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A tall Mwangi gentleman in a white doctor's coat struts into the room, pulling a stretcher behind him. "Ah! Hello, hello! My name is Dr. Aponyaye Msomi. I studied at the Magaambyan Academy in the arcane and healing arts. If you will allow me. . . " he begins to move from 'patient' to 'patient', making simple examinations of everyone in the party-asking them to stick out their tongues, using a strange device to look in their ears, feeling their pulse, etc.
After examining each person, he hands each of you two bandoliers filled with labeled bottles. "I will be your medic on this expedition and I would like each of you to be prepared for every situation by taking one of these First Aid Kits. Feel free to use whatever necessary to stay alive. You should always listen to your Doctor, remember! Haha!" He lets out a hearty laugh as he passes out the 'First Aid Kits'.
The party trudges through the mud slogged roads of southern Nidal. Apparently, the Society has deemed you messengers, as you are headed to deliver a message to another, more upstanding member of the Society....
As you trudge along through a barren landscape, some of notice a large bird flying in your direction. The giant bird lands in the middle of the road before them, barring progress and then speaks in the voice of the eccentric Osprey! “Greetings, my fellow Pathfinders. Please excuse the eccentricity of my form, but my visit must be swift; I have vital tasks to complete before the moon turns. In the meantime, I have a quick errand for you." The bird flexes its wings and continues.
“I have an a contact—a metallurgist named Adle—working out of a smelly little mining town in the Menador Mountains, just south of here. One of the locals sold her a silver ingot scribed with strange runes, and she’s asked for an expert eye to look it over. Go have a look, take a rubbing, and make a few notes; Adle’s eyes are keen and I owe her the favor. Perhaps make her an offer on the ingot; I will reimburse you within reason.” Osprey's bird form makes a squawking sound as he finishes the last sentence.
“Adle works in a mining town called Stom’s Claim, on the edge of Silver Tarn. The surrounding area is untamed wilderness, hostile even to one as gifted in the ways of nature as I, so stick close to the marked roads. That region of the Menadors isn’t called ‘the Maze’ for nothing. Shouldn’t be more than two days’ delay in your travels, at most. Each way.” Osprey scratches a rough map in the mud with a talon. "Any questions?"
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A halfling of slightly below average stature for his race sits in this meeting. His hair is a light brown, and his eyes are blue. He wears blue breeches, as well as an open blue vest with gold trimming and a multicoloured butterfly embroidered on the back. Sheathed overtop it in a partial scabbard is a shortsword with part of the sheathe missing, as if to display the three notches in the blade. He carries a backpack that looks like it was built for an individual one-and-a-half-times bigger than him, as well as newer-looking burlap bag. Through the trip, he rides a mule and has taken every opportunity for a joke, regardless of how terrible it was.
Weiman giggles and wiggles at the Mwangi, in an unveiled attempt to avoid being doctor'd. At Osprey's appearance, he asks a singular question, "But Mr. Bird; what is 'reasonable' if we can't identify the Runestone?"
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A tien man of average heigh (for a tien), olive skin, brown eyes and a wry smile on his face was standing near you, waiting for osprey's order. He wears a black lacked armor with some red touch on it, a ruby symbol of Asmodeus around his neck and an insignia of one of the Hellknight order.
He presented himself as Xian Taiko and when the Dr. proposed some furniture he accepted it and offered his help too in giving some of alchemical remedies in case of need.
So our mission his to go see this Adle, looking at her silver ingot and if it seems worthy buying it from her, right ?
And be careful about the wilderness between here and there.
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Desmond places the palm of his hand underneath his chin and wrenches his head around and upward, cracking the various vertebrae in his neck. "Alright, we can fetch this ingot for you, so long as we are reimbursed for our costs. I mean, we lowly Pathfinders aren't set up quite as pretty as you VCs are." Desmond keeps his tone light, hoping to make his sarcasm more playful, rather than biting.
He reaches down and pets his wolf. "Sahrek and I can take lead through this 'maze' of wilderness. I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle."
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"Well, I can't keep track of who's Venture Captain and who isn't. When we get a task to do, it always seems to come from a VC - at least in my experience."
Desmond turns back to the talking bird, "Pardon me, I didn't mean to insult you by putting you on the same level as Aram Zey. We'll get your silver."
In response to Aponyaye, Osprey says. “Courone Adle is a contact. She once fancied herself a Pathfinder, but the romance fell out of her life and she’s become much more practical over the years. Used to be a slave to an Egorian whitesmith years ago, which gives her a good eye for valuables and antiques. Don’t mention the scars; she’s a touch sensitive. As far as Silver Tarn, it's a mountain lake, not really silver, but quite dark from runoff. It's named after the local silver mines.”
His bird head turning in Weiman's direction, it says. "I can't put a figure to reasonable, just use your best judgement."
Opsprey flexes his wings as he answers Taiko. "Yes, the wilderness can be dangerous, but the environment doesn’t support many large predators. Your only true enemy is the mountains themselves: the valleys and ridges twist and switch back without rhyme or reason, and travelers often disappear for weeks at a time. A few tales of desperate cannibalism come from this region for just that reason. But Adle assures me the road to Stom’s Claim is well marked. Assuming you don’t try to take shortcuts, you should be fine.”
The to the rest of the banter, Osprey merely squawks a thank you. "If you have no more questions, I must be off." With that, he begins to beat his large wings, sending a mist of muddy water on you as the buffet the air around him.
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Weiman and Aponyaye can't remember hearing much of the area, but Des and Taiko do.
After Osprey leaves, the party begins heading in the direction indicated. After a trudging, but uneventful trek, the party nears its destination.
Amid the twisting dales and dark mountain passes of the Maze, a long, black lake dominates a small, muddy valley surrounded by collapsed granite outcroppings. At the lake’s edge, a glorified hamlet of canvas tents and crude log buildings squats in the mud, much of the surrounding area stripped of trees and ground scrub. As the sun sets and the air cools, a fog begins to rise as the light drizzle that has marked the last day picks up into a steady rainfall.
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"Glau won't miss a single saddle being gone, surely."
Weiman checks his Bag of Chest Holding to see if he brought something to consider this mission's objective: Ride that Wolf (for Taldor and fun).
Alas, the only saddle Glau had that would worked for this beast was far too big to steal easily and would be impossible for him to have. Plus, he didn't want whipped again...
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At the gates...
Weiman nods, first casting Acute Senses (to increase his Perception to +46) and let's Trapspotter his innate luck do the work. He will maintain at least a position in the second row so he is within 10 feet of the foremost person/dog ally.
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Taiko share his knowledge with his comrade
Kellid tribes once dominated most of what is now know as modern Cheliax, and most of them took refuge in the Menador Mountains when Taldor colonized the area. Stories said that fighting in and around the Maze was especially bloody as the native tribes grew desperate to resist civilization. Hopefully, Order prevail.
As the sight of some civilization came into view, Taiko can't hide his disapointment.
It seems civilization don't reach as it will be this part of Golarion. I hope there is still some place to drink sake or eat rice.
Your objective in sight, the party descends into the valley toward the hamlet as the sunset and darkness falls. As you get closer, a cold, dense fog settles into the valley, moisture collecting and dripping off you, as well as saturating your clothing, giving everyone chills.
The thick fog limits visibility to a mere two dozen feet, but the distant clang of a nearby iron bell provides enough consistency to navigate by. Eerily silent tents and rough log buildings line the streets at irregular intervals. Roughly carved wooden signs regularly point through the tangle of streets to what must be the most vital locations: “Public House,” “Lake,” and—most importantly—“Assayer.”
Just as the outline of the sturdily-built structure solidifies from the grimy mists, the sound of splintering wood fills the air, followed by a woman’s scream and gurgling, inhuman growls....
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Weiman fails to contain himself at the most important sign. ha ha ha ha! It... it's..." He points to the front end of the sign, "It says... it... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh ha ha ha haaaaaa. Ass-sayer! Who's this ass-sayer? Oh, wait! I am! I just said it! Ass! Aaah ha ha ha!" This process repeats until everyone has had a chance to see the funniest sign ever and its coincidental humor in relation to his donkey (whom has largely been around for such jokes since Weiman bought a Bag of Holding.)
The scream, however, cuts any lingering amusement short as he darts off in the direction, half-hoping that there's some more muscley guys behind (or running ahead of) him.
The splintered remains of a door hang to the left, and a screaming halfling woman takes cover beneath a low table across this warmly lit, well-appointed frontier laboratory. Three large creatures looking like some sick cross between eels and humanoids move toward the woman, but turn as the party enters.
The creatures shamble forward and spit bilious globs of saliva at teh front three, but all miss, the bile sizzling on the floor as it lands!
Sahrek charges the creature, but misses narrowly!
Desmond, on the other hand, charges and cuts into the creature!
Aponyaye sends his cat forward. It manages to bite the abomination, but can't pull it down!
Aponyaye recognizes the creature as some sort of manimal eel, likely spawned from the tarn, or better called transpawn. This one seems able to put itself in a rage. It can spit acidic bile as witnessed already. The Mwangi supposes these creatures could feast on the souls of their enemies, and have a terrifying howl!
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Taiko disappeared and moved between Desmond and his wolf, drawing his two wakisashi.
Then he popped out when he strike the strange creature with one of his weapon.
He asked Kyoffu to moved near him but outside the reach of the creature in hope it will be able to help him flank the creature at his next attack.
Taiko disappears, only to reappear and slice deeply into a creature!
Panfalcon begins to cast a spell on Des.
Weiman moves up in preparation and casts a spell!
The creatures begin to attack, one clawing Desmond twice, but failing to bite Taiko. Another moves up and takes a bite out of Sahrek, while a third begins a gurgling, eerie howl, that shakes Taiko and the wolf.
While watching the creatures, Aponyaye thinks that they would have a sensitivity to light!