|
The invitation delivered last night was remarkably simple, especially given the importance of the occasion:
“Start where it all began. Meet us at the Pig’s Paunch one hour before dawn.”
The Pig’s Paunch is a run-down building with a faded sign of a large pig standing on its hind legs, arms folded above a corpulent belly. Inside, the air is thick with the scents of human sweat, stale tobacco, and leftover food. In the center of the room, surrounded by inebriates sleeping off their revelries, a familiar elven man stands high upon top of a large round table.
"Welcome! Welcome, my students! Please, have a seat!" With that, Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Scrolls, nimbly drops down to sit cross-legged on the table before looking about the tavern with a sense of reverent wonder.
"Can you believe it? It all started here years ago — well, over four hundred of them at least. Under this very roof the Pathfinder Society was born. But today! Today you will begin your Confirmation! Master Farabellus, Master Zey, and I all agree you each have shown your worth and dedication to the Society, so there’s no better time to see if you can handle becoming full field operatives. Allow me to introduce you to Janira Gavix," he says as he motions for an excitable halfling woman to approach.
She wears a large backpack and carries all manner of tools, pouches, and scroll cases around her waist. Shaine continues, saying, "Janira here will be going with you on your Confirmation. She was one of my brightest pupils and will no doubt be an invaluable resource on your journey, for she discovered the caves you are about to explore during her own Confirmation."
Janira speaks up in an enthusiastic and cheerful voice, "Greetings, aspiring Pathfinders! Six months ago, while I was mapping cave entrances in the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, I witnessed a lone gillman entering a concealed cave. I thought little of it at the time, but I saw another one enter the cave again a month later as my Confirmation stretched on. A few days later, after I completed my assigned task, I entered the cave system, but was unable to find the gillmen."
Master Shaine hops to his feet. "Initiates, for your Confirmation, you will travel to these caves to explore and document its many passages. Additionally, and most importantly, you are to learn what the gillmen are up to in there. Oh, and you need to come back alive as well."
With these parting words, the Master of Scrolls jumps off the table and strolls out of the building while humming to himself.
|
Here ?! I've heard otherwise... That the society was founded in the Wounded Wisp.
Being an applicant, and excited to be confirmed, Nemrok decided to not contredict the Master of Scrolls about the creation of the Pathfinder Society.
---
Nemrok is an hulking half-orc, but dispite his appearance, and the greataxe he carries on his back, his eyes sparkle with intelligence, he seems to be more a scholar than a warrior.
---
Greetings you all ! I am Nemrok Blacktusk, student of the Arcanes.
I'm very happy to meet you all and excited about this mission.
|
|
"Yo ha ha ha!" Dolgrym bursts out laughing at Master Shaine's joke about coming back alive. "Ha ha...ahhh. Elves are so weirdly funny." Realizing he is sitting across an elf companion trying to say something, Dolgrym coughs to cover his social blumder and collect himself.
"Ahem, glad to hear ya can guide us this journey, Hadanka. And well met Nemrok. I'm Dolgrym, seeker of enlightenment with the wild. A druid, if ya will. I can do a little bit of this. A little bit of that. Call on nature to fight with us, if necessary. Swing this scimitar here, if necessary. Why, my companion Gogar here can fight with us as well, if necessary. Ah..."
Realizing his introduction is droning on, Dolgrym opens his mouth one last time to try to tie it all together, and then shuts it when he realizes he's not sure what to say that can do it. Instead, he coughs to indicate he's done, and takes a swig of the ale as his roc companion looks up from beside him and wraps it all up on his behalf. "Squaw."
|
A tall, mercenary-like elf woman, clad in armor and carrying a longsword and a shield listens silently to the Master of Scrolls, pondering the different pieces of information given. She gives the dwarf a cold glare when he speaks of elves being "weirdly funny". Perhaps because she doesn't precisely seems to be someone funny at first glance.
She turns to the halfling woman, speaking with a direct and no-nonsense tone. "How big is the cave system ? Did you find anything special ? Any creatures or traps ?"
|
|
"Nice to meet you all. You already heard, I'm Janira Gavix. I'm 24 years old and I grew up in Eastgate. I'm a bard and I joined the Society to learn more about Golarion and fill some Chronicles with my adventures." she introduces herself. After listening to your questions she answers.
"I did not get far into the cave. I passed the entrance and a pit, after a tunnel is a big chamber with a lake. From there two passages lead further inside, but I turned around and headed back to the entrance." Janira says. "Gillmen are usualy not evil, but I never talked to one of them." she answers to Auriferous' question. "It is about one and a half day of walking to the cave. We have to hurry, the next full moon is in two days. We have to leave as soon as possible to reach the cave in time."
|
|
Dolgrym knows that Gillmen are the remnants of a race of surface-dwelling humanoids whose homeland was drowned in a great cataclysm at the hands of the aboleth. The aboleths rescued a few survivors, warping them into an amphibious race to serve as emissaries to the surface world. They are usually not evil.
"The gillmen I saw entering the cave all entered during full moon. I'm afraid we will miss the gillmen if we are too late." Janira answers to Auriferous question. "Well, as far as I remember it's not very deep or broad. Just be creative! And there are a lot of trees, don't worry." she says with a smile.
|
|
"The area we’re heading to is controlled by a large centaur tribe. If we cross paths with any of them, they’ll see the horses as an affront and might become dangerously unfriendly. Our mission is to explore the caves and investigate the gillmen activity, not fight the local populace." Janira answers to Nemrok's suggestion.
|
|
The journey through the City at the Center of the World is swift and without incident, and the long trek across the Cairnlands provides a great opportunity to discuss Master Shane’s class on the history of Absalom. Most of the journey is uneventful, but Janira points out landmarks such as siege towers, distant mountains, or distinct flora and fauna along the journey.
No encounters occur during the first day of travel, and you have an opportunity to rest and prepare new spells before entering dangerous territory.
As the party progresses deeper into the forest, the trees towering overhead begin to shield most of what remains of the day’s sun and the vegetation beneath grows denser. Janira pauses a moment and pulls out an intricate silver compass emblazoned with the Pathfinder Society logo: the Glyph of the Open Road.
"I received this wayfinder when I successfully completed my Confirmation. Should we be successful on our journey, you will get your own as well."
She flips open the device and holds it in front of her; the initials J. L. are engraved into the inside of the device’s lid. After studying the compass inside for a moment, she remarks, "We’re on the right path. We need to keep heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead."
Most of the trees in this section of the forest have trunks that are too big for any creatures to share their space. Sporadic patches of light undergrowth provide areas for creatures to hide while restricting movement for those passing through. A large rock outcropping to the east rises nearly 20 feet above the forest floor, and a small sinkhole to the northwest drops off sharply, descending to the ground 10 feet below.
Suddenly you hear movement in the undergrowth around you. You see two wolves approaching showing their fangs. They attack.
The first wolf approaches from the south.
Wolf red
Auriferous
Galton
Janira
Tessara
Nemrok
Hadanka
Wolf blue
Dolgrym
|
|
With one swing Auriferous is able to knock out the first wolf. Galton waits for the second wolf to get closer before he acts. Janira takes a step back in the middle of the group. "I know you can handle it alone! There is only one beast left!" she says. Nemrok also waits for the second wolf to get closer.
The remaining wolf baring his fangs at Dolgrym who in response swings his scimitar at the wolf's head and hits.
Wolf red defeated
Auriferous
Galton (delay)
Janira
Tessara
Nemrok (delay)
Hadanka
Wolf blue -4HP
Dolgrym
|
|
The paladin kneels at the foot of the wolf she slew and mutters a few words in prayer. Then, standing she starts to clean her blade.
"These will bother the locals no more. That is good, but sad that they attacked us. I wonder what drove them to it, we were no easy target."
She looks warily around the woods. "I feel eyes upon my back."
|
|
"Sadly, my friend here, as precious as he is, seems to have a will of his own. And a strong one at that. Nonetheless, as you suggested wisely, I shall try to encourage him to help us." The stout druid attempts to persuade the bird to track for a path, before helping out himself...
Gogar the roc looks at the druid defiantly as Dolgrym attempts to convey a need to find the overgrown path. After a minute of the conversation, the bird lets out a "Squaw." as it flits over to one of the carcasses and begins pecking at it.
With a shrug, the dwarf joins the trackers in seeking out the path for the group.