Scroll to the bottom for a short summary of game session
Meta notes: I am not using the standard pathfinder setting so while I stole the term “Starstone” from the standard pathfinder mythos, it is not as described in the standard lore
Pre-game
As promised, Gareth did some praying while Bedip and Trina were off trying to get to her homeland. (See last paragraph of the previous session log for details on what they found). His praying involved some divination spells as well as fasting and praying at a shrine to Iomedae in the Paladin’s tower. He reports the following:
He saw several times, a dark stone, pitted and rusty. He believes this is the Starstone, an object of pure metal that fell from the heavens. It played a roll in Iomedae’s ascension to god-hood but is holy to all but the most evil of the gods. Unfortunately, it is also behind the shadow curtain now.
Gareth also claims that the party is not worthy of the crown at this time but does note that’s its powers can be separated by dividing it into its constituent parts, when and if the time comes.
Each of you should have a player-only note as part of this page. Let me know if you can’t see it.
Game Session
Gareth and the order of paladins were very thankful for the party’s timely aid and provide both gear at not cost and served as brokers with other sources of gear (for a big discount). Equipped, including with mounts and even a squire for Avondale, a paladin who joined the party at their request, the group headed out.
They made good time through the still settled lands but with the shadows only 70 miles away now, they soon came to abandoned farms and towns. They wisely skirted a swam of what sounded like wasps. They camped for the night in an abandoned farmhouse near the road where a hungry green fog set after them, a foe they dispatched without too much trouble.
The next day, they were assaulted by a warped bear- much larger than usual and with strange growths. The party also encountered a dryad near Ubeck, pleading for help relocating from the encroaching fog. It seems she might have tried to use some of her magical allurements but was unsuccessful. The party did promise to aid her on their return.
At the city of Ubeck, they found the walls and buildings in good shape- no sign of battle or fire, but abandoned. The castle tower, the count’s home, had strange iron protrusions ringing its top.
They road to the city gatehouse and found the gate open. Just inside, they heard a heavy, shambling creature which turned out to be a beast, taller than a man, looking like it was stitched from many bodies. They dispatched this creature without too much trouble but farther into the town, they catch a glimpse of another such creature (at this time, it does not appear to have noticed the party).
Some of the last refugees they passed on the way to Ubeck stated Count Steen was going to fight to the end. He swore he would not be the one to lose a 1000 year old patrimony. The count, who goes by his first name Francis, even with commons, also claimed he had some sort of method to battle the forces of shadow, although none could say what that was other than that it has something to do with the strange metal protrusions from the count’s tower.
Second Session
As the party began to scout the town they found a weapon smith who was a bit of an alchemical genius, with unfortunately for him, an over-fondness for explosives. Blasty, as they called him, had set some traps against the golems and prepared a number of other explosives from grenades to a large 40 pound bomb. After agreeing to work together, he gave them shelter in his armory where they passed the night. He also gave them an adamantine blanch that coated their weapons with a one-use adamantine resistance penetration.
The next day they tried to go as stealthily as possible to the count’s castle (within the city walls). They were just short of the plaza before the castle when a golem sensed them. Blasty set the 40 point bomb he had been lugging, destroying the golem, most of four houses and himself.
The roar sent other golems charging toward the party. They just managed to close the castle portcullis before the golems arrived, also setting some charges outside the gate and destroying a number of golems.
In the castle keep, Blondie found a very large golem to be alert. This was the count, turned into a golem himself (along with many other body parts). The golem leaped down the stairs partway (damaging himself) and charged out of the keep. Blondie had intentional acted as bait and he lead the golem to his companions.
While Blondie and the others battled the golem, Dagda went invisible and made his way to the tower top, where Maria’s locate object spell had indicated the staff lay. After a little hunting around, Dagda found the staff in a cabinet with a human impaled on it (possibly the person who turned the Count into a golem).
Dagda recovered the staff and bolted down the stairs in time to give it to Maria during the battle.
Thanks the mirror-image spell that Maria placed on everyone and Blasty’s grenades, whose fire did not harm the golem but slowed it, the party was able to ultimately kill the golem, although it was a much more difficult creature than the other golems. (Ref note, I did not introduce Blasty for the purpose of giving you a fire attack— he was just comic relief. But if you did not have the fire to slow him, his two attacks probably would have killed one of you because if 2 blows hit in one round, there was extra electrical damage.)
Once the count was slain, Iomedae blessed first Maria (who had called on her aid and held her staff) and then the rest of the party.
See the forums for notes on your Mythic Ascension.