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After a hurried summons to the Grand Lodge in Absalom, a quick conversation with Venture-Captain Alissa Moldreserva, and a wet, stormy trip across the Inner Sea to Andoran, the small, warm Pathfinder Lodge in Augustana is a welcome break from travel.
I can’t believe we are wasting our time on this matter, says Caudron Wallace, the venture-captain of Augustana as he paces the main hall.
Frankly, I want as little to do with it as possible, so I’m passing it on to you. Wallace nods toward a door at the back of the room. The vagrant through there was found collapsed on our front steps gripping a wayfinder of all things. We still don’t know who he is. Talk to him, for the tale he tells is amazing if true, and then come back here.
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Slowly a man of youthful appearance enters the room in time to hear the conversation unfolded, What kind of tale is this? so, he walks toward the door. On the way beckons to fellow pathfinder companions.
At least, nice faces...
His clothes highlights the Taldor´s bound and under his jacket a hooked axe is visible for anyone making clear his combat training.
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Kellean Kalyer, enters the room and smiles warmly at each of the other Pathfinders before sitting down quietly - or at least as quietly as her scale mail and other equipment will allow.
She has a wooden holy symbol of the Dawnflower, Sarenrae, hanging about her neck, and carries the signature scimitar at her belt. A small buckler is strapped to her other arm.
Most noticeably she is not quite completely human, having an ethereal voice, abnormally pale skin, and yellow-gold hair that, while short, appears to drift in an imperceptible breeze.
At the Lodge in Augustana, she follows Scáth, the half-elf, to listen to the man's story.
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By watching the arrival of fellow pathfinders Scáth opens a shy smile, his elven facial traits are evident now.
So he turns to the newcomers, turning with him his large black jacket that covers a scale mail armor underneath. Then, through a soft voice he congratulates everyone, "Good to see a group full of life, that the blessings of Lady of Graves stays with everyone here", then he going back to open the door to hear what the unknown man has to say.
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After becoming aquanted with each other, a Venture-Captains aide leads you to the back of the main hall, were you find a small sitting room with six comfortable chairs and a few bookshelves filled with the latest Pathfinder Chronicles. An old, withered man sits in one of the chairs, half-dozing when you enter.
His skin is shockingly pale and his features are sharp with high cheekbones and a jutting chin. He has an incredibly filthy visage, matted white hair, and infirmity that can not go unnoticed. Hearing the sound of scuffling footsteps, his eyes blast open-
My loyal subjects, welcome! I know that some of you might not recognize me in my current state, but it is truly me, Gandros, the long-lost Prince of Augustana. I have been in hiding since the untimely death of my father, the Emperor, preparing for my return to glory. Unfortunately, I bear ill news. The army I have been gathering in the otherworld has been infiltrated by agents of our enemies. When last I called my forces together for inspection, dark assassins attacked me and I barely escaped with my life.
He pauses for a moment to roll up his sleeve and reveals a series of recently inflicted claw and tooth marks on his right forearm. He then launches into a breathless retelling of how he came to be in the Lodge.
I fled back through the magic portal to this realm. Grievously wounded, and with the assassins in close pursuit, I leapt into the dark river. I floated past the Almsman’s Sanctuary, but couldn’t climb out of the water. I did manage to grab one of the bridges, but a plank fell in with me. I held on for dear life and continued to drift downstream. I went over a waterfall and then emerged in the lake of ships and crawled to shore. Augustana has changed since I last walked my city’s bright streets, but I managed to find this house, bearing the symbol of my father’s empire.
He holds up the wayfinder hanging from a chain around his neck.
I knew I would find help here! If you remove the threat from my kingdom below and help restore me to my rightful place as Emperor of Andoran, I will grant you any boon within my power!
Finally the man stops talking and takes a couple of deep breaths, panting as if he had just run to the central market for the fresh pulls from the sea.
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Poor man! Likely senile, or perhaps, as with the incautious Kellish who spend too long in the hot sun, his mind is weakened by an unhealthful environment. As per her medical training, she begins, in her own mind, a mental and physical assessment of 'Gandros'.
As he talks, Kellean looks over the figure, looking for any other indicators as to where he came from, and makes sure he, at least, believes the story he is telling.
She also looks to the severity of his wounds, and whether he may be suffering any diseases from them, in particular.
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Cogstadt scowls a little, this sounded a little much like a fools errand - still he will investigate if told to.
Unless one of the more personable types could draw any more information out seems like the best bet might be to retrace this Gandros steps, see if there's any evidence of this portal or the assassins.
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When Gandros finishes, Kellean will slowly and patiently ask him about where he found the wayfinder, about the Almsman's Sanctuary, about the nature of the army he was gathering and the assassin's that were after him, about any other dangers, and about whether he could guide the team back the way he came. She carefully avoids anything that may seem a promise to restore him to his throne, rightful or not.
At the risk of feeding into his delusions, Kellean decides a non-confrontational approach is best, calling him "Your Majesty". Is he a king or an emperor, and which gets called what I don't know... Good riddance, I say.
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Looking at the poor man, Scáth signs complacency to Kellean´s words. Even not believing in the speech of the old man he think about the situation. That the nobility isn´t is on appearance, the rightful merit is won by the value and bravery, both recognized by the blood. So, he waiting by the aswers from Gandros, the carry of a wayfinder by him is a mystery to be cleared up.
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Kellean can't recall Andoran ever having an Emperor. The name Gandros is not common and doesn't sound the least bit familiar to her.
Looking over the man, he appears to have contracted filth fever. However, it seems as if the worst has passed. The claw marks on his arms are another story. He has been attacked, by something that you don't recognize.
The Pathfinders try to talk to the man for awhile longer, but don't get much information from him. Frustrated, you all finally leave his room and return back to Venture-Captain Wallace.
My diviners say that there is some truth to his story. There has never been a Prince of Augustana, nor an Emperor in Andoran, but the old fellow has a surprising amount of knowledge of the pre-revolution noble families of the city. He may be the lost scion of some noble line. If so, he’s fallen far. From the filth and stink on him when we found him, we’re fairly certain he’s been living in or near a sewer. The wayfinder is also a mystery, but for now, it makes him one of ours. However, I’m more interested in his supposed gate to the otherworld. If it exists, I want to know about it. Implausible as it may seem, I’m certain that his injuries were caused by otherworldly beings. We must take the possibility of a portal seriously. I don’t want to dirty my hands with this, but you don’t have that choice. Retrace the old man’s path through the sewers. The Almsman, whom he repeatedly mentions, is rumored to be an eccentric priest who runs some sort of hidden beggar’s sanctuary in the sewers. He may know where our prince’s portal is, if you can find him. But be warned; a local gang calling themselves the Steel Wyverns claims the sewers near the Almsman’s Sanctuary as their own territory.
Venture-Captain Wallace shows you the spot on the map of the likely sewer outlet from which the man ,Gandros, came. It’s near the north end of the crowded Augustana harbor, near where the north harbor wall hits land.
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Kellean, though not frustrated - she has spent countless hours listening and tending to the "touched" - understands when it is time to leave. She gives a slight bow to the "Prince" and excuses herself.
"Perhaps we should take some sort of charitable contribution for this "Almsman", such as rations? Rations which also might dissuade many a hungry beast or vermin from interest in us."
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Muttering under his breath, Stullun says barely loud enough to those closest to him to make out, "Sewers then... my gear will take forever to get clean. And an Andoran Emperor... I don't know if that would make things better or worse."
More formally he says, "Very well venture-captain. It will be done."
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"Well, we´ve to investigate. So, the sooner we get out, more quicker responses we´ll have on hands. About this Almsman I don´t believe that they will accepting any charitable, perhaps gold, however this will make them imagine that they can take some advantage over us. Greed is a poison. We´ve to deal with these outlaws on the right way, through the punishment provided by law!"
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In your short time in the city, you can't help but have heard about the Steel Wyverns. They were once the most powerful criminal organization in the city, but they have been in decline for decades. Now they are a rag-tag gang of thugs and petty crooks. The wyverns prefer to fight with spiked chains, which they call “Wyvern stings.”
Cogstadt though has some connections in the city and knows a guy who knows a guy who has heard about this Almsman! After talking with this guy, he learns that the Almsman has recently started providing sanctuary and assistance to the city’s beggars. He is a mysterious figure who wears a mask, but most folk believe he is a priest. Most of the city’s poor do not know where his sanctuary is—those who do know won’t tell.
The VC directs you towards the docks where the sewers open to the sea.
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"The sewers may lead directly to the sea, or a pipe may lead some ways off, perhaps accessible only by low tide - neither of which is a truly healthful solution, mind you, causing disease to fester around the city's harbors and docks, places which are so often the refuge of the new, the poor, and the downtrodden," Kellean says - unconsciously preaching - as she looks and sniffs around the docks for a possible outlet. She knows little about the area, however, and her otherwise keen nose is overwhelmed by the smells of the city and the sea.
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Arnthoth and Stullun easily find their way to the docks and find an opening to the sewers. It takes the duo only a few minutes to find an opening wide enough for the party to enter.
You can see some light some 200 feet up ahead. However, the tube is about ten feet wide with no walkway. In order to make some headway, you are going to have to enter the muck.
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As you all wade through the filth you finally find a ledge and pull yourself up. You are all able to easily overcome the filth except Arnthoth- who coughs as he inhales a large volume of the muck. Quickly the more perceptive of the group notice some lights coming from just ahead. The smell of rot and waste are strong. You see a series of raised stone platforms that are loosely connected by a single wooden ladder laid on its side. On the platform is what looks to be a makeshift alchemist lab - beakers, glass vials, dirty bottles, and moldy buckets.
The alchemist is surrounded by two thugs who look up from fiddling with their knives and such- they stand their feet and demand that you go back the way you came... or else!
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After his fall and inhalation, Kellean moves to Arnthoth and puts her hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry: I am a skilled healer, if I may say so. Let me know if you feel ill in any way, and all of my resources will be at your disposal, and I, for one, vow to fairly share any earnings to treat anything beyond what I am able."
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"Good sirs, there is no reason for conflict between us. We are Pathfinders, and apologize for any intrusion." voices Killean from the rear of the party, making her voice necessary louder than she would wish. "We must go by, but we intend to go by in peace,"
Her voice, even raised, is preternaturally ethereal and serene, if only the alchemist and his men will listen...
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The Alchemist looks at Kelllean and her fellow warriors realizes quickly that he is out numbered. Get through you say? Surely you realize that this is more than just my lab, it is a sentry point to the rest of the sewers. I am not supposed to let you pass. You and your friends will simply need to finder another way through.
The man looks more concerned about the havoc that would be done to his precious gear than anything else. He is relieved that you haven't started destroying anything at this point.
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"Very good, then. Do you know another way through? If so, you could tell us, or, more simply for all, just say that we must have come in that way. No one will know, and there will be no danger to you or your equipment from anyone."
"Perhaps, even, when we meet you for the first time on our way back out, we could have done you some favor or service?"
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"Sentry point to sewers? Are you head of any organization or just watchmen? We´re just doing research for society. And, as my friend said we can help, after all, everything has a cost. We´ve some abilities to aid you. What do you think?"
Scáth uses the speech to get some advantage and walks towards the group, trying to get closer to men.
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You make a good point young lady. Just remember there are others down here, many of them far more dangerous and far less trusting than me. Be careful down here.
I am just a simple Wyvren, I'm not in charge of anything more than my lab here. The many bows and allows the Pathfinders to pass. Both sides look equally pleased in seeing that no blood shed has fallen.
After a few moments, you leave the make-shift alchemist lab far behind. Journeying for a few minutes through the sewers you see smalls tunnels lead north and south, while the larger main tunnel leads east. After an hour or so, you come to a junction where a smaller sewer line once joined the main passage. The ceiling of the smaller passage partially collapsed, filling most of that tunnel with rubble. The surface of the rubble pile seems to shift strangely and closer examination reveals thousands of tiny vermin fleeing into cracks and shadows.