So, one rogue agent of the Aspis, uses the Consortium ressources to get what ? Revenge ? Power ? Wealth ? Seems like plans within plans but for which goal ?
What was your role in her scheme ? What do you do here, in this facility or in the other we found in Nidal ? What was the purpose of your research Professor ?
"That thing in the other room was my greatest work to date. Some outsiders form as pearls do, wrapping a fragment of divine power in a pleasant sheath. As I surmised, by extracting enough of that divine ‘grit’ and combining it under exacting conditions, one can make a puddle of god-stuff. If it hadn’t become rather… willful, I might have been able to make a full-fledged demigod or better instead of an upstart, lab-wrecking pool of spite. Ultimately, it’s a success—further proof that divinities are nothing so sacrosanct that proper lab conditions cannot replicate the effects. That's the essence of my research, if you hadn't guessed that already."
Kramalog sighs deeply and looks around the ruins of her lab. "I may have been outmaneuvered by a half-orc, bested by a glob of godsnot, and rescued by a band of no-names, but that doesn’t deprive me of my dignity. Suliji pushed me down a slippery slope that ruined my life’s work. If you can deny her whatever she’s planning, that’s enough emotional solace for me to write this off as merely another of life’s disappointments."
Kramalog continues right along with her proposal, "So if you really want to get back at the one who's behind it all and maybe take a stab at the Aspis while you're at it, here's what I'm suggesting you do rather than take all of your misdirected anger and frustration out on me. Go to Ostenso, break into Alexayn’s crypt, and learn what Suliji plans next. Assuming she’s not just aiming to give every child a puppy and a free education, you’ll probably want to stop her."
Kramalog pauses for a minute to let her plan sink in. "And as for what you do with me... well, I think I've been pretty forthright with you. I was tricked, as I'll shamefacedly admit. And my actions hurt the Society, yes. But I've got no problems with you guys, in truth. There's a common enemy out there though. But if you decide to kill me... well, destroying me any further is unwise and unnecessary, but I won’t give you the satisfaction of begging for mercy."
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Nikolai frowns.
"If you had succeeded in creating a demi-god, vhat vould ze Consortium have done vith it?"
He then turns to the others.
"If vhat she says is true, it sounds like it vould indeed be vorth checking out zis crypt..."
Nikolai turns back to the woman.
"With zis place in shambles, vould you consider seeking an alternative employer? I am sure zat ze Decemvirate could make use of your skills..."
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Says Tamerius in fury when the professor compare divinity with lab experiment.
demi-gods are nothing compare to true Gods. Your half-witt demi-god does'nt stands a chance against us ! Gods are far beyond your understanding professor he adds with a more calm voice.
As for your survival, if I was the only one here, your blasphemus though will get you a one way ticket to Pharasma, just to prove you wrong. But, you're certainly to valuable to vanish and like Nikolai said, the Decemvirate could have use for you and your special thought...
Kramalog is too smart to fight her way out; clearly she sees herself as your captive. She shrugs. "Do what you will with me. I won't be joining the ranks of the Society any time soon. It sounds like my career is over one way or the other but I'll be satisfied if you at least take my last piece of advice and go to Alexayn’s crypt to learn what Suliji plans next. Whether it's the Aspis Consortium, the Korholm Agenda, or the Pathfinder Society that takes down Suliji is not something I care about any more. I just want to see her destroyed."
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Thorgan rubs his temples as Kramalog details her work with the "god-stuff".
"Ach... ah kinnae comprehend wha' yer sayin'! Angradd's surely more tha' ah' bunch o' th' ecto-whatsits!"
The dwarf quickly seizes on the lead provided by Kramalog and swiftly allows his ire at the possibilities to be redirected.
"Ah agree, we need t' go 'n axes blazin' n' see wha' Suliji's up 'ta!"
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"An innocent damsel in distress I see - and you have an easy scapegoat to take the blame. I doubt you are half as innocent as you claim you are, Professor. You4 own diary talks of favors, not [/i] blackmail. Conspiracies, too... you talk of another's conspiracy, but what of your own? What of Conference Z and Dr. Mais? I do agree with one one thing though - finding our way home is the most important goal right now"
Kramalog tries to cooperate and admits that she was involved in many unsavory dealings in the past... and it has finally caught up with her. "Conference Z? Surely you've seen the first glimpse into what we study here, then. I'll speak no more of that now." She agrees to go with you as a captive.
Before you leave you uncover several of Professor Kramolag’s lab notebooks, each written in a cramped hand. She details her studies of the Astral Plane, teleportation signatures in Thuvia, and their parallels with the mad ramblings of creatures closely tied to Yog-Sothoth. Apparently, study of these same eldritch entities helped Kramolag unlock her recipe for the God Fount, suggesting that the like of Outer Gods and Great Old Ones might be able to grant mortals immortality.
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Also, on your way out your assigned agents the Scroll Seekers report back on what they found in their interviews with the laboratory workers.
Janira reports, "They said that Professor Kramolag has grown increasingly detached from the facility’s daily work, relying on her two closest assistants to oversee the other scientists’ work. She dispatched those assistants to report on the facility’s research—ostensibly to Aspis Consortium financiers—weeks ago. Kramolag has remained in her private lab for much of that time, emerging only to take meals and fetch mundane supplies. They last saw her less than a day ago and she appeared fine."
"The operation here has always seemed suspect, even to the workers. Despite mentions of Aspis Consortium affiliation, nobody ever wears a badge or demonstrates familiarity with elite Aspis protocols. The specialized equipment used below does less to ensure the safety of the researchers than it does to protect the discoveries from escaping lab premises. Even the safety protocols are more about destroying sensitive research materials than they are about evacuating the facility."
"Each of the researchers acquiesced to powerful mental and psychological conditioning before being shepherded to Wingless Rock, and those who leave and return often seem to have forgotten much of what they were working on before they left. A common theory is that each of them has a contingent memory-altering effect that afflicts them whenever they leave the lab for too long. A less-favorable theory is that the tarry fluids they were handling from the Darklands seemed to have an effect on one’s memories, making them remember new things and forget others; it might just be a side effect of their work."
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With Kramalog in the Society's custody, you can depart Wingless Rock and report back to Marcos Farabellus. He listens to what they found and comes to the conclusion that this intra-Aspis conspiracy could readily spin into the Society’s problem, and the only way to be sure is to investigate Alexayn’s mausoleum. He asks that the PCs meet with their other agents, settle any other affairs, and begin preparations to travel to Ostenso for a highly sensitive incursion into the Consortium’s backyard.
Any suggestion that Suliji Peshar has been feeding the Society phony intelligence is deeply concerning. Farabellus muses that the Society’s key Aspis informant over the past year has been a very secretive individual using the alias “Three Rings” and might have also been Suliji’s pawn, as the informant consistently sniffed out Korholm Agenda ringleaders. He announces that he’ll begin checking the records and seeing if there’s a connection.
[ooc]Curiously I couldn't find anything about what the other teams actually uncover or discover on their missions. I guess you can assume they were successful but any information they found out about the Aspis doesn't directly relate to the conspiracy you are investigating. (Unless I missed something major and Bishop can point it out to me. I don't remember anything and searched for at least ten minutes yesterday though.)
At the bidding of the Master of Swords Marcos Farabellus, you set out from Diobel on the west coast of the Isle of Kortos toward the Chelish port of Ostenso. By that point, Farabellus had informed you that you are headed to Ostenso for a highly sensitive incursion into the Aspis Consortium’s backyard, giving you at least that much warning in case you want to make any purchases before departing. He also informed you that he would meet up with you along your journey to Ostenso. Several dozen miles outside of the port, a Thuvian ship out of Merab hails your vessel, and Marcos Farabellus waves to you from its deck. As the two ships approach, Farabellus activates a magic item and flies over to you to provide more information about the task ahead.
Marcos Farabellus rests one foot atop a coil of rope while flicking open a thin leather bag to double-check the dozen pages inside. “I haven’t traveled this much this quickly in a long time,” he confides with a tired grin. “Fortunately, it’s nearly at an end. Thanks to Professor Kramolag’s testimony, we’ve identified the last of the Korholm Agenda’s ringleaders. I recently dispatched a team to deal with the boss in Thuvia, but it sounds like there’s far worse afoot in Ostenso. Kramolag seemed convinced that the lady we’re after is a half-orc named Suliji Peshar, and she’s gotten rich and powerful by smuggling coin out of the tomb of the Consortium’s richest founder, Jhandorage Vaulnder Alexayn.
“I’ve tried to secure any information about her schemes, but had little luck. Kramolag seems convinced that Suliji is planning some attack on the Aspis Consortium, which seems a little far-fetched, but after what we’ve seen the Agenda do so far, it’s still within the realm of possibility.” The Master of Swords rubs his beard with one hand in thought. “The Consortium may not be our friends, but they’re a known quantity. Hell, even if such an attack only killed off a leader or two, that half-orc’s proven canny enough that, for all we know, she might be planning to frame the Society for an attack against the Consortium’s home turf—or all of Cheliax itself!”
He hands over the leather case. “The crux of the matter is that we don’t have enough facts to decide how to proceed. Professor Kramolag’s story seems to check out so far, and my usual inside informant Three Rings has disappeared altogether. Something momentous in the works, and the whole thing stinks of Aspis. But without more details, I can’t tell you what to do. It’s going to be up to you to figure out how best to serve the Society’s short-term and long-term interests in the coming crisis. I want you to get to the bottom of it and confront Suliji Peshar. If, as we suspect, she plans to frame the Pathfinder Society, you need to stop her, and otherwise, you’ll be well-placed to take decisive action to gain us leverage over the Consortium toward a peaceful resolution of hostilities. Our best lead at the moment is the mausoleum of Jhandorage Vaulnder Alexayn.” Farabellus winces at the long name. “It’s on Ostenso’s outskirts, and I understand Suliji’s visited it numerous times over the past year. Check it out, find what clues you can, and take whatever actions you deem appropriate. I’ve already sent your teams ahead to learn what news they can, so once you know more, consider them at your disposal.”
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Thorgan considers the latest briefing, his first comment provided early in Farabellus's stream of information.
"Ah, th' Aspis fightin' against themselves, no doubt we'll jess let tha play 'tself ou---"
Thorgan looks surprised as Farabellus prescribes action instead.
"Oh, alright then, ah suppose we can stick our noses in, but wh--"
Thorgan cuts himself off as Farabellus explains that their intelligence shows that its because the Society may be implicated.
"Do we e'en know how they could implicate us? Ah'd think we've moved beyond tha' leavin' ol' wayfinders on bodies tripe by now 'aven't we?"
"Do we e'en know how they could implicate us? Ah'd think we've moved beyond tha' leavin' ol' wayfinders on bodies tripe by now 'aven't we?"
"I suspect it would be a bit more subtle and thorough than simply leaving wayfinders at the scene of the crime. They could set us up, lay a trap or an ambush... just about anything we might think to do to get them in trouble, in fact..."
"Are we to spare any Aspis agents not attached to this thing, or do we handle them all?" Bishop asks with a quiver full of arrows.
Farabellus exhales and furrows his brow. “The Society’s maintained an uneasy alliance with certain elements the Consortium, particularly Three Rings, in order to eliminate the Korholm Agenda, but that information’s been shared on a strictly need-to-know basis. Any Aspis forces you meet will likely consider you a foe. I ask that you keep harm to bystanders, even those in the employ of the Consortium, to a minimum, though given the circumstances, I understand that may not be possible. If Suliji is planning to stir up the Aspis against the Society, which as I said is one of the only reasons I can think of for an attack, then the more Aspis you kill, rather than incapacitate, in her pursuit, the more you’re playing right into that plan. We’re trying to avert a catastrophe, not start one.”
What of Ostenso itself? Are we to sneak around? Seems like the times I've been in this bedeviled country, I've got to hide. I don't mind, I just want to know."
"It probably isn't a good idea to advertise yourselves openly, no. You shouldn't have any problems moving about the city and getting to any points of interest you might wish to visit, but keep in mind that there will probably be sundry factions-Suliji’s minions, Consortium spies, and Chelish authorities, to name a few-who will be keeping an eye on you." Farabellus hesitates before saying, “If you need to take risks, just be sure that the payoff is worth the possible consequences.”
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Tamerius listen carefully to Farabellus words and his teammates questions.
As a member of the Order of the Gate I can smooth things with the authorities here, but not much as blatant unlawful activities. Says Tamerius before asking the Venture Captain
Have we a blank card to ally or make a deal with any Aspis Agent from bronze to gold willing to go against Suliji ?
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Thorgan gives Tamerius a nod, showing appreciation for his idea.
"Aye, ah agree with Tam 'ere. Gettin' th' Aspis to defect with th' promise o' somethin' they always hunger fer... money? .. tha' seems t' be th' sharper idea."
Clearing his throat, he adds.
"Perhaps this is jess wha' Suliji wants - ye t' be sendin' us in t' Ostenso t' stir up th' wasp next, so t' speak."
Thorgan then looks down at his feet.
"Ah don't exactly 'ave ah track record as ah negotiator, more o' n' axe-bringer."
Have we a blank card to ally or make a deal with any Aspis Agent from bronze to gold willing to go against Suliji ?
Farabellus answers, "I think you are all experienced enough to make that decision for yourselves. Certainly it wouldn't be the first time the Society has allied and offered protection to disgruntled Aspis agents, that is for sure."
"Perhaps this is jess wha' Suliji wants - ye t' be sendin' us in t' Ostenso t' stir up th' wasp next, so t' speak."
Farabellus takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "That is a possibility I have considered. It would be a highly risky plan, but we shouldn't put it past her. But if that is the case, I think you are the most experienced agents to deal with something like that and prevent the chaos from getting out of hand and playing right into Suliji's plans. One way or another, you'll have to figure out what she's up to and put a stop to it."
If I understand correctly, our teams are already in Ostenso. Do we need to brief them on our mission ? Or do they already know it ?
Asks Tamerius to Farabellus.
"What you decide to reveal to them is up to you. Heck, what you even need them for is up to you. It might be that you don't need them at all but by now we've seen your ability to lead and trust you to put them to good use. You'll be able to find them easily enough at..."
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Traffic in Ostenso’s harbor is brisk and efficient, and you have little difficulty going through Chelish customs. It is dusk by the time you leave the harbor, and from there you can head southwest to the mausoleum.
The mausoleum is a mansion of a crypt that towers more than 40 feet in height atop a low hill on the edge of the city. Surrounding the structure sprawls a modest park that has benefited from only infrequent maintenance. A broad set of stairs leads up to a looming, recessed stone door partially obscured by the forest of columns that circumnavigates the crypt’s facade.
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For a moment, Nikolai's form flickers, almost as if he Teleported away for a brief second, and when he reappears, he is wearing a strange mask.
"Vell, zat vas unpleasant... but zen again, ze zings zat I have to do for ze Great Crone usually are."
He frowns when he regards the crypt.
"Zis place has been tampered viz, on a number of occasions - look vhere zey tried to force ze door wiz a crowbar..."
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"I see it too. Maybe I can get a bit more information with a closer look."
Looking for tracks or smaller clues:
-Posted with Wayfinder
Bishop doesn't notice any traps on the door and the ground is too worn and well-traveled to reveal anything useful beyond the marks that have already been noticed around the door.
The mausoleum has 10-foot-wide halls, 10-foot ceilings, three floors, a basement level, and more than a dozen rooms. Among these are painted chambers that commemorate his early adventuring life (including him slaying a blue dragon), later business successes, and greatest philanthropic works in Ostenso. Another room is covered floor-to-ceiling in effusive testimonials of Alexayn’s accomplishments, credentials, and generosity from important figures of the age; several of these quoted names are scratched out with the word “Betrayer” or “Liar” inexpertly carved nearby. In some places, the tables and stands clearly once held grave goods or trophies but are now empty. Wherever Alexayn is depicted, he appears as a handsome Chelish man with shoulder-length hair (later with a receding hairline) and a rapier worn at his hip.
Among the few pristine chambers in the mausoleum is this trophy room, whose faded tapestries show Alexayn’s greatest combat victories with more than a hint of artistic license. The preserved dragon head here is genuine, having once belonged to an old blue dragon that Alexayn helped slay with four comrades. In addition to the elegant weapons and chests of foreign coins scattered across the ground, a score of swords and shields from across Golarion hang from the walls.
When you enter, you are greeted by the strange sight of a clearly mummified man rearranging the coins on the ground while wearing the tattered remnants of what must have once been a dashing pinstripe suit, complete with expensive gems and jewels to decorate his outfit. Suddenly he stands, takes a reflexive swig from an empty goblet, and glowers at you before saying, “So, has Suliji tired of working behind my back and has finally sent thugs to drive the dagger home?”
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The shock Bishop experiences at the conversational mummy is quickly melted by the perfectly delivered words from Nikolai...
The Ranger stands silent.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Tamerius prefer to find an ally in Jhandorage rather than an ennemy. Alexayn's greetings seems to be the former, to Tamerius' relief.
But, he was not a man of trust so he tries to listen between the words of the mummyman.
Lord Jhandorage Vaulnder Alexayn, I'm Tamerius Blakros and as my comrades we are Pahtfinders.
It seems that despite the fact we all belong to two organization knows for their long enmity - as Nicolaï says with such perfect words - it seems we have a common ennemy here. Suliji has been a thorn in the Pathfinder shoes for quite a long time as it seems in yours.
We've heard that she come to visit you from time to time and we would like to know why and for what.
That's the reason of our presence here.
Suliji has been a thorn in the Pathfinder shoes for quite a long time as it seems in yours.
We've heard that she come to visit you from time to time and we would like to know why and for what.
That's the reason of our presence here.
"Actually, Ve are simply investigating vhat she has been up to. I take it zat your relationship vith her has not been pleasant? Perhaps you vould care to tell us vhat has been going on?"
"Ah yes!" the mummified leader says with a swarthy lurch to lean against the dragon head. “The whelp was to be my hand, delivering a message to the Consortium’s inane leaders: Remember Jhandorage Vaulnder Alexayn, and restore my legacy across Ostenso and beyond. Of course, they wouldn’t listen to an upstart gold agent, but they would listen to an upstart gold agent who managed to sneak into the innermost offices, kill a few stakeholders, and spell out the message in blood! From what she reported to me, the Aspis Building’s layout has changed little since I died, and she now knows how to bypass several of its defenses. However, when she last visited me, it was clear the foul turncoat intended not to truly restore my glory but to stage a coup and become a Patron herself. Wretch.”
What did she do to give you the hint about her betrayal ?
Which secret did she learn from you which could give her the ability to cripple the Consortium and blame the Pathfinders for it ? If I may ask.
"Secrets! Like I would tell you whether or not she does have them. They can die with her for all I care. And her betrayal is plain enough to see. No, it's not just the knowledge she carries but also the items she took. Bah, I hardly know what half of them did beyond give me the grim satisfaction of wearing something with an obscene price tag. The upstart laid claim to a Taldan dueling blade—far too clumsy for my tastes—a rather brutal gauntlet I picked up from a Yamasan vampire, General Coren’s second-best breastplate worn as part of Taldor’s Third Army of Exploration, and a handful of rings and other baubles. I found it very amusing when she took only one of the rings that links its wearer’s life to that of someone who wears the other ring, but it seems the little miscreant stole the ring’s partner during her last visit."
"So... what now? Did ye wish to see yer hand severed?"
The mummy shrugs his shoulders and says, "Something of the sort has occurred to me. But the traitor is very capable, and she’s taken much of my magical arsenal. Even if she doesn’t succeed at becoming a Patron, she could kill countless stakeholders, wreck the Consortium’s headquarters, and drive the surviving Patrons to cower inside their shells, afraid to act.” He swirls his empty goblet in thought before adding, “Now if others can’t do me the dignity of remembering my deeds, understand I’d practically invite such destruction. In fact, Patrons’ blood would be a most worthy ink for my message. I wanted her to make them suffer, not to worm her way into their ranks.”