EN Publishing | Tip of the Tongue • 1

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writing Mike Myler co-writing Christopher Kugler color art Gennifer Bone editing Christopher Kugler playtesting Ryan Hopman Kristina Kugler Heather Larson Amanda Wallace Jason Wallace layout Eric Life-Putnam

Tip of the TongueHirsli AptAl embodies tHe finest quAlities

of Bellek, the City of Scholars: she is disciplined, studious, and dedicated to

the pursuit of knowledge. Lately however, her perfect memory (itself a product of the alchemy she practices) is proving elusive at times and unreliable at others. After months of research, debates with fellow noble scientists, and several failed attempts to get to the bottom of the enigma, she’s posted a sizable reward for anyone able to determine what is happening to both her and the other nobles in Bellek. Will the adventurers be able to get to the bottom of this mystery? If so, will they survive the dangerous knowledge they’re destined to awaken?

a fantasy adventure for 4–5 pcs of 7th–8th level

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

all trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. Elements that

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2 • Tip of the Tongue | EN Publishing

Adventure SynopsisThe adventurers arrive in the town of Bellek in the late summer, noting immediately that there’s something strange about—the town guard are sweltering in armor best suited for the winter, carrying ice picks, and there seems to be a distinct lack of traders for a normally popular season of mercantilism. Baron Gorsal Aptal swore that winter was right around the corner and placed trade orders accordingly, though he was found a week later trying to eat a wooden spoon and summarily declared mentally ill. Whether the adventurers previously knew of the reward to solve Hirsli Aptal’s mystery or not, they are quickly informed in Teadvus Tavern that the nobles are all apparently suffering from some kind of sickness of the mind (and what rewards await anyone that can figure out why). When approached, the nobility dismiss the rumors and insists that if they must be inquisitive, they bother Hirsli Aptal (N female human alchemist [mindchemist] 9; see the Appendix). Hirsli Aptal is quite forthcoming and explains the situation thoroughly, offering the adventurers an opportunity to investigate the grounds of Bellek Castle. The party finds clues of a stolen book, leading them down into the mountainside behind the town to the Tomb of Ipo Aisun-Aiji. While exploring the crypt they do battle with a yithian and are stalked throughout by caulborn, eventually uncovering ancient markings that portend of a great evil beset upon the land, empowered and aided by some kind of warriors of the mind. At the center of the dungeon the adventurers find an indecipherable book—clearly the one missing from Hirsli Aptal’s personal library—and an equally mysterious concoction. When the PCs return to Bellek, Hirsli performs a battery of tests to determine the contents of the elixir and finally concludes that it will cure the strange amnesia overcoming the Aptals. Not a night passes before the cured nobles start

Background

bellek is A sizAble town ensconced in academia. Originally little more than a fortified village, when Pamietac Aptal

retired from a lucrative adventuring career and was awarded the seat of power, things changed dramatically. Queen Aptal vaulted the settlement from obscurity into a contained renaissance devoted to researching and chronicling the wonders of the world, beginning libraries that now rival the greatest stores of knowledge in the realm. Her offspring still hold the line, though only a few are as dedicated to the acquisition of lore as their foremother. One of these is Hirsli Aptal, an alchemist and scientist devoted to perfecting her already brilliant mind. In an unprecedented event, she has offered a sizable reward (15,000 gp) to anyone that can solve a problem that eludes even her—something is affecting Hirsli and several other nobles’ capacity for memory, and there seems to be no credible reason for how or why. The town of Bellek continues onward, but there are signs that perhaps the mental tampering on its ruling class is getting worse, which in turn will leave the city ill-equipped for the task it is accustomed to—leading to the eventual downfall of a valuable repository of knowledge about the known world. Many of the NPCs in this adventure can be represented with stat blocks from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: NPC Codex. In addition, the adventure’s climax uses the mass combat rules from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Campaign.

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EN Publishing | Tip of the Tongue • 3

dying in the night—victims of an assassin! This new outbreak of violence continues until the adventurers disrupt one of the twilight assaults of Kurtaric Kahraman (N male human mnemonic 14; see the Appendix). The mnemonic—a warrior from a secret sect devoted to exploring the mind through mystical means by achieving physical mastery over their bodies—battles the adventurers briefly before retreating, memorizing their tactics and abilities for the next time they do battle. The remaining nobles flock to the adventurers’ banner and disclose everything they can now remember about an obscure force known only as Mitk’, and who Kurtaric Kahraman is. Strange creatures have begun to appear across the land, heralding an invasion from the nether that threatens not only Bellek, but the entire realm—if not the world! The party must track down the mnemonic and rally the nobility of the region to raise an army to oppose the imminent threat of Mitk’ as rumors of scouts and exploratory forces of alien warriors run rampant. Finally the adventurers track down Kurtaric Kahraman (possibly with an altercation) and as the mnemonic reveals that he is in fact all that stands between Mitk’ and the Material Plane, an otherworldly arrow pierces his skull, killing him instantly. The warrior of the mind had stolen the idea of the entity from the minds of the Aptals—with the doings of the party and the death of the mnemonic, the entity’s followers (the vergeten; see the Appendix) have enough of a foothold in the realm to step across the planes and assault the city of Bellek. Waves of alien warriors attack the town, and the War for Ideas is on! With the aid of the armies, the adventurers handily destroy the chanting vergeten invaders, but as the conflict comes to an end—with the slaying of Kit Mha (CE male elven [dual-cursed] oracle of Mitk’ 12; see the Appendix), a deranged elven agent of Mitk’ that has catalyzed its arrival—the party finds that the fight has only just begun! Because it is a sentient idea, the malevolent entity Mitk’ can manifest on a particular plane only if the inhabitants know of it; in fact, the more

inhabitants of a particular plane who hear its name, the more power it gains on that plane, so by causing the soldiers that slew them to hear its name, the vergeten and the PCs are responsible for bringing this force from another plane! Mitk’ shears through the veil of reality and enters the Material Plane, assaulting the adventurers and their allies in a climactic battle that will ring through the ages but must not be remembered. The reluctant spirit of Kurtaric the mnemonic returns in the final hour, manifesting in magical weapons that can sap the otherworldly creature of its strength and power with every strike (see the Appendix). As Mitk’ combats the armed forces collected by the party, they lead the attack against the mental entity, driving it back to whence it came. In the aftermath of the battle the remaining soldiers disperse, and it becomes the adventurers’ duty to track down and eradicate all remaining knowledge of the dangerous apparition, scouring every thought of it from the minds of the survivors of the War for Ideas.

Hooks ▶ The adventurers might require an esoteric

piece of knowledge only available in Bellek to achieve one of their current goals.

▶ The adventurers have heard about a considerable reward being offered by Hirsli Aptal, an academic living in Bellek (what the reward is for exactly, they are not told).

▶ Lore about everywhere and everything in the known world is available in the city of scholars, offering a means of learning new techniques or spells otherwise impossible to discover.

▶ Hunters of the otherworldly may be led to the town by detritus left by the vergeten, ultimately seeking the crypts behind the Aptal Manor.

▶ Any oracles, prophets, or devotees to a god with the Knowledge domain sense the strange doings of Mitk’ and its followers and are drawn to Bellek by the calamitous foreshadowing their divinations portend.

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Bellek, City of ScholarsN large townCorruption +2; Crime –2; Economy +1; Law +2;

Lore +2; Society –3Qualities academic, rumormongering citizens,

tourist attractionDanger +5

DEMOGRAPHICSGovernment overlordPopulation 5,000 (2,000 humans; 1,000 half-elves;

750 dwarves; 300 elves, 300 gnomes, 650 other)Notable NPCs

King Halfviti Aptal, ruler of Bellek (LN old male hu-man aristocrat 10)

Hirsli Aptal, chemist extraordinaire (N female human alchemist [mindchemist] 9)

Synaid Vicara, priestess of the Book (LN female halfling cleric 7/loremaster 2)

Ideja Doma, master of the Spire (N female human bard 7/Pathfinder chronicler 2)

Sambhavana Rockeye, master of the guard (LN male dwarf monk 9)

MARKETPLACEBase Value 2,400 gp; Purchase Limit 10,000 gp;

Spellcasting 5thItems—Minor 3d4; Medium 2d4; Major 1d4OTHER SITES OF INTERESTAptal Manor Hugging the mountainside, this fortified

castle houses King Halfviti and most of the nobility under the protection of Sambhavana Rockeye. It is a sturdy building as old as Bellek and just as mysteri-ous, as successive rulers rearranged and remodeled it to suit their needs.

Spire of Knowledge This tall conical building rises like a miniature peak of the mountains behind it, home to libraries filled with knowledge from across the realm under the purview of Ideja Doma. Lore is sought by both means both divine—led by Synaid Vicara—and scientific—predominantly headed by Hirsli Aptal.

Teadvus Tavern This drinking hall is well known across the realm for one important and unique quality—the bartenders here have every libation known to man available at a moment’s notice. If one has the coin, there is no limit to how exotic their drink may be.

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EN Publishing | Tip of the Tongue • 5

Chapter 1: Hirsli Aptal’s Elusive Enigma

An ancient wall of stacked stones about four feet high crawl all the way down from a mountainside, running along the high

hills surrounding Bellek, the City of Scholars. The Spire of Knowledge stands high above all the other structures of the settlement, and though they are all of aesthetically pleasant make, none compare to the house of knowledge, practically a man-made peak of iron and rock. Dominating the western side of Bellek is Aptal Manor, a stately castle of considerable standing that sits above the rest of the city.

When the adventurers arrive in Bellek, it’s clear that something is wrong with the locals—the guards are (partly) wearing armor best suited for a wintry climate (despite the searing heat of the summer sun) and there seems to be little or no trade to be had.

As you approach the near-perfunctory walls outside of Bellek, a few of the visible guards sweating in cloth-laden armor—clearly intended to be worn in the winter—wave you through as they dejectedly sit in some shade to avoid the searing heat of the summer. Curiously, they carry ice picks with them as though there is some chance of snow soon—highly unlikely at best.

The guards aren’t in any mood for games and tell anyone inquiring that the management of the town is (supposed to be) responsible, though they won’t give away anything more. The remainder of the commoners about are similarly tight-lipped—the sober ones, anyway. Particularly invasive PCs (using high Intimidate skill checks or spells like detect thoughts) learn that supplies among the guards have been meager as of late, and the shipments to replace last year’s worn summer gear were incorrect.

Talk in Teadvus TavernTeadvus Tavern is the most prominent drinking establishment in Bellek, the premier inn. It is a house of rumors, secrets, and half-truths catering to everyone with a taste for ale in the city of scholars and stocked with every type of alcohol in the realm. As a consequence, patrons commonly leave the place severely intoxicated to the tune of a variety of exotic liquors, ales, and beers.

The path leading into Bellek is right alongside the Teadvus Tavern, and the drinking hall certainly benefits from the location—it is a fine establishment four stories tall with balconies on every side, overflowing with patrons from the afternoon through the early morning. Relaxing scribes, clergy, and nobles sit side-by-side with adventurers from across the world, drinking from glasses that give off mist, smell noxiously, or even sizzle with acid.

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Unlikely AlcoholsGMs are encouraged to create different concoctions of myriad varieties when PCs order drinks. Not all of these should be beneficial, and none should be without negative aftereffects—GMs should ration the bonuses granted by these rare liquors (and make sure that a pretty penny is spent acquiring them).

All the drinks are carefully crafted with precise ingredients magically preserved within the tavern; after leaving the establishment, the concoctions re-vert to normal alcoholic beverages within 1d4+1 days. Replicating any of these drinks requires a successful Craft (alchemy) check determined by value (DC 15 + [3 per 50 gp it costs]).

Name Effect CostArcanamus Ale The next spell the PC casts is at 1 CL higher, but requires an additional DC 15

concentration check not to fall prone.200 gp

Bilge Water The PC gains the amorphous trait for 1 minute (10 rounds), but also fails all Fortitude and Constitution checks for 10 minutes.

200 gp

Dragon’s Breath The PC receives the benefits of the endure elements spell for the next 1 hour. However, they also take 1d6 fire damage when first imbibing the drink.

25 gp

Dwarven Sippin’ Wine

The PC must make a DC 20 Fortitude save or immediately fall unconscious for 2d10 minutes. While unconscious, they have vivid dreams that lend clarity to some immediate question (as per the augury spell).

100 gp

Golden Sunrise For the next 1d4 hours, the PC automatically takes 20 on all initiative rolls. However, they must also make a DC 17 Will save to take any hostile action.

400 gp

Gorash’s Secret Recipe

The PC gains a +1 luck bonus on their next Knowledge check but a –1 on all subsequent Knowledge checks for 24 hours.

35 gp

Hangman’s Blood For 10 minutes, the PC is damaged by positive energy and healed by negative energy.

350 gp

House Special This alcoholic beverage never results in drunkenness or a hangover, always proving to be just the right amount of booze for each drinker. However, imbibers never refuse the next sales offer made to them (usually the bartender selling another house special).

25 gp

Pink Bubbles The PC can see invisibility as per the spell for 1 hour. However, they also suffer the effects of the mad hallucination spell for the same duration.

110 gp

Red Tribe Hammer The PC enters a rage (as per the 1st level barbarian ability) for 1d6 rounds (a special room is always reserved in the tavern exclusively for those that drink this brew).

200 gp

Subterranean Chaser

Causes any non-immediate effects of the next imbibed potion, elixir, or similar liquid to last twice as long. However, the PC gains the light blindness trait for 1d4 hours. PCs who already have the light blindness trait are instead blinded.

165 gp

Tevidian Wine The PC’s unarmed attacks deal an additional 1 electrical damage, but bodily contact with any sort of metal causes a feedback loop that deals 1 electrical damage to the PC on their turn. This effect lasts for 10 minutes.

65 gp

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