You are awaiting your briefing.
You all meet aboard the Society's mobile Lodge, the ship the Grinning Pixie.
The hull of the Grinning Pixie creaks and groans in the freezing waters of Kalsgard, at the mouth of the Rimeflow River. Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry, the half-orc captain of the vessel, shivers as she strides in to her well-furnished cabin and out of the bitter winds. A Varki woman clad in leathers and a snow leopard fur coat is already seated inside the cabin. “Welcome to the Linnorm Kingdoms,” says Venture-Captain Calisro Benarry. She takes a long drag from a hip flask before continuing. “The North is no place for a free captain, but here we are. Oh, Kalsgard is fine—they’ve got stiff drink here—but you’ve got to head inland, where it’s even colder.” She pulls her mammoth-fur coat tighter across her body as she continues. “I hope you all weren’t planning to freeze to death and packed for the weather.”
“You’ve all heard of Jormurdun? Well, that dwarven sky citadel contained an artifact called the Sky Key. King Gutheran broke it into five pieces and gave four of them to his heirs as they fled the invasion, keeping the fifth for himself. One of Gutheran’s heirs, Naldak, traveled into what is now southwestern Irrisen and established a small town called Naldak’s Point. That’s where the trail goes cold. Most likely, Baba Yaga wiped them out when she invaded. The piece of the Sky Key and the ruins of Naldak’s Point are probably buried under a millennium of ice and snow, just waiting for someone—you—to go dig them out. I’ve packed you ten blocks of blackfire clay to make the task more manageable,” the venture-captain says, handing over a backpack stuffed with black bricks. “Don’t forget to take these with you.”
“You’re heading east, up the Rimeflow and Thundering Rivers, past the Grungir Forest, and into Irrisen. Desna smiles—the site is about half a day’s hike north of Dalun, a small trade city on the Irrisen border. Take a small river boat packed with supplies and a letter of trade, make nice with the city officials, and see if you can get permission to travel inland. Head to the site and find our missing Sky Key piece. You’ll know you’re on the right track if you recover signs that the royal family settled there.”
"Watch yourselves in Irrisen. Antagonizing the locals is like poking a sleeping ice bear in the eye, except it won’t kill you as quickly. The Society is not especially welcome in Irrisen, so try to keep what friends we have, and if you can, make new ones. With that it mind, I’ve hired a local to bring you safely to Dalun.” Venture-Captain Benarry gestures toward the Varki woman. “This is Haltani, and she will guide you into and out of Irrisen alive.”
The Varki woman springs to her feet gracefully and addresses the party. “It is always a pleasure to meet travelers from faraway lands. It is true that Irrisen is a harsher land than most. Keep your wits about you, and your journey should be profitable.”
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A bent-back old man speaks first, approaching from the venture-captain with surprisingly nimble moves. "It is my pleasurrre to meet you, captain. As I am a creaturre of the jungle, I don't know a thing about this land we arrre in. Do you have some inforrrmation about thrrreats we may encounter? Even if cold IS a thrrrreat itself..." says the man, slowly turning in a pile a furs.
"It is my pleasurrre to meet you, captain. As I am a creaturre of the jungle, I don't know a thing about this land we arrre in. Do you have some inforrrmation about thrrreats we may encounter? Even if cold IS a thrrrreat itself..."
Haltani steps in to answer that question. "Not all of Irrisen is bad, but the land is dangerous. Ice trolls, snow goblins, or even winter wolves can accost unwary traelers. Dalun is safe, though; they accept outsiders and are eager for trade. I've spent quite a lot of time in the city and have many contacts there."
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A huge Shoanti man with a ruddy, pock-marked face nods as Haltani offers some insight into the region. "Dangerous. Cold"
He wears stained high-waisted trousers, tall boots, a bearskin cloak, and a chain shirt stretched across a barrel-like torso and pot-belly. An unpleasant smell lingers around him. Though the air atop the ship is cold, he seems unaffected by it.
While the Society could not function without scholars to research esoteric lore, access to such lore often requires a bit of heavy lifting, and unless this man is wearing an exceedingly clever disguise, he is one of the latter.
Looking about the group with a gap-toothed grin, he introduces himself. "They call me Jon. Outhouse Jon actually. Nice to meet y'all."
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Rangor sighs as he mutters to himself I really must return home soon. The future is just as bleak as the past but at least I will have my family again. We shall look into this sky..key..
Greetings I am Rangor. As the group holds out a hand to shake his he quickly jerks back. You don't want to be touching me I am afraid. To show them what he means he grabs his club from his hip. Upon touching the piece of wood it quickly begins to age and rot as if it were hundreds of years old.
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A tall man with golden skin and pale ice-blue eyes stood up and leaned a long musket against the wall. He smiled at the inebriated dwarf and touched the ale mug that hung prominently from his own belt.
"And I am Karos. I'll share that drink with you, Master Dwarf."
"I know I'm going to regret asking this," he continued, "but why 'Outhouse', exactly?"
Venture-Captain Benarry provides you with a map of Irrisen. The rough location of Naldak’s Point is marked on the map. In addition, she gives you a letter of trade, which you can use to trade for goods in Dalun, and 10 blocks of blackfire clay. Finally, Venture-Captain Benarry loans you the use of a small sailing boat.
The wind carries the small sailing vessel upriver. On the banks, the occasional elk or deer dashes away at the sight of the ship. At night, the temperature drops dramatically while wolves howl in the distance. The trip up the Rimeflow and Thundering Rivers takes several weeks, but passes in relative safety. Most of the landscape is comprised of rocky grassland and rough hills. The Land of the Linnorm Kings is a rugged land with rugged people. Occasionally you pass fishing villages where grim people give you evaluating gazes, scowl at you, or ignore you completely.
Uliyara offers to sail the boat if none of you is trained in the sailing profession. During the trip, usually when the group camps for the night, Uliyara speaks with each of you individually. She asks you about yourselves, bringing up topics such as your homelands, your religious beliefs, your roles in the Pathfinder Society, the strange lands you have visited, and any unusual or noteworthy objects you possess. Her questions often show how little she knows about the rest of Golarion. You occasionally see Uliyara remove a pale blue diamond necklace from under her furs and gaze longingly at it.
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Among one of the colder nights, Bargus goes up to Uliyara, mug in hand. "This outta warm you up." When she asks about his past, the dwarf chuckles, taking a drink and wiping his beard uncouthly, although showing enjoyment for his own beverage. "Yeah, I'm not a normal dwarf. Born in Osirion, I was raised among the Ouats, a contemplative group of dwarves that eschew normal dwarf stuff. Y'know, like smithing, and axes, and love for gold. Course, I wasn't a normal Ouat either. See, I can appreciate how they try to awaken ki in themselves and share that gift with others. But with other things... it's like they wanted to be so much unlike dwarves despite being dwarves. Not appreciating a good stout!", Bargus taking another gulp. "So I started wandering, wanted to know if their way was right, y'know? During my travels, I found out one thing: I thought and learned best with a bit of alcoholic aid! The clarity and insight I get, freeing my mind from the bonds that keep it in reality... it was truly an enlightening experience."
Pouring himself another drink, he continues. "So, I kept studied in libraries for book learning and bars for people learning to see what else there was to know. I picked up so much that I started sharing my newfound knowledge with others! So much so that they call me, 'Mr. Obvious' at some bars! But I got commissioned by the Pathfinder Society after helping retrieve a magical weapon from a bard hunted down by debtors and figured it was the best of both worlds. I get ta see the world, learn new stuff... and sample the local brews."
Finishing his second mug, he asks, "So what's your story, miss Uliyara?"
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"That's a lovely stone," said Karos, approaching Uliyara on another night when she was by herself. "Mind if I sit?"
The gunslinger laid his mukset near to hand and leaned over the boat's rail. "You asked about my past. Well, I'm from Alkenstar, about as far from Irrisen as you can get and still be near the Inner Sea. We use guns there, but we dont' have any magic. I'd heard of the gods, but never really paid them much attention while I lived there."
"But I left Alkenstar to pursue a killer. I chased him to Katapesh and Absalom and finally caught up with him in Cheliax. Along the way, I just kept running into the words...even I don't try to call them 'teachings'... of Cayden Cailean. People think of him as a drunken god, but that's not it at all. He was a hero as a mortal, and successful warrior. As a god, he champions an enjoyment of life, of living in the moment. But he's still a hero. He encourages unconventional thinking in his followers, a refusal to only see problems in traditional ways."
"That appealed to me. Too many people with enormous potential permit themselves to remain mediocre because they're bound by rules whose only purpose is to limit their greatness. I guess I'm not much of a preacher; I just try to live out those simple ideas: Live in the moment, do what you know is right, and try to see any situation for what it is, not for what the old rules say it ought to be."
"I wandered for a bit after bringing that killer to justice and eventually found the Pathfinder Society. I'm not normally big on joining organizations, but for now it allows me to see parts of the world I'd never have seen otherwise. My path and the Society's will go side by side for a while."
"And you? How did you come to be associated with the Society?"
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Rangor walks up t the woman, a thick cloak stacked on his armor. His eyes and skin are a pale shade as if he almost glows. The thick man sighs heavily. I miss my wife and children greatly. He looks over at he from the railing. You know I used to be such a great mage in Thassilion. It is a little off putting seeing what has become of it.
Taking a seat he continues. I studied time and space with little regard for anything else. I was able to slow time to a crawl around me or even speed it up with little effort. For years I tested and tried over being able to travel time over great periods. At first I was able to go back just a few days then a year or two.
He smiles warmly. That is when I met my wife. She was so beautiful. You would have loved her. She had such a sense of wonderment and intelligence. We had 2 kids a boy and a girl. When my little girl turned 10 she became quite ill. None of the healers were able to cure her.
Well my wife gave me the idea of traveling to the far future as they might know a bit more. A was a bit nervous you see as I only had traveled to the past and back to the present at first, but never to the future as it may be disastrous.
Well as she got even worse I decided to try it. I mustered as much power as I was able with the help of 3 of my acolytes. The next thing I know I am over 10,000 years in the future lying in the middle of a city street with all of my powers gone. I am but a ghost of my self and everyone I know is gone. That is the reason I am a Pathfinder now. I need to fund my research to return to my family.
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While the old witch seems to enjoy solitude, he let himself approach from time to time. Offering Ulyiara some spicy black tea brought from his previous journey, Papy Shayn answers the woman's question with a bit of reserve.
"I may seem an old goat but I trrraveled far frrrrom my jungle." Seeing the guide raising an eyebrow, the man continues with a laughing cough. "Keheheh, yeah, I know it seems another worrld right now, as we'rrre surrounded with snow and bathing ourselves in strrrreams of ice. The geezer I am lived long enough in that jungle and went out to know the worrrld because of... orrderrrrs."
At this point, he makes an expression with his face as if he were suffering a lot. "I... I was commanded to leave and to run, jump, climb. I became young again, I believe. But if my reflexes and moves arrre better than they ever werrre, I still bear the ugly face of the old man I am. This is... my burrrden."
He closes his eyes. "Now I am old and wearrrry. Leave me, child. I must rest, this cold weather is killing me."
Finishing his second mug, he asks, "So what's your story, miss Uliyara?"
"Oh, I'm afraid it's not nearly as interesting as your tale. I've grown up in the frigid north my whole life and haven't traveled very far. But I do know this region and its people quite intimately."
"And you? How did you come to be associated with the Society?"
"I wouldn't say that I am associated with the Society, really. But they knew of me and knew that I was a good guide so they have offered me a job or two helping out agents that are passing through the area."
Well as she got even worse I decided to try it. I mustered as much power as I was able with the help of 3 of my acolytes. The next thing I know I am over 10,000 years in the future lying in the middle of a city street with all of my powers gone. I am but a ghost of my self and everyone I know is gone. That is the reason I am a Pathfinder now. I need to fund my research to return to my family.
She keeps her eyes down during the tale, as if out of sorrow or respect. "That is quite the sad tale. I do hope that it all works out for you."
"Now I am old and wearrrry. Leave me, child. I must rest, this cold weather is killing me."
While Uliyara seems quite taken with the rest of the crew so far, she seems to avoid Papy in the politest way possible.
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Despite his imposing size, Jon is a soft-spoken man, and quite shy around new people, especially women. His approach to conversation is simple. He just says whatever's on his mind.
"I been here before, a while back. Even spent time with the Snowmask Clan, enough to be called a Snowmask Brother. S'why the cold don't bother me none. They got a ritual that keeps it off. Probably why the Venture Captain sent me here." He shrugs, mostly talking to himself now. "Better than diggin out privies in the Foreign District of Absalom. People there eat funny stuff.. makes for funny, er, well, you get the point, right?"
"Better than diggin out privies in the Foreign District of Absalom. People there eat funny stuff.. makes for funny, er, well, you get the point, right?"
"Erm. . . sure, yes," Uliyara tries desperately to change the conversation when Jon is around.
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Nazza is a thick-limbed half-orc woman with sharp teeth and sharper eyes. Her black dreadlocks are pulled back neatly, and she wears a red cloak over her newly purchased cold weather furs, those under a suit of standard-issue scale mail.
She enjoys the trip down the river, returning the scowls of the local fishing villages and getting to know the crew and Uliyara.
"Name's Nazza, if you didn't catch it earlier. I joined up with the Pathfinders when my brother died. He was doin' a mission in Taldor and got cut down by one of those tricky spell-swords, a magus or something--but I think he set the man's house on fire, so at least he went down fighting. He was always kind of an ass, but revenge was a good enough reason to join up, and see if I could get some closure, yeah? Anyway, I know a bit about magic, but mostly I'm better at fightin' those finger-wagglers."
She draws her greatsword and shows Uliyara a few practice swings. She smriks, drawing on the arcane rage within herself, causing her eyes to glow with a fiery light, before cleaving a sizeable gash in the ground by way of demonstration. "When fighting someone with magic, you gotta be ready for anything. I once tore a man's throat out with my teeth!" she brags, pointing at her natural tusks with a red-lacquered finger nail.
Uliyara nods along with Nazza. "Quite impressive! I am sure your reputation proceeds you on the battlefield."
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A bbend in the river and several large rocks cause white-water rapids across most of the water's breadth; only a narrow channel with a swift current flows without obstruction near the southern bank. Tall trees grow on either shore, casting shadows with their large overhanging branches.
As you pass beneath these trees suddenly a large triangular net rises from the water.
Despite Uliyara's best efforts the boat becomes entangled in the net and the jarring stop in motion causes everything and everyone to lurch forward.
"What business have you traveling toward Irrisen?" a man's voice calls out from the shore. He steps into clear view; he is a large Ulfen man with a wild beard who is clearly accustomed to life in the woods and has seen several battles. Although he has a longspear slung across his back, he does not have it drawn. "Speak quickly. We will need to search your boat before you can go any further." Another man steps out a few feet further down the river.
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Jon reaches out and grabs something to steady himself. As men appear on the shore his big ham-like fists begin to clench. Traps mean clever people, and Jon has often found himself at a disadvantage, or the butt of a joke, from such people, and he isn't placated by Rangor's words
"I don't know..."
Not a man of fancy words, he waits for someone else to do the real talking.
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"Hey, I almost spilled my beer!", Bargus finishing his cup. Looking at the situation, he raises an eyebrow until he hears the Ulfen man's voice.
Sensing the lack of initial hostilities, the dwarf tries to ease the situation the best way he knows how: honesty and alcohol. "We're just archaeologists heading to a site that may have some interesting dwarven hishtory!", Bargus pointing a thumb at hisself. "How 'bout we jush relax an' share a drink before we go on our merry way havin' made a new drinkin' buddy!"
The Ulfen guard nods to Bargus. "I have no reason to distrust you. And perhaps later we can share that drink, Master Dwarf. But for now I'm afraid I must ask you to take a diversion to Whiterook and talk to our battle leader Halvor before you go any further. Will you be coming along with us then?"
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Nazza tumbles onto the deck, scale mail clattering. "What's the big idea?!" she challenges, staring down the Ulfen men.
Once Bargus manages to calm things down, she merely mutters with contempt under her breath before addressing the guards again with slightly more patience. "I s'pose a slight diversion wouldn't be too much trouble. We're already looking for old stuff, what's another day? S'pose you tell us what we need to talk to Halvor about, and why you're searching folks' ships?"
"Common practice for people traveling through our region. We've no reason to suspect you of wrongdoing yet. Just cooperate and it will all be fine."
The village of Whiterook sits against a tall cliff wall. A line of close-growing birch trees and tangle of vines shield the village, acting as a natural palisade. One of the larger birches bears a carved bird, which lends the village its name. In the center of the village, a massive fire pit sits stocked with timbers and dry brush as if ready for a massive bonfire.
Several humanoid bodies hang naked in the trees outside the palisade. Hanging next to them is the skinned corpse of what appears to be a bear-sized wolf.
Uliyara stares at the hanging bodies, muttering under her breath, “Savage butchers… monsters all.”
The guards lead the party to the center of the village, near the unlit fire pit, while one of Whiterook’s citizens fetches the village’s battle leader, Halvor. He is a tall man with massive muscles, long blond hair, and a thick beard, whose face bears numerous battle scars. "What business have you this far east?" Halvor asks.
Hearing that you plan to travel further into Irrisen, he continues, “Going into Irrisen expecting anything but death is folly. Ice and pain await you there; even if you live, you will have lost much by going there. Turn back. Abandon whatever fool’s errand has sent you.”
When you mention that your destination is Dalun, Halvor tells you of his experiences with the town. “I know of Dalun and their claims of peace. I believed those claims myself, up until the last moon. They sent envoys to talk of trade, but as we were about to let them in, we were attacked by winter wolves, ice trolls, and a dozen Jadwiga soldiers.” He spits on the ground before continuing. “We slew enough of them to scare them off, but lost many good warriors. I just wished we had captured that Jadwiga witch while she was here, but she vanished into the night.”
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"It might be a fool's errand, but that's where we're headed--guess that makes us willin' fools," Nazza admits, her hands tucked into her armpits for warmth and a smirk on her face.
"Even if we can't make nice with the folks in Dalun, we still have to get to a site north of there. What's this business about a witch, eh?"
"She was some daughter of Baroness Nadya, the ruler of Dalun. I suspect that she used magic to vanish when the fighting started. There's something left of Dalun, sure. Not sure what though. If you're heading that way, I've got a proposition for you. My warriors demand retribution. We will go with you to Dalun, acting as your caravan guards. Once outside the city’s walls, we’ll attack. After that, you can continue on your way without the threat of Dalun at your backs."
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Jon follows along with wide eyes, a little worried, but also curious about the Ulfen. He had met a tribe before in Irrisen, the Snowmasks, and had become a member of them, and he wondered if these people know of his brothers. But he wasn't sure if his tribe was friendly with this one, and so he didn't bring it up.
At the meeting in Whiterook he tried to be helpful.
He nodded when the group told of their plans to enter Irrisen.
He shook his head when Halvor suggested they turn back.
He looks surprised when Bargus speaks, and nods agreement, but that quickly turns to confusion.
He nods when Nazza insists they must go on, and again when she says that makes them fools.
He opens his mouth to ask about the witch, but Papy beats him to it.
In the end he simply shrugs and makes ready to follow along with the Ulfen plan.
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"Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves, here, boys," Nazza interjects, raising a skeptical eyebrow at her fellow Pathfinders. "We were s'posed to be making friends and trades, not enemies.
"Listen, Halvor, I understand you're in a revengin' mood, but can we at least see what the situation is in Dalun before you sack the place? I don't wanna cross you or Whiterook, and from the sounds of it we're definitely better off bein' your friends than some ice-witch's, but is an all out attack really necessary? We'd appreciate the caravan guardin', but maybe let's see what the state of the place is before we burn the place down?"
Your guide Haltani nods along with Nazza and suggests the Ulfen travel with you to see that Dalun desires peace.
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"Would be good, indeed! Then if we can root out the situation, ye might get some tradin' partners after all!"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Halvor relents and agrees to hold off attacking until the threat is sure.
Halvor gives you space to sleep overnight in the village until the next morning. Halvor gives the party two potions of resist energy (cold). When you set off for Dalun, a dozen warriors in a longship sail beside you.
As you travel into Irrisen, the temperature drops dramatically, falling to well below freezing. In the distance, log cabins march across the snowy fields, walking on knobby wooden legs. During the trip, you see a winter wolf on the north bank, following the boat.
Stone cliffs mark the border of Irrisen on the northern bank. Chill winds send flurries of snow over the edge, landing in the river and on the grassy bank of the southern shore where maple trees fight the icy doom of Irrisen’s endless winter. A long, narrow cart path winds its way up the side of the cliff from the docks to Dalun’s iron gates.
Guards and their Irriseni ice bear companions wait just outside the gates of Dalun for you and the Ulfen from Whiterook to approach.
Halvor seems to be regretting his peaceful decision now that you are closer to the city and see that the defenses are not all that great. He shakes with barely contained rage. However, before he orders his guards to attack, he turns to you and says “To approach in peace, after all the witches have done…”[/b]