Episode 39 - The Road of Bones

General Summary

Upon meeting with the Guardians of Golarion (accompanied by Arcaan & Fjord) Kwava told them what he knew of the drow they were searching for. Eviana briefly told him that Serdrissa had been doing business with Maly, of Maly's Wonderous Vault. He went to see Maly and she gave him a brief description of the woman and the disguise she often wore, as well as a rough direction where she might be heading. After some investigation around Riddleport, he discovered that she had hitched a ride with a convoy of a half-dozen educations and archaeologists from the Cypherlodge. They were coming to the Road of Bones to look at the ruins further up the mountain on this side. He doesn’t know why she chose to ride with them or why she would head to the Road of Bones if she was looking for a cyclops.   The next morning, the party rode to the Road of Bones. They came across the wreckage of what was believed to be the caravan, confirmed when Serdrissa's magus spellbook was discovered along with the contract from the Hunter's Mark. Also among the debris were the bodies of two humans, an elf, and a hill giant. All had been killed and mutilated. A pile of burned wreckage continued to smolder, and upon investigating the ashes a body was found. Telith confirmed that the body, despite the head being smashed, was one of a harpy.   They continued on to the Road of Bones. The road stretched for almost half a mile before coming to a cliff on the side of a mountain. The road seemed to have been shaped into giant stairs, flanked by gigantic statues of Karzoug, the Runelord of Greed. Rooker noticed something barely perceptible on the shoulder of one of the statues - a stain, possibly harpy feces. Because the stairs were gigantic, Kwava took the horses back to the site of the caravan attack. They could not pass easily up the stairs and would be easy prey for the harpies. With one poorly-fitted prosthetic leg, Fjord agreed to help Kwava mind the horses. Hugo joined them to help out.   After climbing the stairs, the Guardians and Arcaan came across a large plateau with caves cut into the walls. Bodies littered the plateau - humans impaled on spikes, another dangled from chains twenty feet above the ground by dislocated limbs. Two hill giants were hogtied. One was dead and was being eaten by vultures. Another was barely alive and struggled against her bindings with broken limbs. Oily black smoke poured from a large opening on the north side of the landing, carrying the putrid smell of burnt hair and decomposing flesh. A loud whimpering sound and a man's terrified scream filled the air from the cave.   Entering the cave, the Guardians saw three hill giants surrounding a bound man. Kuuro attacked from the shadows and the party engaged with the giants. Two drew great clubs and attacked, while the third tossed the human into a large pot of boiling water and picked up a boulder to throw. Reh rushed the pot and pushed it over, then administered aid to save the man's life.   The party savaged the giants, but just as the last one fell they heard a song coming from outside the cave. Harpies began strafing the entrance, filling the tunnel with arrows. The Guardians advanced, but as they waited in the entrance a spell was cast and a wall of stone covered the cave entrances, trapping the party inside.

Rewards Granted

XP
48 097 + 1625 = 49 722 XP!

Missions/Quests Completed

• Party discovers the spellbook and Hunter's Mark contract of Mistress Serdrissa Nolarethi.

Character(s) interacted with

Fjord - The prosthetic leg has limited Fjord's movement but he's thankful to even have that much.

Arcaan - Finding Serdrissa's spellbook and not finding her body has given Arcaan dark hope that the mistress still lives. As long as she's still alive, his brother Thexan has a chance of surviving as well.   Kwava - The ranger was happy to be out of the city, though he did manage to discover where Serdrissa was heading and how she was traveling. He was frustrated by the drow navigating in Riddleport under his nose, but being a single person trying to keep track of someone in the third-largest city in Varisia should be grounds to cut a person some slack. He's a mystical ranger, not Batman.

Created Content

The Road of Bones is a path through the Calphiak Mountains that was set to be the pathway from the Mierani Forest to the sea. Thought to be the originally planned location of Riddleport, the path through the mountains was hoped to be a shortcut from the sheltered bay to the plains. However, so many of the workers/slaves died trying to create this pathway that the road soon disappears as it enters the mountains.   The roadway, funded by Cheliax nobleman and businessman Trumle Muller (Ironworks and Smithy Guild), was cursed from the start. Even with the statues of Karzoug, the Runelord of Greed created to bless the roads, it failed to prevent much of the deaths on both sides of the mountain. The white cobblestone road broke apart, resembling bones. That, coupled with the hundreds of slaves who died attempting to build the road, changed the name from Muller’s Pass to the Road of Bones.