🔐 Pasha's Path¶

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Spoilers Ahead!

This entire page is meant as DM information. If you're not the DM, you should probably not be reading this!

This side quest splits from 🔐 Hatching Bhreia.

Important

Bhreia only ever calls Pasha "Paxalon."

When Bhreia shows up at the adventurers' camp, she also offers Paxalon "Pasha" Yaraxil to go and speak to the oracle and travel to the temple at the top of the mountain. He can ask them any questions he may have and find out what's in store for him.

Important

It's essential to use the phrasing "speak to the oracle AND travel to the temple at the top of the mountain" since Pasha will speak to the oracle much earlier.

DC 15 Perception

Upon success, Pasha will notice that Bhreia's scarring has worsened since the last time they met. He also notices that she has a fresh wound in the shape of his home island. If asked about it, she will tell him that the answers he seeks are on the mountain.

He must leave his possessions (including spell components) behind in the camp and go down the path wearing nothing but simple clothes and an open mind. Bhreia will create an opening in the brambles if he agrees, and a dirt trail will form at Pasha's feet. Though the path isn't present until he treads it, many footsteps came before.

As you step through the brambles and into the dark thicket, a well-worn path forms at your feet. "It will guide you true," Bhreia says. The path appears to project from your position and after a stone's throw's distance, disappears. As you take a few steps, the path extends in front of you and disappears behind you.

Before he sets off, Bhreia will tell him:

Paxalon, it's vital to keep an open mind, speak the truth, reject fear, and be kind. It is easy to get lost on your way.

The Path of Trials¶

The path is one of many trials loosely inspired by The Inferno.

The dark forest of fear. (Reject fear)
The open foothills where he meets the oracle. (Be kind)
Answer questions. (Speak the truth)
The temple. (Keep an open mind)

The Dark Forest of Fear¶

It takes Pasha half a day to walk through the underbrush. Occasionally, he can see dark creatures darting through the woods, but they seem no more than shadows. The path's margins are littered with bones, both ancient and fresh. They're the ones who came before.

The forest feels oppressive and confusing, almost as if its purpose is to consume him.

Info

The shadowy creatures in the forest are the lost souls of those who strayed from the path, unable to find their way back.

Here he also sees the apparitions of those important to him and his story. These spirits will try to lure him into the dark and lose his way.

🔐 Thomas Wake - Tom will attempt to lure him over with the promise of drink and talk about the good old days. If he passes him by, Tom will insult him and tell him he's a terrible sailor.
Dauriel Aldarion - Dauriel calls him over, saying he has something important to tell him. If Pasha chooses to keep walking, Dauriel crumbles into black obsidian stone, losing his legs and an arm.
Tiran Medeid - Tiran sits on a large boulder, polishing his sword. He hears Tiran whisper lovingly to the sword. If Pasha ignores Tiran, he will cut his wrists and die.

He will become lost if he strays off the path and tries to follow these apparitions. He may find his way back by making successive DC 18 WIS saving throws.

The Open Foothills¶

After emerging from the forest, he sees the foothills, devoid of trees. The constant feeling of dread and anxiety disappears. The temple's tiny shape, peeking out from the clouds, is miles above, barely visible on the summit.

He encounters a young Half-Elf girl named Kassie sitting on a rock a few hours in, resting. She says she's tired and taking a break and asks Pasha if he's also on his way to the temple.

The girl is the oracle (Oracle Kassina), though she won't tell him this and will accompany him up the path together, asking him many questions.

What's your name?
Where is your home?
Do you have any family there?
Why do you want to see the oracle?
Are you a dragon?
Are you sure that you're not a dragon? You sure look like one.
Where do you think dragons come from?

I'm tired, Pasha. Let's rest.

She stops to rest for a while and looks out into the distance. They can see the ocean and Pasha's home island across the sea with a DC 12 Perception check.

The girl remarks that it must be magic because she can see her hometown from there. Pasha cannot see her town but spots the blue column of light in the distance.

She continues asking questions.

Do you know how to do magic?
Can you do some magic for me?
Can you teach me something?
How did you get your magic? (Born with it?)
Do you want to have magic?

All the while, the temple does not appear any closer.

The Temple¶

Once the girl is satisfied with Pasha's answers, they instantly appear at the temple. "We're here," she exclaims joyfully and runs inside the temple.

The temple is small. It is much too small to have seen from miles below in the foothills, but it looks the same.

The temple door will shut when he follows inside, and he's in a pitch-black room. He can feel the floor, but he never reaches an end or a wall, no matter how far he walks.

If he calls out into the void, he hears the girl respond to him, saying, "we've made it, Pasha!"

Answers¶

Here, he will get answers to nagging questions that he may have, though they are likely vague.

I know the past, I foresee the future. - Oracle

Pasha's Gift of Magic¶

He and his people got their magical powers from Amalchi. During this revelation, a vision forms in the darkness of his hometown, maybe his family.

It is a curse, not a blessing. Some people in the past made a grave mistake and made it possible for Amalchi to return. People from Pasha's island. While he was away from home, all others lost their magical powers while he retained and strengthened his.

When Amalchi reincarnated, he absorbed the others' powers, but since Pasha was inside the blue void, his were spared.

Why Pasha is Special¶

Pasha was supposed to be sacrificed to Amalchi when he was reincarnated. The good news is that he was supposed to be the final sacrifice to Amalchi before he returned, which didn't happen. This means that Amalchi is in an incomplete form. He's spawning children to help him complete his gestation and kill Pasha.

There are now two variables that Amalchi did not foresee:

Pasha was not sacrificed and remains alive
Pasha is the only one of his kind with magic

What's in Marram¶

A vision appears of a jungle, the same as the jungle from his previous vision when he touched the crystal. The chasm shows again, complete with fog deep down below. Though this time, a colossal dark shadow moves about down there.

They are on the right track if they are still on their way to Marram. This is where Amalchi is gestating and spawning his children. Once he matures, he wishes to combine the Material Plane and the Elemental Plane of Air into one.

Going Back¶

A vision of the camp appears, showing his friends around the campfire in the fog.

Pasha, there's one more thing I may tell you before you return. But this knowledge is a burden, and it may be wise to reject it.

If he agrees, she continues:

You were told by someone that you are special in more ways than you know. And though that person's soul is corrupted by Amalchi's influence, he spoke true. You are destined to be a catalyst of change, a great divergence in the path of fate. Not even the gods know how your presence alters this path, so they try to assure an outcome that serves their domain. Pasha, regardless of which path you choose, it will be a great sacrifice.

The vision of the campfire wraps around Pasha like a sphere, and he reappears to everyone. He's only been gone for 5 minutes, but the journey felt like days to him.