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A powerfully built dwarf covered in dirt and grim enters; his robes, his only attire, so filth encrusted that that move with him in solid sheets instead of flowing. Surprisingly he gives of a an earthen aroma, one moment like a deep mountain cave the next like dry desert sand.
He keeps his head down, eyes on the floor and speaks into his beard. "Hello, I'm R-r-rok."
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A tall, well-muscled Taldan man strolls in with the agility and balance of a great cat, and immediately heads to the two dwarves and elf, extending an arm to shake hands. Behind him stroll in porters, guards, accountants and other merchant caravan members, all heading upstairs to secure their respective rooms.
"Well met fellow agents. You can call me Theodric. I am pleased and delighted to meet you. I am truly honored to venture along such long-lived and experienced masters on behalf of the Pathfinder Society. If I can do anything to be of help in the immediate please do not hesitate to ask."
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Evad Alacar enters the room. You would be sure he was a Mwangi man, if not for the tell-tale pointy elven ears. He has a dark complexion, but it is clear he must be a half-elf; as he is far too light in color to be a drow. Other than the ears, it’s his human features that are most prominent.
He wears green and blue linen robes tied with a rope belt. Around his neck is a cord with a piece of driftwood carved into the shape of a leaf with a drop of water on its end. His hair is braided with feathers and seaweed woven in to the braids and his scruffy beard seems at odds with him to grow. A worn leather satchel stretches across one shoulder and he holds an also well-worn leather bound book in his right hand.
Evad’s wide mouth features a generous smile as he speaks in an unexpectedly deep and gruff voice.
Friends I am Evad Alacar. Gozreh has provided a fair breeze this day. It favors the traveler. Will that be us this day?
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A well armored dwarf arrives last, and quickly sizes up the non-dwarven party members. He approaches Rogar and Rok first, saying "Don't you two worry, I'll keep these others working hard for you."
To the others, he says, "Why do the captains always send me new workers? Each of you, tell me your skills, strengths and weaknesses. And make sure I'm looking at you before you speak. My ears are deafer than the stones."
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Theodric waits for Magor to turn towards him fully, then says, very slowly,
"WELL MET MASTER DWARF. I AM THEODRIC. I AM GOOD AT MOVING AROUND THE BATTLEFIELD, DISGUISE, DISARMING FOES BUT MY MIND IS EASILY DISTRACTED AND CONTROLLABLE, SO I USUALLY NEED MAGICAL MIND PROTECTION SO THAT YOU DO NOT FIND ME ATTACKING YOU IN BATTLE."
Theodric smiles and extends his arm to shake Magor's hand.
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Magor grips Theodric's hand tight enough to turn stone into gravel. "Well met. I cannot protect you from such intrusions, but can quickly and easily remove them if the need arises. Also, I can transfer some of my abilities to you for the duration of our mission, to help you adapt to some situations that might arise."
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Magor pokes Vladek in the stomach quite firmly, "You! What can you add to this endeavor? And I suggest you tell me that you have enough magic to give yourself and these other two night vision."
Magor plunges his finger toward its vanishingly sparse target, only to feel like he is falling forward not just physically, but in mind and spirit, into not just one but countless future moments, each one stretching further and further into an infinite fractal of possibilities in which the slightest variation of motion or thought might forever shift the axis upon which the universe turns...and winds up finding that he has quite firmly poked a knothole in the wall, several feet ahead of where he and Vladek had been standing.
"I'm afraid 'night vision' is not something I can do," Says a voice from just behind him. "Otherwise, does that help answer your question?"
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"That only answers the question about your unhelpful elfish personality. But there's always some dead weight in every group. Course there wouldn't be if they promoted a good, solid dwarf to Venture Captain."
Magor turns toward the other wizard, "What about yourself, Master Rogar? Have you ever thought of joining the Decemvirate? Those inexperienced humans need your wisdom."
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Theodric smiles at the little dragon, wonder plain on his face as if he had just witnessed an entire litter of puppies, "What a beautiful little dragon you are! come, I'll cut it into small slices for you... it'll be easier to eat. Don't be afraid! I'll get more for everyone later so you can have as much as you want!"
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Your group convenes on the outskirts of a busy market near the gates of an impressive looking estate that coils up the side of a steep hillside overlooking the Port of Merab in northern Thuvia. A sand colored dog sits at the entrance to the estate as if guarding for your approach. The dog glances back toward the hedge maze behind it and it raises up quickly, tail wagging.
“Our visitors are here, then? Good dog.” A voice calls out from the shadowed hedges.
An elvish woman, wearing a loosely wrapped red and white headscarf affixed at her shoulder with a scarab pin, steps out into the sunlight and smiles broadly. Most of you will recognize her as Diya Akan, blind Venture Captain of the esteemed Twisting Garden Lodge of Merab. Just to confirm who has arrived, she requests introductions. Once she has a sense of who is present, she continues. “Welcome, my friends. Come, the day grows short.”
Despite her obvious blindness, she navigates the maze with ease from memory as the dog trots lithely before her. It still takes nearly five full minutes to traverse the maze of hedges and sandstone walls leading to the center of the lodge. The path eventually opens onto a spacious courtyard with a large pavilion at the center.
Sitting at a large table, Amenopheus looks over a book with a bemused smile as a blindfolded Tahonikepsu cautiously sniffs at several metal vials bearing the marks of local alchemists. She confidently names each alchemist by the scent of the vial before adding with a smile, “The scent of blood, oil, and old books could only be our Pathfinder friends.” Amenopheus closes his book and pushes an ancient Azlanti coin over to the Diamond Sage, remarking that he should know better than to wager with dragons and that these games are merely distractions to relieve the tension of a serious situation.
Tahonikepsu rises, draws forth a small metal box, and opens it to reveal an onyx gem in the cushioned interior. “Our situation is actually quite fascinating, though I agree it presents some difficulties. Each of our order’s sage jewels houses the personality and knowledge of its creator. Through field tests and research, Amenopheus has made a remarkable discovery: each of the jewels contains a second and unidentified persona. Your comrades recovered this jewel, and its former bearer knew the source of this anomaly. He can best explain the situation.” Tahonikepsu intones a rite, and the morning light dims as the spectral image of a bronze-skinned dwarf manifests above the gem. He wears the simple garb of a warrior-monk, but his amulet bearing the uraeus over staff and scepter marks him as an advisor or guardian of the pharaohs.
“Greetings, stewards of knowledge. I am Padrym of Erekrus. I served the pharaohs of old and witnessed with sorrow the decline of a land of wonders. The Diamond Sage has asked me about a shadow within my sage jewel. I know this shadow as Aryana Tahari, an Usij necromancer who served at the court of the Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues with me. Known to some as the Black Moon, her skill and wisdom were a dark reflection of the virtues of holy Thoth. She knew more of life and death than any living scholar of the time, and her enemies died horribly of exotic afflictions. She vanished from court for a time to her sanctuary beneath the village of Resa, set on a task the pharaoh personally assigned. I can sense her within the gemstone now, and casting back through memory, I feel her presence upon my every thought—perhaps even to my first acceptance into the order of Jeweled Sages.”
Amenopheus worriedly joins in. “The necromancer’s spirit has stirred recently. It may be that as more sages take up the sage jewels she grows in strength. The Usij are working to speed her awakening. With every passing year there is a growing chance she could seize control of us. While certain desperate measures—” Tahonikepsu frowns and Amenopheus hurriedly continues, “— may not be necessary yet, I have a plan to assemble the sage jewels in this necromancer’s sanctuary. There, in a place tied to her life, we can draw forth these fragments of her mind and safely destroy them with a ritual I have devised.”
Tahonikepsu nods excitedly. “We can safely remove this annoyance and perhaps discover some wonders this Tahari hid away. Regardless of her flaws, she seems a remarkable scholar. However, our numbers are too few to safely mount such an expedition. The Pathfinders have provided exemplary aid before; please assist us once more in preserving our legacy.”
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Evad introduces himself when asked I am Evad Alacar, Storm and Salt
to you this day. and then after the Jeweled Sages reveal the details of this necromancer, he comments.
Esteemed ones, is there any danger that this ritual to draw forth these fragments of her mind and safely destroy, might actually release some dark force? Is there any danger in something going wrong in the ritual that we can be prepared for? He asks.
He then sits back and listens to the answer and also as the others reveal what they know of the Usij and the Night Plague.
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The Usij are a scattered group of cultists who worship Ahriman and the divs. They do not function as a unified organization, and members range from maniacs seeking destruction to the wicked and power-hungry. Once, the Usij were more widespread and acted openly, serving in the courts of kings and pharaohs until the Sarenite faith drove them into hiding. Usij often use their div-granted knowledge and power to infiltrate the halls of power as advisors and sages, earning sufficient trust to then undermine leaders from within, all to bring about death, misery, and destruction. The Sarenites sanctified the remains of the Usij cultists they slew in order to keep their spirits at rest.
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The Usij captured a Jistkan efreeti commander, transformed him into a ghul infected with the plague, and sent him back to his homeland. The disease specifically targeted the Imperium’s royal bloodline, causing a breakdown in society from which the Imperium never recovered. There were unconfirmed reports of immunities to the Night Plague, and the pharaoh commanded the Usij to craft a second, more deadly disease.
Amenopheus steps forward to Evad as he finishes his question."That is precisely what we are afraid of. We truly have no idea what this ritual will unleash. As I said, we may need to resort to desperate mea-"
Tahonikepsu calmly cuts Amenopheus off. “Amenopheus suggested Tahari’s influence could be intrinsic to the sage jewels and that we should consider destroying them if the ritual fails. We are nowhere near considering such an option."
She rounds the table to tap each of your shoulders. "For many years you have served honorably for the Society and indeed most of you for the Order of the Sages themselves. Suffice to say, we put our trust that you will be nimble in word and deed whatever situation should arise.”
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A long silence settles on the room as the scholars ponder the complexities of the task ahead. Theodric is also silent as he marvels at Tahonikepsu's beauty.
The rumors are true; she's quite beautiful, if not a bit too young for my own taste. Now I've finally witnessed her with my own eyes. That alone was worth the trip. Time to say something stupid to get her riled up a bit and see her in all her glory.
"Milady, what if that old cane to your left... Amenopheus was it? is right on the money on that one? even a broken clock can tell the right time twice a day, Milady. Should... it come to pass... that the jewels must go the way of the Azlanti... well... how do you recommend such as ourselves go about it? hmmm? I mean, back home there's been a few misconceptions about the usefulness of the Sarenites, and it turns out that Kelish delights are both numerous and diverse really... more than one would expect from something that grew in the desert... however I do think that smashing things and smiting that is not just a stereotype and that they have it down to a science... Have their counsel been retained by your esteemed order thus far?"
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"These Usij are like Chelaxians, except they consort with divs instead of devils, and they are more interested in misusing power than abusing it. Their plagues should worry you more, though. If the Night Plague wasn't bad enough, there are rumors of one even worse. Stock up on your antiplagues, and maybe get a scroll of remove disease from your faction leaders."
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Evad ponders Magor words. If it's as you say Magor, they sound much more dangerous than the Chelaxians, at least they have a order of law, brutal and misguided as it may be. The Usij seem set on destruction.
"Read a bit of history - recent, ancient, and cosmic - and tell me 'order of Law' is a mitigating factor rather than a compounding one. Destruction might be bad, but damnation is certain to be...and worse by orders of magnitude."
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Tahonikepsu addresses the duelist. "Trust us Master de LaMontagne, we have reached out far and wide to contacts both now and long ago. It is clear that this matter rests solely on our shoulders now."
Amenopheus breaks in. "And that we shall do. All the remaining sages are gathering in the desert to the south of Merab. We shall confront this danger together, along with you. Let our wisdom be your guide. Once we have found the ruins of Resa and determine a suitable location for the ritual, the Jeweled Sages will need your strength to complete it."
Tahonikepsu steps away from the table and addresses the group. "If you have more questions, I'm sure we can answer them on the journey there. Gather you provisions quickly, we leave before sundown."
As she turns to leave, Amenopheus adds "There is one final matter, though." Tahonikepsu stops suddenly and turns around, seemingly a bit larger and glaring expectantly at the Sapphire Sage.
Amenopheus produces a scroll sealed with purple wax stamped with a stylized swirl of smoke flame—one of the symbols associated with the Shadow Lodge. “Grandmaster Torch, through disreputable means, now bears the emerald sage jewel. Torch requests the opportunity to contribute to our expedition in person and purify his jewel. He is untrustworthy, but allowing the gem to corrupt him holds its own dangers. He was an ally once; perhaps he could be again. As Pathfinders, you may know him best. Should we invite him to join our expedition?”
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Rok looks to the others, then speaks up slowly; "I've only m-m-met him once. D-d-didn't seem so bad. B-but people say bad stuff about him."
Turning to his team Rok produces a Dispelling Amulet of Mighty Fists from his bag. "Sorry to ask... But d-d-does anyone have d-d-dispelling magic they can put in this?"
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"Most of the divs I've heard of are hard to hurt with acid, fire, electricity and poison. Master Rogar, might I suggest that you focus your magic on effects other than those?"
Magor carefully watches Amenopheus and Tahonikepsu speak, before adding, "I side with Master Rogar on this one. Torch is too much of a risk."
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I seems a impossible choice; in a heartbeat, I would say no about including Torch; but due to the fact he has one of the sage jewels I would hate to not include the emerald in the ritual. Also not including him will deepen his animosity toward the Society.
Evad ponders a few moments before adding; No, I think the level of treachery he might bring upon us is too great a risk, I do not think he should be allowed to accompany us.