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A strong looking, brown haired, serious faced gnome is in the room. He seems to be checking his pockets and backpack to make sure he hasn't forgotten anything. He then brushes off some of his clothes and armor to make sure he is at least presentable. He has a longsword, short sword, mithral dagger, and longbow strapped to him.
"I'm Chip. Grew up in Bloodcove. Lots of Aspis. Nasty place." He minces himself of words when...
A badger walks up next to Chip and licks him in the face.
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Lady Electra Firemind is a medium sized young woman of elven slimness, about 5`6`` with maybe 96 pounds. She has long, wavy platinum blond hairs with silver eyes.
Usually she wears a soft white robe of fine osirion linen, embroided at the hem with cloth of gold over a brown velvet doublet over a simple double slit green linen skirt.
Only a simple dagger at her hip seems to be her only weapons, but in her garters there are are a few wands ready for use.
Always with her familiar nolwe, a raven with silver feathers and a bright yellow beak.
The Hao Jin Tapestry hangs on the wall of this stuffy basement
room in the Grand Lodge. The tattered piece of fabric, five feet
wide and seven feet long, looks more like a worn tablecloth
than a storied artifact. The Pathfinder Society’s Master
of Spells Aram Zey stands before tapestry,
his arms folded across his chest. He speaks
without greeting.
“As you all surely know, the Society
labors at some cost to assemble a
dwarven relic known as the Sky Key.”
The Master of Spells produces an intricately
sculpted piece of metal decorated
with fluid carvings. A sudden flash of
excitement fills his weary eyes.
“The object I hold in my hands is one of five
pieces of that curiosity. The pieces that
the Society has obtained so far share
the same luster and artistic sensibilities,
but have different shapes and functions
within the assembled artifact. Today,
hopefully, you will retrieve another
piece. Previous missions lead us to
believe that a fragment of the Sky Key
lies within the tapestry, in the company
of a dwarven clan that left Golarion for
Hao Jin’s realm some time ago. Your task is
to enter the tapestry and make contact with
these dwarves, discern what they know about the Sky Key,
and negotiate for their piece, should they still have it.”
The taciturn sage produces a hexagonal beard clasp of
thick, polished metal. “Pathfinder agents retrieved this beard
clasp from one of the sites that we suspected of holding
the Sky Key fragment. It belonged to an ancestor of the
dwarves who live in the tapestry, and it may assist you in
your negotiations. Return it to me if it does not gain you the
fragment you seek. We hold no particular ire for the dwarves.
Retrieve the Sky Key fragment if possible, but try not to
murder anyone.”
Aram Zey adds grudgingly, “Does anyone have any
questions before I send you into tapestry?”
The Master of Spells answers Oggil and Chips questions first, expecting you to understand the significance.
"Why the dwarves within the Tapestry are the descendants of those
who followed Prince Naldak, son of the last ruler of
Jormurdun, King Gutheran.”
Turning to Electra, Aram responds.
"For those possibly unfamiliar with this
mode of travel in the Tapesrty, each person
who enters the Hao Jin Tapestry leaves an eddy in his
wake. Simply walk into your eddy, which only you can
see or interact with, to come back here. I don’t have time
to stand around while you complete your mission at a
leisurely pace—if you return before accomplishing your
goals, I’ll send a more competent group of Pathfinders
to finish the job.”
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Parrim greets her comrades - trying to speak a formal greeting to each in their own racial language, but it is mainly gibberish - with a big smile: "Hello Chip, fghaf aakq trulvo, at least you didn't forget your cute badger. Hello you, nice badger, do you like to be scratched under the chin?
And hello up there, purty Miss Firemind, you tall lass!, silvass trusstaas"
Seeing Oggil, she bows: "Greetings, grrog ggurrgle gog, Master Dwarf!"
"Oh, hello Master Zey, good to see you again!"
Looking around and not seeing any place to sit, she just plops down on the ground in front of Aram Zey, sitting crosslegged.
"How many of the five pieces does the Society have? And do we really need this Sky Key, can't we just pick whatever lock it opens?"
Listening to Oggil, Parrim giggles: "If everything dwarven is like fingers of their hands, no wonder there are five pieces!"
Scratching her curly head, Parrim tries to recall anything about Prince Naldak son of King Gutheran and Jormurdun.
When it comes time to depart, Parrim changes out of her frock and into her adventuring gear.
A rather short and slender halfing - well under 3ft and 30 pounds - she has green eyes and a head of auburn curls.
Chain shirt, buckler and silver gauntlet, with a mess of items - hat, headband, belt, cloak, amulet... - besides her explorer's outfit and a very large overpacked Handy Haversack.
A nice Wayfinder and a Holy Symbol of the triple-notched short sword of Chaldira Zuzaristan are prominently displayed.
She is petting a shaggy sheepdog with a leather armor and saddle: "No, Fang, you cannot come, but Mr. Zey will take good care of you".
She hands the leash to Aram Zey: "Thank you, sir, just change his water every day"', wagging her finger at Fang: "And no raising your leg on that nice tapestry".
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Ibaz is a muscular stout half-orc with a big scar on his face and an old ugly mark making him the property of an Okeno slaver.
He has simple clothing, robe, sandals and except for his headband with the symbol of Abadar and a big great axe on his back, nothing of valor.
At his side, several wands and a big book.
He bows to his comrades and just says Ibaz. before turning back his attention to Aram Zay.
No questions.
Zipper gladly accepts the scratches under the neck, grunting a little at the comforting notion.
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A Tall, think Elf, dressed immaculately in a finely tailored explorer's outfit, finally speaks up.
"Right. So, we are being sent to a location where one of the pieces of the Sky Key might be, to try and negotiate for a missing piece with the descendants of someone who we know did have a piece, at one point in the past. In addition, ideally, we should try to avoid any significant bloodshed."
He then nods to the others.
"I am Varian, and I will be contributing Knowledge, Languages, and arcane support to this mission."
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"As the sun greets the world each morning so do I bid a Good Day to you Varian" says the dwarf.
"I'm named Oggil, Oggil Redhand. And I offer my own stout hands to the team. I'm a wood cutter by trade."
He takes out a small pearl. "I don't be supposing that any of you finger wiggling types know the magical armor spell? I've got a pearl you could be using to cast it on me before we head into danger if you be willing."
Aram continues, as if annoyed by the questions.
"The last king of Jormurdun, King Gutheran, split the Sky Key into five pieces, keeping one for himself and giving a piece to each of his four children. The Society is tracking down these pieces so that we can reassemble the artifact. As other teams are tracking down the other pieces, this is the only one your team needs to recover.”
He crosses his arms, indicating he is expecting more action and less questions.
"If you have any purchases to make, please hurry. I cannot tarry long for 'green' agents coming to a mission briefing unprepared. I am very busy with key research.”
***
Once you are ready and return to him, Aram gathers your team around the tattered tapestry.
'Aldakna-ointpa' is the command word you SAY while placing your fingers one at a time on THIS specific spot in the tapestry. Ready?
One by one your team pops through the tapestry as directed. The environment changes drastically from the confines of the halls.
The hot, humid air announces an abrupt change in the local scenery. A large earthen hill fades into view, surrounded on each side by hills covered in vines, grass, and stands of jungle trees. In one direction, mountains rise until they meet a haze of thick clouds. In the other direction, the deep blue sky is barely visible through an expanse of thick jungle. Just ahead lies a small village, its stone buildings overrun with vegetation.
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"As the Wayang said when they arrived in Tien. We are not the first here." warns Oggil.
"Look ahead, recent signs of looting—uncovered graves, defaced murals, and newly-exposed rubble"
He shakes his head.
"A rat hole has many exits. There must be other ways into here if others have gone before us. "
The dwarf then advances to the intersection carefully and looks at his options.
As Oggil rounds the bend and scans ahead, a loud growl, almost the sound of a hammer clanging on an anvil, is heard to the east. From out of the ruins climbs a large...creature to the top of the wall.
The horse-sized creature has the face of a dwarven woman wearing a silver nose ring. Her body resembles that of a large bear with scaly wings. A barbed tail writhes wildly behind her as she threatens with a sonorous growl.
GRrrrrrrrrrr!!!
She...it...stares at you menacingly from her perch.
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Parrim bows deep, and mimes peaceful intent and gestures towards Oggil, showing that he wishes to talk.
"I know not if you speak Common, but it seems your distant cousin here comes bearing gifts and heirlooms, and wishes to talk with you and yours. I think it would be nice that you open discussions.".
The creature's muscles relax from their tense hold on the wall.
I am Grodel, I feel I can trust you...not like the others.
She hangs her head and continues in dwarven.
“Master was last of Naldak’s Point dwarves. They were good and proud until evil came and took the youth away.
Now they live in the mountain to the east. Their heads are bald and their skin is gray. They should cut their beards in shame.”