Opening things up...should start Monday.
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.
Society originally consisted of adventurers based
in Absalom who sought a way to combine their
resources and recruit additional help for particularly
dangerous ventures. Over time the group attracted new
members and continued to grow, and today its members
and influence span across Golarion.
Today, the Pathfinder Society continues to grow at an
unprecedented rate, and supply hardly keeps up with the
demand for new agents. To meet the growing need, the
Three Masters, who are responsible for the training of
new initiates at the Grand Lodge, have made the difficult
choice to advance the promotion of some of the Society’s
most promising initiates. In addition, they have taken
the unprecedented step of letting a small group of
particularly impressive initiates attempt a Confirmation
together, accompanied by an established field operative.
The Confirmation is the final test all Pathfinder
initiates must pass in order to become Pathfinder field
operatives. Every Confirmation is different, and ordinarily
it would be tailored to the individual initiate; however, in
this case, Kreighton Shaine has selected a task suitably
engaging for an entire group. At all times, initiates are
expected to fulfill the three duties of a Pathfinder agent:
explore, report, and cooperate. Failure to adhere to these
three tenets risks expulsion from the Society.
Once they have undergone Confirmation, Pathfinder
agents are called upon to travel to the far corners of
Golarion, delve into the deepest tombs, and solve the
world’s oldest riddles. During these dangerous missions,
Pathfinders are required to keep detailed journals, maps,
and accounts of their exploits. After each adventure,
agents send a copy of their records to the regional
venture-captain for analysis; especially noteworthy
reports are forwarded to Absalom for consideration to be
included in the next edition of the Pathfinder Chronicles.
The Society comprises thousands of adventures coming
from all walks of life, and it places no moral obligations
upon its members.
approximately halfway between Absalom and Diobel in
the foothills of the Kortos Mounts. Much of the island is
unsettled, and tribes of centaurs and minotaurs sometimes
clash over territory in the wilderness.
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A tengu, dressed in a pilgrim's robe over his kikko armor, entered the tavern. He wore a greatsword strapped to his back and carried a traveler's pack. Hungry from his journey, he ordered a bowl of stew and a mug of hot tea and sat at the designated table. Looking around at the establishment, he began to make some notes with quill and ink in a small book he carried, forming the Tian characters in a flowing hand.
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A succubus-like tiefling enters the building and takes a seat at the reserved table. She sits cross-legged, and runs her fingers playfully over the heart-shaped end of her tail.
"Well hello," the tiefling says to Yagga. "You're also here for your confirmation?"
Saera wears black leather boots that reach till her knees, with purple laces. She wears a black skirt that reaches just over half her upper legs, and purple, sleeveless shirt. Saera also wears a black leather jacket, and fingerless black leather gloves. From Saera's belt hang several powder horns, a wand of cure light wounds, and a longsword. She carries a musket on her back.
A smile appears on Saera's face as she looks at Yagga, and her sharp fangs show. The only physical feature Saera didn't inherit from her succubus mother are wings.
"My name's Saera. Who are are you?" Saera asks as she takes her musket from her back, and places it against the table.
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Stepping in after the Tengu and Tiefling, Rod looked ready to start a fight right then and there, given his armaments. A remarkable number, to the point it was a wonder he managed to move with anything resembling grace.
Striding up to the table and quickly taking the seat next to the demon gun master, he smiled a flirtatious smirk at her. "Rod. Rod Benteft. Ready, willing and at your service, milady." Apparently opting to take the higher route and avoid making cheap cracks about his name.
He seemed completely ignorant of the bird man across the table from him. Or perhaps he simply chose to focus more on the demon girl.
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The tavern door flies open with a thud. Standing in the opening is a majestic masculine creature. An aura of grace and beauty flows from him as he eyes every patron of his new "theatre". His amber golden eyes set off his dark thick hair and sharp facial features.
With hands on hips he waits for everyone to return his gaze.
A little putt off, he accepts that no one will be escorting him to his table. He saunters to the barkeep tosses a sack of coins and in a melodic tenor declares, "Drinks all around, good man."
When his mug comes he walks to the Pathfinders, leans his short bow next to him, and takes a seat at the head of the table. "I am Chortles. I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it."
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 and removes the hood of his cloak.
“Welcome! Welcome, my students! Please, remain seated!” With that, Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Scrolls, nimbly drops down to sit cross-legged on an adjacent 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.
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Rod grimaced a bit as he was rebuffed. Nuts... ah well, they can't all be successes, right? Though Chortles gets his attention; how could he not? He had an almost bigger ego than himself.
"Fish-faces. I think..." Rod replied to Zandu, taking a swig of the drink Chortles had given them. "People who can breath underwater, hence the name. That's about all I know, though... even that is just guessing from the name."
Rod took another swig of his drink, lean eeeeever so slightly closer to Saera as he spoke up. "It sounds like they're hiding something. What purpose is beyond me. Maybe it's from the local wildlife. Is Kortos a very... infested ecosystem?"
Janira smiles broadly at the group. "An inquisitive bunch!" she says admiringly.
"I like that. The gillmen are a humanoid race much like humans, save for the three piscine gills on both sides of their necks. They’re a little secretive, but not outright hostile. Most live in or near the water. We'll see exactly what interest they have in this cave," she says.
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Rod nodded back to Janira. "Thought so. I like it when a name reflects the nature. If that's the case, we may want to bring something as a peace offering; an open hand gets much more cooperation than a closed fist."
Thinking a bit more, Rod spoke up, addressing the rest of the team. "If gillmen live near water, and they've been seen going in and out of a strange cave, it's a safe bet we'll be running into some water in there. I advise packing some swimming clothes... and leave anything you don't want wet at home."
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Saera notices Rod lean slightly toward her as he asks her something. She's not able to answer the question and thus stays quit, but as he continues to talk she gives him a mischievous look. "My my, how bold. Telling me to leave my clothes behind?"
"I'd very much like to buy a new bikini, but I don't think it'll be necessary for me to wear anything new on this journey. Rain and water do however concern me, because I won't be able to light any fuses on my musket if they're wet..."
constantly vie for territory up and around the Mounts,
with harpies being the most common at higher altitudes
and centaurs controlling the lower slopes and foothills.
"Any other questions about the mission?" Janira asks.
Janira pulls out a large leather-bound journal and opens it on
the table.
“Before we set out, we should all get to know each other and review our plan. After all, the most important factors that determine whether an expedition will be a success are cooperation and preparation! I’ll go first!”
The halfling excitedly introduces herself as Janira Gavix, and explains that she joined the Pathfinder Society nearly four years ago after coming of age. She grew up in Eastgate, where her father still works as a porter who employs a dog cart to transport purchased goods from ships and shops to the homes of customers. She and her family revere Desna, but Janira respects most other religions and believes that faith is important to everyone.
Although she initially joined to see the world and sample all of the fine food it had to offer, she quickly took to the Scrolls and its focus on learning and preserving knowledge. She now aspires to have her work published in one of the Pathfinder Chronicles, suspecting that would qualify her to train as a Pathfinder Chronicler.
"So, tell me a bit about yourselves. What made you decide to join the Pathfinder Society? And what skills will you be contributing to our little expedition?”
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Rod seems to nearly choke on his mug at Saera's comment, before regaining his composure a bit more. Raising a finger, he wags it at her. "Don't tempt me, sweetheart. I've been told I'm a handful." he retaliated, smirking. Quietly, however, he refocused on Janira, listening to her story and nodding along. Once finished, he patted the table.
"Guess I'll go next, then. Name's Rod Benteft. Hail from Magnimar. Dad was a paladin of Iomedae, mom was a big name healer, and I got exactly none of what makes them good at their jobs. I liked to scrap, but my dad was pretty hard about doing things his way. I... couldn't make the cut; his regime was a bit too rough for me. I preferred to think around my problems. I would climb over a wall when my dad insist I should go through it."
Rod shrugged. "So I left. Came to visit my uncle here in Absalom. Turned out, he was a Pathfinder, so I joined up as well. As to skills...?" Rod paused, looking himself over before shrugging. "I come prepared? I've got a weapon for every occasion, a few curatives, and a shield. That's... about it, I guess."
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Zandu strokes his beard as he responds in a rambling fashion
"Well you see, I grew up in Janderhoff, ya, I know I'm not a dwarf, you know I'm not a dwarf, but that ain't even important now. What is important is when I was feeling lost and alone cousin Guaril took me in, and trained me, and encouraged me to join the society."
Zandu finally stops rambling for a moment to take a breath before continuing.
"The reason he encouraged me, other than my stunning personality I'm sure, is I'm good at remembering things, not just look uncle Haro can list off all the dames he slept with, but actually really good. I can't call upon a spell or two if things go south. Also I'm good with one o' theze."
Zandu pulls out a package wrapped in a varisian scraf. He carefully unwraps it revealing a harrow deck, cuts it and draws a card.
The card appears to show a tough Dwarf, made of brass and glowing with heat.
"Ahh the azer, means we'll be okay, invulnerable to some specific threat."
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Yagga blinks at the Harrow reading. "Can you tell anything about my future?"
"My parents died when I was young. As a youth, I became a restless wanderer until I met an elderly human swordmaster in a caravan. He taught me to seek peace and harmony through Irori." Yagga draws out a wooden holy symbol, the Open Hand. "I practiced as a scribe to learn inner focus, and I learned to echo the strokes of the pen with the strokes of my sword. I can fight, and I have learned to help free others from impeding conditions. In joining the Society, I want to help find what is lost. My first mission was to rescue some captives in Razmiran.
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Chortles stood up from his chair with a great flourish. He put his shortbow over his shoulder and unsheathed his long sword. "Let me tell you the story of my greatest victory bringing me to a Pathfinder career."
He stepped a pace from the table swinging and testing the weight of his sword. In a strong baritone he began singing,
"`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
" Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
"All mimsy were the borogoves,
" And the mome raths outgrabe..."
The song grows and ebbs at the elongated recounting of such a rich tale as he expounded on the fierceness and deadliness of his opponent the Jabberwocky.
With final bravato Chortles shouts the final phrase:
"And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
" Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
"O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!'
" He chortled in his joy."
Chortles jammed his long sword back in its sheath and bowed to all in the tavern. He took a long drought from his mug while listening for applause before finding his chair.
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Saera moves a closed hand to her mouth and coughs when Chortles is done singing. "Okaaay..."
"My name's Saera Dyar. I never knew my real parents, and was instead raised by another couple of outcasts. My dad was a half-elf named Garus, and my mom a half-orc named Girilda. They were quite old when they took me in, and died several years ago. I left the island where I grew up some time after their deaths."
"My dad taught me how to use firearms. Pistols first, but I eventually settled on the musket." Saera points at her weapon, which is still resting against the table. "So expect me to stay at the back of the group when we're fighting."
Janira smiles at the introductions. "I sense a fellow bard in our midst," she says to Chortles. "This looks like a capable lot...you should do fine."
She looks around once more at each member of the group.
“On to the details of the mission at hand,” Janira says with an eager grin.
“After reviewing my mission reports personally, Master Shaine believes it is no coincidence that each time they entered the caves it was during a full moon, so it is also no coincidence that you have been called here now, just a day before the moon is full again. We both believe that tomorrow night is our best chance to find out why these caves are important and what exactly the gillmen are doing in there."
She reviews a few notes she has scribbled, then continues. “The caves we’ll be travelling to lie under the base of the Kortos Mounts. We’ll need to spend every minute of daylight possible to reach the caves by foot, crossing over the Cairnlands, taking the paths to Diobel, and finally making our way through the wilderness. With any luck we won’t run into any of the local inhabitants. Once in the caves, we’ll need to work together to explore and determine whether any gillman are present or have been recently. Keep an eye out for any other clues that might hint at the caves’ significance, too.”
"Any questions about that? Oh, and “Now, before we head out, we should take a moment to go through your gear and make sure nothing important gets left out.”
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"Tomorrow? Eesh, way to put us on a time crunch... can't be helped. We'll get there." Rod said, leaning back in his seat and folding his arms. "I'm all set for my part, but if anybody needs something else, I've got a bit of coin to spare. I was saving it for..." Ever so brief glance at Saera. "...well, a rainy day, but if needed, I can chip in. Otherwise, let's get moving. We're burning daylight."
"Then if everyone is ready, let's go!" And she heads out the door, leading the group of Pathfinders out of the Pig's Paunch.
The first day is of travel proves uneventful. As the party travels through the City at the Center of the World and across the Cairnlands, Janira points out landmarks such as siege towers, distant mountains, or distinct flora and fauna along the journey. When she is not pointing out the landmarks, she is talking about them at length with great enthusiasm. They camp around a roaring fire, post watches, and the evening passes without incident.
The second day leads the pathfinders deep into the forest at the foot of the Kortos Mounts. 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.”
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. Then the party hears a howl from the southwest about 35 feet away. An answering howl comes from their north.
Round 1
Seeing the wolves circling the group, Janira says “And it was Selmius Foster’s race against a marid and efreeti on the isle of Jalmeray, which taught us that nothing is truly impossible and every situation can end in victory.” Each member of the group takes courage at her words.
Initiative - bold may act
Janira
Chortles, Rod, Saera, Yagga
Wolves
Zandu
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Rod blinks as wolves suddenly strike out to make a meal out of them. Looking about, his mind started churning out the quickest and least dangerous solution to get out there.
"Man... I was hoping to save this for later. Great..." he bemoaned, as apparently a thought crossed his mind. Kneeling and digging through his pack, Rod pulled out a sizable chunk of mutton from his pack. Certainly enough to feed someone for at least a day. "You guys owe me a new meal of this." he said, before looking to the nearest wolf and chucking the meat at it. Now, it was simply a matter of waiting for that beast to take the bait.