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A Pathfinder Society Special designed for levels 1-12+
An ancient Thassilonian artifact has been unearthed in Magnimar and is to be auctioned off by the city government. In order to maintain good relations with those in power in the City of Monuments, the Pathfinder Society must obtain the relic without simply stealing it, although employing any other means necessary. It falls to the PCs to infiltrate the auction, sabotage the other bidders' efforts, and call in favors from those in the Society's debt to ensure the Runecarved Key (and the secrets it unlocks) belongs to the Pathfinders when the adventure draws to a close.
Written by Kyle Baird and Tim Hitchcock.
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To those present the smell of ozone gets thick in the Magnimar Pathfinder Lodge and before anyone can react and loud snap occurs and a skinny elfen appears before you. Standing 5'8" tall this fair elven lady wears dark blue robes with stars embroidered on it and she carries a staff etched in eldritch runes. Her golden blonde hair is kept up by a silver needle and despite her beauty she carries a stern look on her face, her sharp blue eyes command obidience. Occasional sparks of electricity animate where she goes and the immediate air around her subtly humes with arcane power. The prescence of Archmage Starseeker is impressive if not a little terrifying.
She nods to those in attendance.
"Nice to see you again Vars! Do you know if Duhwoo is coming? I truely miss his simpleton outlook on life and yearn for a good laugh."
Seeing a new face she curts to the half-elf..
"Well met Pathfinder, I am Avoreal Starseeker! Keeper of Arcane Power! Who do I have to honor of meeting?"
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A tall, thin, well dressed half elf of clear Chelaxian origin emerges out of thin air into the office. He inclines his head slightly to Avoreal and brushes an imaginary speck of lint from his shoulder.
Greetings, my name is Antonius Gallonica, Viscount and Venture Captain of Lionsguard and Signifier of the Order of the Gate. I understand that Sheila has called us here for some sort of auction, I hope it isn't going to be another disaster...
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A well built man in court (Taldan) dress strides into the lodge. He's not terribly communicative till Avoreal comes in. "Hello there Milady. Good to see you again. Always happy to get away from the harpies and toadies at court. Not sure if Duhwoo can break himself away from slopping the hogs on his farm. He's curiously devoted to that lifestyle. "
Noting the other elf. "Hello there, I'm Duke Vars of Shady Mountain in Taldor. I'm a simple wielder of beatsticks. "
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Strolling in with a small harp, that he strums with one hand while drinking from a goblet of wine walks the impeccably dressed Vuvu Zuella.
Ah good to see you again friends, and nice to make your acquaintance! He gives a head nod to each in turn.
A shame Duhwoo will not be with us, he always did make for a great bit of comic relief in the tales I tell of our adventures.
Turning fully to Antonius Well met. I am the Earl of Oration himself Vuvu Zuella. Teller of Tales, Singer of Songs, Strummer of Strings, and all that.
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in the distance, a voice can be heard:
"...oh...'that' left! I thought ya'll meant ta' other left! So thems is over thisaway?"
You see a familiar face approaching -- in unfamiliar attire: it appears Duhwoo has tried to dress up for the occasion! His Sunday best, which includes a cowboy-style string tie, frills on the nice blue shirt, black pants, and shiny shoes. It all looks rather out-of-place, of course.
Once he spots Avoreal, he breaks into a full run (stumbling a bit in the unaccustomed shoes) -- and races up to embrace her!
"Ah sure done missed youuu, Ms Starseeker!"
lifting her in the air, he glances around at the others -- then turns beet red and slowly puts her down.
"Ahem."
he straightens his string-tie (badly), and nods to his other pals; he is obviously trying to maintain decorum with some difficulty:
"Lord Vars. Uh, good ta see ya, Mr Zooo-ella..."
After showing deference to his mentor -- desperately trying to seem demure instead of overly-excited -- he then shakes the bard's hand with such vigor that he might as well have lifted Vuvu into the air, like he did the wizard.
He glances at the half-elf, and his obvious enthusiasm suddenly turns pensive; he quickly moves so that Vars is between him and Antonius, practically hiding behind the mighty fighter:
"I think that feller there's from Cheliax, Lord Vars..."
in a whisper:
"...might could be a devil-worsh-up-pper!"
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Antonius looks over to Duhwoo. You can be quite reassured that I do not worship devils, quite the opposite in fact. As a Hellknight of the Order of the Gate one of my responsibilities is to ensure the Fiends within Cheliax stick rigidly to the agreement with House Thrune. Those who step out of line are dealt with...harshly.
He strokes a golden mask dangling from his belt. As far as worship goes, I serve the Great God Razmir and shall grant you his blessings in this venture.
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Duhwoo does indeed enthusiastically partake in Vuvu's little ditty -- but leaves Avoreal out after she expresses her fragility...
"STOMP YER FEET AND AN' HIT THE GROUND! SWING YER BIG SWORD UP-AND-DOWN!"
as he does a tumble-roll across his back and springing back to his feet, his falchion seemingly comes out of nowhere -- and Duhwoo does a dazzling display of flourishes, clearly demonstrating that the big blade is just a dainty thing in his hands (ending in high-guard posture)!
"Shoot, been a lo-ong time since I done whipped the ol' blade 'round like that!"
At the request of hosts Canayven and Sheila Heidmarch, you have been invited to attend a private meeting at Heidmarch Manor. A large number of your fellow Pathfinders have clearly also been given a similar invitation, however the appearance of Sheila Heidmarch suggests all is about to be made clear.
She calls for your attention, and as the noise dies down she begins to speak.
”Dear friends, welcome to Magnimar and the newest Pathfinder Lodge—Heidmarch Manor. For those of you who do not yet know me, my name is Sheila Heidmarch—venture-captain of Magnimar. This lodge is also my home, which I share with my husband Canayven. While we are far from the comforts of the Grand Lodge at Absalom, we shall do our best to accommodate you with our humble Varisian hospitalities. My husband and I both spent many years in the field, so we know well what you do and appreciate that you have answered our summons. We are both extremely grateful to receive you and your support.”
“As you well know, Heidmarch Manor is a new lodge. Presently it is funded almost entirely from my own resources. Although I adore Magnimar, we have as many enemies here as friends. This being the case, I seek to court the favor of more powerful allies, specifically members of the Council of Ushers and the Office of the Lord Mayor.”
“This brings the conversation to our current situation. On one of their more recent salvage runs, the wondrous artificers of the Golemworks uncovered a strange relic while dredging stone from the bottom of Magnimar’s harbor. The relic appears to be some sort of a giant key, etched with ancient Thassilonian runes that their learned arcanists speculate may even predate the coming of the mysterious runelords. Because the key falls outside their area of expertise, the Golemworks donated the curious aritfact to the Office of the Lord Mayor. In turn, the Lord Mayor intends to auction off the key to the highest bidder in short order, to fund municipal projects. The auction will be run by the Cathedral of Abadar, gold in hand—meaning immediately after the final bid is accepted, the bidder must pay for his prize in full.”
“We want the key. However, we want it legally. Our establishment in Magnimar is relatively new and our footing tenuous. We need to secure more stable political relationships with the Lord Mayor’s office and the Council of Ushers to ensure the Society’s long term success in this city; especially since the Aspis Consortium already has such a strong foothold here. The legitimate purchase of the Runecarved Key from the local authorities would demonstrate our respect for the city’s government, which would go a long way toward improving our public image with these people.”
“That said, we can greatly increase our chances of winning the auction by persuading our competition to back out. While there are some we believe we can outbid, we are a new lodge with far fewer funds than many. Thus, we must find out who else is interested in the key, how much they can bid, and whether or not we can knock them out of the auction.”
“To assure our success, our espionage must be extensive. Therefore we have divided the task between our agents. While division stands to place field operatives in greater danger, we cannot risk revealing ourselves by working en mass. If you are discovered, we will disavow any association with you. We cannot aid you if you get arrested or fall into the clutches of the enemies of our Society. While this is unfortunate, I hope you can understand our position.”
”For now, please make yourselves at home. We have provided accommodations for each of your groups. Feel free to drop off your things and prepare yourselves. Then meet me in the manor’s theatre in five minutes.”
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Mr McKeener appears at the theater as requested -- although somewhat more than 5 minutes later (always late to this kinda thing); whilst dropping off stuff in his accommodation, he has doffed the shiny shoes in exchange for his usual Boots of Elvenkind -- and he's carrying another personal item...the bouncer at the door seems reluctant to allow Duhwoo to bring a very full 5-gallon jug into the theater...
"Dang it, it IS TOO a holy symbol! Y'all kin ask any ol' Cayden Cailean worshipper!'
He spots his favorite bard:
"Hey there, Mr Zooo-ella! He'p me out here, an' tell this feller whut Ah carries 'round ta honor my dee-it-tee!"
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Antonius is dressed in severe, expensive and immaculate clothing. He watches the antics of Duhwoo at the door muttering, Caydenites, typical... before circulating around the room.
He stops at each of his companions and offers them a small golden mask. I would appreicate it if you could keep this on your person. At times I find it necessary to..., he clears his throat, borrow the body of an enemy and having a spare focus nearby is useful. If you wouldn't mind of course... he says with a smile.
He stops by Avoreal last. Nodding he asks, I understand you have travelled with these people before, can they be relied upon?
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the hillbilly will, of course, fill Vuvu's goblet:
"Thanks, l'il buddy...ya might wanna let this dose air a bit b'fore partakin'..."
with awkward politeness, he accepts the token from Antonius:
"Shore thang there, Mr G; Ah reckons a little toy mask'll be harmless 'nuff..."
he sounds dubious, promptly turning away and sniffing it before tucking it into his belt -- then turning back with his big jug ready:
"In return, I'll pro-ferr some o' my latest concoction honorin' the ol' "Accidental God" for ya () -- Ah knows ya'll are real inta diss-ee-plinn, but don't hurt none t' offer!"
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Antonius smiles, produces a mug and holds it out for Duhwoo to pour.
Taking the mug he throws back the drink with one hand while the other reaches into his handy haversack.
antitoxin, hmm, not strong enough, delay poison scroll, probably won't last long enough and i've run out damn it, remove sickness, maybe, heal!!!! I bloody well hope not
He grins and dabs his chin clean. Quite delicious, if there's one thing you Caydenites can do it's brew a decent drink...
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”You, sir, are a feller o’ discernin’ tastes! Ah knew this’d be wunna my better batches!”
the over-achievement in bluffing works well: the hillbilly now seems to feel an absurd level of comraderie with the otherwise suspicious Chelaxian...
”There’s ‘nother jug in m’room — Ah gots plenny ta share!”
and Duhwoo sets about getting others at the party to risk alcohol poisoning...
Even before the venture-captain arrives, the theater in Heidmarch Manor is crammed with Pathfinders. Heidmarch enters quietly, then slips through the crowd, takes the stage, and speaks. “Tonight, the Council of Ushers is sponsoring a pre-auction gala, to be hosted at the Cathedral of Abadar. During the party, the auctioneers intend to display the Runecarved Key in order to entice potential bidders. Anyone serious about entering the auction will be required to place a deposit of ten thousand gold coins in an escrow account at the cathedral.
“We need you to attend this event, both to submit our deposit as well as to determine who else might be interested in the key. While most of those attending received invitations, the event is semi-private and open to anyone with enough money to place serious bids. While the city provided me with an invitation, my appearance would give our many enemies cause for suspicion. For this reason, I ask that all of you go in my stead, and enter as my proxies. Still, we do not want out enemies to speculate on our own intentions. For this reason you must keep a low profile and avoid seeming too eager about the key. Each of you will be given a portion of the full deposit to take to the temple to present to Proctor Imikar”
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Once you have received your briefing, Sheila gives you a strong box containing a portion of the deposit. You make your way to the Cathedral of Abadar. Upon your arrival, you witness a steady stream of guests ascending the stairs and entering the cathedral’s main sanctuary, where the viewing is being held. Rows of temple warriors wearing white tabards stitched with the golden key of Abadar flank the main entrance. Their hands clench tightly around their gleaming swords as they stand almost motionless, ever-vigilant stares upon their faces.
As you enter, various low-level priests invite you to partake in food and beverages while you mingle about. You decide to deposit your funds first. One of the acolytes directs you to Proctor Jyronn Imikar, a pleasant Osirian priest who runs the temple. Imikar accepts your deposit and writes something in his ledger. You wouldn’t be proper pathfinders if you did not use the opportunity to attempt to see some of the writing. After a moment Proctor Imikar closes the book ”Thank you for entering the auction, will you also thank madam Heidmarch on my behalf?”
Maiveer Sloan representing the Aspis Consortium
Kresch Vaor representing Underbridge Exports
Sheila Heidmarch representing the Pathfinder Society
Dymal Rinks, independent
The Duchesses representing no one
Zimandi Kaddren
Maiveer Sloan representing the Aspis Consortium
Kresch Vaor representing Underbridge Exports
Sheila Heidmarch representing the Pathfinder Society
Dymal Rinks, independent
The Duchesses representing no one
Zimandi Kaddren
Maiveer Sloan representing the Aspis Consortium
Sheila Heidmarch representing the Pathfinder Society
Doctor Ernst Landis representing the Museum of Ages
Zimandi Kaddren
The Duchesses representing no one
Doctor Ernst Landis representing the Museum of Ages
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After depositing the funds you take a drink and something to eat. A squat man in white robes steps upon the cathedral dais to address the room. Introducing himself as the sexton of Magnimar’s High Cathedral of Abadar, he greets his guests with a broad, welcoming smile. “Good evening, friends! I’m pleased to see so many of our distinguished and honored guests could attend. For those of you not fortunate enough to have participated in our pre-auction festivities, please feel free to take part in all the luxuries and wonders within these halls. And with my welcome, I have the pleasure unveiling the auction’s feature lot. Enjoy!”
With the utterance of the final word he pulls aside the veil, displaying a gigantic key. It stands roughly three feet tall and is made of stone etched with glowing arcane symbols. The crowd applauds and people turn back to their companions to discuss the key. The crowd is an eclectic mix of landholders, merchants, and other notable figures from all over Varisia, wide-eyed and curious to glimpse the mysterious Runecarved Key. Hired servants weave through the crowd bearing luxurious platters of fruits, sweetbreads, and oysters or trays topped with crystal goblets of heady red wine. Guests mingle slowly, socializing amicably but cautiously with longtime acquaintances, as they feel out potential competitors.
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As you squeeze your way though the crowded ballroom, you realize that though your veil is still working, you are constantly getting run into by many different people, and have been splashed by wine many times. Even with your magical precautions, there just isn’t enough room for a large figure to walk around in here, comfortably.
Quickly, a pathfinder in a long duster and a lovely looking musket slung over his shoulder approaches you. ”Evening, pardner. I see you ain’t quite what you seem.
“Name’s Munny. Jayne Munny, Lawman of Abadar. The little lady slung over my shoulder is Vera. Now, we saw sumthin’ just ain’t right about you, so others will, too ‘Sides, there is already talk about the disruption Pathfinders are making with their big cats and such
“I may not be a powerful acranist like yerseft, Signifier, but I might suggest actually takin’ your real form here. As I reckon things, the powerful polymorph spell you may or may not be using let’s you change yer form with nuthin’ but a thought?”
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As it becomes apparent that his size is causing issues Anotnius will switch his form with a thought, turning himself in the shape of a wayang.
He looks over at Munny, Well, we wouldn't want to cause any offence to our hosts now would we.
Via telepathy
It seems we have a lot of competition here. The Aspis, Underbridge Exports who sound like a local outfit and three independents, Dymal Rinks, the Duchesses and Zimandi Kadren. I suggest we split up and look into each of them, I plan on starting with the Aspis.
Antonius starts off by trying to hunt down Maiveer Sloan.
Beheading the Serpent: You struck a terrible blow to the Aspis Consortium. You can include a copy of this Chronicle sheet among the records of as many of your PCs as you like, though those PCs gain no access to the other boons, equipment, or wealth from this Chronicle sheet. This boon imposes a –1 penalty on the attack rolls, damage rolls, skill checks, and saving throws of all Aspis Consortium agents and hirelings she encounters (this penalty is not cumulative with other copies of the boon).