Pathfinder Society - Scenario 3.09 - The Quest for Perfection - Part 1, The Edge of Heaven.pdf - Season 3 - pillowbookworm

A PATHFINDER SOCIETY SCENAR IO FOR TIER 1–5

Pathinder Society Scenario #3–09

The Quest for Perfection, Part I:

T he e dge of h eaven

The Quest for Perfection, Part I:

T he e dge of h eaven

By Jerall Toi

T he Q uesT for P erfecTion , P arT i:

T he e dge of h eaven

P athfinder S ociety S cenario #3–09

Author • Jerall Toi

Contributing Artists • Michele Chang and Eric Lofgren

Cartographers • Rob Lazzaretti and Sean Macdonald

Publisher • Erik Mona

Paizo CEO • Lisa Stevens

Vice President of Operations • Jefrey Alvarez

Director of Sales • Pierce Watters

Sales Assistant • Dylan Green

Finance Manager • Christopher Self

Staf Accountant • Kunji Sedo

Technical Director • Vic Wertz

Pathinder Society Campaign Manager • Mike Brock

Creative Director • James Jacobs

Senior Art Director • Sarah Robinson

Managing Editor • F. Wesley Schneider

Development Lead • Mark Moreland

Editing • Christopher Carey

Editorial Assistance • Judy Bauer, Jason Bulmahn,

Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Rob McCreary,

Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, and James L. Sutter

Graphic Designer • Andrew Vallas

Production Specialist • Crystal Frasier

Special Thanks • The Paizo Customer Service,

Warehouse, and Website Teams

This product makes use of the Pathinder RPG Core Rulebook , Pathinder RPG Advanced Player’s Guide, Pathinder RPG

Bestiary , and Pathinder RPG Bestiary 2 . These rules can be found online as part of the Pathinder Roleplaying Game

Reference Document at paizo.com/pathinderRPG/prd .

Pathinder Society Scenario #3–09: The Quest for Perfection, Part I: The Edge of Heaven is a Pathinder Society Scenario

designed for 1st- to 5th-level characters (Tier 1–5; Subtiers 1–2 and 4–5). This scenario is designed for play in the

Pathinder Society Organized Play campaign, but can easily be adapted for use with any world. This scenario is

compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathinder Roleplaying Game.

The OGL can be found on page 18 of this product.

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Product Identity: The following items are hereby identiied as Product Identity, as deined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open

Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress.

(Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.)

Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Paizo Publishing game product are Open Game Content, as

deined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portion of this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced

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Publishing, LLC.

T he Q uesT for P erfecTion , P arT i:

T he e dge of h eaven

B y J erall t oi

T he Pathinder Society has set its eyes on the

Ruby Phoenix Tournament—a world-renowned

ighting competition held once every 10 years in

the distant eastern lands of Tian Xia. More speciically,

the Society is interested in the incredible prizes available

to the tournament’s winner. The Society has deployed

Pathinder agents throughout the Inner Sea region and

beyond so they might collect allies, obscure lore, and

magical items to augment the Society’s tournament

representatives and improve their chances of winning.

Lantern Lodge Venture-Captain Amara Li has

uncovered clues about one such item, the Braid of

a Hundred Masters , believed to hold the power and

knowledge of a hundred Iroran masters dating back to

Irori’s time as a mortal Vudran man. Her information

indicates that the relic is currently located within

Clouded Path Monastery, an ancient lamasery high amid

the formidable Wall of Heaven.

As with the leaders of most Iroran monasteries and

temples, the master of this temple was the individual

closest to achieving self-perfection. Each successive

master of the Clouded Path Monastery inherited the

Braid of a Hundred Masters from the previous master and,

with it, was better able to help guide the rest of Irori’s

faithful along the path to perfection. However, the last

known master, Li Yao, abandoned the monastery and the

braid without naming a successor.

Eleven disciples trained under Li Yao’s guidance.

Each of them showed great promise and potential, but a

young Tian man named Jiang Dan was the best among

them—physically stronger and itter than most. As

the years passed, Jiang Dan became even more skilled

and powerful, yet he could never defeat his master in

physical combat or at a game of wits, despite the master’s

aging. Frustrated and impatient, Jiang Dan eventually

proclaimed that Li Yao violated Irori’s teachings, arguing

that only the Braid of a Hundred Masters allowed Li Yao

to maintain his superiority. Jiang Dan challenged Li

Yao to remove the braided necklace and compete in a

series of tests, each trying a diferent aspect of the self.

Unsurprisingly, even without the braid, Li Yao defeated

Jiang Dan in every contest.

WHERE ON GOLARION?

The Edge of Heaven takes place at the Wall of Heaven, the

tallest mountain range on Golarion, which runs the western

length of the continent of Tian Xia, blocking much of the

Dragon Empires from exposure to the Inner Sea region on

the other side of the world. Only a single break exists in the

solid wall of formidable peaks, where the independent city-

state of Goka plays a role similar to Absalom, serving as the

center of culture, trade, and power in the region. For more

information on the Wall of Heaven and the continent of

Tian Xia, check out Pathinder Campaign Setting: Dragon

Empires Gazetteer , available in bookstores and hobby stores

worldwide, and online at paizo.com .

• C louded P ath

M onastery

• G oka

Once Jiang Dan was truly beaten, Li Yao placed the

braid upon the ground next to the student before turning

and leaving the monastery, never to return. Only one

student, the youngest of the group, followed him. At irst,

Jiang Dan and the other remaining nine students fought

over the braid, but quickly discovered that the braid

provided no beneit when worn. Ultimately, the students

realized their folly and all save one let the monastery in

search of their true personal paths.

Jiang Dan chose to remain at the monastery. Initially,

he thought that Li Yao had let the braid to taunt him,

but over time, he came to realize that there had to

have been more to the master’s gesture than a simple

PATHFINDER SOCIETY SCENARIO

however, warn the PCs of the dangers one can expect

during the ascent, including perilously low nighttime

temperatures. Along the path, the PCs encounter

several of the mountain’s indigenous predators, the

undead remains of earlier explorers, the thinning air

of the higher altitudes, and the dangerous chasms and

rockslides that dot the mountainous terrain.

Ater conquering the mountain, the PCs arrive at the

Clouded Path Monastery, but ind it abandoned except for

a small band of degenerate yetis. Once the Pathinders kill

or drive away the yetis, they can explore the monastery

and ind the braid. Unfortunately, however, the braid’s

powers are dormant and the PCs are unable to reactivate

it without carrying out a complex ritual. The monastery’s

last surviving monk—now petriied, yet still conscious—

is able to provide clues as to how to activate the Braid.

THE BAID OF A HUNDRED MASTERS

The irst master of the Clouded Path Monastery, Jai Yikun,

allegedly knew and trained with Irori, during the god’s

mortal life. Shortly before ascending to godhood, Irori

gited a single strand of his hair to his disciple, telling the

monk to draw from it power and inspiration, and to pass

it on with a strand of his own hair to the brightest of his

own students. Toward the end of his life, Yikun created a

center of learning and meditation high in the reaches of

the Wall of Heaven—the Clouded Path Monastery. On his

deathbed, Yikun bequeathed his braided necklace to his

successor, who in turn added her hair to the braid. Over

the years, the necklace continued to pass from one master

to the next, each in turn adding his or her own hair to the

heirloom. Legend suggests that the braid imbues its wearer

with a small portion of each master’s power and knowledge.

The Braid of a Hundred Masters is an intelligent item that

rests dormant now, and can only be reawakened in a ritual

conducted by its last master (or his eldest descendant if

the master is dead). When reawakened, the braid functions

only for the individual named as the master’s successor.

GETTING STARTED

Read or paraphrase the following to get the adventure

underway.

The Pathinder Society has turned its attention to the

Ruby Phoenix Tournament—a world-renowned ighting

competition, held once every ten years in the city of Goka

on the eastern continent of Tian Xia. More speciically, the

Decemvirate is interested in the incredible prizes available

to the tournament’s winner—a choice of treasure from the

legendary vaults of Hao Jin, the Ruby Phoenix herself. As part

of the preparations for the tournament, Pathinder Society

agents have been deployed across the Inner Sea and beyond

to seek out forgotten lore, allies, and magical items to be used

by the Society’s tournament representatives.

Venture-Captain Amara Li, leader of the Lantern Lodge and

Goka native, has uncovered information about one such item

hidden amid the reaches of the Wall of Heaven—an Iroran relic

known as the Braid of a Hundred Masters . Organizing the search

from her base in the Dragon Empires, she intends to send a

group of Pathinders to the high mountain range in search

of the braid’s ancient home: the Clouded Path Monastery.

The two-week-long journey to the mountains began in the

cosmopolitan city of Goka, passed through the surrounding

villages and farmlands, and led thousands of feet up into the

tallest mountain range on Golarion; all that remains is the inal

day’s journey up from the base camp.

provocation. Jiang Dan continued his training alone, all

the while contemplating the meaning of his lost master’s

gesture. Upon the moment of his death, Jiang Dan had

still not solved the riddle, and with his dying breath,

he whispered one last prayer to the Master of Masters,

asking for a inal insight.

His prayer received an answer, but not in the manner

expected—instead of attaining an instant inspiration,

Jiang Dan woke to ind himself turned to stone. Unlike

normal petriication, however, Jiang Dan remained aware

of his surroundings and conscious of the passage of time

and his own thoughts. Though he did not gain the insight

required to understand his master’s actions, Jiang Dan did

receive the time necessary to reach the answer on his own.

SUMMARY

Lantern Lodge Venture-Captain Amara Li sends the

PCs from her headquarters in her homeland of Goka to

Clouded Path Monastery, a remote Iroran lamasery in the

Wall of Heaven mountain range. She tasks the PCs to ind

the Braid of a Hundred Masters and return it to her, in the

hope that the Pathinder Society can make use of the relic

during the upcoming Ruby Phoenix Tournament.

The PCs, accompanied by two local guides, begin play

at the base camp of the mountain route leading to the

monastery, already several thousand feet above sea level.

The guides refuse to go beyond this point, fearing the

beasts that stalk the mountainous terrain. They do,

If the PCs wish to investigate briely before beginning

their ascent, feel free to allow them the following skill

checks and consult the outcomes below.

Knowledge (geography)

Characters with knowledge of geography may know

some relevant facts about the Wall of Heaven and the

THE QUEST FOR PERFECTION, PART I: THE EDGE OF HEAVEN

Clouded Path Monastery, as determined by the success of

a Knowledge (geography) check.

10+ The Wall of Heaven—the tallest and longest

mountain range on Golarion—creates a formidable

barrier, separating Tian Xia from the west, save for a

natural gap located near the city of Goka.

15+ The Clouded Path Monastery stands a strong day’s

climb above a base camp halfway up its mountain.

While below the permafrost of its particular

mountain’s peak, the monastery is known for its

thin air and cold nights.

20+ The Clouded Path Monastery is a truly

old monastery, dedicated to the Iroran faith, and

one of many such lamaseries spread throughout

the isolated slopes of the Wall of Heaven. Some

maintain that the monastery’s founder in fact

knew Irori during the god’s mortal life.

The Clouded Path Monastery lies at an altitude of

approximately 5,200 feet above sea level, making it a

relatively short climb from the base camp, and only

requiring saves against environmental conditions

such as cold weather and thin air in the inal hour of a

averagely paced trek. Details of such saves are listed in

their relevant sections of the adventure.

A. Base Camp

(CR 1 or CR 4)

When the PCs arrive at the base camp, read or

paraphrase the following.

The base camp site, only a few hundred feet

above the forest line that covers the lower reaches

of the Wall of Heaven, ofers a panoramic

view of the surrounding farmlands,

far below. The half-looded terraced

farmlands appear silver and mirrored in

the late aternoon light. The camp itself is

little more than a trio of unmaintained

wooden shacks surrounding the remnants

of a large irepit and a fallen wooden corral

Diplomacy or Knowledge

(local)

Any PCs skilled at picking up rumors

may learn some helpful information

in Goka and the mountain villages on

their path to the Clouded Path Monastery, based on

their success at a Diplomacy check to gather information

or a Knowledge (local) check.

10+ Nobody has seen the monks of the Clouded Path

Monastery in years. In the past, the monastery oten

sent a small group of them to the mountain’s base camp

to trade for the goods the monks could not produce for

themselves in the harsh mountain environment.

15+ A demon of ice and snow made lesh, called Shang

Xu by locals, prowls the mountains. Since the monks

disappeared, it has come down to raid the farms and

villages on several occasions.

20+ The “demon” is not a demon at all, but rather a

raving yeti that has established its territory well below

the icy altitudes in which its kind normally hunt. With

increasing regularity, the beast has attacked travelers

in the low mountains and even settlements high in the

foothills of Clouded Path Monastery’s peak.

Amara Li

fence to the east.

In years past, the monks of Clouded Path Monastery

used this campsite at the foot of the path to their

mountainside retreat to meet with the local farming

populace to procure the few items that the monks

could not produce for themselves within the monastery

grounds, and as a waypoint for pilgrims to rest before

their inal day of ascent to the monastery itself. Since the

monastery fell into disuse, the camp has also lain barren

and untended, and is now little more than a few empty

wooden shacks around a central campire ring. The

remains of a corral that once housed horses belonging

to pilgrims traveling up the mountain on foot lies in

shambles of to one side of the camp.

Creatures : The guides, Xue Ho and Hai Xuan, are

locals from the farming villages below. The two are

experienced mountaineers and are familiar with this

stretch of the Wall of Heaven. The two men, both

well under 6 feet in height, have lean frames and skin

prematurely aged through exposure to the mountain

winds. The pair, though only capable of broken

Common, have proven to be friendly and knowledgeable

guides. They have been responsible for leading the PCs

through the lower reaches of the Wall of Heaven to this

point. They do not engage in combat, knowing that the

Pathinders are adventurers and that the guides are

likely to get in their charges’ way if they engage a foe

in battle.

ACT 1: THE ASCENT

The trip to the base camp in the low mountains on the

edge of the Wall of Heaven takes 2 weeks from Goka. Led

by two guides hired by the Lantern Lodge— Xue Ho and

Hai Xuan (N male middle-aged human expert 2)—the

expedition reaches the destination without incident. The

ascent from this point should take the PCs 1 full day of

climbing if they follow the prescribed path and do not

need to rest along the way.

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