The sun bears down oppressively through the jungle’s humidity, causing the air to shimmer and lending an even greater feeling of otherworldliness to the Mwangi city of Nantambu. Aya Allehe enters the sweltering room in the local Pathfinder Lodge with a worn and harried look in her eyes. “Thank you for agreeing to meet here on such short notice,” she begins. “As you may already know, the venture-captain of this lodge, Nieford Sharrowsmith, has been away for several weeks heading an expedition into the interior of the expanse. A week ago, I received a letter addressed to Sharrowsmith from our agent working in the Aspis Consortium-controlled city of Bloodcove, Malika Fenn. The letter appeared to be a routine report, though I recognized that it hid an encoded message that describes an impending Consortium expedition up the Vanji River, planned to depart within the week.
“Malika additionally informed us that this expedition’s aims are of great concern to the Pathfinder Society. She has collected substantial intelligence to this effect but is unable to get the information out of the city for fear that the Consortium will detect and intercept it. To make matters worse, Venture-Captain Sharrowsmith has failed to check in with any other Pathfinder contacts in the region or send back any messages during his own expedition. The timing of these two events is too convenient for my liking, so even though I am only overseeing this lodge in Sharrowsmith’s absence, I ask that you travel into the lion’s den to retrieve the information that Malika has gathered on this expedition so that we can find out if it is connected to Sharrowsmith’s disappearance. Malika has indicated that she left a message for us in the Witchlight Inn that will help us find her information, so head there first.
“Though these are grim circumstances, they also present us with an opportunity. Once you have infiltrated the city, try to sabotage the Consortium’s preparations for the expedition. You won’t be able to stop it completely, but you can at least buy us some time to determine its nature and formulate a response. I also want you to make some inroads for the Society in the city. Gaining the ability to move agents and supplies through Bloodcove more easily would be a massive boon for our operations in the Expanse. I have some information on some disenfranchised citizens of Bloodcove who may be up to the task. Finally, gather some intelligence of your own. Talk to the people of Bloodcove and see how complete the Aspis’s control over the populace is. Report to me any groups or people of influence who may be sympathetic to our cause and support us in future moves against the Consortium. Once you’re done, get out of the city. Leaving in a different way than you arrived tends to be best.”
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A swarthy, ruggedly handsom man with a slight other worldly features swagger into the room. Grinning at Aya, he tips his head and gives a bow. "Lovely to see you again dear." He says, winking.
Hands behind his back, he listens to the woman, nodding occasionally. "I know a bit o' choice bits 'bout Bloodcove. Perched on the headwaters of the Vanji. A real mixed bag o' races. The Apsis run the show behind the scenes." He says, adding a few more details.
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A Tien-Dan man of roughly 5'7" is dressed in loose-fitting cloth pants, heavy boots, and a vest without a shirt. On the back, a single character in Tien are embroidered, 刀. Notably, he is devoid of armor and prominently displays his abdominal region (which clearly gets a lot of attention in the workout regimen.) On his back, he carries a backpack of miscellaneous goods and a pair of blades of different lengths. Around his belt are stuffed a number of pointed pieces of metal, designed like a 4-pointed star.
"So, what you're saying we've got possibly got another Traitorous Lodgemaster situations on our hands, eh?" He looks to the sole female of the current party casually. "Yeah, there was a thing up north; some weird devil lodge thing. In was kind of a... vital part on takin' that down." The Tien man twists in a way that he's likely flexing, under the ruse of turning to face the paladin. "Name's Sen. You've probably heard of me."
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An elf, short of one of his race, sits at the table - seeming to just give the barest hint of listening. His jet-black, shortly-cropped hair is slicked back. Occasionally, the elf's attention is drawn to a small rat hiding in the folds of his robe.
"Fascinating! I can't say I've ever visited the Mwangi Expanse! I mean, I've heard stories of course. Hold on!" The wizard reaches into his robe and removes the rat. The rat is squeaking like mad. "Yes, yes Dr. Gonzo - I already know that! Yes, the drug trade - no, we can't get involved with that! Wouldn't be proper. No, we don't want to get in a turf war between the trade houses."
With a huff, the elf stuffs the rat back into his robe. "Well, I'm known as Raoul, and that little chatty-rat is Dr. Gonzo. I need to teach him better manners..."
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A handsome, dashing Varisian youth, with long wavy jet black hair and dark eyes, dressed in leather armor and strumming a mandolin softly, waits for the briefing to begin.
"The whole city was founded by pirates and its quite lawless. Only trade and property laws are strictly enforced, and the trade houses battle each other for supremacy, no hold barred. Sounds like a swell place!"
Listening to the briefing from the stand-in VC, Vasily asks: "What kind of expedition was Sharrowsmith on? If it stands to reason that we know about the Aspis' expedition and want to stop it, didn't they know about ours?"
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A tall, lanky man sits back, sipping a mug of the local coffee with a slight smile on his face. He wears a shirt of glittering silvery metal under his clothes, and carries a short sword on each hip, in the style favored by gladiators. His sharp blue eyes scan the room, pausing for an appreciative glance at Antonella.
"Well met, friends. My name is Darius Marel, loyal son of Taldor. I don't mind a bit of sneaking about. Perhaps my efforts will gather the attention of the Lion Blades! Wouldn't that be exciting!"
"Anyway, you can count on me to stay focused on our assignment. I have a special...dislike...of the Aspis Consortium."
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"No," Aya corrects Sen, "I don't think the Venture-Captain's actions are treacherous; I am worried instead that the Aspis have done something to disrupt the Society's actions. I believe Venture-Captain Sharrowsmith went out on a legitimate mission in the Bandu Hills weeks ago and was interrupted somehow."
Aya continues explaining the importance of your mission, “I suspect the full report is quite substantial, and Malika Fenn would not have been able to smuggle such a package out of the city without the Consortium noticing, taking the report, and having enough text to break Malika’s codes. In her message, Malika mentioned that she suspected that her cover had been compromised, and she has gone to ground in order to stay safe. Any direct contact with her could further endanger both her life and her role in the city."
Aya provides you with several forged bounty postings and explains that the simplest cover story involves posing as bounty hunters looking for work. Doing so would explain your movements around the city, though she invites you to concoct an alternate cover story. She also provides you with the name of a possible contact: Novaria, an agent of House Cartahegn (one of the smaller rival trade houses of the city), who has worked with the Society in the past. She tells you that they if you mention Aya’s name, the Cartahegn spokeswoman should at least hear them out.
Aya, unfortunately, can not secure you any deals at the moment. Once you are ready to depart though, Aya secures you passage on a convoy of small, fast riverboats bound for Bloodcove. The rest of the voyage
is relatively uneventful.
As Aya suggested, you are easily able to pose as swords for hire around town. Bloodcove is teaming with sell swords, making another motley group of armed adventurers less conspicuous than in most situations.
Malika has indicated that she left a message for us in the Witchlight Inn that will help us find her information, so head there first.
The dim atmosphere inside the Witchlight contrasts sharply with the bright Mwangi sun. The sour stench of unwashed bodies and stale beer fills the air as a throng of warehouse workers, ship crews, and less reputable folk take their morning meals. The innkeeper stands behind the bar chatting amiably with patrons, while servers hurry between tables.
The Witchlight is a prominent inn and a favorite of travelers visiting Bloodcove for the first time, so the arrival of a new group of armed mercenary types causes no comment.
The bounty board, hangs prominently near the entrance to the common room and is covered in over a dozen listings detailing various fugitives, missing persons, or unfortunate souls who’ve simply made wealthy enemies.
After reviewing the different notices, one sticks out like a sore thumb to the Pathfinders: a bounty requesting the recovery of a stolen amulet supposedly posted by Kreighton Shaine.
I am calling upon any who are willing to take up the call and search every part of Bloodcove to find my missing amulet! The artifact is in fact an heirloom called the Terra Fas DeQuere, a jewel-studded pendant that has been passed down for generations by my family. It was stolen by vile thieves from my household at some point in the last week. I am seeking any information leading to its recovery or to any of the lowlifes mixed up in this most heinous crime! Bring your information to the bounty office to receive your reward.
Reward: 342 Gold Pieces to be paid by the bounty poster, Kreighton Shaine, upon return of his valuables.
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Sen resists the urge to show off his foreign tattoos and keeps an eye on any particularly attractive barmaids, particularly if the party's table is on their "focused circuit." He also continues the conversation. "Three-hunnert between six for what's probably a smash-and-grab? Not too bad." Sen shrugs, "Thieves tend to appear to have less than expected, after all."
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Darius keeps a sharp eye on all the cutthroats and brigands around town.
This place sure isn't Oppara...or even Cassomir!
He keeps his hands near his sword hilts and gives his best 'blue steel' expression.
Something is off about his look, however...
While at the Inn, he answers Antonella with that same slight smile from before.
"Oh, sure! That's the famous relic of the Marquis de Carabas! See, before these Shaines owned it, the Marquis used it to defeat an ogre in single combat...or was it his cat? Maybe it belonged to the ogre? The legend says he could change shape at will!"
Looking at her expression, he can tell his story just isn't going to fly. His smile actually grows a bit bigger!
"Well, you've caught me, milady. I confess that I haven't heard of this particular treasure before. Perhaps one of us who is more well-versed in historical relics?"
Before they can begin analyzing the message too deeply, the inn’s door slams open with a bang, and the room goes quiet. The new arrival is Na’alu, a tall, slender Bonuwat man with long but neatly kept dreadlocks wearing long robes and a brightly colored necklace of beads. Two Bekyar men accompany him and leer menacingly at bystanders. Na’alu draws a rolled piece of parchment from his robe, opens it, and announces in a clear voice, “We have ten jobs available for today, working the warehouse at dock twenty-two. Any strong, able-bodied person is welcome to see me for assignment.” He then moves to a table near the door and sits down, and a line begins to form in front of him.
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Vasily, despite trying to remain in character as a rough-and-tumble bounty hunter, can't help but stare as they walk through the streets of Bloodcove. The odd mish-mash of people, the open disregard for law and order, and the exotic locale all keep him thoroughly amazed.
As they enter the Witchlight, he watches the crowd with interest,not particularly noting any of the details. When the group finds the message board, he says: "Kreigton Shaine is the Society's master of spells. He was present for my confirmation briefing, among other things. Obviously this is a clue within the message. The name of the jewel and the amount, 342, must signify something...An address perhaps, as our wise Antonella has divined?"
Vasily thinks about whether he noticed any streets with that name or anything similar in the town.
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Johender looks up in surprise as Antonella greets him. How wonderful to see you again dear." Glacing at the party he leans in and whispers. "By the looks of these others, I think they brought us in to assure success, aye?" He says with a wink and a nudge to her side.
Listening to the others voice their thoughts, he asks. "Sounds odd, we gonna check 'er out?"
Reward: 342 Gold Pieces to be paid by the bounty poster, Kreighton Shaine, upon return of his valuables.
"You've got it," the man says, smiling at Tuna. He explains, "We're Consortium men. Your job'll be to load up supplies on some big ships the company is sending upriver. They'll work you like dogs, but it’s good money and they feed you at midday." You are forced to sign a contract stipulating that they will work for the entire day or receive no pay and be subject to possible breach of contract fees. He orders a crew leader to take you to the site.
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Three large sailing vessels sit in the river slips. All three are serviced by a large warehouse, which contains pallets of food and barrels of water. The dock is bustling with porters packing supplies into crates and building pallets to be loaded onto the boats using an overhead winch.
While working alongside the dockworkers guarantees you access to look around, opportunities to actually sabotage the operation in a meaningful way without being seen are slim. A handful of hired guards patrols this section of the docks at all times, and roughly every eight hours a set of replacements arrive to take over while the first group takes a break.
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While the others work hard on sabatoge of the Consortium goods, Vasily draws forth his mandolin and tries to make a spectacle of his playing, hopefully fascinating a deck guard, keeping him from noticing the wet work of his colleagues.
Each creature within range receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the bard's level + the bard's Cha modifier) to negate the effect. If a creature's saving throw succeeds, the bard cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and observes the performance for as long as the bard continues to maintain it. While fascinated, a target takes a –4 penalty on all skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat to the target allows the target to make a new saving throw against the effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect.
Fascinate is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability. Fascinate relies on audible and visual components in order to function.
Vasily and Antonella keep the guards and other workers distracted for a few minutes during a quickly lunch break while Sen, Darius, and Johendar surreptitiously sabotage the Aspis operation.
While sneaking around belowdeck, Johendar finds that while most of the cargo is food and mundane supplies, there is one locked crate (that he easily picks open) which contains 10 doses of wolfsbane poison, a potion of barkskin (CL 9th) and an elixir of swimming.
Aya Allahe mentioned a contact in Bloodcove called Novaria of House Cartahegn as a possible ally in moving Pathfinder Society supplies and personnel through the city without the Aspis noticing.
You also have the (undeciphered) message from earlier.
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"Hey, eggheads: if I've ever dealt in codes and secret missives, and believe you me, I have, I'm sure the thing that doesn't mean a thing is probably something else entirely." Sen asks. "Anyone familiar enough with the region to unscramble the weird not-a-thing name into a place or a hint or something?"
"Otherwise, House Cartogon seems fine for our hunt."
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Darius' expression has grown much more serious since their job at the docks.
"All kidding aside, that riddle has me stumped as well. Maybe we can ask a few discreet questions. But for now, I'm game to try House Cartahegn as well."
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Vasily puzzles over the clue left by Kreighton Shaine. He tries arranging and re-arranging the letters in the strange name of the missing pendant. The "qu" really throws him at first until he hits on the word "Square". After that it flows pretty fast...
"Any of you ever heard of Free Trade Square? It's an anagram of the letters that Shaine left us, and I bet the number, 342, is important as well."
House Cartahegn is based in an imposing two-story trading post in the northeastern part of the city. The storefront bustles with citizens and merchants alike, most purchasing staple commodities such as sugar and rice. A busy clerk greets customers as they enter and provides helpful directions to any who ask.
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Johender shakes his head in amazement, first at Vasily, then at Antonella's word play. "Well done, well done." He says quietly.
Johender smiles and saunters up to the counter. "Ahoy there helpful clerk! I'm looking for one called Novaria. A friend o' mine, told me to look her her up when I was in town. Said she might be able to point in the direction of some honest work. Is said lass happen to be nearby?"
The clerk, obviously about to tell you that Novaria's schedule is full, first asks who this 'friend' is. When you mention Aya, the clerk pauses, requests you wait for a moment, and retreats into the building. When she emerges several minutes later, she bids the visitors to follow her.
She gives each of you an appraising look before smiling in approval and saying, “Always a pleasure to work with your illustrious Society. The last time I dealt with your people, it led to a mutually beneficial arrangement that I have not forgotten. In fact, my current position at this trading house is a direct result of our last encounter. I sincerely hope that you come today with another such opportunity.”
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Raoul is barely able to keep up with the rest on the way to House Cartahegn. As he catches up, gasping heavily, he pulls out his rat. "Yes... I know... But... Vastly spoke up first. Well, no, I...I'm not going to tell them that. Who cares that you solved it first...the important thing is that we know where to go. Now...back in the robe!"
The wizard stuffs the rat back into a pocket. With his breath caught, he decides to try and help out instead of following along silently.
"My dear Madame, it is indeed a pleasure to meet you. We have been sent to ascertain the doings of the Aspis Consortium in the area. What, pray tell, could you tell us about their dealings and influence here in Bloodcove?"
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Darius leans easily on the wall, the grin returning, lighting up his eyes a bit.
"Indeed, information would be most beneficial to us. Maybe you know of this big Aspis expedition headed upriver? Furthermore, we are also interested in making a more permanent arrangement for moving both supplies and agents through Bloodcove. Obviously we'd prefer to work with someone we can trust to be discreet. Are you interested?"
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"Well the dealings and influence of the Aspis in Bloodcove are both extensive and powerful. What you are asking for is a considerably riskier proposition for House Cartahegn than simply purchasing supplies; moving Pathfinders and Society supplies through Bloodcove would certainly lead to direct conflict with the Aspis Consortium, and that is a risk I do not take lightly. I'm willing to enter into arrangements with the Society despite the challenges though, for I feel that the relationship is worth the risks."
She pauses for a moment and smiles, "But before we formalize any arrangement, I'm afraid I must ask one last favor."
“Recently, a local pirate crew led by a thug named Ungala has been intercepting our trade barges and wagons and stealing our cargo. It is the gods’ fortune that you came to see me today of all days, as we are preparing to move an exceptionally valuable shipment to Warehouse Row to be loaded onto a ship bound for the Inner Sea today. After our usual guards’ failure to protect the last two shipments from Ungala’s raiders, I’ve lost confidence in their abilities. But where they have failed, you might have a real chance. Up to this point, Ungala and her ruffians have always attacked while our supply carts were passing near Free Trade Square, where they can strike in the narrow streets and disappear into crowds quickly. I have no doubt that they’ll be planning such an attack for today’s shipment, and I want you to be there and ready to intercept them.”
Novaria can introduce you to the teamsters driving the wagon and shows you the expected route.
"It seems in their nature to use brute force, but don't hold me to that. Yes, thank you for agreeing to help me. Free Trade Square is a central spot in this city; likely they will try to ambush you somewhere along the way."
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The tiny caravan winds through the northern half of the city while sticking to the sturdier streets, which are increasingly crowded as the procession approaches Free Trade Square.
(+1 traps)
The entire party fails to note the scattering of the crowd near a barricade ahead. . . .
Arrows fly from the rooftop, behind the barricade, and from around the corners of the buildings ahead!