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Summary: Flashpoint Mercator
Dec. 29th, 2024 12:41 amThe following is a summary of a Pathfinder 2e game I occasionally play. The GM for this game usually takes over for a half dozen sessions every year or so, and we just finished the second chunk of it. We started at level 5 in our summer 2023 season, and our winter 2024 season saw us at level 6. I've done my best to include the full story from both seasons.
The world shakes. The beacons are lit, the seal undone. Rovagug comes.
The Rough Beast was sealed away long ago, its endless hunger too dangerous to be allowed to exist. Four beacons held him at bay, placed on confluences of powerful arcane ley lines. Two here, and two on the other side of the world. We were supposed to ensure that they were not activated, and we failed. I failed.
In an inn near the Jergal River, I received a vision; a divine revelation. The goddess Desna, Song of the Spheres, appeared to me in a dream. She revealed to me a secret truth of our world's history: Long ago, gods clashed when Dou-Bral became jealous of the relationship between his sister Shelyn and the goddess Calistria. Dou-Bral struck first, sundering Shelyn's hand; Calistria's vengeance was characteristically swift, as she cast him from the heavens.
Then Desna showed me a group of heroes:
Hunter Kilgore, an investigator from Heathfolk lands
Harka Danja, a hobgoblin veteran and expert tracker
Rynupi, a young tripkee warrior yearning for greatness
With them were the heirs to the royal throne itself:
Princess Genevieve, Pulse of the Earth
Prince Zach, Breath of the Air
With them I saw another, a redhead, who gave us passage. I took these revelations to my companion Nes-Anhur, a minotaur cleric and divine incarnation of the sun god Ra. When we returned to the inn that evening to find almost that entire group resting for the evening, I knew it was our duty to help them.
The Prince was with them, but not the Princess. I soon learned their story: the group had been sent by the Body and Blood, reigning monarchs of the kingdom, to escort the Prince to a site called a beacon, whereupon they were intended to undergo a ritual that would heal the Body and Blood of their sickness. Instead, what they discovered was an ancient plot. The Body and Blood had been alive for many, many years, sending their children in secret to die in this very ritual to sustain themselves, and to create perfect vessels for Dou-Bral, now the dark god Zon-Kuthon, to return to the world. The Princess, led by different guards, was sent to a different beacon for the same purpose.
Along the way, the group was attacked by another, more mysterious faction: the Revivalists. These were shapeshifters intent on integrating their influence into all levels of the kingdom's government, and they seemed at odds with the Body and Blood's plans. We would soon find out their true intent: reviving not Zon-Kuthon, as we first suspected, but weakening the seal that held back Rovagug.
Originally these travelers had been joined by two others, but had parted ways with them after Harka killed the Body and Blood for their crimes. One of the former members of the group, a woman named Red, had been enraged at this, as she had been a vampire intending to take the Body and Blood's accrued power for herself. She and the kitsune sorcerer Waisetsu, a childhood friend of the Prince's, remained at the beacon to study it for their own benefit while the rest of the group set out to find the Princess.
So we joined them. We traveled to the city of Ifreetes, where we caught word of a kidnapped woman in noble dress. We pursued the lead, but met with failure. Instead of the Princess, we discovered her guards. Brink, a tiefling with a scarred face; Helena, a necromancer with a skeletal arm. We found them underneath an abandoned temple once dedicated to Achaekek, He Who Walks in Blood. After saving them from that foul place, we helped them find shelter in the temple of Ra and set out again.
The mayor of Ifreetes was under intense surveillance by the Revivalists, but she managed to tip us off about an ambush at the oasis between Ifreetes and the beacon. On our way out of the city we were approached by a woman who claimed to know Nes-Anhur; the true nature of the "divine incarnation" of Ra is seemingly not public knowledge, but Ra deigned to reveal to Nes that he had died in the desert, pleading with Ra to protect his family. In exchange, Nes was reborn and put to work toward to sun god's many plans. Nes chose not to pursue his old family, instead rededicating himself to the mission at hand. At the oasis we struck first, annihilating the Revivalists and learning the truth of their motives. They also revealed that the Princess, as we suspected, had been taken by force to the beacon.
When we finally arrived at the second beacon, we were beset by an enchantment that made us face our greatest fears. Despite all my practice, all my preparation, I was not ready to see my mother there in all her profane glory as Vernai of the Red Mantis assassins, holy killers devoted to Achaekek. But my faith brought me strength, and I rejected my past self. We rallied, then plunged ourselves into the mountainside to find the Princess.
Deep inside the caves, past undead warriors, we found it: an altar soaked in blood. We aided the Princess in a fight against Revivalists who regenerated their bodies unless harmed by silver, and barricaded ourselves in the room with the altar. A lammasu named Kratomir joined us, as he was the holy protector of the seal; though he was no combatant. We rested the night in that room, surrounded by death. Kratomir showed us the other beacons: two lit, sacrifices floating and glowing with profane light. One yet unlit, yet bloodied nonetheless as we saw Red and Waisetsu in a frantic duel, the altar at the first beacon between them, calling silently for death.
In the night, I approached Hunter. I asked about emotions, seeking to learn more about what I was feeling. For seven years Achaekek took from me any emotion or desire that would distract from my purpose as his perfect killer, and I had been feeling...unfamiliar things. Instead Hunter told me the same thing my mother would have. To ignore these feelings, and press them deep into myself. I know he's still hurting. He's lost someone dear to him, and he thinks he's inherently dangerous to those around him, so he keeps his feelings bottled up. I understand that impulse, at least; but I don't know if I can do that. I lived like that for so long, and it almost killed me. If I try again, it might succeed.
That morning, the Revivalists struck.
We fought, but it was to little avail. Though we did our best, the Revivalists chose to sacrifice themselves instead of fighting us, spilling their own blood on the foul altar. Then everything came crashing down.
I am a woman of many regrets. For seven years I was sanctified as Achaekek's holy assassin, and I ended more lives in those days than I feel I could ever save. Now, I see the seals breaking. I see my allies, my friends, struggling against the inevitable. I see the betrayal in the Prince's eyes that fills my chest with a choking shame. I fear the worst, now. I have tried to be the Radiant Prism's Champion-Redeemer, tried to bring mercy and redemption to the world. Instead I failed. Instead I wasn't strong enough to save anyone. I couldn't even find the courage to speak the truth in my heart.
I pray to Sarenrae, Dawnflower; Desna, Song of the Spheres; Shelyn, Eternal Rose. May they have mercy on me, as the Rough Beast chafes at its bonds. May they have mercy on us all.
The world shakes. The beacons are lit, the seal undone. Rovagug comes.
The Rough Beast was sealed away long ago, its endless hunger too dangerous to be allowed to exist. Four beacons held him at bay, placed on confluences of powerful arcane ley lines. Two here, and two on the other side of the world. We were supposed to ensure that they were not activated, and we failed. I failed.
In an inn near the Jergal River, I received a vision; a divine revelation. The goddess Desna, Song of the Spheres, appeared to me in a dream. She revealed to me a secret truth of our world's history: Long ago, gods clashed when Dou-Bral became jealous of the relationship between his sister Shelyn and the goddess Calistria. Dou-Bral struck first, sundering Shelyn's hand; Calistria's vengeance was characteristically swift, as she cast him from the heavens.
Then Desna showed me a group of heroes:
Hunter Kilgore, an investigator from Heathfolk lands
Harka Danja, a hobgoblin veteran and expert tracker
Rynupi, a young tripkee warrior yearning for greatness
With them were the heirs to the royal throne itself:
Princess Genevieve, Pulse of the Earth
Prince Zach, Breath of the Air
With them I saw another, a redhead, who gave us passage. I took these revelations to my companion Nes-Anhur, a minotaur cleric and divine incarnation of the sun god Ra. When we returned to the inn that evening to find almost that entire group resting for the evening, I knew it was our duty to help them.
The Prince was with them, but not the Princess. I soon learned their story: the group had been sent by the Body and Blood, reigning monarchs of the kingdom, to escort the Prince to a site called a beacon, whereupon they were intended to undergo a ritual that would heal the Body and Blood of their sickness. Instead, what they discovered was an ancient plot. The Body and Blood had been alive for many, many years, sending their children in secret to die in this very ritual to sustain themselves, and to create perfect vessels for Dou-Bral, now the dark god Zon-Kuthon, to return to the world. The Princess, led by different guards, was sent to a different beacon for the same purpose.
Along the way, the group was attacked by another, more mysterious faction: the Revivalists. These were shapeshifters intent on integrating their influence into all levels of the kingdom's government, and they seemed at odds with the Body and Blood's plans. We would soon find out their true intent: reviving not Zon-Kuthon, as we first suspected, but weakening the seal that held back Rovagug.
Originally these travelers had been joined by two others, but had parted ways with them after Harka killed the Body and Blood for their crimes. One of the former members of the group, a woman named Red, had been enraged at this, as she had been a vampire intending to take the Body and Blood's accrued power for herself. She and the kitsune sorcerer Waisetsu, a childhood friend of the Prince's, remained at the beacon to study it for their own benefit while the rest of the group set out to find the Princess.
So we joined them. We traveled to the city of Ifreetes, where we caught word of a kidnapped woman in noble dress. We pursued the lead, but met with failure. Instead of the Princess, we discovered her guards. Brink, a tiefling with a scarred face; Helena, a necromancer with a skeletal arm. We found them underneath an abandoned temple once dedicated to Achaekek, He Who Walks in Blood. After saving them from that foul place, we helped them find shelter in the temple of Ra and set out again.
The mayor of Ifreetes was under intense surveillance by the Revivalists, but she managed to tip us off about an ambush at the oasis between Ifreetes and the beacon. On our way out of the city we were approached by a woman who claimed to know Nes-Anhur; the true nature of the "divine incarnation" of Ra is seemingly not public knowledge, but Ra deigned to reveal to Nes that he had died in the desert, pleading with Ra to protect his family. In exchange, Nes was reborn and put to work toward to sun god's many plans. Nes chose not to pursue his old family, instead rededicating himself to the mission at hand. At the oasis we struck first, annihilating the Revivalists and learning the truth of their motives. They also revealed that the Princess, as we suspected, had been taken by force to the beacon.
When we finally arrived at the second beacon, we were beset by an enchantment that made us face our greatest fears. Despite all my practice, all my preparation, I was not ready to see my mother there in all her profane glory as Vernai of the Red Mantis assassins, holy killers devoted to Achaekek. But my faith brought me strength, and I rejected my past self. We rallied, then plunged ourselves into the mountainside to find the Princess.
Deep inside the caves, past undead warriors, we found it: an altar soaked in blood. We aided the Princess in a fight against Revivalists who regenerated their bodies unless harmed by silver, and barricaded ourselves in the room with the altar. A lammasu named Kratomir joined us, as he was the holy protector of the seal; though he was no combatant. We rested the night in that room, surrounded by death. Kratomir showed us the other beacons: two lit, sacrifices floating and glowing with profane light. One yet unlit, yet bloodied nonetheless as we saw Red and Waisetsu in a frantic duel, the altar at the first beacon between them, calling silently for death.
In the night, I approached Hunter. I asked about emotions, seeking to learn more about what I was feeling. For seven years Achaekek took from me any emotion or desire that would distract from my purpose as his perfect killer, and I had been feeling...unfamiliar things. Instead Hunter told me the same thing my mother would have. To ignore these feelings, and press them deep into myself. I know he's still hurting. He's lost someone dear to him, and he thinks he's inherently dangerous to those around him, so he keeps his feelings bottled up. I understand that impulse, at least; but I don't know if I can do that. I lived like that for so long, and it almost killed me. If I try again, it might succeed.
That morning, the Revivalists struck.
We fought, but it was to little avail. Though we did our best, the Revivalists chose to sacrifice themselves instead of fighting us, spilling their own blood on the foul altar. Then everything came crashing down.
I am a woman of many regrets. For seven years I was sanctified as Achaekek's holy assassin, and I ended more lives in those days than I feel I could ever save. Now, I see the seals breaking. I see my allies, my friends, struggling against the inevitable. I see the betrayal in the Prince's eyes that fills my chest with a choking shame. I fear the worst, now. I have tried to be the Radiant Prism's Champion-Redeemer, tried to bring mercy and redemption to the world. Instead I failed. Instead I wasn't strong enough to save anyone. I couldn't even find the courage to speak the truth in my heart.
I pray to Sarenrae, Dawnflower; Desna, Song of the Spheres; Shelyn, Eternal Rose. May they have mercy on me, as the Rough Beast chafes at its bonds. May they have mercy on us all.
