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<img class="chapter-image" src="modules/pf2e-ap178-punks-in-a-powderkeg/assets/art/chapter-0.webp" alt="Outlaws of Alkenstar" /> <h1 class="no-toc chapter-heading">Outlaws of Alkenstar</h1> <div> <p> In Outlaws of Alkenstar, players assume the roles of renegade outlaws united under the banner of a shared grudge. To exact revenge on the despicable mogul who destroyed their lives, the party must hotfoot around the grime-caked streets of @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ooalk01player.JournalEntryPage.01alkenstarcit00]{Alkenstar, The City of Smog}. As the Game Master, you'll construct a scaffolding of riveting non-player characters, intricate plots, and electrifying encounters upon which your players can craft stories of their characters' thrilling exploits. As they explore a vast city of clockwork menaces and explosive drama, the party will take down brass-clad constructs, blast through steel vaults, and harness their reputations as hardened rebels to save the day. </p> <h1 class="no-toc">Using this Adventure Path</h1> <p> The three volumes of the Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path include everything necessary to run a complete Pathfinder campaign for characters from 1st to 10th level. Together with the <em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> and supplemental rules in the Pathfinder Reference Document (available online at <a href="https://paizo.com/prd" style="font-weight: bold">paizo.com/prd</a>), each volume contains everything necessary for you as the Game Master to run the Adventure Path, including the adventure itself, articles to enhance the campaign's setting, and the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17806advent.JournalEntryPage.06powderkegpar00]{Adventure Toolbox}, which features new character rules options and creatures that appear throughout the adventure. </p> <p> To play in this campaign, each player should have a copy of the <em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> as well as the <em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free supplement downloadable from <strong>paizo.com.</strong> </p> <h1 class="no-toc">Campaign Background</h1> <p> Amid the tangle of pipes, smokestacks, and bricks that congest Alkenstar's grimy manufacturing districts, innovations bubble up from inventors' laboratories, chemists' private factories, and gunsmiths' workshops. Most developments fizzle out like so much effervescence or otherwise elude containment from even the city's most brilliant minds. Sometimes, however, a single spark of genius is so explosive that it can change the fate of an entire city. </p> <p> Such is the case for the eccentric but brilliant alchemist Vashon Gattlebee and his latest invention, an extremely volatile liquid he's dubbed “pyronite.” No mere firecracker, this new instrument of destruction rivals the most powerful bombardments in terms of sheer catastrophic potential, yet its size is relatively diminutive; it can contain a hundred cannons' worth of energy in a tube no larger than a goblin's forearm. Never before has such a powerful explosive existed in such a compact form. It's no exaggeration to claim that Gattlebee's invention promises to shake the foundations of the known world. </p> <p> Gattlebee traces his interest in science and explosives back to a formidable childhood tragedy. When he was just a boy, Gattlebee's father took him on a hunting trip in a relatively quiet region of the nearby Mana Wastes. Monsters, bandits, and worse threatened the safety of Alkenstar, his father told him, so it would be important for Gattlebee to know how to handle himself. On the second day of their expedition, their makeshift long-gun backfired, killing Vashon's father instantly. Somehow, the boy made it back to Alkenstar in tattered, bloodstained clothes, but it took many weeks before he could speak of what happened. </p> <p> Vashon never picked up a firearm or ventured beyond Alkenstar's walls again. He shut out the rest of the world and entombed himself in his private quarters, where he read books, studied alchemy, and performed experiments from sunrise late into the night. One might have expected the survivor of such a terrible accident to avoid munitions altogether, but hardly a day passed without some contained explosion or planned calamity almost blasting Gattlebee's closed door off its hinges. Few were surprised when, years later, young Gattlebee enrolled at Blythir College to continue his scientific pursuits, vowing to someday develop a substance that would render gunpowder obsolete. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Chain Reaction</h2> <p> Gattlebee, now a middle-aged man, is one of Alkenstar's most famous recluses. He's regarded as a misunderstood genius by his friends and a perfectly understood crackpot by his detractors. Years of quiet, patient work in front of his alchemy bench have finally yielded an invention Gattlebee can be proud of—an explosive substance that he believes could eventually replace traditional black powder and revolutionize technology as the world knows it. </p> <p> In its raw state, pyronite is a viscous semi-transparent gel prone to catastrophic combustion at the slightest bump. Such volatile substances are not unknown on Golarion, but their unpredictable nature is exactly what makes such concoctions so rare and unwieldy. Gattlebee's true breakthrough came when he discovered that he could stabilize the chemical by mixing it with soda ash and a special type of white salt collected from the Spellscar Desert. Once it was stabilized, Gattlebee could pack the pyronite compound into small paper spheres, cylinders, or boxes and transport it with ease. </p> <p> The alchemist recently presented his formula to the public for the first time at an exposition at his alma mater, Alkenstar's esteemed Blythir College. Although he carefully determined the pyronite dosage for the demonstration—he brought a pellet no larger than a pea—his calculations must have been off. What should've been a dose just large enough to blow open an armoire-sized adamantine gun safe ended up leveling more than half of the college's largest lecture hall. Miraculously, no one was harmed except for Gattlebee, who sustained a few scrapes and bruises while he stoically looked over his bungled demo. To the nonplussed inventor, the minor wounds he suffered paled in comparison to the disappointment of an experiment gone awry. </p> <p> In spite of the botched exhibit (or perhaps because of it), the “pyronite incident” left a powerful impression on all the students, faculty, and entrepreneurs who witnessed it. Invitations for high-paying jobs and speaking engagements flooded in for Gattlebee, who was ill-prepared for the sudden spotlight. Overwhelmed by the attention, he retreated to his private lab in Steamhaven. As he'd done so many times before in his life, Gattlebee shut and locked the door behind him. </p> <p> Two of the demonstration's attendees weren't content to let Gattlebee slip back into the shadows. Ambrost Mugland, a powerful private financier, realized right away the destructive (and lucrative) potential of pyronite in construction, war, or whatever other ventures he could stick his hands in. The mogul deduced that two wealthy buyers resided in Alkenstar's own backyard: the warring wizard nations on either side of the Duchy's borders. If Mugland could pit the nations of Geb and Nex against one another in a bidding war over the pyronite formula—or secretly sell it to both of them—then he stood to make a veritable killing from the deal. </p> <p> The other attendee who set Gattlebee firmly in her sights was Foebe Dunsmith. Though she's known to most as the popular yet insouciant owner of the Barrel & Bullet Saloon, Dunsmith is, in fact, a high-ranking informant for the Alkenstar government, and the pyronite showcase unsettled her to her core. Dunsmith informed Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia of Gattlebee's invention and correctly speculated its potential to upend the already tenuous political order in eastern Garund. Dunsmith knew that other Alkenstar power brokers, such as Mugland, would also have their eyes on the pyronite formula and that any more public attention drawn to the matter would only complicate the situation. So, with the grand duchess's blessing, Dunsmith set about looking for independent yet manipulatable agents to help her secure the formula. Once the secrets of its creation were safe, Ricia could formulate a long-term solution for pyronite's inevitable release into the wider world. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Clock's Ticking</h2> <p> To fulfill his scheme of stealing the pyronite formula, Ambrost Mugland has had to pull strings and call in favors all across Alkenstar. The mogul has even gone into debt over the matter—an unconventional tack for the notorious copper-pincher—so convinced is he that this all-in bet on pyronite will pay off. </p> <p> Mugland's most expensive, but by far most useful, accomplice thus far has been a corrupt officer of the law, Deputy Shieldmarshal Anjelique Loveless. Loveless has likewise committed everything she has to the pyronite plot; she cowed dozens of low-ranking shieldmarshals into subservience, and she has called in favors with criminal gangs all around Alkenstar. Her minions have dutifully killed off anyone Mugland or Loveless suspected of potentially upsetting their schemes, even other Alkenstar elites who attended Gattlebee's exposition. Of course, the lowly saloon owner Foebe Dunsmith, among others, fell far beneath Mugland's or Loveless's notices. </p> <p> Mugland has already secured buyers for the formula: two revolutionaries from across Alkenstar's borders named Parsus (a ghoulish necromancer from Geb) and Ibrium (a suave Nexian geomancer). Despite hailing from nations famously at odds with one another, the two buyers seem to be working together. Mugland doesn't care about the details of their plans for pyronite, though; he just needs to deliver the goods so he can get paid. Unfortunately for the would-be weapons dealer, he hasn't been able to capture Gattlebee or the pyronite formula because the reclusive alchemist hasn't left his home since the Blythir exposition. Breaking and entering might work, but Gattlebee is famously unpredictable, and Mugland doesn't want to risk the alchemist accidentally blowing up his own lab (and, more importantly, the pyronite formula) in an act of self-defense. Mugland has no choice, for now, but to simply wait for Gattlebee to emerge from his domestic fortress. </p> <p> Foebe Dunsmith and Grand Duchess Ricia also understand that this waiting game can't last forever, and they've caught wind of Mugland's plot. The sooner they get Gattlebee and his formula to a safe, hidden location, the sooner they can rest assured that pyronite won't fall into the wrong hands. Dunsmith needs to find some trustworthy mercenaries—preferably ones who can keep a low profile, are blissfully unaware of the pyronite matter, and don't mind rubbing elbows with some of Alkenstar's less-reputable power brokers—to get Gattlebee to safety. For this task, she's applying a classic Alkenstar axiom: “A bullet for my enemy aims as true in any gun.” </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Volatile Situation</h2> <p> Dunsmith has selected a handful of rough-and-tumble outlaws who each bear a personal grudge against Ambrost Mugland or Deputy Loveless. To see if these toughs can work together in pursuit of their shared revenge, she has organized a heist targeting the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}, one of Mugland's smallest investment operations. The firm caters primarily to small-time, white-collar crooks and landowners who live off the sweat of others' brows by targeting ranchers, small businesses, and other vulnerable Alkenstar citizens with high-interest loans and exploitative contracts. Taking down the enterprise wouldn't solve everyone's problems right away, but it would send a definitive message to Mugland and those who support him. If Dunsmith's mercenaries can pull off this bank job, she plans to involve them in her and the duchess's scheme to secure Gattlebee and take down Mugland. </p> <p> Robbing the Gold Tank won't be so easy, however. Mugland's associate, Deputy Loveless, has caught wind of the party's plans and hopes to intercept the thieves along their getaway route. She and her fellow crooked shieldmarshals aren't known for offering mercy or playing fair—in fact, they look forward to the opportunity to dole out their own brand of cruel, wicked justice away from public eyes. </p> </div> <aside class="sidebar"> <h1 class="no-toc">Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</h1> <p> Before running this Adventure Path, provide your players with copies of the <em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free download from <a href="https://paizo.com/" style="font-weight: bold">www.paizo.com</a>. This spoiler-free supplement includes details to get your players up to speed on the goings-on in Alkenstar, plus suggestions for creating characters with abilities that complement the challenges they'll face throughout the campaign. </p> <p> Most importantly, the Player's Guide also includes new character backgrounds specifically for this Adventure Path. Your players can use these backgrounds as written or as starting points to establish their characters' specific grudges against Ambrost Mugland or Deputy Anjelique Loveless, the corrupt villains against whom the party will ultimately seek sweet revenge throughout this Adventure Path. </p> </aside> <div> <h1 class="no-toc">Adventure Path Summary</h1> <p> Player characters start this Adventure Path as outlaw mercenaries with a dire grudge. Their pursuit for revenge ultimately puts them in the best position possible to save the city of Alkenstar from utter catastrophe. The Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path spans three volumes and takes player characters from 1st through 10th level. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Punks in a Powderkeg</h2> <p><strong>By Vanessa Hoskins</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #178, Levels 1–3</strong></p> <p> To impress a mysterious patron who promises to help them get revenge against their rivals, the characters rob Ambrost Mugland's illicit banking operation, the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}. Afterward, the humble bartender Foebe Dunsmith reveals that she's actually an informant for Alkenstar's grand duchess. She then gives the mercenaries their next mission: protect the famous alchemist Vashon Gattlebee from kidnappers while escorting him across the city to safety. </p> <p> Two street gangs waylay the party and attempt to abscond with Gattlebee. The Clearwater Cleaners are obviously working for Mugland, but the Powderkeg Punks' motives are a mystery. After they get Gattlebee to a safehouse, the characters' investigation reveals that Gattlebee's small-time rival, Shoma Lyzerius, paid the Punks to apprehend Gattlebee. To put a stop to the renegade alchemist's schemes, the characters track down Lyzerius in the ramshackle district of Hellside. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Cradle of Quartz</h2> <p><strong>By Scott D. Young</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #179, Levels 4–7</strong></p> <p> Foebe Dunsmith hires the characters to locate a priest of Brigh named Olomon Kosowana, who has somehow reverse-engineered the dangerous explosive called pyronite. When they get to Kosowana's home, they find the priest's clockwork laboratory already ransacked. Fortunately, Kosowana had enough time to leave a clue for the characters to track him down at the Cradle of Quartz, a remote shrine to Brigh in the middle of the Spellscar Desert. </p> <p> After arranging for an ill-fated airship journey to the desert and surviving the wasteland's strange cosmic horrors, the characters rescue Kosowana from the malevolent inhabitants of the Cradle of Quartz. The outlaws then learn from the priest that their rival, Ambrost Mugland, has gotten hold of Kosowana's recipe for pyronite and that he hired a gang called the Gilded Gunners to test it at the Steaming Kingdom, a rival business owner's exclusive speakeasy. The characters stop the assault then use their clues to finally track down Mugland and get their revenge once and for all. Before his fate is sealed, Mugland reveals that he has already sold the formula to a pair of renegades from Alkenstar's neighboring nations. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">The Smoking Gun</h2> <p><strong>By Cole Kronewitter</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #180, Levels 8–10</strong></p> <p> Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia herself approaches the characters and explains that the pyronite situation has become dire. Unless the party can locate Deputy Loveless and Mugland's pyronite buyers before they use the bombs, the safety of all of Alkenstar is threatened. The outlaws' best lead takes them to the Gunworks far west of Alkenstar, where they learn more about the pyronite buyers—a necromancer from Geb named Parsus and a Nexian geomancer named Ibrium—and their potential plot to level Alken Falls using pyronite. </p> <p> The outlaws infiltrate the Tinwound Hydroforge at Alken Falls, where Parsus has used necromantic powers to fill the water purification plant with undead minions. The necromancer has cleared the place for Ibrium and Loveless to load it full of pyronite. Once defeated, Parsus explains that Ibrium and Loveless are on an inbound luxury riverboat, pyronite in hand. </p> <p> To save the day, the outlaws board a casino boat called <em>The Gearsmoke</em> as it cruises down the Ustradi River. They sneak about the vessel to disarm the pyronite and defeat Deputy Loveless and Ibrium, upending the villains' plot once and for all. </p> </div> <img class="chapter-image" src="modules/pf2e-ap178-punks-in-a-powderkeg/assets/art/chapter-0.webp" alt="Outlaws of Alkenstar" /> <h1 class="no-toc chapter-heading">Outlaws of Alkenstar</h1> <div> <p> In Outlaws of Alkenstar, players assume the roles of renegade outlaws united under the banner of a shared grudge. To exact revenge on the despicable mogul who destroyed their lives, the party must hotfoot around the grime-caked streets of @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ooalk01player.JournalEntryPage.01alkenstarcit00]{Alkenstar, The City of Smog}. As the Game Master, you'll construct a scaffolding of riveting non-player characters, intricate plots, and electrifying encounters upon which your players can craft stories of their characters' thrilling exploits. As they explore a vast city of clockwork menaces and explosive drama, the party will take down brass-clad constructs, blast through steel vaults, and harness their reputations as hardened rebels to save the day. </p> <h1 class="no-toc">Using this Adventure Path</h1> <p> The three volumes of the Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path include everything necessary to run a complete Pathfinder campaign for characters from 1st to 10th level. Together with the <em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> and supplemental rules in the Pathfinder Reference Document (available online at <a href="https://paizo.com/prd" style="font-weight: bold">paizo.com/prd</a>), each volume contains everything necessary for you as the Game Master to run the Adventure Path, including the adventure itself, articles to enhance the campaign's setting, and the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17806advent.JournalEntryPage.06powderkegpar00]{Adventure Toolbox}, which features new character rules options and creatures that appear throughout the adventure. </p> <p> To play in this campaign, each player should have a copy of the <em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> as well as the <em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free supplement downloadable from <strong>paizo.com.</strong> </p> <h1 class="no-toc">Campaign Background</h1> <p> Amid the tangle of pipes, smokestacks, and bricks that congest Alkenstar's grimy manufacturing districts, innovations bubble up from inventors' laboratories, chemists' private factories, and gunsmiths' workshops. Most developments fizzle out like so much effervescence or otherwise elude containment from even the city's most brilliant minds. Sometimes, however, a single spark of genius is so explosive that it can change the fate of an entire city. </p> <p> Such is the case for the eccentric but brilliant alchemist Vashon Gattlebee and his latest invention, an extremely volatile liquid he's dubbed “pyronite.” No mere firecracker, this new instrument of destruction rivals the most powerful bombardments in terms of sheer catastrophic potential, yet its size is relatively diminutive; it can contain a hundred cannons' worth of energy in a tube no larger than a goblin's forearm. Never before has such a powerful explosive existed in such a compact form. It's no exaggeration to claim that Gattlebee's invention promises to shake the foundations of the known world. </p> <p> Gattlebee traces his interest in science and explosives back to a formidable childhood tragedy. When he was just a boy, Gattlebee's father took him on a hunting trip in a relatively quiet region of the nearby Mana Wastes. Monsters, bandits, and worse threatened the safety of Alkenstar, his father told him, so it would be important for Gattlebee to know how to handle himself. On the second day of their expedition, their makeshift long-gun backfired, killing Vashon's father instantly. Somehow, the boy made it back to Alkenstar in tattered, bloodstained clothes, but it took many weeks before he could speak of what happened. </p> <p> Vashon never picked up a firearm or ventured beyond Alkenstar's walls again. He shut out the rest of the world and entombed himself in his private quarters, where he read books, studied alchemy, and performed experiments from sunrise late into the night. One might have expected the survivor of such a terrible accident to avoid munitions altogether, but hardly a day passed without some contained explosion or planned calamity almost blasting Gattlebee's closed door off its hinges. Few were surprised when, years later, young Gattlebee enrolled at Blythir College to continue his scientific pursuits, vowing to someday develop a substance that would render gunpowder obsolete. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Chain Reaction</h2> <p> Gattlebee, now a middle-aged man, is one of Alkenstar's most famous recluses. He's regarded as a misunderstood genius by his friends and a perfectly understood crackpot by his detractors. Years of quiet, patient work in front of his alchemy bench have finally yielded an invention Gattlebee can be proud of—an explosive substance that he believes could eventually replace traditional black powder and revolutionize technology as the world knows it. </p> <p> In its raw state, pyronite is a viscous semi-transparent gel prone to catastrophic combustion at the slightest bump. Such volatile substances are not unknown on Golarion, but their unpredictable nature is exactly what makes such concoctions so rare and unwieldy. Gattlebee's true breakthrough came when he discovered that he could stabilize the chemical by mixing it with soda ash and a special type of white salt collected from the Spellscar Desert. Once it was stabilized, Gattlebee could pack the pyronite compound into small paper spheres, cylinders, or boxes and transport it with ease. </p> <p> The alchemist recently presented his formula to the public for the first time at an exposition at his alma mater, Alkenstar's esteemed Blythir College. Although he carefully determined the pyronite dosage for the demonstration—he brought a pellet no larger than a pea—his calculations must have been off. What should've been a dose just large enough to blow open an armoire-sized adamantine gun safe ended up leveling more than half of the college's largest lecture hall. Miraculously, no one was harmed except for Gattlebee, who sustained a few scrapes and bruises while he stoically looked over his bungled demo. To the nonplussed inventor, the minor wounds he suffered paled in comparison to the disappointment of an experiment gone awry. </p> <p> In spite of the botched exhibit (or perhaps because of it), the “pyronite incident” left a powerful impression on all the students, faculty, and entrepreneurs who witnessed it. Invitations for high-paying jobs and speaking engagements flooded in for Gattlebee, who was ill-prepared for the sudden spotlight. Overwhelmed by the attention, he retreated to his private lab in Steamhaven. As he'd done so many times before in his life, Gattlebee shut and locked the door behind him. </p> <p> Two of the demonstration's attendees weren't content to let Gattlebee slip back into the shadows. Ambrost Mugland, a powerful private financier, realized right away the destructive (and lucrative) potential of pyronite in construction, war, or whatever other ventures he could stick his hands in. The mogul deduced that two wealthy buyers resided in Alkenstar's own backyard: the warring wizard nations on either side of the Duchy's borders. If Mugland could pit the nations of Geb and Nex against one another in a bidding war over the pyronite formula—or secretly sell it to both of them—then he stood to make a veritable killing from the deal. </p> <p> The other attendee who set Gattlebee firmly in her sights was Foebe Dunsmith. Though she's known to most as the popular yet insouciant owner of the Barrel & Bullet Saloon, Dunsmith is, in fact, a high-ranking informant for the Alkenstar government, and the pyronite showcase unsettled her to her core. Dunsmith informed Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia of Gattlebee's invention and correctly speculated its potential to upend the already tenuous political order in eastern Garund. Dunsmith knew that other Alkenstar power brokers, such as Mugland, would also have their eyes on the pyronite formula and that any more public attention drawn to the matter would only complicate the situation. So, with the grand duchess's blessing, Dunsmith set about looking for independent yet manipulatable agents to help her secure the formula. Once the secrets of its creation were safe, Ricia could formulate a long-term solution for pyronite's inevitable release into the wider world. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Clock's Ticking</h2> <p> To fulfill his scheme of stealing the pyronite formula, Ambrost Mugland has had to pull strings and call in favors all across Alkenstar. The mogul has even gone into debt over the matter—an unconventional tack for the notorious copper-pincher—so convinced is he that this all-in bet on pyronite will pay off. </p> <p> Mugland's most expensive, but by far most useful, accomplice thus far has been a corrupt officer of the law, Deputy Shieldmarshal Anjelique Loveless. Loveless has likewise committed everything she has to the pyronite plot; she cowed dozens of low-ranking shieldmarshals into subservience, and she has called in favors with criminal gangs all around Alkenstar. Her minions have dutifully killed off anyone Mugland or Loveless suspected of potentially upsetting their schemes, even other Alkenstar elites who attended Gattlebee's exposition. Of course, the lowly saloon owner Foebe Dunsmith, among others, fell far beneath Mugland's or Loveless's notices. </p> <p> Mugland has already secured buyers for the formula: two revolutionaries from across Alkenstar's borders named Parsus (a ghoulish necromancer from Geb) and Ibrium (a suave Nexian geomancer). Despite hailing from nations famously at odds with one another, the two buyers seem to be working together. Mugland doesn't care about the details of their plans for pyronite, though; he just needs to deliver the goods so he can get paid. Unfortunately for the would-be weapons dealer, he hasn't been able to capture Gattlebee or the pyronite formula because the reclusive alchemist hasn't left his home since the Blythir exposition. Breaking and entering might work, but Gattlebee is famously unpredictable, and Mugland doesn't want to risk the alchemist accidentally blowing up his own lab (and, more importantly, the pyronite formula) in an act of self-defense. Mugland has no choice, for now, but to simply wait for Gattlebee to emerge from his domestic fortress. </p> <p> Foebe Dunsmith and Grand Duchess Ricia also understand that this waiting game can't last forever, and they've caught wind of Mugland's plot. The sooner they get Gattlebee and his formula to a safe, hidden location, the sooner they can rest assured that pyronite won't fall into the wrong hands. Dunsmith needs to find some trustworthy mercenaries—preferably ones who can keep a low profile, are blissfully unaware of the pyronite matter, and don't mind rubbing elbows with some of Alkenstar's less-reputable power brokers—to get Gattlebee to safety. For this task, she's applying a classic Alkenstar axiom: “A bullet for my enemy aims as true in any gun.” </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Volatile Situation</h2> <p> Dunsmith has selected a handful of rough-and-tumble outlaws who each bear a personal grudge against Ambrost Mugland or Deputy Loveless. To see if these toughs can work together in pursuit of their shared revenge, she has organized a heist targeting the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}, one of Mugland's smallest investment operations. The firm caters primarily to small-time, white-collar crooks and landowners who live off the sweat of others' brows by targeting ranchers, small businesses, and other vulnerable Alkenstar citizens with high-interest loans and exploitative contracts. Taking down the enterprise wouldn't solve everyone's problems right away, but it would send a definitive message to Mugland and those who support him. If Dunsmith's mercenaries can pull off this bank job, she plans to involve them in her and the duchess's scheme to secure Gattlebee and take down Mugland. </p> <p> Robbing the Gold Tank won't be so easy, however. Mugland's associate, Deputy Loveless, has caught wind of the party's plans and hopes to intercept the thieves along their getaway route. She and her fellow crooked shieldmarshals aren't known for offering mercy or playing fair—in fact, they look forward to the opportunity to dole out their own brand of cruel, wicked justice away from public eyes. </p> </div> <aside class="sidebar"> <h1 class="no-toc">Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</h1> <p> Before running this Adventure Path, provide your players with copies of the <em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free download from <a href="https://paizo.com/" style="font-weight: bold">www.paizo.com</a>. This spoiler-free supplement includes details to get your players up to speed on the goings-on in Alkenstar, plus suggestions for creating characters with abilities that complement the challenges they'll face throughout the campaign. </p> <p> Most importantly, the Player's Guide also includes new character backgrounds specifically for this Adventure Path. Your players can use these backgrounds as written or as starting points to establish their characters' specific grudges against Ambrost Mugland or Deputy Anjelique Loveless, the corrupt villains against whom the party will ultimately seek sweet revenge throughout this Adventure Path. </p> </aside> <div> <h1 class="no-toc">Adventure Path Summary</h1> <p> Player characters start this Adventure Path as outlaw mercenaries with a dire grudge. Their pursuit for revenge ultimately puts them in the best position possible to save the city of Alkenstar from utter catastrophe. The Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path spans three volumes and takes player characters from 1st through 10th level. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Punks in a Powderkeg</h2> <p><strong>By Vanessa Hoskins</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #178, Levels 1–3</strong></p> <p> To impress a mysterious patron who promises to help them get revenge against their rivals, the characters rob Ambrost Mugland's illicit banking operation, the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}. Afterward, the humble bartender Foebe Dunsmith reveals that she's actually an informant for Alkenstar's grand duchess. She then gives the mercenaries their next mission: protect the famous alchemist Vashon Gattlebee from kidnappers while escorting him across the city to safety. </p> <p> Two street gangs waylay the party and attempt to abscond with Gattlebee. The Clearwater Cleaners are obviously working for Mugland, but the Powderkeg Punks' motives are a mystery. After they get Gattlebee to a safehouse, the characters' investigation reveals that Gattlebee's small-time rival, Shoma Lyzerius, paid the Punks to apprehend Gattlebee. To put a stop to the renegade alchemist's schemes, the characters track down Lyzerius in the ramshackle district of Hellside. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Cradle of Quartz</h2> <p><strong>By Scott D. Young</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #179, Levels 4–7</strong></p> <p> Foebe Dunsmith hires the characters to locate a priest of Brigh named Olomon Kosowana, who has somehow reverse-engineered the dangerous explosive called pyronite. When they get to Kosowana's home, they find the priest's clockwork laboratory already ransacked. Fortunately, Kosowana had enough time to leave a clue for the characters to track him down at the Cradle of Quartz, a remote shrine to Brigh in the middle of the Spellscar Desert. </p> <p> After arranging for an ill-fated airship journey to the desert and surviving the wasteland's strange cosmic horrors, the characters rescue Kosowana from the malevolent inhabitants of the Cradle of Quartz. The outlaws then learn from the priest that their rival, Ambrost Mugland, has gotten hold of Kosowana's recipe for pyronite and that he hired a gang called the Gilded Gunners to test it at the Steaming Kingdom, a rival business owner's exclusive speakeasy. The characters stop the assault then use their clues to finally track down Mugland and get their revenge once and for all. Before his fate is sealed, Mugland reveals that he has already sold the formula to a pair of renegades from Alkenstar's neighboring nations. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">The Smoking Gun</h2> <p><strong>By Cole Kronewitter</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #180, Levels 8–10</strong></p> <p> Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia herself approaches the characters and explains that the pyronite situation has become dire. Unless the party can locate Deputy Loveless and Mugland's pyronite buyers before they use the bombs, the safety of all of Alkenstar is threatened. The outlaws' best lead takes them to the Gunworks far west of Alkenstar, where they learn more about the pyronite buyers—a necromancer from Geb named Parsus and a Nexian geomancer named Ibrium—and their potential plot to level Alken Falls using pyronite. </p> <p> The outlaws infiltrate the Tinwound Hydroforge at Alken Falls, where Parsus has used necromantic powers to fill the water purification plant with undead minions. The necromancer has cleared the place for Ibrium and Loveless to load it full of pyronite. Once defeated, Parsus explains that Ibrium and Loveless are on an inbound luxury riverboat, pyronite in hand. </p> <p> To save the day, the outlaws board a casino boat called <em>The Gearsmoke</em> as it cruises down the Ustradi River. They sneak about the vessel to disarm the pyronite and defeat Deputy Loveless and Ibrium, upending the villains' plot once and for all. </p> </div> |
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<img class="chapter-image" src="modules/pf2e-ap178-punks-in-a-powderkeg/assets/art/chapter-0.webp" alt="Outlaws of Alkenstar" />
<h1 class="no-toc chapter-heading">Outlaws of Alkenstar</h1> <div> <p> In Outlaws of Alkenstar, players assume the roles of renegade outlaws united under the banner of a shared grudge. To exact revenge on the despicable mogul who destroyed their lives, the party must hotfoot around the grime-caked streets of @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ooalk01player.JournalEntryPage.01alkenstarcit00]{Alkenstar, The City of Smog}. As the Game Master, you'll construct a scaffolding of riveting non-player characters, intricate plots, and electrifying encounters upon which your players can craft stories of their characters' thrilling exploits. As they explore a vast city of clockwork menaces and explosive drama, the party will take down brass-clad constructs, blast through steel vaults, and harness their reputations as hardened rebels to save the day. </p> <h1 class="no-toc">Using this Adventure Path</h1> <p> The three volumes of the Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path include everything necessary to run a complete Pathfinder campaign for characters from 1st to 10th level. Together with the <em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> and supplemental rules in the Pathfinder Reference Document (available online at <a href="https://paizo.com/prd" style="font-weight:bold">paizo.com/prd</a>), each volume contains everything necessary for you as the Game Master to run the Adventure Path, including the adventure itself, articles to enhance the campaign's setting, and the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17806advent.JournalEntryPage.06powderkegpar00]{Adventure Toolbox}, which features new character rules options and creatures that appear throughout the adventure. </p> <p> To play in this campaign, each player should have a copy of the <em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> as well as the <em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free supplement downloadable from <strong>paizo.com.</strong> </p> <h1 class="no-toc">Campaign Background</h1> <p> Amid the tangle of pipes, smokestacks, and bricks that congest Alkenstar's grimy manufacturing districts, innovations bubble up from inventors' laboratories, chemists' private factories, and gunsmiths' workshops. Most developments fizzle out like so much effervescence or otherwise elude containment from even the city's most brilliant minds. Sometimes, however, a single spark of genius is so explosive that it can change the fate of an entire city. </p> <p> Such is the case for the eccentric but brilliant alchemist Vashon Gattlebee and his latest invention, an extremely volatile liquid he's dubbed “pyronite.” No mere firecracker, this new instrument of destruction rivals the most powerful bombardments in terms of sheer catastrophic potential, yet its size is relatively diminutive; it can contain a hundred cannons' worth of energy in a tube no larger than a goblin's forearm. Never before has such a powerful explosive existed in such a compact form. It's no exaggeration to claim that Gattlebee's invention promises to shake the foundations of the known world. </p> <p> Gattlebee traces his interest in science and explosives back to a formidable childhood tragedy. When he was just a boy, Gattlebee's father took him on a hunting trip in a relatively quiet region of the nearby Mana Wastes. Monsters, bandits, and worse threatened the safety of Alkenstar, his father told him, so it would be important for Gattlebee to know how to handle himself. On the second day of their expedition, their makeshift long-gun backfired, killing Vashon's father instantly. Somehow, the boy made it back to Alkenstar in tattered, bloodstained clothes, but it took many weeks before he could speak of what happened. </p> <p> Vashon never picked up a firearm or ventured beyond Alkenstar's walls again. He shut out the rest of the world and entombed himself in his private quarters, where he read books, studied alchemy, and performed experiments from sunrise late into the night. One might have expected the survivor of such a terrible accident to avoid munitions altogether, but hardly a day passed without some contained explosion or planned calamity almost blasting Gattlebee's closed door off its hinges. Few were surprised when, years later, young Gattlebee enrolled at Blythir College to continue his scientific pursuits, vowing to someday develop a substance that would render gunpowder obsolete. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Chain Reaction</h2> <p> Gattlebee, now a middle-aged man, is one of Alkenstar's most famous recluses. He's regarded as a misunderstood genius by his friends and a perfectly understood crackpot by his detractors. Years of quiet, patient work in front of his alchemy bench have finally yielded an invention Gattlebee can be proud of—an explosive substance that he believes could eventually replace traditional black powder and revolutionize technology as the world knows it. </p> <p> In its raw state, pyronite is a viscous semi-transparent gel prone to catastrophic combustion at the slightest bump. Such volatile substances are not unknown on Golarion, but their unpredictable nature is exactly what makes such concoctions so rare and unwieldy. Gattlebee's true breakthrough came when he discovered that he could stabilize the chemical by mixing it with soda ash and a special type of white salt collected from the Spellscar Desert. Once it was stabilized, Gattlebee could pack the pyronite compound into small paper spheres, cylinders, or boxes and transport it with ease. </p> <p> The alchemist recently presented his formula to the public for the first time at an exposition at his alma mater, Alkenstar's esteemed Blythir College. Although he carefully determined the pyronite dosage for the demonstration—he brought a pellet no larger than a pea—his calculations must have been off. What should've been a dose just large enough to blow open an armoire-sized adamantine gun safe ended up leveling more than half of the college's largest lecture hall. Miraculously, no one was harmed except for Gattlebee, who sustained a few scrapes and bruises while he stoically looked over his bungled demo. To the nonplussed inventor, the minor wounds he suffered paled in comparison to the disappointment of an experiment gone awry. </p> <p> In spite of the botched exhibit (or perhaps because of it), the “pyronite incident” left a powerful impression on all the students, faculty, and entrepreneurs who witnessed it. Invitations for high-paying jobs and speaking engagements flooded in for Gattlebee, who was ill-prepared for the sudden spotlight. Overwhelmed by the attention, he retreated to his private lab in Steamhaven. As he'd done so many times before in his life, Gattlebee shut and locked the door behind him. </p> <p> Two of the demonstration's attendees weren't content to let Gattlebee slip back into the shadows. Ambrost Mugland, a powerful private financier, realized right away the destructive (and lucrative) potential of pyronite in construction, war, or whatever other ventures he could stick his hands in. The mogul deduced that two wealthy buyers resided in Alkenstar's own backyard: the warring wizard nations on either side of the Duchy's borders. If Mugland could pit the nations of Geb and Nex against one another in a bidding war over the pyronite formula—or secretly sell it to both of them—then he stood to make a veritable killing from the deal. </p> <p> The other attendee who set Gattlebee firmly in her sights was Foebe Dunsmith. Though she's known to most as the popular yet insouciant owner of the Barrel & Bullet Saloon, Dunsmith is, in fact, a high-ranking informant for the Alkenstar government, and the pyronite showcase unsettled her to her core. Dunsmith informed Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia of Gattlebee's invention and correctly speculated its potential to upend the already tenuous political order in eastern Garund. Dunsmith knew that other Alkenstar power brokers, such as Mugland, would also have their eyes on the pyronite formula and that any more public attention drawn to the matter would only complicate the situation. So, with the grand duchess's blessing, Dunsmith set about looking for independent yet manipulatable agents to help her secure the formula. Once the secrets of its creation were safe, Ricia could formulate a long-term solution for pyronite's inevitable release into the wider world. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Clock's Ticking</h2> <p> To fulfill his scheme of stealing the pyronite formula, Ambrost Mugland has had to pull strings and call in favors all across Alkenstar. The mogul has even gone into debt over the matter—an unconventional tack for the notorious copper-pincher—so convinced is he that this all-in bet on pyronite will pay off. </p> <p> Mugland's most expensive, but by far most useful, accomplice thus far has been a corrupt officer of the law, Deputy Shieldmarshal Anjelique Loveless. Loveless has likewise committed everything she has to the pyronite plot; she cowed dozens of low-ranking shieldmarshals into subservience, and she has called in favors with criminal gangs all around Alkenstar. Her minions have dutifully killed off anyone Mugland or Loveless suspected of potentially upsetting their schemes, even other Alkenstar elites who attended Gattlebee's exposition. Of course, the lowly saloon owner Foebe Dunsmith, among others, fell far beneath Mugland's or Loveless's notices. </p> <p> Mugland has already secured buyers for the formula: two revolutionaries from across Alkenstar's borders named Parsus (a ghoulish necromancer from Geb) and Ibrium (a suave Nexian geomancer). Despite hailing from nations famously at odds with one another, the two buyers seem to be working together. Mugland doesn't care about the details of their plans for pyronite, though; he just needs to deliver the goods so he can get paid. Unfortunately for the would-be weapons dealer, he hasn't been able to capture Gattlebee or the pyronite formula because the reclusive alchemist hasn't left his home since the Blythir exposition. Breaking and entering might work, but Gattlebee is famously unpredictable, and Mugland doesn't want to risk the alchemist accidentally blowing up his own lab (and, more importantly, the pyronite formula) in an act of self-defense. Mugland has no choice, for now, but to simply wait for Gattlebee to emerge from his domestic fortress. </p> <p> Foebe Dunsmith and Grand Duchess Ricia also understand that this waiting game can't last forever, and they've caught wind of Mugland's plot. The sooner they get Gattlebee and his formula to a safe, hidden location, the sooner they can rest assured that pyronite won't fall into the wrong hands. Dunsmith needs to find some trustworthy mercenaries—preferably ones who can keep a low profile, are blissfully unaware of the pyronite matter, and don't mind rubbing elbows with some of Alkenstar's less-reputable power brokers—to get Gattlebee to safety. For this task, she's applying a classic Alkenstar axiom: “A bullet for my enemy aims as true in any gun.” </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Volatile Situation</h2> <p> Dunsmith has selected a handful of rough-and-tumble outlaws who each bear a personal grudge against Ambrost Mugland or Deputy Loveless. To see if these toughs can work together in pursuit of their shared revenge, she has organized a heist targeting the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}, one of Mugland's smallest investment operations. The firm caters primarily to small-time, white-collar crooks and landowners who live off the sweat of others' brows by targeting ranchers, small businesses, and other vulnerable Alkenstar citizens with high-interest loans and exploitative contracts. Taking down the enterprise wouldn't solve everyone's problems right away, but it would send a definitive message to Mugland and those who support him. If Dunsmith's mercenaries can pull off this bank job, she plans to involve them in her and the duchess's scheme to secure Gattlebee and take down Mugland. </p> <p> Robbing the Gold Tank won't be so easy, however. Mugland's associate, Deputy Loveless, has caught wind of the party's plans and hopes to intercept the thieves along their getaway route. She and her fellow crooked shieldmarshals aren't known for offering mercy or playing fair—in fact, they look forward to the opportunity to dole out their own brand of cruel, wicked justice away from public eyes. </p> </div> <aside class="sidebar"> <h1 class="no-toc">Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</h1> <p> Before running this Adventure Path, provide your players with copies of the <em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free download from <a href="https://paizo.com/" style="font-weight:bold">www.paizo.com</a>. This spoiler-free supplement includes details to get your players up to speed on the goings-on in Alkenstar, plus suggestions for creating characters with abilities that complement the challenges they'll face throughout the campaign. </p> <p> Most importantly, the Player's Guide also includes new character backgrounds specifically for this Adventure Path. Your players can use these backgrounds as written or as starting points to establish their characters' specific grudges against Ambrost Mugland or Deputy Anjelique Loveless, the corrupt villains against whom the party will ultimately seek sweet revenge throughout this Adventure Path. </p> </aside> <div> <h1 class="no-toc">Adventure Path Summary</h1> <p> Player characters start this Adventure Path as outlaw mercenaries with a dire grudge. Their pursuit for revenge ultimately puts them in the best position possible to save the city of Alkenstar from utter catastrophe. The Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path spans three volumes and takes player characters from 1st through 10th level. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Punks in a Powderkeg</h2> <p><strong>By Vanessa Hoskins</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #178, Levels 1–3</strong></p> <p> To impress a mysterious patron who promises to help them get revenge against their rivals, the characters rob Ambrost Mugland's illicit banking operation, the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}. Afterward, the humble bartender Foebe Dunsmith reveals that she's actually an informant for Alkenstar's grand duchess. She then gives the mercenaries their next mission: protect the famous alchemist Vashon Gattlebee from kidnappers while escorting him across the city to safety. </p> <p> Two street gangs waylay the party and attempt to abscond with Gattlebee. The Clearwater Cleaners are obviously working for Mugland, but the Powderkeg Punks' motives are a mystery. After they get Gattlebee to a safehouse, the characters' investigation reveals that Gattlebee's small-time rival, Shoma Lyzerius, paid the Punks to apprehend Gattlebee. To put a stop to the renegade alchemist's schemes, the characters track down Lyzerius in the ramshackle district of Hellside. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Cradle of Quartz</h2> <p><strong>By Scott D. Young</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #179, Levels 4–7</strong></p> <p> Foebe Dunsmith hires the characters to locate a priest of Brigh named Olomon Kosowana, who has somehow reverse-engineered the dangerous explosive called pyronite. When they get to Kosowana's home, they find the priest's clockwork laboratory already ransacked. Fortunately, Kosowana had enough time to leave a clue for the characters to track him down at the Cradle of Quartz, a remote shrine to Brigh in the middle of the Spellscar Desert. </p> <p> After arranging for an ill-fated airship journey to the desert and surviving the wasteland's strange cosmic horrors, the characters rescue Kosowana from the malevolent inhabitants of the Cradle of Quartz. The outlaws then learn from the priest that their rival, Ambrost Mugland, has gotten hold of Kosowana's recipe for pyronite and that he hired a gang called the Gilded Gunners to test it at the Steaming Kingdom, a rival business owner's exclusive speakeasy. The characters stop the assault then use their clues to finally track down Mugland and get their revenge once and for all. Before his fate is sealed, Mugland reveals that he has already sold the formula to a pair of renegades from Alkenstar's neighboring nations. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">The Smoking Gun</h2> <p><strong>By Cole Kronewitter</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #180, Levels 8–10</strong></p> <p> Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia herself approaches the characters and explains that the pyronite situation has become dire. Unless the party can locate Deputy Loveless and Mugland's pyronite buyers before they use the bombs, the safety of all of Alkenstar is threatened. The outlaws' best lead takes them to the Gunworks far west of Alkenstar, where they learn more about the pyronite buyers—a necromancer from Geb named Parsus and a Nexian geomancer named Ibrium—and their potential plot to level Alken Falls using pyronite. </p> <p> The outlaws infiltrate the Tinwound Hydroforge at Alken Falls, where Parsus has used necromantic powers to fill the water purification plant with undead minions. The necromancer has cleared the place for Ibrium and Loveless to load it full of pyronite. Once defeated, Parsus explains that Ibrium and Loveless are on an inbound luxury riverboat, pyronite in hand. </p> <p> To save the day, the outlaws board a casino boat called <em>The Gearsmoke</em> as it cruises down the Ustradi River. They sneak about the vessel to disarm the pyronite and defeat Deputy Loveless and Ibrium, upending the villains' plot once and for all. </p> </div>
<img class="chapter-image" src="modules/pf2e-ap178-punks-in-a-powderkeg/assets/art/chapter-0.webp" alt="Outlaws of Alkenstar" />
<h1 class="no-toc chapter-heading">Outlaws of Alkenstar</h1> <div> <p> In Outlaws of Alkenstar, players assume the roles of renegade outlaws united under the banner of a shared grudge. To exact revenge on the despicable mogul who destroyed their lives, the party must hotfoot around the grime-caked streets of @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ooalk01player.JournalEntryPage.01alkenstarcit00]{Alkenstar, The City of Smog}. As the Game Master, you'll construct a scaffolding of riveting non-player characters, intricate plots, and electrifying encounters upon which your players can craft stories of their characters' thrilling exploits. As they explore a vast city of clockwork menaces and explosive drama, the party will take down brass-clad constructs, blast through steel vaults, and harness their reputations as hardened rebels to save the day. </p> <h1 class="no-toc">Using this Adventure Path</h1> <p> The three volumes of the Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path include everything necessary to run a complete Pathfinder campaign for characters from 1st to 10th level. Together with the <em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> and supplemental rules in the Pathfinder Reference Document (available online at <a href="https://paizo.com/prd" style="font-weight:bold">paizo.com/prd</a>), each volume contains everything necessary for you as the Game Master to run the Adventure Path, including the adventure itself, articles to enhance the campaign's setting, and the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17806advent.JournalEntryPage.06powderkegpar00]{Adventure Toolbox}, which features new character rules options and creatures that appear throughout the adventure. </p> <p> To play in this campaign, each player should have a copy of the <em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> as well as the <em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free supplement downloadable from <strong>paizo.com.</strong> </p> <h1 class="no-toc">Campaign Background</h1> <p> Amid the tangle of pipes, smokestacks, and bricks that congest Alkenstar's grimy manufacturing districts, innovations bubble up from inventors' laboratories, chemists' private factories, and gunsmiths' workshops. Most developments fizzle out like so much effervescence or otherwise elude containment from even the city's most brilliant minds. Sometimes, however, a single spark of genius is so explosive that it can change the fate of an entire city. </p> <p> Such is the case for the eccentric but brilliant alchemist Vashon Gattlebee and his latest invention, an extremely volatile liquid he's dubbed “pyronite.” No mere firecracker, this new instrument of destruction rivals the most powerful bombardments in terms of sheer catastrophic potential, yet its size is relatively diminutive; it can contain a hundred cannons' worth of energy in a tube no larger than a goblin's forearm. Never before has such a powerful explosive existed in such a compact form. It's no exaggeration to claim that Gattlebee's invention promises to shake the foundations of the known world. </p> <p> Gattlebee traces his interest in science and explosives back to a formidable childhood tragedy. When he was just a boy, Gattlebee's father took him on a hunting trip in a relatively quiet region of the nearby Mana Wastes. Monsters, bandits, and worse threatened the safety of Alkenstar, his father told him, so it would be important for Gattlebee to know how to handle himself. On the second day of their expedition, their makeshift long-gun backfired, killing Vashon's father instantly. Somehow, the boy made it back to Alkenstar in tattered, bloodstained clothes, but it took many weeks before he could speak of what happened. </p> <p> Vashon never picked up a firearm or ventured beyond Alkenstar's walls again. He shut out the rest of the world and entombed himself in his private quarters, where he read books, studied alchemy, and performed experiments from sunrise late into the night. One might have expected the survivor of such a terrible accident to avoid munitions altogether, but hardly a day passed without some contained explosion or planned calamity almost blasting Gattlebee's closed door off its hinges. Few were surprised when, years later, young Gattlebee enrolled at Blythir College to continue his scientific pursuits, vowing to someday develop a substance that would render gunpowder obsolete. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Chain Reaction</h2> <p> Gattlebee, now a middle-aged man, is one of Alkenstar's most famous recluses. He's regarded as a misunderstood genius by his friends and a perfectly understood crackpot by his detractors. Years of quiet, patient work in front of his alchemy bench have finally yielded an invention Gattlebee can be proud of—an explosive substance that he believes could eventually replace traditional black powder and revolutionize technology as the world knows it. </p> <p> In its raw state, pyronite is a viscous semi-transparent gel prone to catastrophic combustion at the slightest bump. Such volatile substances are not unknown on Golarion, but their unpredictable nature is exactly what makes such concoctions so rare and unwieldy. Gattlebee's true breakthrough came when he discovered that he could stabilize the chemical by mixing it with soda ash and a special type of white salt collected from the Spellscar Desert. Once it was stabilized, Gattlebee could pack the pyronite compound into small paper spheres, cylinders, or boxes and transport it with ease. </p> <p> The alchemist recently presented his formula to the public for the first time at an exposition at his alma mater, Alkenstar's esteemed Blythir College. Although he carefully determined the pyronite dosage for the demonstration—he brought a pellet no larger than a pea—his calculations must have been off. What should've been a dose just large enough to blow open an armoire-sized adamantine gun safe ended up leveling more than half of the college's largest lecture hall. Miraculously, no one was harmed except for Gattlebee, who sustained a few scrapes and bruises while he stoically looked over his bungled demo. To the nonplussed inventor, the minor wounds he suffered paled in comparison to the disappointment of an experiment gone awry. </p> <p> In spite of the botched exhibit (or perhaps because of it), the “pyronite incident” left a powerful impression on all the students, faculty, and entrepreneurs who witnessed it. Invitations for high-paying jobs and speaking engagements flooded in for Gattlebee, who was ill-prepared for the sudden spotlight. Overwhelmed by the attention, he retreated to his private lab in Steamhaven. As he'd done so many times before in his life, Gattlebee shut and locked the door behind him. </p> <p> Two of the demonstration's attendees weren't content to let Gattlebee slip back into the shadows. Ambrost Mugland, a powerful private financier, realized right away the destructive (and lucrative) potential of pyronite in construction, war, or whatever other ventures he could stick his hands in. The mogul deduced that two wealthy buyers resided in Alkenstar's own backyard: the warring wizard nations on either side of the Duchy's borders. If Mugland could pit the nations of Geb and Nex against one another in a bidding war over the pyronite formula—or secretly sell it to both of them—then he stood to make a veritable killing from the deal. </p> <p> The other attendee who set Gattlebee firmly in her sights was Foebe Dunsmith. Though she's known to most as the popular yet insouciant owner of the Barrel & Bullet Saloon, Dunsmith is, in fact, a high-ranking informant for the Alkenstar government, and the pyronite showcase unsettled her to her core. Dunsmith informed Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia of Gattlebee's invention and correctly speculated its potential to upend the already tenuous political order in eastern Garund. Dunsmith knew that other Alkenstar power brokers, such as Mugland, would also have their eyes on the pyronite formula and that any more public attention drawn to the matter would only complicate the situation. So, with the grand duchess's blessing, Dunsmith set about looking for independent yet manipulatable agents to help her secure the formula. Once the secrets of its creation were safe, Ricia could formulate a long-term solution for pyronite's inevitable release into the wider world. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Clock's Ticking</h2> <p> To fulfill his scheme of stealing the pyronite formula, Ambrost Mugland has had to pull strings and call in favors all across Alkenstar. The mogul has even gone into debt over the matter—an unconventional tack for the notorious copper-pincher—so convinced is he that this all-in bet on pyronite will pay off. </p> <p> Mugland's most expensive, but by far most useful, accomplice thus far has been a corrupt officer of the law, Deputy Shieldmarshal Anjelique Loveless. Loveless has likewise committed everything she has to the pyronite plot; she cowed dozens of low-ranking shieldmarshals into subservience, and she has called in favors with criminal gangs all around Alkenstar. Her minions have dutifully killed off anyone Mugland or Loveless suspected of potentially upsetting their schemes, even other Alkenstar elites who attended Gattlebee's exposition. Of course, the lowly saloon owner Foebe Dunsmith, among others, fell far beneath Mugland's or Loveless's notices. </p> <p> Mugland has already secured buyers for the formula: two revolutionaries from across Alkenstar's borders named Parsus (a ghoulish necromancer from Geb) and Ibrium (a suave Nexian geomancer). Despite hailing from nations famously at odds with one another, the two buyers seem to be working together. Mugland doesn't care about the details of their plans for pyronite, though; he just needs to deliver the goods so he can get paid. Unfortunately for the would-be weapons dealer, he hasn't been able to capture Gattlebee or the pyronite formula because the reclusive alchemist hasn't left his home since the Blythir exposition. Breaking and entering might work, but Gattlebee is famously unpredictable, and Mugland doesn't want to risk the alchemist accidentally blowing up his own lab (and, more importantly, the pyronite formula) in an act of self-defense. Mugland has no choice, for now, but to simply wait for Gattlebee to emerge from his domestic fortress. </p> <p> Foebe Dunsmith and Grand Duchess Ricia also understand that this waiting game can't last forever, and they've caught wind of Mugland's plot. The sooner they get Gattlebee and his formula to a safe, hidden location, the sooner they can rest assured that pyronite won't fall into the wrong hands. Dunsmith needs to find some trustworthy mercenaries—preferably ones who can keep a low profile, are blissfully unaware of the pyronite matter, and don't mind rubbing elbows with some of Alkenstar's less-reputable power brokers—to get Gattlebee to safety. For this task, she's applying a classic Alkenstar axiom: “A bullet for my enemy aims as true in any gun.” </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Volatile Situation</h2> <p> Dunsmith has selected a handful of rough-and-tumble outlaws who each bear a personal grudge against Ambrost Mugland or Deputy Loveless. To see if these toughs can work together in pursuit of their shared revenge, she has organized a heist targeting the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}, one of Mugland's smallest investment operations. The firm caters primarily to small-time, white-collar crooks and landowners who live off the sweat of others' brows by targeting ranchers, small businesses, and other vulnerable Alkenstar citizens with high-interest loans and exploitative contracts. Taking down the enterprise wouldn't solve everyone's problems right away, but it would send a definitive message to Mugland and those who support him. If Dunsmith's mercenaries can pull off this bank job, she plans to involve them in her and the duchess's scheme to secure Gattlebee and take down Mugland. </p> <p> Robbing the Gold Tank won't be so easy, however. Mugland's associate, Deputy Loveless, has caught wind of the party's plans and hopes to intercept the thieves along their getaway route. She and her fellow crooked shieldmarshals aren't known for offering mercy or playing fair—in fact, they look forward to the opportunity to dole out their own brand of cruel, wicked justice away from public eyes. </p> </div> <aside class="sidebar"> <h1 class="no-toc">Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</h1> <p> Before running this Adventure Path, provide your players with copies of the <em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free download from <a href="https://paizo.com/" style="font-weight:bold">www.paizo.com</a>. This spoiler-free supplement includes details to get your players up to speed on the goings-on in Alkenstar, plus suggestions for creating characters with abilities that complement the challenges they'll face throughout the campaign. </p> <p> Most importantly, the Player's Guide also includes new character backgrounds specifically for this Adventure Path. Your players can use these backgrounds as written or as starting points to establish their characters' specific grudges against Ambrost Mugland or Deputy Anjelique Loveless, the corrupt villains against whom the party will ultimately seek sweet revenge throughout this Adventure Path. </p> </aside> <div> <h1 class="no-toc">Adventure Path Summary</h1> <p> Player characters start this Adventure Path as outlaw mercenaries with a dire grudge. Their pursuit for revenge ultimately puts them in the best position possible to save the city of Alkenstar from utter catastrophe. The Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path spans three volumes and takes player characters from 1st through 10th level. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Punks in a Powderkeg</h2> <p><strong>By Vanessa Hoskins</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #178, Levels 1–3</strong></p> <p> To impress a mysterious patron who promises to help them get revenge against their rivals, the characters rob Ambrost Mugland's illicit banking operation, the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}. Afterward, the humble bartender Foebe Dunsmith reveals that she's actually an informant for Alkenstar's grand duchess. She then gives the mercenaries their next mission: protect the famous alchemist Vashon Gattlebee from kidnappers while escorting him across the city to safety. </p> <p> Two street gangs waylay the party and attempt to abscond with Gattlebee. The Clearwater Cleaners are obviously working for Mugland, but the Powderkeg Punks' motives are a mystery. After they get Gattlebee to a safehouse, the characters' investigation reveals that Gattlebee's small-time rival, Shoma Lyzerius, paid the Punks to apprehend Gattlebee. To put a stop to the renegade alchemist's schemes, the characters track down Lyzerius in the ramshackle district of Hellside. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">Cradle of Quartz</h2> <p><strong>By Scott D. Young</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #179, Levels 4–7</strong></p> <p> Foebe Dunsmith hires the characters to locate a priest of Brigh named Olomon Kosowana, who has somehow reverse-engineered the dangerous explosive called pyronite. When they get to Kosowana's home, they find the priest's clockwork laboratory already ransacked. Fortunately, Kosowana had enough time to leave a clue for the characters to track him down at the Cradle of Quartz, a remote shrine to Brigh in the middle of the Spellscar Desert. </p> <p> After arranging for an ill-fated airship journey to the desert and surviving the wasteland's strange cosmic horrors, the characters rescue Kosowana from the malevolent inhabitants of the Cradle of Quartz. The outlaws then learn from the priest that their rival, Ambrost Mugland, has gotten hold of Kosowana's recipe for pyronite and that he hired a gang called the Gilded Gunners to test it at the Steaming Kingdom, a rival business owner's exclusive speakeasy. The characters stop the assault then use their clues to finally track down Mugland and get their revenge once and for all. Before his fate is sealed, Mugland reveals that he has already sold the formula to a pair of renegades from Alkenstar's neighboring nations. </p> <h2 class="no-toc">The Smoking Gun</h2> <p><strong>By Cole Kronewitter</strong></p> <p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #180, Levels 8–10</strong></p> <p> Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia herself approaches the characters and explains that the pyronite situation has become dire. Unless the party can locate Deputy Loveless and Mugland's pyronite buyers before they use the bombs, the safety of all of Alkenstar is threatened. The outlaws' best lead takes them to the Gunworks far west of Alkenstar, where they learn more about the pyronite buyers—a necromancer from Geb named Parsus and a Nexian geomancer named Ibrium—and their potential plot to level Alken Falls using pyronite. </p> <p> The outlaws infiltrate the Tinwound Hydroforge at Alken Falls, where Parsus has used necromantic powers to fill the water purification plant with undead minions. The necromancer has cleared the place for Ibrium and Loveless to load it full of pyronite. Once defeated, Parsus explains that Ibrium and Loveless are on an inbound luxury riverboat, pyronite in hand. </p> <p> To save the day, the outlaws board a casino boat called <em>The Gearsmoke</em> as it cruises down the Ustradi River. They sneak about the vessel to disarm the pyronite and defeat Deputy Loveless and Ibrium, upending the villains' plot once and for all. </p> </div> |
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alt="Outlaws of Alkenstar" />
<h1 class="no-toc chapter-heading">Outlaws of Alkenstar</h1>
<div>
<p>
In Outlaws of Alkenstar, players assume the roles of renegade outlaws united under the banner of a shared grudge. To
exact revenge on the despicable mogul who destroyed their lives, the party must hotfoot around the grime-caked
streets of @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ooalk01player.JournalEntryPage.01alkenstarcit00]{Alkenstar, The City of Smog}. As
the Game Master, you'll construct a scaffolding of riveting non-player characters, intricate plots, and electrifying
encounters upon which your players can craft stories of their characters' thrilling exploits. As they explore a vast
city of clockwork menaces and explosive drama, the party will take down brass-clad constructs, blast through steel
vaults, and harness their reputations as hardened rebels to save the day.
</p>
<h1 class="no-toc">Using this Adventure Path</h1>
<p>
The three volumes of the Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path include everything necessary to run a complete
Pathfinder campaign for characters from 1st to 10th level. Together with the
<em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> and supplemental rules in the Pathfinder Reference Document (available online at
<a href="https://paizo.com/prd" style="font-weight: bold">paizo.com/prd</a>), each volume contains everything
necessary for you as the Game Master to run the Adventure Path, including the adventure itself, articles to enhance
the campaign's setting, and the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17806advent.JournalEntryPage.06powderkegpar00]{Adventure Toolbox}, which features new character rules options and creatures that appear throughout the adventure.
</p>
<p>
To play in this campaign, each player should have a copy of the
<em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> as well as the <em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free supplement
downloadable from <strong>paizo.com.</strong>
</p>
<h1 class="no-toc">Campaign Background</h1>
<p>
Amid the tangle of pipes, smokestacks, and bricks that congest Alkenstar's grimy manufacturing districts,
innovations bubble up from inventors' laboratories, chemists' private factories, and gunsmiths' workshops. Most
developments fizzle out like so much effervescence or otherwise elude containment from even the city's most
brilliant minds. Sometimes, however, a single spark of genius is so explosive that it can change the fate of an
entire city.
</p>
<p>
Such is the case for the eccentric but brilliant alchemist Vashon Gattlebee and his latest invention, an extremely
volatile liquid he's dubbed “pyronite.” No mere firecracker, this new instrument of destruction rivals the most
powerful bombardments in terms of sheer catastrophic potential, yet its size is relatively diminutive; it can
contain a hundred cannons' worth of energy in a tube no larger than a goblin's forearm. Never before has such a
powerful explosive existed in such a compact form. It's no exaggeration to claim that Gattlebee's invention promises
to shake the foundations of the known world.
</p>
<p>
Gattlebee traces his interest in science and explosives back to a formidable childhood tragedy. When he was just a
boy, Gattlebee's father took him on a hunting trip in a relatively quiet region of the nearby Mana Wastes. Monsters,
bandits, and worse threatened the safety of Alkenstar, his father told him, so it would be important for Gattlebee
to know how to handle himself. On the second day of their expedition, their makeshift long-gun backfired, killing
Vashon's father instantly. Somehow, the boy made it back to Alkenstar in tattered, bloodstained clothes, but it took
many weeks before he could speak of what happened.
</p>
<p>
Vashon never picked up a firearm or ventured beyond Alkenstar's walls again. He shut out the rest of the world and
entombed himself in his private quarters, where he read books, studied alchemy, and performed experiments from
sunrise late into the night. One might have expected the survivor of such a terrible accident to avoid munitions
altogether, but hardly a day passed without some contained explosion or planned calamity almost blasting Gattlebee's
closed door off its hinges. Few were surprised when, years later, young Gattlebee enrolled at Blythir College to
continue his scientific pursuits, vowing to someday develop a substance that would render gunpowder obsolete.
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">Chain Reaction</h2>
<p>
Gattlebee, now a middle-aged man, is one of Alkenstar's most famous recluses. He's regarded as a misunderstood
genius by his friends and a perfectly understood crackpot by his detractors. Years of quiet, patient work in front
of his alchemy bench have finally yielded an invention Gattlebee can be proud of—an explosive substance that he
believes could eventually replace traditional black powder and revolutionize technology as the world knows it.
</p>
<p>
In its raw state, pyronite is a viscous semi-transparent gel prone to catastrophic combustion at the slightest bump.
Such volatile substances are not unknown on Golarion, but their unpredictable nature is exactly what makes such
concoctions so rare and unwieldy. Gattlebee's true breakthrough came when he discovered that he could stabilize the
chemical by mixing it with soda ash and a special type of white salt collected from the Spellscar Desert. Once it
was stabilized, Gattlebee could pack the pyronite compound into small paper spheres, cylinders, or boxes and
transport it with ease.
</p>
<p>
The alchemist recently presented his formula to the public for the first time at an exposition at his alma mater,
Alkenstar's esteemed Blythir College. Although he carefully determined the pyronite dosage for the demonstration—he
brought a pellet no larger than a pea—his calculations must have been off. What should've been a dose just large
enough to blow open an armoire-sized adamantine gun safe ended up leveling more than half of the college's largest
lecture hall. Miraculously, no one was harmed except for Gattlebee, who sustained a few scrapes and bruises while he
stoically looked over his bungled demo. To the nonplussed inventor, the minor wounds he suffered paled in comparison
to the disappointment of an experiment gone awry.
</p>
<p>
In spite of the botched exhibit (or perhaps because of it), the “pyronite incident” left a powerful impression on
all the students, faculty, and entrepreneurs who witnessed it. Invitations for high-paying jobs and speaking
engagements flooded in for Gattlebee, who was ill-prepared for the sudden spotlight. Overwhelmed by the attention,
he retreated to his private lab in Steamhaven. As he'd done so many times before in his life, Gattlebee shut and
locked the door behind him.
</p>
<p>
Two of the demonstration's attendees weren't content to let Gattlebee slip back into the shadows. Ambrost Mugland, a
powerful private financier, realized right away the destructive (and lucrative) potential of pyronite in
construction, war, or whatever other ventures he could stick his hands in. The mogul deduced that two wealthy buyers
resided in Alkenstar's own backyard: the warring wizard nations on either side of the Duchy's borders. If Mugland
could pit the nations of Geb and Nex against one another in a bidding war over the pyronite formula—or secretly sell
it to both of them—then he stood to make a veritable killing from the deal.
</p>
<p>
The other attendee who set Gattlebee firmly in her sights was Foebe Dunsmith. Though she's known to most as the
popular yet insouciant owner of the Barrel & Bullet Saloon, Dunsmith is, in fact, a high-ranking informant for
the Alkenstar government, and the pyronite showcase unsettled her to her core. Dunsmith informed Grand Duchess
Trietta Ricia of Gattlebee's invention and correctly speculated its potential to upend the already tenuous political
order in eastern Garund. Dunsmith knew that other Alkenstar power brokers, such as Mugland, would also have their
eyes on the pyronite formula and that any more public attention drawn to the matter would only complicate the
situation. So, with the grand duchess's blessing, Dunsmith set about looking for independent yet manipulatable
agents to help her secure the formula. Once the secrets of its creation were safe, Ricia could formulate a long-term
solution for pyronite's inevitable release into the wider world.
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">Clock's Ticking</h2>
<p>
To fulfill his scheme of stealing the pyronite formula, Ambrost Mugland has had to pull strings and call in favors
all across Alkenstar. The mogul has even gone into debt over the matter—an unconventional tack for the notorious
copper-pincher—so convinced is he that this all-in bet on pyronite will pay off.
</p>
<p>
Mugland's most expensive, but by far most useful, accomplice thus far has been a corrupt officer of the law, Deputy
Shieldmarshal Anjelique Loveless. Loveless has likewise committed everything she has to the pyronite plot; she cowed
dozens of low-ranking shieldmarshals into subservience, and she has called in favors with criminal gangs all around
Alkenstar. Her minions have dutifully killed off anyone Mugland or Loveless suspected of potentially upsetting their
schemes, even other Alkenstar elites who attended Gattlebee's exposition. Of course, the lowly saloon owner Foebe
Dunsmith, among others, fell far beneath Mugland's or Loveless's notices.
</p>
<p>
Mugland has already secured buyers for the formula: two revolutionaries from across Alkenstar's borders named Parsus
(a ghoulish necromancer from Geb) and Ibrium (a suave Nexian geomancer). Despite hailing from nations famously at
odds with one another, the two buyers seem to be working together. Mugland doesn't care about the details of their
plans for pyronite, though; he just needs to deliver the goods so he can get paid. Unfortunately for the would-be
weapons dealer, he hasn't been able to capture Gattlebee or the pyronite formula because the reclusive alchemist
hasn't left his home since the Blythir exposition. Breaking and entering might work, but Gattlebee is famously
unpredictable, and Mugland doesn't want to risk the alchemist accidentally blowing up his own lab (and, more
importantly, the pyronite formula) in an act of self-defense. Mugland has no choice, for now, but to simply wait for
Gattlebee to emerge from his domestic fortress.
</p>
<p>
Foebe Dunsmith and Grand Duchess Ricia also understand that this waiting game can't last forever, and they've caught
wind of Mugland's plot. The sooner they get Gattlebee and his formula to a safe, hidden location, the sooner they
can rest assured that pyronite won't fall into the wrong hands. Dunsmith needs to find some trustworthy
mercenaries—preferably ones who can keep a low profile, are blissfully unaware of the pyronite matter, and don't
mind rubbing elbows with some of Alkenstar's less-reputable power brokers—to get Gattlebee to safety. For this task,
she's applying a classic Alkenstar axiom: “A bullet for my enemy aims as true in any gun.”
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">Volatile Situation</h2>
<p>
Dunsmith has selected a handful of rough-and-tumble outlaws who each bear a personal grudge against Ambrost Mugland
or Deputy Loveless. To see if these toughs can work together in pursuit of their shared revenge, she has organized a
heist targeting the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}, one
of Mugland's smallest investment operations. The firm caters primarily to small-time, white-collar crooks and
landowners who live off the sweat of others' brows by targeting ranchers, small businesses, and other vulnerable
Alkenstar citizens with high-interest loans and exploitative contracts. Taking down the enterprise wouldn't solve
everyone's problems right away, but it would send a definitive message to Mugland and those who support him. If
Dunsmith's mercenaries can pull off this bank job, she plans to involve them in her and the duchess's scheme to
secure Gattlebee and take down Mugland.
</p>
<p>
Robbing the Gold Tank won't be so easy, however. Mugland's associate, Deputy Loveless, has caught wind of the
party's plans and hopes to intercept the thieves along their getaway route. She and her fellow crooked
shieldmarshals aren't known for offering mercy or playing fair—in fact, they look forward to the opportunity to dole
out their own brand of cruel, wicked justice away from public eyes.
</p>
</div>
<aside class="sidebar">
<h1 class="no-toc">Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</h1>
<p>
Before running this Adventure Path, provide your players with copies of the
<em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free download from
<a href="https://paizo.com/" style="font-weight: bold">www.paizo.com</a>. This spoiler-free supplement includes
details to get your players up to speed on the goings-on in Alkenstar, plus suggestions for creating characters with
abilities that complement the challenges they'll face throughout the campaign.
</p>
<p>
Most importantly, the Player's Guide also includes new character backgrounds specifically for this Adventure Path.
Your players can use these backgrounds as written or as starting points to establish their characters' specific
grudges against Ambrost Mugland or Deputy Anjelique Loveless, the corrupt villains against whom the party will
ultimately seek sweet revenge throughout this Adventure Path.
</p>
</aside>
<div>
<h1 class="no-toc">Adventure Path Summary</h1>
<p>
Player characters start this Adventure Path as outlaw mercenaries with a dire grudge. Their pursuit for revenge
ultimately puts them in the best position possible to save the city of Alkenstar from utter catastrophe. The Outlaws
of Alkenstar Adventure Path spans three volumes and takes player characters from 1st through 10th level.
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">Punks in a Powderkeg</h2>
<p><strong>By Vanessa Hoskins</strong></p>
<p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #178, Levels 1–3</strong></p>
<p>
To impress a mysterious patron who promises to help them get revenge against their rivals, the characters rob
Ambrost Mugland's illicit banking operation, the
@UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}. Afterward, the humble
bartender Foebe Dunsmith reveals that she's actually an informant for Alkenstar's grand duchess. She then gives the
mercenaries their next mission: protect the famous alchemist Vashon Gattlebee from kidnappers while escorting him
across the city to safety.
</p>
<p>
Two street gangs waylay the party and attempt to abscond with Gattlebee. The Clearwater Cleaners are obviously
working for Mugland, but the Powderkeg Punks' motives are a mystery. After they get Gattlebee to a safehouse, the
characters' investigation reveals that Gattlebee's small-time rival, Shoma Lyzerius, paid the Punks to apprehend
Gattlebee. To put a stop to the renegade alchemist's schemes, the characters track down Lyzerius in the ramshackle
district of Hellside.
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">Cradle of Quartz</h2>
<p><strong>By Scott D. Young</strong></p>
<p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #179, Levels 4–7</strong></p>
<p>
Foebe Dunsmith hires the characters to locate a priest of Brigh named Olomon Kosowana, who has somehow
reverse-engineered the dangerous explosive called pyronite. When they get to Kosowana's home, they find the priest's
clockwork laboratory already ransacked. Fortunately, Kosowana had enough time to leave a clue for the characters to
track him down at the Cradle of Quartz, a remote shrine to Brigh in the middle of the Spellscar Desert.
</p>
<p>
After arranging for an ill-fated airship journey to the desert and surviving the wasteland's strange cosmic horrors,
the characters rescue Kosowana from the malevolent inhabitants of the Cradle of Quartz. The outlaws then learn from
the priest that their rival, Ambrost Mugland, has gotten hold of Kosowana's recipe for pyronite and that he hired a
gang called the Gilded Gunners to test it at the Steaming Kingdom, a rival business owner's exclusive speakeasy. The
characters stop the assault then use their clues to finally track down Mugland and get their revenge once and for
all. Before his fate is sealed, Mugland reveals that he has already sold the formula to a pair of renegades from
Alkenstar's neighboring nations.
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">The Smoking Gun</h2>
<p><strong>By Cole Kronewitter</strong></p>
<p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #180, Levels 8–10</strong></p>
<p>
Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia herself approaches the characters and explains that the pyronite situation has become
dire. Unless the party can locate Deputy Loveless and Mugland's pyronite buyers before they use the bombs, the
safety of all of Alkenstar is threatened. The outlaws' best lead takes them to the Gunworks far west of Alkenstar,
where they learn more about the pyronite buyers—a necromancer from Geb named Parsus and a Nexian geomancer named
Ibrium—and their potential plot to level Alken Falls using pyronite.
</p>
<p>
The outlaws infiltrate the Tinwound Hydroforge at Alken Falls, where Parsus has used necromantic powers to fill the
water purification plant with undead minions. The necromancer has cleared the place for Ibrium and Loveless to load
it full of pyronite. Once defeated, Parsus explains that Ibrium and Loveless are on an inbound luxury riverboat,
pyronite in hand.
</p>
<p>
To save the day, the outlaws board a casino boat called
<em>The Gearsmoke</em> as it cruises down the Ustradi River. They sneak about the vessel to disarm the pyronite and
defeat Deputy Loveless and Ibrium, upending the villains' plot once and for all.
</p>
</div>
<img
class="chapter-image"
src="modules/pf2e-ap178-punks-in-a-powderkeg/assets/art/chapter-0.webp"
alt="Outlaws of Alkenstar" />
<h1 class="no-toc chapter-heading">Outlaws of Alkenstar</h1>
<div>
<p>
In Outlaws of Alkenstar, players assume the roles of renegade outlaws united under the banner of a shared grudge. To
exact revenge on the despicable mogul who destroyed their lives, the party must hotfoot around the grime-caked
streets of @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ooalk01player.JournalEntryPage.01alkenstarcit00]{Alkenstar, The City of Smog}. As
the Game Master, you'll construct a scaffolding of riveting non-player characters, intricate plots, and electrifying
encounters upon which your players can craft stories of their characters' thrilling exploits. As they explore a vast
city of clockwork menaces and explosive drama, the party will take down brass-clad constructs, blast through steel
vaults, and harness their reputations as hardened rebels to save the day.
</p>
<h1 class="no-toc">Using this Adventure Path</h1>
<p>
The three volumes of the Outlaws of Alkenstar Adventure Path include everything necessary to run a complete
Pathfinder campaign for characters from 1st to 10th level. Together with the
<em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> and supplemental rules in the Pathfinder Reference Document (available online at
<a href="https://paizo.com/prd" style="font-weight: bold">paizo.com/prd</a>), each volume contains everything
necessary for you as the Game Master to run the Adventure Path, including the adventure itself, articles to enhance
the campaign's setting, and the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17806advent.JournalEntryPage.06powderkegpar00]{Adventure Toolbox}, which features new character rules options and creatures that appear throughout the adventure.
</p>
<p>
To play in this campaign, each player should have a copy of the
<em>Pathfinder Core Rulebook</em> as well as the <em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free supplement
downloadable from <strong>paizo.com.</strong>
</p>
<h1 class="no-toc">Campaign Background</h1>
<p>
Amid the tangle of pipes, smokestacks, and bricks that congest Alkenstar's grimy manufacturing districts,
innovations bubble up from inventors' laboratories, chemists' private factories, and gunsmiths' workshops. Most
developments fizzle out like so much effervescence or otherwise elude containment from even the city's most
brilliant minds. Sometimes, however, a single spark of genius is so explosive that it can change the fate of an
entire city.
</p>
<p>
Such is the case for the eccentric but brilliant alchemist Vashon Gattlebee and his latest invention, an extremely
volatile liquid he's dubbed “pyronite.” No mere firecracker, this new instrument of destruction rivals the most
powerful bombardments in terms of sheer catastrophic potential, yet its size is relatively diminutive; it can
contain a hundred cannons' worth of energy in a tube no larger than a goblin's forearm. Never before has such a
powerful explosive existed in such a compact form. It's no exaggeration to claim that Gattlebee's invention promises
to shake the foundations of the known world.
</p>
<p>
Gattlebee traces his interest in science and explosives back to a formidable childhood tragedy. When he was just a
boy, Gattlebee's father took him on a hunting trip in a relatively quiet region of the nearby Mana Wastes. Monsters,
bandits, and worse threatened the safety of Alkenstar, his father told him, so it would be important for Gattlebee
to know how to handle himself. On the second day of their expedition, their makeshift long-gun backfired, killing
Vashon's father instantly. Somehow, the boy made it back to Alkenstar in tattered, bloodstained clothes, but it took
many weeks before he could speak of what happened.
</p>
<p>
Vashon never picked up a firearm or ventured beyond Alkenstar's walls again. He shut out the rest of the world and
entombed himself in his private quarters, where he read books, studied alchemy, and performed experiments from
sunrise late into the night. One might have expected the survivor of such a terrible accident to avoid munitions
altogether, but hardly a day passed without some contained explosion or planned calamity almost blasting Gattlebee's
closed door off its hinges. Few were surprised when, years later, young Gattlebee enrolled at Blythir College to
continue his scientific pursuits, vowing to someday develop a substance that would render gunpowder obsolete.
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">Chain Reaction</h2>
<p>
Gattlebee, now a middle-aged man, is one of Alkenstar's most famous recluses. He's regarded as a misunderstood
genius by his friends and a perfectly understood crackpot by his detractors. Years of quiet, patient work in front
of his alchemy bench have finally yielded an invention Gattlebee can be proud of—an explosive substance that he
believes could eventually replace traditional black powder and revolutionize technology as the world knows it.
</p>
<p>
In its raw state, pyronite is a viscous semi-transparent gel prone to catastrophic combustion at the slightest bump.
Such volatile substances are not unknown on Golarion, but their unpredictable nature is exactly what makes such
concoctions so rare and unwieldy. Gattlebee's true breakthrough came when he discovered that he could stabilize the
chemical by mixing it with soda ash and a special type of white salt collected from the Spellscar Desert. Once it
was stabilized, Gattlebee could pack the pyronite compound into small paper spheres, cylinders, or boxes and
transport it with ease.
</p>
<p>
The alchemist recently presented his formula to the public for the first time at an exposition at his alma mater,
Alkenstar's esteemed Blythir College. Although he carefully determined the pyronite dosage for the demonstration—he
brought a pellet no larger than a pea—his calculations must have been off. What should've been a dose just large
enough to blow open an armoire-sized adamantine gun safe ended up leveling more than half of the college's largest
lecture hall. Miraculously, no one was harmed except for Gattlebee, who sustained a few scrapes and bruises while he
stoically looked over his bungled demo. To the nonplussed inventor, the minor wounds he suffered paled in comparison
to the disappointment of an experiment gone awry.
</p>
<p>
In spite of the botched exhibit (or perhaps because of it), the “pyronite incident” left a powerful impression on
all the students, faculty, and entrepreneurs who witnessed it. Invitations for high-paying jobs and speaking
engagements flooded in for Gattlebee, who was ill-prepared for the sudden spotlight. Overwhelmed by the attention,
he retreated to his private lab in Steamhaven. As he'd done so many times before in his life, Gattlebee shut and
locked the door behind him.
</p>
<p>
Two of the demonstration's attendees weren't content to let Gattlebee slip back into the shadows. Ambrost Mugland, a
powerful private financier, realized right away the destructive (and lucrative) potential of pyronite in
construction, war, or whatever other ventures he could stick his hands in. The mogul deduced that two wealthy buyers
resided in Alkenstar's own backyard: the warring wizard nations on either side of the Duchy's borders. If Mugland
could pit the nations of Geb and Nex against one another in a bidding war over the pyronite formula—or secretly sell
it to both of them—then he stood to make a veritable killing from the deal.
</p>
<p>
The other attendee who set Gattlebee firmly in her sights was Foebe Dunsmith. Though she's known to most as the
popular yet insouciant owner of the Barrel & Bullet Saloon, Dunsmith is, in fact, a high-ranking informant for
the Alkenstar government, and the pyronite showcase unsettled her to her core. Dunsmith informed Grand Duchess
Trietta Ricia of Gattlebee's invention and correctly speculated its potential to upend the already tenuous political
order in eastern Garund. Dunsmith knew that other Alkenstar power brokers, such as Mugland, would also have their
eyes on the pyronite formula and that any more public attention drawn to the matter would only complicate the
situation. So, with the grand duchess's blessing, Dunsmith set about looking for independent yet manipulatable
agents to help her secure the formula. Once the secrets of its creation were safe, Ricia could formulate a long-term
solution for pyronite's inevitable release into the wider world.
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">Clock's Ticking</h2>
<p>
To fulfill his scheme of stealing the pyronite formula, Ambrost Mugland has had to pull strings and call in favors
all across Alkenstar. The mogul has even gone into debt over the matter—an unconventional tack for the notorious
copper-pincher—so convinced is he that this all-in bet on pyronite will pay off.
</p>
<p>
Mugland's most expensive, but by far most useful, accomplice thus far has been a corrupt officer of the law, Deputy
Shieldmarshal Anjelique Loveless. Loveless has likewise committed everything she has to the pyronite plot; she cowed
dozens of low-ranking shieldmarshals into subservience, and she has called in favors with criminal gangs all around
Alkenstar. Her minions have dutifully killed off anyone Mugland or Loveless suspected of potentially upsetting their
schemes, even other Alkenstar elites who attended Gattlebee's exposition. Of course, the lowly saloon owner Foebe
Dunsmith, among others, fell far beneath Mugland's or Loveless's notices.
</p>
<p>
Mugland has already secured buyers for the formula: two revolutionaries from across Alkenstar's borders named Parsus
(a ghoulish necromancer from Geb) and Ibrium (a suave Nexian geomancer). Despite hailing from nations famously at
odds with one another, the two buyers seem to be working together. Mugland doesn't care about the details of their
plans for pyronite, though; he just needs to deliver the goods so he can get paid. Unfortunately for the would-be
weapons dealer, he hasn't been able to capture Gattlebee or the pyronite formula because the reclusive alchemist
hasn't left his home since the Blythir exposition. Breaking and entering might work, but Gattlebee is famously
unpredictable, and Mugland doesn't want to risk the alchemist accidentally blowing up his own lab (and, more
importantly, the pyronite formula) in an act of self-defense. Mugland has no choice, for now, but to simply wait for
Gattlebee to emerge from his domestic fortress.
</p>
<p>
Foebe Dunsmith and Grand Duchess Ricia also understand that this waiting game can't last forever, and they've caught
wind of Mugland's plot. The sooner they get Gattlebee and his formula to a safe, hidden location, the sooner they
can rest assured that pyronite won't fall into the wrong hands. Dunsmith needs to find some trustworthy
mercenaries—preferably ones who can keep a low profile, are blissfully unaware of the pyronite matter, and don't
mind rubbing elbows with some of Alkenstar's less-reputable power brokers—to get Gattlebee to safety. For this task,
she's applying a classic Alkenstar axiom: “A bullet for my enemy aims as true in any gun.”
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">Volatile Situation</h2>
<p>
Dunsmith has selected a handful of rough-and-tumble outlaws who each bear a personal grudge against Ambrost Mugland
or Deputy Loveless. To see if these toughs can work together in pursuit of their shared revenge, she has organized a
heist targeting the @UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}, one
of Mugland's smallest investment operations. The firm caters primarily to small-time, white-collar crooks and
landowners who live off the sweat of others' brows by targeting ranchers, small businesses, and other vulnerable
Alkenstar citizens with high-interest loans and exploitative contracts. Taking down the enterprise wouldn't solve
everyone's problems right away, but it would send a definitive message to Mugland and those who support him. If
Dunsmith's mercenaries can pull off this bank job, she plans to involve them in her and the duchess's scheme to
secure Gattlebee and take down Mugland.
</p>
<p>
Robbing the Gold Tank won't be so easy, however. Mugland's associate, Deputy Loveless, has caught wind of the
party's plans and hopes to intercept the thieves along their getaway route. She and her fellow crooked
shieldmarshals aren't known for offering mercy or playing fair—in fact, they look forward to the opportunity to dole
out their own brand of cruel, wicked justice away from public eyes.
</p>
</div>
<aside class="sidebar">
<h1 class="no-toc">Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</h1>
<p>
Before running this Adventure Path, provide your players with copies of the
<em>Outlaws of Alkenstar Player's Guide</em>, a free download from
<a href="https://paizo.com/" style="font-weight: bold">www.paizo.com</a>. This spoiler-free supplement includes
details to get your players up to speed on the goings-on in Alkenstar, plus suggestions for creating characters with
abilities that complement the challenges they'll face throughout the campaign.
</p>
<p>
Most importantly, the Player's Guide also includes new character backgrounds specifically for this Adventure Path.
Your players can use these backgrounds as written or as starting points to establish their characters' specific
grudges against Ambrost Mugland or Deputy Anjelique Loveless, the corrupt villains against whom the party will
ultimately seek sweet revenge throughout this Adventure Path.
</p>
</aside>
<div>
<h1 class="no-toc">Adventure Path Summary</h1>
<p>
Player characters start this Adventure Path as outlaw mercenaries with a dire grudge. Their pursuit for revenge
ultimately puts them in the best position possible to save the city of Alkenstar from utter catastrophe. The Outlaws
of Alkenstar Adventure Path spans three volumes and takes player characters from 1st through 10th level.
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">Punks in a Powderkeg</h2>
<p><strong>By Vanessa Hoskins</strong></p>
<p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #178, Levels 1–3</strong></p>
<p>
To impress a mysterious patron who promises to help them get revenge against their rivals, the characters rob
Ambrost Mugland's illicit banking operation, the
@UUID[JournalEntry.pf2ap17802reachf.JournalEntryPage.02goldtankrese00]{Gold Tank Reserve}. Afterward, the humble
bartender Foebe Dunsmith reveals that she's actually an informant for Alkenstar's grand duchess. She then gives the
mercenaries their next mission: protect the famous alchemist Vashon Gattlebee from kidnappers while escorting him
across the city to safety.
</p>
<p>
Two street gangs waylay the party and attempt to abscond with Gattlebee. The Clearwater Cleaners are obviously
working for Mugland, but the Powderkeg Punks' motives are a mystery. After they get Gattlebee to a safehouse, the
characters' investigation reveals that Gattlebee's small-time rival, Shoma Lyzerius, paid the Punks to apprehend
Gattlebee. To put a stop to the renegade alchemist's schemes, the characters track down Lyzerius in the ramshackle
district of Hellside.
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">Cradle of Quartz</h2>
<p><strong>By Scott D. Young</strong></p>
<p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #179, Levels 4–7</strong></p>
<p>
Foebe Dunsmith hires the characters to locate a priest of Brigh named Olomon Kosowana, who has somehow
reverse-engineered the dangerous explosive called pyronite. When they get to Kosowana's home, they find the priest's
clockwork laboratory already ransacked. Fortunately, Kosowana had enough time to leave a clue for the characters to
track him down at the Cradle of Quartz, a remote shrine to Brigh in the middle of the Spellscar Desert.
</p>
<p>
After arranging for an ill-fated airship journey to the desert and surviving the wasteland's strange cosmic horrors,
the characters rescue Kosowana from the malevolent inhabitants of the Cradle of Quartz. The outlaws then learn from
the priest that their rival, Ambrost Mugland, has gotten hold of Kosowana's recipe for pyronite and that he hired a
gang called the Gilded Gunners to test it at the Steaming Kingdom, a rival business owner's exclusive speakeasy. The
characters stop the assault then use their clues to finally track down Mugland and get their revenge once and for
all. Before his fate is sealed, Mugland reveals that he has already sold the formula to a pair of renegades from
Alkenstar's neighboring nations.
</p>
<h2 class="no-toc">The Smoking Gun</h2>
<p><strong>By Cole Kronewitter</strong></p>
<p><strong>Pathfinder Adventure Path #180, Levels 8–10</strong></p>
<p>
Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia herself approaches the characters and explains that the pyronite situation has become
dire. Unless the party can locate Deputy Loveless and Mugland's pyronite buyers before they use the bombs, the
safety of all of Alkenstar is threatened. The outlaws' best lead takes them to the Gunworks far west of Alkenstar,
where they learn more about the pyronite buyers—a necromancer from Geb named Parsus and a Nexian geomancer named
Ibrium—and their potential plot to level Alken Falls using pyronite.
</p>
<p>
The outlaws infiltrate the Tinwound Hydroforge at Alken Falls, where Parsus has used necromantic powers to fill the
water purification plant with undead minions. The necromancer has cleared the place for Ibrium and Loveless to load
it full of pyronite. Once defeated, Parsus explains that Ibrium and Loveless are on an inbound luxury riverboat,
pyronite in hand.
</p>
<p>
To save the day, the outlaws board a casino boat called
<em>The Gearsmoke</em> as it cruises down the Ustradi River. They sneak about the vessel to disarm the pyronite and
defeat Deputy Loveless and Ibrium, upending the villains' plot once and for all.
</p>
</div>