Pathfinder U2

Using horses, the heroes reached Vardak’s Fortress in 3 days’ time. They encountered a gang of bugbears during this journey, but were not delayed. The trek up the mountain was steep but not particularly treacherous. As they approached, the heroes saw a flame drake circle overhead a few times before flying further up the mountain. The Approach.  The mountain path had been steady and steep for much of its run, but it finally begun to level off. Just beyond the end of the path was an impressive stone fortress built into the side of the mountain. Stone spikes and barbs studded the structure and a tall tower stood on one corner, its crenellated roof looking out over the vale below. This was Vardak’s Fortress. The fortress itself had sloped roofs of shale that rose to a height of 30 feet, while the tower reached a height of 50 feet. The building had few windows, and all of them were too narrow for even a Small creature to squeeze through. The building was relatively smooth and offered fe...

Outsider: An outsider is at least partially composed of the essence (but not necessarily the material) of some plane other than the Material Plane. Outsiders have darkvision. Unlike most living creatures, an outsider does not have a dual nature — its soul and body form one unit. When an outsider is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead , reincarnate , and resurrection , don’t work on an outsider. A different magical effect, such as limited wish , wish , miracle , or true resurrection , is required to restore it to life. A native outsider can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be. Outsiders breathe, but do not need to eat or sleep (although they can do so if they wish). Native outsiders breathe, eat, and sleep. Chaotic:  Chaotic creatures are usually outsiders native to the chaotic-aligned Outer Planes. Most chaotic creatures also have chaotic alignments; however, if their alignments...

The heroes returned to the Fort with news of their triumph against the bugbears. They decided to escort the work crew to preemptively handle any additional disruptions. On Kuthona 12, a messenger arrived at the work site bearing dire news. A bald man dressed in red robes trimmed in black suddenly appeared hovering over the center of Fort Thorn, right above the keep's stone roof. The man identified himself as Lord Vardak and claimed the Bloodsworn Vale belonged to him. He warned the townspeople that if they hadn't abandoned the Fort in 5 days, he would destroy it. After that he vanished, and a tiny seed of flame appeared in his place, floating above the fort, pulsing lightly. One of the guards atop the eastern watchtower noted a flame drake flying east shortly afterward and reported it to Sir Tolgrith. Since the heroes were not present for this ultimatum, a messenger was sent out immediately. Sir Tolgrith had heard of seeds of fire before, as a fable concerning the might of the...

The bugbears hurled javelins while taking cover behind the rose bushes. When engaged in melee, they used their morningstars, ganging up on foes. The bugbears fought to the death. Three crude huts, made from deadwood, stones, and mud, dominated the center of the camp. One was clearly larger than the others and it had numerous animal trophies nailed above the door. Each of the two smaller huts was home to six of the vicious goblinoids, while the larger hut was home to a squad of five. The interiors of the huts were crude affairs, with simple sleeping mats surrounding small fire pits. Each hut was littered with animal bones and broken bits of armor and weapons. Rousing the entire camp drew a total of 13 bugbears, 5 with masterwork weapons, to its defense (not counting the three guards). These bugbears defended their camp at all costs. The bugbears hurled javelins while the heroes were outside the camp, but they quickly switched to morningstars and swarmed any who entered the protectiv...