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Loud and raucous conversation filters through the door from the common room of the Uscalin Lodge, which doubles as the Ace of Dreams gambling house. “I know it’s here. I had it just a moment ago.” Venture-Captain Shevar Besnik lifts piles of papers and numerous boxes off of his desk, stacking them on various side tables and chairs in his clean but overly cluttered office. The tall, Varisian man’s face parts in a toothy grin as he lifts up a solid oak box. “Found it!” As if to punctuate his discovery, a crowd of players in the gambling hall erupts in cheers. Distracted for a moment, Besnik stares at the closed office door that leads to the common room. “Desna laughs. Well, she laughs at me, but she smiles on them.” The venturecaptain shrugs. “All they have is gold; what I have in here is far more valuable.” Besnik opens the box’s lid painstakingly slowly, careful to keep the contents out of sight. With reverence, he lifts a large tome from the box and gently sets it on the table. “Careful, the binding hasn’t held up well. This is one of the few Tomes of Righteous Repose left in the world. I’m pretty sure there’s one in the library of the Sancta Iomedaea in Vigil, but I’m—well, let’s just say I’m no longer welcome there. That’s a story for another time. “Up until today, I’ve only skimmed the pages. I didn’t want to damage it, but now that you’re here, I can’t wait any longer. Care to plumb the depths of this most ancient and wonderful storybook? Oh, the marvelous adventures we will soon read! This tome is a collection of tales describing how various crusaders died gloriously and honorably. I’m hoping to find some clues in the text that will lead us to an as-of-yet undiscovered site or relic. Maybe we can trade a bit of what we find with the Knights of Ozem and earn ourselves some goodwill. After what happened last time, we need it. “Care to peruse the pages with me?”
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A well dressed youngish Halfling saunters into the room, his pockets somewhat fuller than when he entered the gambling den a few hours earlier.
He gives a short nod (and to be honest, he's a halfing, so any other sort of nod would be difficult) to Shevar Besnik. As he does so the daggers at his waist glisten in the torch light.
"I always enjoy a good story. Especially if there is an artefact or two at the end of it. Bulgo Bluefoot, at your service."
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A copper haired gnome slowly enters the room. She walks with a pronounced limp."I keep telling people Wolfie is an assistance wolf, but no one believes me. He just looks mean, honest. He only ruined that one buffet, but he was hungry." She is dressed in leather armor, and wears a morningstar on her hip.
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An older looking Halfling with silver hair saunters into the room, wearing a nice silver robe outlined in black and gold. He's carrying a spear in one hand, using it like a walking stick. He has a purple paste applied around his lips and eyes, and a few strange markings on his forehead. Right next to his side is a majestic lion with a freshly brushed mane, he stays close by his side until given the sign that it's okay, in which he plops down and begins napping in a little ball, every now in then peeking to see if his master is okay. A look of joy shoots across Serpentfang's face as he sees a fellow Halfling and he moves to introduce himself. "Hail friends! It's great to see you, those are some cool daggers, I bet you have a lot of stories about them. I have stories too. Woah that's a cool wolf you have there I have an animal too!, I've been on a lot of ships, I like ships, do you like ships? Aryeh doesn't care for ships. Oh yea I'm Serpentfang, and that's Aryeh he's my best friend! Do you have a best friend? I could be you best friend, Aryeh gets jealous sometimes"... Fang continues to talk for a solid five minutes without stopping or even breathing, eventually he gets distracted by the book on the table and as the Venture Captain begins to tell about it you see Fang's demeanor change his emotions calm, and the VC has his complete attention.
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An ifrit walks in, almost in slow motion. He tosses his flowing red locks away from his face before answering the Venture Captain. "Sure thing Captain Venture." He is dressed in a well maintained shirt made of pure mithral worn over his courtier's outfit. He draws the lute strung on his back and plucks a few chords. "Oh yea, my name's Jax, at your service. No siblings here, I'm one of a kind man."
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Fang jumps as the Ifrit man walks in, having spaced out waiting to hear the story.
Woah! Jax is it? Nice to meet you, that's Aryeh, that's Wolfie, and his master, I don't know her name yet, This is Bulgo, and I'm Fang. We've been talking about trips we've made. Where have you..."He then hears the gnome mention she was on a ferry and gets distracted. "Ooh a ferry what's that it sounds fun sorry about your other friend. What happend? I probably shouldn't ask." He then remembers the tome, and turns around to the Captain."What do you think of the book? Is there more books? What story are you gonna tell? Is it magic?" Fang will cast on the book, if it pings he will spellcraft it. or
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Detect magic deals finds that the book is just a regular book, no imbued magic here. The captain though replies rather ecstatically to the excitement around the book as he replies to Fang.
"Well, early crusaders had amazing adventures fighting the Whispering Tyrant, orcs, and a whole host of other threats, but they don’t have very many records that aren’t as dry as an Iomedaean’s hip-flask. This tome gives us important insights into the crusaders’ adventures. Rellakarabee Fustbickle, the gnome author, interviewed dozens of crusaders and wrote about the most heroic and tragic deaths in this book. It wasn’t very widely published, so it’s been difficult to get my hands on it. The poetry is a bit purple, too. Not really my style—but perhaps it’s something you’d be able to interpret?"
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Shevar looks shocked at Feybella, "Why? It's important for all the reasons I told you! We could be on the verge of discovering historical landmarks, relics, anything is possible! We are explorers, historians, adventurers!" As if he was a little bit offended by the question.
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Bulgo has a think about the historical significance of the book.
"I've heard of Rellakarbee. His favoured tragic deaths and heroic last stands. Not really my cup of tea to be honest. But even his more outrageous stories were based on a husk of truth. It could be we can determine some lost paladins final resting place from one of these stories. Maybe even somewhere that Iomadae herself walked, as he apparently knew her as a mortal."
He looks around the others. "The country itself has been established since 3828 when it kissed goodbye to Taldane overlords. Really it is focused on its military. Trying to keep the local orcs locked up in their mountains, and the Whispering Tyrant locked under his gravestone."
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Strolling through the pages of the book, a significant piece of art is found next to one of the poems in the Tome of the righteous Repose. The Venture-Captain jolts upright. “Minkai art! Let’s see, the Minkai Empire was founded in 3619, and the empire’s first explorers didn’t reach the west coast of the continent until at least 3691 ar, which leaves only sixty years before the beginning of the Shining Crusade itself. These women could have been among the first Minkai citizens to reach the Inner Sea! Let’s see, what secrets does the poem on this page hold?”
THe poems on the page directs you to three different ruins in three different locations: the Hold of Belkzen, Lastwall, or Ustalav.
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You think hard about what you know about these places.
Shevar reveals the the party what he knows of the places.
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"I also heard that in Lastwall, Defenses against the orcs have been waning, and many Lastfolk are concerned that if the orcs organize enough to mount an offensive, Lastwall may not survive the attack."
He shrugs
"Not our concern really, but reinforces the point about orcs. I'll be a cruel orc over an unliving ghost anyday."
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"I hate orcs. Let's go there and stop them" he says with a loud snarl and hateful tone
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A poem from the tome strikes out to your interest.
Oh Heroes, Ne’er shall we see you again in life, For we hid you like buried treasure ‘Neath the halls of poor, sweet Mordesha, Away from our foes’ rasping voices. Yet they found you, sharpened your edges Turned you loose as wild dogs In poor, sweet Mordesha. Though we remember you, We’ll forget where you rest. The knights have clamored long For ignorance of your fate. Our thoughts of you burn bright But brighter is poor, sweet Mordesha Her chimneys rise as skel’tal fingers Desperate call, betrayal anew We turn away, willfully blinded From the eyes of poor, sweet Mordesha.
“Mordesha? Is that the name of a place or a person? Are the samurai the heroes who the poem evokes? Wherever these terrible events took place holds the answers to our mystery. Once we can verify the location, we can share the information with the Knights of Ozem. If some dark force still haunts the place, remove it. I have a ritual that can unravel evil magic.” Besnik searches through his office, eventually producing a finger-length scroll case.
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Bulgo, deciphers the clues hidden in the riddle, to reveal the location of this hidden crypt somewhere in a fire-blackened field two days hikes worth north of Mordesha. Venture captain Shevar Besnik, believes that this place is currently being consumed by evil energy.
"Well, that settle's it! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, shall be to venture to this hidden crypt and investigate the source of this evil energy, also possibly closing it! Take these along with you." He details you your mission objective and passes you some items he feels shall be useful in your adventure.
You receive a traveler’s any-tool, a wand of cure moderate wounds (6 charges), and a wand of protection from evil (7 charges), one oil of bless weapon and two +1 flaming arrows.
Your journey takes you three days to reach to the entrance of the crypt, however the journey was very uneventful, mostly trees, hills, and a few barren landscapes. The entrance to the crypt is well hidden behind some shrubbery, likely indicating the crypt was not visited for a very long time. Peering in, the crypt feels cold and dark, with no light from the outside.
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Ooh? Thank you Captain, I'm sure these will prove useful to us, thank you for the stories and riddles, but off we must go!The journey was long and boring, Fang would spend his down time braiding Aryeh's mane and massaging his paws, and ask Fey about Wolfie and let their friends do play dates, but as they finally arrive Fang's eyes light up and his heart starts to flutter...Oh boy! Aryeh look at this place, there could be anything in there and I bet you may even get a couple rats! It's common courtesy for Aryeh and I to not be the first, so...who would like to go first?
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"Look! I am -not- lost! The Uscalin lodge is around here somewhere. I got the letter that told us to go to Lastwall and find the lodge in town... I'm just having more trouble than usual finding the town!" Considering the environment, it's a strange thing to hear only one side of an argument coming over a nearby hill as a young, disheveled woman tromps her way towards the rest of the party.
She's short, graceless, and waving her arms about animatedly at absolutely nothing. Her clothing is a confused mess, and she seems to have simply fallen out of a closet several days ago and not changed since by the road dirt collecting on her. A veritable hodgepodge of gear rests on her back and waist like she's attempted to be ready for anything, and the only commonality in her wardrobe was the presence of several scarves tied around her neck, harms, and legs.
When she notices the group she'll approach the nearest one with a very animated greeting, shushing the air as she approaches. "Hello! Hi! Um excuse us, my name's Seren... I think we're a bit lost. we're suppose to be meeting a man named Shevar Besnik in Lastwall... but we uh... seem to have lost Lastwall... could you point us in the right direction? It's for important Pathfinder things."
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Once he hears they are going to last wall he starts jumping up and down almost like an excited child
"Yes!! We are going to last wall, We are going to last wall..."
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"Pleasure to meet you Seren, you'll fit right in. We are about to delve in to a dark abandon ruin, filled with who know's what in hopes of ending what ever evil is tarnishing this land, and we'd love for you to join"... Aryeh begins swiping at Fang's shoulder. "Hmm? Oh right! I'm Serpentfang, and this is my buddy Aryeh! Anywho go ahead Thoril we are right behind you."
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"Actually" says Bulgo.
"We are hoping to not find any evil at all, but rather recover some valuable aretefacts from the past. Which might in turn help turn the tide against either the orcs or the undead that beset this forsaken region."
He looks closely at Seren. And then glances around looking for an animal companion.
"By the way... who is "we"?"
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"Oh, Hello Serpentfang! You have a very polite animal there." She looks between sorcerer and the shorter rogue several times, twisting her hands together in an absent fidget. "Okay, you're definitely pathfinders. I'm not certain if you're who we're suppose to be teamed up with, but I'm just going to follow you now... because I'm lost and hungry. Also dark ruins filled with evil sound fun and we can't pass up a nice offer like that Mr. Fang."
Bulgo's question has her start, and then slowly turn a slight shade of red. Before she answers she seems distracted by something, looking off to the side as if listening to someone speak. Then finally she returns her attention to him."Uh, you see... and I'm entirely not making this up I swear... there are ghosts following me, six of them. They're just invisible, but they're there really. And they're helpful, and nice, and people don't always believe me. They like you, though."
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Entering into the darkness as you make your small talks, you walk into A cavernous chamber that reaches east and west, and several smaller corridors branch outward from it. Dust and neglect mark this chamber, and darkness fills its corners. The floor dirtied and covered with moss. To the east lies a single stone sarcophagus. A long passage of text is carved into the wall behind the sarcophagus. The corridors however is fallen through and the only way through is through a spiral staircase that leads downwards. The sarcophagus bears the words of "General Dame Vheist" and Aroden's holy symbol.
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"Do they have names? Well yes, of course!" She had looked rather surprised when Bulgo first asks, since nobody ever asks. There's excitement in her voice as she starts using one hand to tick off the fingers of the other. "There's Katsumoto, Zela, Dorin, Malsaire, Chaucer, and Wynn. I'm suppose to be helping them pass on... but they're all really difficult and I can't figure out how to make any of them go."
She grins at Jax, an expression that turns into an exasperated grimace for Feybella. "Hello Fey and Wolfie. Imagine if when you were traveling you had 5 more Wolfies, and they were all constantly vying for your attention, and each was certain you should go in a different direction. I'm sure -one- of them is right, but if I pay too much attention I just get a headache." She then sticks her tongue out over her shoulder, and a moment later yelps as she ducks under nothing.
Seren wanders over to the sarcophagus, distracted from her own words while she pokes it several times with her hand. "I don't know who this person was, but I don't think they're still hanging around here." She then leans further over and drags a backpack from beneath some of the gathered moss.
"Found someone's old bag though! Hey boots! And potions! No idea what they are. She starts checking the sole of the boots against her own to see if they'll fit.