left eye and a green right eye, and long black hair in a ponytail, is the perpetrator of this heinous action. She has a green as grass look about her, mainly due to the shiny longsword hanging from her waist and the pristine leather armor she wears that looks as if it's never been used in combat before.

Hattish Thing
2014-04-13, 06:46 PM
Wormwood Inn:

The sun comes up early over the horizon, and with it rises the townsfolk. Mog the Bard always rose up earlier, having always been a morning person. As Mog stretches, puts on his bright clothing, and moves over to carve for a bit, he might begin to feel a little hungry. He probably didn't eat as much as he should have last night. As nice as his curvaceous carved maiden of wood looked to his bright eyes, filling his stomach with something warm and wholesome became his top priority. After all, Mog plans on heading out to look for something to do later, and he can't very well walk about on an empty stomach!

As he heads down to the stables, he might find that the stableboy is nowhere to be seen, although Thick the donkey remains tied up and looks reasonably fed. I wonder where he could have gotten to... He was here just last night, wasn't he? Maybe he was spending time with that lass of his he'd been seeing. Mog thinks nothing more of it, dispelling any kind of worry from his simple mind. Once he arrives to the Kitchen, the dishboy smiles at him and helps him get his food, making small conversation as he does so. However... Mog might find that the general air of the inn is that of... quiet resignation. It's not as bright as usual, and it's nearly silent. However, a figure clad in what looks to be a fading brown cloak over some kind of heavy armor lurks in the corner, sipping at some kind of drink. Mog had never seen him before...

Then, Mog decides to stand up and rouse up the people about! ((As he stands up and speaks, he'll need to make a Diplomacy Check.))

---

After being fed, watered, and housed by the somewhat morose innskeeper, Father Foot went to sleep. After a long night relaxing in a soft, if... somewhat cold bed, Ozzy had decided it was time to eat. After all, it was his goal to pay a visit to the leader of whoever ran this sad little town. So, you head down the rickety wooden chairs, avoiding that one nasty spot on the stairs. Looked like someone threw up there last night. Must have gotten rowdy after you went to bed. You quickly order a bit of tea, nice and hot, along with a small pastry looking dish. You weren't that hungry, but it'd be a fairly nice change of pace to have food that isn't part of your travel rations. You'd been getting fairly sick of rations. It all tasted like cardboard after a while. Ah well, you loved the travelling life. It was worth some cardboard rations.

As you're sitting there, you look over to see some small looking young man hop/skip from the kitchen with a tray of food. You look over to hear the little man shout out, " "I SAID! SIX HOT CAKES AND BACON AND TWO BOILED EGGS! JOTT'S FAMOUS AND FAVORITE BREAKFAST! I WILL GIVE IT TO YOU FREE IF YOU STAND UP AND SAY SOMETHING KIND ABOUT JOTT!""

((Once Taet rolls, Father Foot might be compelled to stand up and say something upon success.))

----

Guardhouse:

Lechner rose fairly early, and hadn't gotten that much sleep. In truth, poor Lechy had been worrying over her good friend, one of the other guardsman here. A few days ago he'd been taken away, forcibly removed from service due to getting sick. So, he'd been sent him to remain until he got better. However... Lechner feared he wouldn't be getting better. These dark thoughts were shoved to the back of Lechy's mind during the day, when she focused on work. But at night when the moon was high, and there was no sound but the coughs of the sick and the wildlife... Lechy thought black thoughts of death and disease. She had had enough of this plague, watching people she cared about get sick or pass. Or both.

Anyway, after donning her armor and making sure her weapons were sheathed and ready, she moved to leave the guardhouse. She'd been given special leave to go and see if Boss Tweedum needed assistance. Right now trying to end the terrible Blacksour Taint was a higher priority than watching for the occasional goblin attack. As she heads to open the door to leave, she'll walk right into a stranger wearing somewhat dusty armor.

---

Maria's trip had been long and fairly boring. Nothing of interest had occurred. I suppose that she rested somewhere outside the town, for the paladin had been fairly used to camping out judging by the sleeping roll at her back. The paladin had been knocking, looking for someone to inform her where the leader of the apparently fairly empty town would be. She needed to request assistance. Werewolves were no small thing to be shrugged off and dispelled. However, as she knocks, the door swings open and a fairly strong looking woman bumps right into you. What do you do?

---

Marketplace:

As Sarau gets up and begins strolling about the small marketplace, the less than friendly inhabitants give her a few distrustful glances, though she's mostly ignored. It's obvious that the people are more than a little wary of strangers, after all it'd been suggested many times by the more paranoid members of the town that strangers could have spread the terrible disease. There were no small children playing in the streets... only loggers and unpleasant looking men and women hang about outside. There's really not much to do in this town. The passerby are mostly civilians, although three guards move by slowly, glancing over at Sarau. They certainly notice the less than pleasant javelins hanging on Sarau's backs, and as such decide not to head over and start trouble. Instead, the three lean against a nearby house and watch the marketplace. A small cart pulled by a fat little man moves through the market. It appears he's selling fruits, but not many people head up to buy from him.

It's ultimately fairly boring in the marketplace.

Beans
2014-04-14, 11:01 AM
Guardhouse:

Lechner rose fairly early, and hadn't gotten that much sleep. In truth, poor Lechy had been worrying over her good friend, one of the other guardsman here. A few days ago he'd been taken away, forcibly removed from service due to getting sick. So, he'd been sent him to remain until he got better. However... Lechner feared he wouldn't be getting better. These dark thoughts were shoved to the back of Lechy's mind during the day, when she focused on work. But at night when the moon was high, and there was no sound but the coughs of the sick and the wildlife... Lechy thought black thoughts of death and disease. She had had enough of this plague, watching people she cared about get sick or pass. Or both.

Anyway, after donning her armor and making sure her weapons were sheathed and ready, she moved to leave the guardhouse. She'd been given special leave to go and see if Boss Tweedum needed assistance. Right now trying to end the terrible Blacksour Taint was a higher priority than watching for the occasional goblin attack. As she heads to open the door to leave, she'll walk right into a stranger wearing somewhat dusty armor.

Lechner blinks as she bumps into the girl who has the clear appearance of a newbie. Oh, sorry... 'scuse me, I have something important to do. She gives an apologetic smile, and tries to step around the girl, hoping that she'll take the hint and step aside so she can leave. She really has to get on with this, and as much as she'd like to help the apparent greenhorn, some things just take priority.

Arkhosia
2014-04-14, 04:13 PM
Lechner blinks as she bumps into the girl who has the clear appearance of a newbie. Oh, sorry... 'scuse me, I have something important to do. She gives an apologetic smile, and tries to step around the girl, hoping that she'll take the hint and step aside so she can leave. She really has to get on with this, and as much as she'd like to help the apparent greenhorn, some things just take priority.

Miria is bumped into, stumbling back a couple fewer before recovering quickly.
Apologies accepted miss! Any way I can help?
Miria asks eagerly, stepping aside wit speed and following the guardswoman, easily keeping pace with her.
She looks rather curious

Taet
2014-04-14, 09:54 PM
[Wormwood Inn]

Mog does a double take without dropping the plates. There was a guy from out of town eating a small breakfast. The first one in two weeks! "We Got A New Guy On Someone's Crew!" he says. :smallbiggrin: And he lifts Jott's breakfast plate up in the air to do a victory fist. The small man has got strong arms and brighter colors on his wrist leathers and pumping his fist in the air is easy to see all the way across the room. "Our Luck Is Changing! New People Are Coming Back To Town Again! They May Be Here To Join A Logging Crew, They May Be Here To Investigate, But FALCON'S HOLLOW IS WORTH VISITING AGAIN!" :smallwink:

Diplomacy [roll0]
Mog Atglen character sheet (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=847855)

TechnoScrabble
2014-04-22, 08:56 PM
Wormwood Inn

Brother Foot can't help but chuckle a bit at Mog's antics. He keeps it as dry as he can, but a good bit of friendly gets through, too. It's gotta be the smile, it doesn't do too well at blending in with the aging man's beard.

I'm ah..." he shakes his head and waves his hand as if to shoo away a gnat, "I'm a bit too old for all that, friend. Just an old man mendin' ails and burning away troubles. It's the road more'n the destination, really."

It's good to see someone this energetic. Or insane. Either way, it means the sickness isn't too far along, otherwise all the energetic people'd be sick and all the crazies would be dead or chased out of town. They're usually either the first blamed or the first to go.

Despite the distraction, Oswaldus eats quickly. He's got work to do, the quicker the better.