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One heavenly woman twirls her hair around one of her fingers. She doesn't wear much more than a robe and some bracers. She looks at one of her cards marked "Community Service" and smiles as she notices how many holes are punched out.
"So what are you in here for?" She smiles. "I'm Sheela Kolphan. From the Kolphan family. I'm be joining you on this mission."
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"Hello Rogar!" Sheela gives the big burly dwarf a hug. To him it feels about as strong as a blanket. "Good to see you here."
Her attention snaps to Koani and her dinosaur. "Hi Koani. Hello there, Blarg!"
"What kind of dinosaur are you? Raptor? Compy? Baby TRex? No wait, they have feathers, right?" Sheela leans some of her red hair so Blarg can smell it.
The little dinosaur sniffs at Sheela and then presents the top of his head to be scratched expectantly.
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"Who's a good deinonychus? It's Blarg! Yes you are! Yes you are!" Sheela scratches just the right spot.
"So, what brings you three here? To the Pathfinder Society, in general?" Sheela stops scratching Blarg. "A socialite like me tends to get into lots of trouble, but Grandmama was right: Through the Society I can do some good. The Kolphans tend to die as heroes."
The little dino growls happily. It sounds almost like a purr.
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It suddenly dawns on those present that there is a draft in the room, despite its solid construction. It is the closest thing to footsteps announcing the arrival of a handsome young man in light leather armor over well-made but drab clothes riddled with pockets, whose Keleshite features sorely mismatch the incredible pallor of his skin and hair. A mismatched pair of short blades hang by his sides.
"Now see, that's hardly an incentive to be a hero, is it?" He replies to Sheela with a smirk. "Stick with trouble, I say."
He gives her an exaggerated Keleshite-style bow, then raises his head to look up at her (how far up is a bit hard to tell for certain). "Allow me to introduce myself, sayida: I am Trouble."
He stands back up without any visible physical effort, and turns to the others. "You may also call me Sirius Sa'luk. Some call me 'The Lucky Dog.' Some call me other things, too, but they're not worth keeping track of."
Blarg moves over, curiously sniffing at this new companion.
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A halfling in a bright red suit jacket and pencil skirt strides in. She finishes looking over a few papers in her hands, before taking her reading glasses off, and making sure her perfectly coifed hair is still in place. She then finally gives everyone in the room a glance. She some how gives the impression of looking down her nose at you despite being a good foot shorter than the next shortest person in the room.
She sets down her papers and then her large bag and the longspear strapped to it with an 'oof.' "My name is Angela, and I'm here to make sure whatever happens here gets reported back faithfully. As I'm a trained secretary but trade, I'm not really partial to fighting, but I can generally give some good insights on weakpoints." She stops for a second before digging into her pack and pulling out a pen and a notebook. "But before I get ahead of myself, can I get everyone's names?"
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Sheela gives the man a once over. "Trouble eh? I bet that's what the ladies call you." She grins mischievously. "If a Venture Captain wasn't going to drag us ove, I'd eat you right up-"
The sound of an astute halfling gets Sheela's attention, distracting her. "Oh. Um. Hi. My name is Sheela. From the Kolphan family... Are you always this formal?"
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Angela scribbles a few short hand notes in her book. "Just Koani? No family name or other designation? Hm, interesting..."
She then squats down, though at her height it's probably pointless, and holds out a hand for the small dinosaur, she then, in a break from the formality she'd been showing, reaches out and scratches Blarg's head. "He seems really well behaved, you must be very good at training animals."
Blarg turns his head slightly so that Angela hits exactly the right spot, and purrs.
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The same halfling notes the name in her notebook for a second, before she gives Sheela a straight, level look. "Yes, I am..."
"Riiiight." She glances back to the charming sylph, then back to the rigid halfling. Opposite day!
"And last name as well, please."
"Kolphan. Kay oh elle pee aich ay enn." Sheela spells out each letter, trying to make a game of it.
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The gala inside the Chelish embassy appears to be in full swing, and as the faint light from the building falls upon the alleyway outside, Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin’s mission briefing is hard to forget.
“Pathfinders,” Valsin boomed but hours earlier in the briefing chamber within the Grand Lodge, “Zarta Dralneen no longer exists. She never existed. She’s never worked for the Chelish embassy here in Absalom, and she’s never been in charge of the Chelish Pathfinders. At least that’s what I was told, repeatedly, to my face, through three layers of Chelish bureaucrats. I know those people, and they all knew Zarta. They didn’t just forget about her. She’s been ‘disappeared.’”
“I don’t know where she went and I don’t know who took her. What I need you to do for me is to go into the Chelish embassy and find out as much as you can by snooping around for a bit. I want to know where Zarta is, I want to know who took her, and I want to know why she was taken.”
“We can’t afford to offend Cheliax, so you’ll have to infiltrate their embassy quietly. I’ve devised a cover story that should get you in the side door with orders to see the new Chelish ambassador. An ongoing diplomatic gala scheduled for the same time and a clever ruse by Venture-Captain Amara Li—who is also attending the gala—will keep the ambassador busy, but you’ll have to act quickly if you want to secure the information we need before he arrives to meet you. You must get into the embassy, get what we need, and get back out of the embassy without the Chelaxians ever catching on that we’ve been rooting around.”
“Here is a packet of information that bears on Chelish interests in Sargava. It’s legitimate intelligence that we probably would have passed on to Zarta eventually anyway and that we’re willing to give up for free as our ticket into the building.”
“You’ll enter the embassy through the north entrance of the residential wing, where Chelish imperial security receives all of their informants. Even if you have a good cover story, you might have difficulty getting past the guards there—if necessary, you’ll have to resort to bribing your way through. Once you’re in, the guards will likely make you wait for the ambassador when you tell them you have important information for him. Don’t give it to anyone else, since once they have the information there will be no reason for them not to show you the door.”
“Amara Li will keep the ambassador pinned down at the gala while you break out of the waiting room and snoop around. She will also meet you just before you enter the gala to cast a message spell on you, just in case you need to keep in touch during your mission. You just need to make your way to Zarta’s chambers—they’re in the southwest corner of the residential wing, but you’ll have to find a route that doesn’t intersect with the gala’s attendees or residents of the embassy. Try to get in and out in less than an hour. That’s my best estimate at how long the gala and Li can keep the ambassador preoccupied. Once you’ve got the information and made it back to the waiting area, you just have to wait for the ambassador to find time to see you.”
“My informants tell me that Ailenia Hospar, one of the clerks you’ll likely run into at the embassy, is addicted to shiver. I’ve procured some of the drug for you to slip her if she initially proves less than accommodating. You may also have to deal with Anstrella Trelax, the pompous night-duty officer. Beyond that, what you’ll face is beyond my knowledge. I’ve ordered for you to receive several tools that might help you in your mission. Good luck, Pathfinders.”
You've been provided with a package containing 2 scrolls of disguise self and 2 elixirs of hiding.
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Sheela's face lights right up as the Venture Captain describes the mission. "A high class party? Oh ho ho, this is going to be my favorite task as of yet!" Sheela's excitement is obviousl "Oh right, the mission." She sighs. "If Zarta doesn't exist anymore, are we going to find anything in her bedroom? Assuming she has one."
She shakes her head when she hears the fate of Ailenia. "I walk a fine line between celebration, decadence and debauchery. Drug addiction is luckily not one of my sins. Hopefully we'll destroy whatever supplies we can find, for her own good." Sheela practically gags as Valsin produces the package. "Oh gods no. Someone else handle that. I'll do this the old fashioned way: charm. And my good looks." She smiles.
"Oh! I have just the dress for the occasion, too!" Sheela readies her formal gown.
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Angela gives the lady in front of her an incredulous look as she starts spelling out the name, but faithfully writes it down anyways. When she finishes she flips back a few pages. "Hmm, 'p-h-a-n'? Looks like your official file has that wrong, I'll try getting that fixed next time I'm in the office. And if I'm not mistaken that's a Taldane last name isn't it?"
She then turns to Sirius and takes all of the names down before taking a deep breath and repeating them back. "Nasreddin Shalwend-Gralkor Whisperthin bin Aulephant Abdul-Abdol-Abdil-Abdel-Abdal Hasturovich Von Hoptkauf Von Hohenheim Glossolalia Rosepetal en Fugue Abu Adahn, Esquire? I've never seen that name before. I am going to guess you are Sirius."
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She listens to Venture-Captain Valsin's briefing. She nods at the information. "I see we need to find information. Assuming they have a filing system and it's not a mess, I'll be able find anything."
She takes a look at the supplies. "I can't use the scrolls and I don't need the potions."
"Sheela, I could possibly be a personal assistant if you'd like."
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Clearly pressed for time, Ambrus Valsin give little time for discussion of the mission, and barely enough time to get prepared for the event. You're escorted with haste to the embassy where you find yourselves now.
You are all just outside of the nondescript side-entrance to the Chelish embassy which is currently being manned by a single guard in Chelish imperial livery.
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"Aaaand we're off!" Sheela pulls out a scroll and reads from it, touching Angela as she finishes. "Well, if you're going to assist me, this will help make you a little better at everything."
"Someone keep the guard distracted so I can charm him."
Sheela begins to cast Charm Person (Will Save DC 15 to resist). Once that's done, she approaches the guard.
"Indeed, good friend. We're here to meet the ambassador. We have some vital information to share with him. Shall we enter now?"
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Angela blinks a couple of times in surprise as Sheela casts a spell over her. her complketely business tone of voice cracks as some emotion creeps into her words. "Why, thank-you! That was unexpected and you needn't have, but I truly appreciate it."
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In front of the door, Angela slides in behind the dwarf, trying to be the distraction Sheela called for. She gives the guard a look for a second trying to judge what might best motivate and distract him. She taps the set of papers the venture-captain gave them before commenting with her usual ultra-business tone back in place.
"We believe it bears heavily on Chelaxian interests in Sargava and is not something that can wait much longer."
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The guard nods. "You can bring it to the clerk's attention. She can direct you from here."
He opens the gate and calls in, "Ailena? A group is here to speak with you, they say they have information for you."
A grumpy female voice returns "There are no appointments scheduled for this evening."
The guard responds, "A'right. Should I send 'em away? Seems important."
With an exasperated sigh the woman says, "No, send them in. I'll take any message they have and schedule them an appointment."
The guard ushers you into a reception room. The red paint that covers the walls of this high-ceilinged chamber does little to hide the raised outlines of ancient religious mosaics that once decorated this former temple. Behind the chamber's large and imposing desk sits a woman in clerk's clothing. She pulls out a pen and inkwell. "Who is it that you wish to meet with and what message would you like to leave? Most of our ambassadors are unavailable for at least a week."
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She snaps back at Sheela. "I'll decide what gets delivered 'post-haste' thank you very much."
She breathes out, presses her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, then scribbles a few notes. "Now then, please state your names and affiliations, along with the nature of your information for delivery... that is whether it is considered export-controlled, sensitive but unclassified, secret, or unclassified."
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After a few moments of scribbling in her ledger she calls for her duty officer. Another women enters from the next door down the hall, this officer more finely dressed than the lower functionaries, and wears an imperial dress uniform. She is striking in red and black and looks down her nose at the assembled group. "Ailena, why do you bother me with this? You should deal with such deliveries on your own."
Ailena shakes a bit then responds. "They insist that it is sensitive, secret, and must be personally delivered. I'm not allowed to know more than that, so I called you."
The officer scowls. "Very well." She turns and looks at all of you. "Well? I am authorized to secure and deliver any secret information to the ambassador. Please surrender it to me and I give you my personal guarantee it will be delivered to him with all due haste."
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Seeing Sheela getting annoyed over the red tape, Angela steps forward to deal with the bureaucracy. "We are on assignment from the Pathfinder Society and have been tasked with providing this information directly to the ambassador. It is secret and we've been told it bears on Chelaxian interests in Sargava, but whether that is true or not I do not know. Sheela here also has a first hand account to give and is here to answer questions as well."
Once the other woman enters the room, Angela gives her a nod. "I realize that is your duty, but we have been specifically told to it is our duty to deliver this to the ambassador himself. I haven't even seen the information, and anyways we have a spoken account here to give as well, and i don't know if this information is something you should be privy to. If this was any less pressing, was something had an idea of how important it is or could be handled in a standard fashion, we would do so, but our orders won't accept anything less than the ambassador himself."
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"Very well, I shall inform the ambassador of your pressing need. He is busy for the time being but he shall see you as soon as he is available. For now, please follow me."
She leads you down the hall to a small waiting area. The room is sparsely furnished with only a few old chairs and a couch. Two doors—one to the east and another to the west—lead elsewhere within the embassy.
Once you are all situated, she nods, then leaves and locks the door behind her.
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Angela gives a slight bow at the woman's acquiescence. "Thank-you ma'am. Please send him along as soon as you can. We shall be waiting here."
She then takes a seat in one of the chairs and gives a slight sigh. "Well that went well. Now any ideas on how to get out of this room?"
Once seated she leans back. "Okay, what's next? How many forms do I have to sign before we are authorized to stand?"
Angela gives a look at Sheela, before giving her a deadpan flat answer. "Based on what I know of Chelaxian bureaucracy, it depends how you want to stand. Standing straight requires about 7 forms, leaning tacks on another 3 and being able to stand in the prescience of nobility takes at least 20 forms."
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She's joking, of course
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The doors of this room all appear to be locked with good locks. A well trained thief could probably manage to open them, however not much sooner after everyone is settled do you hear footsteps approach the room from the eastern side. You hear a click from the door, then silence, then the sound of a further door squeaking as it slowly closes.
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There is nothing of note in the room, however when you check the far door again, you find it unlocked and unlatched. Opening it slightly, you see the keys have been left in the lock, and the next door in the hall is barely ajar. You catch a glimpse of Tian woman as she puts her finger to her lips. She pauses for a moment and you realize it is Venture Captain Amara Li. She casts a quick cantrip, then lets the door close behind her.
After a few seconds you all hear her voice in your heads. "Good work, I can keep the ambassador busy for 1 hour. Make sure you're back in the waiting room when he arrives. Don't be seen outside of the waiting room and your cover will hold."
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"I know this spell!"
"Thank you!" Sheela stands up and casts Message on the party. "Now then, just point at me and whisper when you want to communicate, and I'll relay it to anyone I can see."
"Maybe I can disguise myself as a guard." She pulls out the scroll of disguise self, reads from it and her form shivers to that of a guard. "Grr! More paperwork!"
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Angela gives a small spurt of laughter at Sheela's reaction. "I was joking, I don't know what paperwork is required, but it's probably more than needed!"
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Angela is glad to stick her head out the door, curious who might have unlocked it. She closes the door behind the group and locks it before pocketing the key. "Hmm so how do we want to handle this? We have a guard here, so we could go with a 'bathroom break' story. We could have either myself, Sirius or both of us scout ahead, or we could go about this randomly, but I'd prefer we don't do that."
After taking a second to scan the rooms they are in, she wrinkles her brow slightly. "I guess the more important question is where do we go from here? South through the single doors, the double doors, up or back down that hallway with the receptionist?"
Letting the group start making decisions, Angela goes over to Sheela and whispers a few suggestions to her about how to better project the appearance of a guard. "If you stand a little more rigid, it'll look like you've had some more martial training. Also that look on your face is a little too refined, going a little more slack an impassive would be more convincing."
Finished with that, and assuming the group hasn't decided where to go just yet, Angela listens at all of the doors she can get to without encountering people, including the one at the back of the room they were locked in and listens.
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Next perception!