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Ensconced in a private meeting room at the famous Farseer Tower in exotic Katapesh, Venture-Captain Wulessa Yuul wastes no time commencing her briefing.
“This has all the makings of a magnificent embarrassment,” she begins sourly. “The Grand Lodge recently sent a delegation to the mansion house of Temel Passad in Kerse. Passad is an enormously wealthy devotee of the Prophecies of Kalistrade, and he happens to possess the only known copy of the Mutani Manual of Martial Mastery in the Inner Sea region. The delegates were tasked with obtaining this rare tome, by either purchasing or leasing it.
“By all accounts Passad is a difficult man, but the delegation proved… stupendously inadequate to the task. Not only did they fail to secure the manual, but they also managed to grossly insult the merchant. Two of the representatives were manhandled off the property and taunted by Passad that under no circumstances would he part with the Mutani Manual unless the Society could earn it, challenging us to take it from a hidden location among his many holdings throughout the region. The third delegate, who happens to be one of the foremost experts on all things Tian, was detained by Passad for what he termed ‘an extended conversation on the finer points of ambassadorial etiquette.’ He’s invoked an obscure Druman statute involving foreign embassies, making this kidnapping perfectly legal in his government’s eyes.
Yuul explains that the Mutani Manual holds information that is essential if the Pathfinder delegation is to prevail at the Ruby Phoenix Tournament in Goka later this year, and that naturally, Harmidio Besai must be rescued as well. The mission is complex. The Decemvirate do not know with certainty which of Passad’s many scattered holdings hosts the tome, nor where he has imprisoned Besai, nor whether tome and scholar are in the same place. But among the 12 estates investigators have identified as likely locations is one very near here, a mansion called Ghenett Manor. Wulessa’s contacts in the markets have talked of a lot of activity there of late, and she believes that this is the true hiding place of at least one of the two quarries. The PCs are tasked with infiltrating Ghenett Manor, about 50 miles west of here. Yuul continues.
“Do as little damage to the property as possible—we’re not vandals, after all. Also, take nothing else of worth from the place. We’re not common thieves. I cannot stress this strongly enough. Given our already ample embarrassment with Passad, please don’t add to that dishonor by making off with the man’s silverware or his grandmother’s brooch, for Abadar’s bloody sake. No doubt the villa is a sumptuous and tempting target, but you must keep this in the forefront of your minds: The tome and the scholar are all that matter. Everything else is a distraction. The Decemvirate will take a special interest in your conduct on this assignment.
“Lastly, we have reason to believe that others are in pursuit of the Mutani Manual, including agents of the Aspis Consortium. Be wary! Under no circumstances can the book fall into the hands of a rival organization. Now, do you have any questions?”
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The half orc looks around. Then raises his hand "Wreck wants to know if Wreck can kill them? But Wreck happy to make sure rest of Wrecks friends not get killed"
He is a well built half orc. Built like a wall. He was in finely made full plate. His helm is decorated in tribal monster paint. All over his body, the parts one can see, are tatoos. His has a tattered but well made cloak hanging from his shoulders. At his side is a greataxe. The blade seems to shift between this plane and the next.
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A slender yet fit man of indeterminable nationality fidgets in a chair before standing. "Does anyone mind if I slip into something a little more comfortable?" Without waiting for a response, he shakes his head and shoulders. As if being stretched by momentum, his face elongates and ears lengthen while silver and orange fur sprouts across his skin. The kitsune grins, pleased with his performance, and sits back down smoothing his mithral shirt.
"Thievery, no. Putting down threats, acceptable? However unlikely, I must ask; do we know anything of the Manor?"
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An obviously Shoanti woman walks into the room as Quinn is transforming. A scorpion tattoo is prominantly exposed on her barely covered chest, the tattoos on her arms seem to pulsate with a natural glow. She opens up with her normal whispery sing song voice.
"Wulessa darling, I promise you we will all be on our best behavior.The aspis are nothing to worry about, they tend to lose focus."
Another kitsune? He's cute too.
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"I love cats and kitsune alike. So does my faithful snow leopard, Droogami. I can shapechange into a house cat and scout the manor or summon a dire wolf to eat the butler." Lini smiles and winks at this after speaking the last sentence.
"My name is Lini and I am a child of the forest. It is a pleasure meeting you all. I hope we become fast friends in our mission and not ruffle too many feathers."
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What is known about Ghenett Manor?
“ It’s a modest affair—by Druman standards at least: an ornate stone structure that overlooks the River Scorpius. It’s one or two stories tall at the most, built around a central atrium, like many Katapeshi villas. The grounds are surrounded by a wall. We don’t know the scale or nature of its security. Proceed with caution.”
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“I’ve hired a westbound barge to ferry you up river tomorrow morning. It should take between 10 and 12 hours to reach the manor. There’s plenty of cover around the place, so secret yourselves until well after nightfall. There’s no reason to think that Passad’s security is especially concerned about the wellbeing of any intruders; his precautionary measures may indeed be deadly. After you have secured either the Mutani Manual or Besai—or, gods willing, both of them—make your way north and east to the trade spur that eventually follows the river back to Katapesh. You should be able to secure eastward transport with one of the many caravans that travel that busy highway.”
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Reiko, will listen to the mode of transportation, but listens closely to the general compound details. The thought of there being deadly traps or deterrent doesn't faze her on the slightest. This is what I have trained for, what my teachers taught me. Hopefully I won't let them down. A more pressing issue is...are the needed goods in this place. I guess we will find out soon enough.
So ma'am, any idea what could be guarding this precious compound? Also, upon our landing, how far will we be from the compound?
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No idea on what is guarding the compound, you will be but a short walk from the compound.
So this is a sandbox type scenario, assuming you make whatever preps you need and any additional equipment you want to purchase
If the PCs take the hired barge to Ghenett Manor, the lazy, 12-hour trip up river is uneventful, and the laconic skipper sets the party ashore with no more than a nod as the barge continues on its way west.
The walls of the manor can be seen through the trees from the river’s edge, capping a low, flat hill to the immediate north. The sun has set by the time they arrive
A lone guard awaits at the only designated entrance, though the walls are only 15' tall.
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"What's the wager on that guard knowing anything about the state of things within the manor?"
Quinn thinks a moment.
"Or at the very least know of some other group attempting to make entry recently? We are anticipating competition, after all."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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"I will need to make a few purchases before we begin our journey."
Lini will purchase a wrist sheath (1gp), Alchemical grease (5gp), Wismuth salix (30gp), small sized heavy wooden shield (7gp) and medium leather armor for Droogami (20gp). These expenditures total 63 gp and she is now broke. Lini will insert her cure moderate wounds wand into the wrist sheath.
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to give you a description of what you are facing.
The 5-foot-thick walls surrounding the villa and its grounds are 15 feet high and made of a polished gray stone with artful geometric etchings covering every inch of their surface, in the style of a Qadiran palace. The wall offers little purchase.
The paving stones before and beyond the wideopen, 20-foot-wide gates are uniformly octagonal and are speckled in shades of green, red, and gray. The gates themselves are 17 feet high, clearly fashioned by a gifted master of metalwork; had they color other than the black iron, one could easily mistake them for intertwined vines and sprightly fey creatures flitting through their foliage. The heavy iron rod that bars the gate is held in place by a clever lock inside the gate that is hard to reach through the bars, making opening the device particularly difficult from outside. Scaling the gate is much easier than climbing the walls.
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"Well the longer we wait, the more we let the Aspis get closer to our prize." Quinn tosses the stick previously holding his snack to a gutter in the road and starts to approach the guard. Leaning towards the party while still out of ear shot, he adds "If he's not susceptible to nice talk, feel free to charm, bluff, whatever you desire."
Approaching the guard at the gate, he raises a hand. "Hail fellow well met!"
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Yes master Pathfinder, you and your company as well as your competitors, the Aspis Consortium were expected. They arrived earlier in the day and have been waiting in the Drawing Room feasting on tea and biscuits.
leading you through the Entry Hall.
This opulent entry hall was once a proudly appointed place, with detailed and realistic murals of a marketplace on the walls, carved mahogany benches, ancient statues of red stone—each bearing distinctly Tian features—and a pair of huge fur rugs assembled from the pelts of unusual and exotic animals. Clear signs of violence now mar the room: four of the benches are overturned and one to the southwest is charred, a statue has been reduced to rubble, and both rugs are torn and ragged as if hacked at with knives.
When asked what occurred “Some unpleasantness. My wife and I haven’t had a proper opportunity yet to tidy up. I do apologize."
Into the Drawing Room.
A rich green rug of Qadiran manufacture with dizzying geometric patterns filling its thick pile runs down the middle of this charming room. To the north and south are finely carved mahogany benches, before which sit exquisite tables hewn from the same wood. The stone walls are painted in subtly shifting shades of green, so that the color grows lighter the further up the surface it proceeds—clearly the work of an artisan of considerable talent.
The guard's wife stands by with a platinum tray that holds a steaming procelain teapot of delicate manufacture, a number of matching cups and linen napkins with the initials "TP" embroidered on them in fancy lettering. The guard, Po, asks you to be seated and offers you the fine spiced tea while his wife serves all.
“I bid you welcome to Ghenett Manor. I have been instructed by my employer to extend this courtesy—I assume that you represent the world-renowned Pathfinder organization? I would ask that you make an effort to respect the property,” he states, casting a quick frown in the direction of the room to the east from which you came. “I will answer what questions I can.”
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Reiko looks around as being led in. She wonders what carnage could have taken place when looking around. When offered the spiced tea she politely declines, and stays standing.
Did your master, give any other directions for us? Where to start looking or any hazards perchance? Also, are the Aspis still here?
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Lini rubs Alchemical Grease on Droogami. "Hold still. I don't want to miss a spot. This will hinder nasties attempting to restrain you. Good girl."