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Venture-Captain Jorsal of Lauterbury is stoic yet shows signs of exhaustion as he strides into the room and places a piece of paper on the table. “Pathfinders, some weeks ago we received this letter from an anonymous source, advising us of the discovery of a Sarkorian site in rural Mendev, near the village of Dawnton. We sent three Pathfinders to perform an initial investigation.”
“Word came to us two days ago that the entire team has been arrested for murder and is scheduled to be hanged in seven days’ time. I would appreciate your traveling to Dawnton, investigating the crimes, and finding any evidence necessary to clear their names.”
He pauses for a moment, as if gathering his will or holding back strong emotion. “As much as it grieves me to think this possible, you may find evidence that implicates our comrades. If they are guilty of this crime, let them hang. It’s justice of a sort, and we must all remember that we are guests in Mendev and subject to all its laws. Your predecessors’ reputation has tarnished the Pathfinders’ name in Dawnton, so I recommend you not travel and investigate openly as Pathfinders agents. Be careful,” he recommends, “and remember that three comrades are relying on you.”
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A towering, broad-shouldered half-orc leans against the wall, his small, red-tinged eyes flicking alertly upward to watch the Venture-Captain enter the room. His mottled green skin stands in stark contrast to the jagged blue tattoos that cover his face, neck and arms. He wears a finely-crafted steel breastplate over a worn, tattered jerkin of some indeterminate dark shade, and a heavy, curved sword of black iron rests at his hip.
When Jorsal has finished his brief description of the task at hand, Mohok responds in a deep, rumbling voice, ”Back to Mendev, eh? Well, I didn't exactly leave full of love for the place, but it's the best chance to fight some demons, so there's that. But Pathfinders accused of murder, and us disguised as travelling salesmen or Varisian entertainers or somethin'?" He chuckles, leaving aside any further comments for the moment.
He looks around at his fellow Pathfinders and says, "The name's Mohok, by the way."
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A gruff looking dwarf wearing spiked armor and carrying a solid looking helmet under his arm stands while listing to the Venture-Captain.
As Mohok introduces himself;"Caith be me name, Caith Skullcrusher. I'd like tha think da tha be me name cause I use me skull ta crush things an' na because I crush me own skull by bashin' it into things"
"Nice to be meetin' you all"
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The oread in the room, roughly the same height as Caith, blinks very slowly as if he's still trying to wake up. He smiles casually at all present, bobbing his head in a very dreamlike manner.
"Ahm Jagged Stone..."
He takes a deep breath.
"You might already know me, as I have been told I am a rock celebrity..."
He blinks very slowly again.
"... and I am also a rock person who makes rock music."
He holds up a few rocks that he apparently had secured somewhere on his person.
As he realizes the others are all wondering about the oversized bird companion in the room, he nods again. Very slowly.
"Oh, yes. This is Siz'ahs. He is also a roc celebrity..."
Jag blinks again, trying to remember the details he must relate.
"... and he is also a roc. He protects me against my most hated foe..."
The oread doesn't hesitate as much as usual this time.
"Paper!"
Jagged Stone's demeanor becomes sterner, like a parent disciplining a child.
"Yes, vile contracts and all that sort of stuff. Things that stand in as our new careers as Peshfinders."
With a final nod, the oread slumps back and you all realize he has a very earthly smell about his person.
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Hawk meets with the others. He's young, with short brown hair. He carries a nice looking longspear of superb. Finding one better in all of Golarion would be difficult. He has good natured demeanour and has a generally relaxed personality. However if you look closely there is also something odd about him. His cloak or clothes may sometimes move as if there is a breeze, even though there isn't one inside.
He looks at the Venture Captain. We will investigate the accusations, I trust fellow Pathfinders wouldn't engage in that behavior. Let us hope that trust is not misplaced. There will hopefully not be any incidents from us Hawk gives a sideways glance at Caith, hoping the message is understood.
And that rock fellow with a roc might be odder then I am Hawk thinks, then will go about trying to see what information he can find, discretely, about the current ongoings of the area.
But not scissors I take it.
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A powerfully built middle-aged Shoanti 'man', with short-cropped white hair and a neatly trimmed goatee, wearing full-plate, and leaning on a massive earth breaker, speaks up.
"Nixkamich Otaktay swears to investigate what has happened. If they be guilty, then they will pay for their crimes; but if they be innocent, I will do what is necessary to see that justice is served. So do I swear in the name of Grandmother Crow."
As he so swears, his eyes flash with light, and a faint halo of shimmering golden energy floats above his head, before disappearing once more.
"I have heard of Dawntown; it is a small village at the crossroads of the local trade highway and the Setian River, a tributary of the Egelsee. It has a small permanent population, but swells to many times its size on festival days and during the harvest. As with many small villages in the region, Dawnton has become distrustful of strangers since the fall of Kenabres. This distrust is especially virulent toward Tieflings and others with demonic roots, influence, or appearance. Tobias Luin is both the village’s sheriff and mayor. Local opinion holds that he is fair to the point of being soft. It is unusual that he would hold an execution, but local law calls for a vote of the citizenry to decide the fate of those guilty of capital crimes."
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"That is mostly correct. We don't believe that they are guilty, but are not sure. If you find proof that they are guilty, then you are to let the locals deal with it in their own way. However, if you can find proof that they are innocent, the Society's days of abandoning Pathfinders is over. Do whatever you can to prove their innocence and get them freed, without scandalizing out name there. We can not afford to loose face any longer. Unfortunately, we do not know anything more, as these events just happened, other than Dawnton is a small farming community. It normally only houses about 100 people, give or take, and many of which are survivors or children of survivors from the various slaughters from the Worldwound. But, for whatever reason, word of this execution has travelled swiftly, and is drawing a lot of eyes."
You where given a few hours to pack and prepare before beginning you journey across southern Mendev. Your journey is swift though the closer you come to your destination, you begin to notice more and more travelers along the road heading the same way, exited to see the imminent execution of "demon-worshipping evil doers" and other such things.
Dawnton is little more than the crossroads of a highway and a navigable river, and its population barely exceeds 100 during most of the year. Because of this crossroads, though, as many as 3,000 people converge on the settlement just after the harvest to transfer crops from
wagons to barges. In the off season, more than half the village’s buildings lie empty, awaiting their seasonal tenants’ return. At the peak of harvest season, a tent city forms in the fields east of town to house and support the surplus population.
It is not harvest season, but Dawnton is crowded with visitors who have come to witness the executions. Despite the morbid circumstances, the villagers see this as an unexpected opportunity to gossip, barter, and celebrate, giving much of the village a festive atmosphere complete
with games and drunken revelry. At night, most of the village becomes eerily quiet as people retire and fearfully watch the shadows for signs of more murderers or demons. A portion of the tent city remains active long into the night.
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"We've got a few options here as far as I can tell...we try to go visit our fella's and see what they can tell us, we go to the proper authorities and ask them what they've discovered...or we go out on our own..and visit the crime scene to do out own investigation and we go askin' questions around town...discretely off course. And with discreetly I mean..someone other them me is goin' to do the asking."
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Adding on to what Nix tells the others.
I was also able to find out that there are rumors of similar brutal crimes in other villages near Dawnton. When a guilty party was found in those cases, execution was always the result.
Lets leave anything signifying that we are Pathfinder's behind. So if you have something symbolizing the open road or a wayfinder, prehaps it's best left behind.
Anyone think that there is one group that is an expert at framing others?
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As you walk into town, the first thing you notice is a group of children running around one of the farms. Two girls and a boy wearing makeshift play platemail and armed with sticks are chasing around another boy and girl of the same age. The boy being chased has his face coved in dirt to serve as paint for a more demonic (or tiefling) appearance, while the girl has a small smooth stone from the river tied to her belt about the same size as a Wayfinder. It's obvious they are playing a child's game of "Crusaders and Pathfinders", a small hint that your allegiance is not welcome here, (though that's honestly pretty true in most places, Pathfinder have a really bad, but well earned reputation).
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Adding on to what Nix tells the others.
I was also able to find out that there are rumors of similar brutal crimes in other villages near Dawnton. When a guilty party was found in those cases, execution was always the result.
Lets leave anything signifying that we are Pathfinder's behind. So if you have something symbolizing the Open Road or a Wayfinder, perhaps it's best left behind.
Anyone think that there is one group that is an expert at framing others?
Nixkamich nods.
"Agreed. We should probably keep our allegiance relatively quiet, especially if there is (as there seems to be) a group that is orchestrating these murders..."
"Perhaps the Sheriff should be spoken with first?"
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Hrmmm, I wonder if we should see the sheriff. If possible we should see the prisoners themselves without arrousing suspicion. It would be odd to have a group of strangers stroll into town asking about the prisoners when we are supposed to be hiding the connection that we are all Pathfinders. However, the sherrif might be sympathetic to our cause - it is said that he is kind hearted.
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Nixkamich raises an eyebrow.
"Because a group of strangers sneaking into the jail to see the accused seems so much less suspicious...? I still think that it would be easier to present ourselves as concerned outsiders, who have heard about the rash of murders in surrounding settlements, and are wanting to get to the bottom of this..."
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Mohok chimes in to the discussion of how to begin, "If we can find out where the crime happened, I'd like to start there. I can take a look around, see if we can figure out what happened, maybe someone left some tracks behind that'll tell us something useful. That way we won't attract too much notice to start with, you know?"
He pauses a moment, his small, reddish eyes narrowed in thought, then continues, "We could say we're new in town and heard about the killing, and want to see where it happened. Folk in any small town oughta understand that, right?"
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"Jag" nods solemnly at the suggestions of the others among him, although he is unsure why Pathfinders would have such a bad reputation, only having very recently completed his Confirmation, and having only very recently understood that not every Pathfinder was a "Pesh"-finder despite the confusing similarities between the names.
"Jagged Stone carries no wayfinder, so he can be discrete."
He gives Scissors a look.
"As can Siz'ahs. As discrete as rock music-makers can be."
He hoists up his rocks to remind everyone that he is capable of producing music from them before turning them to his pouch, not wanting to play any music unless specifically requested of him and his companion.
He watches with mild interest at the two children playing at their game, uncertain of which to root for. He takes a few steps forward to the border fence and gazes with truly innocent eyes and finally speaks to the others, particularly Hawk, after a moment of calm introspection.
"We should speak to children. They speak honestly, and that is what we need to start our searching."
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Entering town on the morning of the 4th day (leaving you today, tomorrow, and the day after as far a you know, and you don't irritate the locals too much to speed up the execution), you spend a few hours finding a place to stay and getting a feel for the lay of the land.
Dawnton is little more than the crossroads of a highway and a navigable river, and its population barely exceeds 100 during most of the year. Because of this crossroads, though, as many as 3,000 people converge on the settlement just after the harvest to transfer crops from wagons to barges. In the off season, more than half the village’s buildings lie empty, awaiting their seasonal tenants’ return. At the peak of harvest season, a tent city forms in the fields east of town to house and support the surplus population.
It is not harvest season, but Dawnton is crowded with visitors who have come to witness the executions. Despite the morbid circumstances, the villagers see this as an unexpected opportunity to gossip, barter, and celebrate, giving much of the village a festive atmosphere complete with games and drunken revelry. At night, most of the village becomes eerily quiet as people retire and fearfully watch the shadows for signs of more murderers or demons. A portion of the tent city remains active long into the night.
Finding that the area only has a single inn (the Heath and Harvest below), and due to the influx of travelers, only a single room open.
Orug’s General Store: One of two permanent businesses in town, this sprawling shop occupies three large storefronts on the main road. The center room is the general store, (allowing you to buy some mundane supplies, though the selection is rather limited). The east room holds stored goods, an office and a small apartment for Orug Foram, a Half-Orc that owns and runs the shop. His wife, a Half-Elf named Tessa Greenagh is often here as well. The west building is Orug’s barbershop. It contains two chairs in the front and three rooms in back for hot baths, )and it is Dawnton’s main hub for gossip).
Heath and Harvest The village’s inn is huge for a settlement of this size, but it’s full to bursting during the harvest season. The pub downstairs is the only restaurant option available in town during the off months, and still very busy at mealtimes despite the competition from food stalls at the tent city.
Tobias Luin’s House As befits his station as the village’s mayor and sheriff, Tobias’s house is the largest private residence in Dawnton. He lives there alone, having lost much of his family in a demon attack more than ten years earlier, but his basement doubles as the region’s jail, where he currently keeps the three Pathfinder prisoners. Though the building is hardly an airtight prison, a trio from the local militia, (the closest thing Dawnton has to a police force or town guard), stands watch outside at all hours.
Tent City Dozens of tents of sundry sizes ring an open area where the visitors gather for games and talk. During the day, the place feels like a county fair, complete with food stalls, music, jugglers, and sports. At night, the residents huddle in their tents or in the central beer garden, watching the shadows closely.
Beer Garden At the center of the tent city’s open area stands a broad beer garden with walls constructed of beer barrels and crates. This is the social hub for the country folk. During the day, it’s hard to find a place to stand and difficult to be heard over the noise. At night, approximately a dozen adults sit and drink, watching outward and speaking in low whispers.
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Mohok looks at his companions, a rueful grin on his face, and rumbles, "Seems we're sharin' a room, eh? I can sleep anywhere, I'll take the floor. I've done worse, least it's a roof over my head." He drops a gold piece on the bar at the Heath and Harvest to pay for their first night, then says to his fellow Pathfinders, "I'm off to talk to the sheriff, see what I can find out about where these murders happened, maybe see what I can find there. Anyone want to come who might be a bit better at sweet-talking sheriffs? Hasn't always worked out for me, if you know what I mean."
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Hawk nods at Mohok.
After a few leech infested swamps, any place that's dry looks pretty good doesn't it Hawk says, obviously speaking from expirience.
Hawk will see what information he can gather before everyone heads thier seperate ways.
It looks like given the number of main areas to hit and the number of us, well some will have to double up in regards to groups. I'll go with Mohok
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Jagged Stone begins his investigation with a brief circuit around the small village, seeing where the people gather and their animals are kept.
He first sees if the sheriff's home features a stables where upon the sheriff may keep a horse or any dogs, knowing that despite the dangers in this area, having a hound trained to scent out evil is often more than just man's (or oread's) best friend.
He'll also pay special attention to both the Heath and Harvest , seeing what kinds of rats, cats or birds may be lairing in and about the alleys of presumably the best place for a warm meal. He'll also quickly walk through the assemblage of tents, assuming some of the merchants will be cooking food for the sudden influx of visitors (because everyone has to eat, unless they're in Geb, and then they eat...).
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Saarai is an athletic and shapely half-elf, sharing many of the best features from both races. She nods to her companions as she listens to the plans to divide and obtain information at different locations.
"Beer Gardens, huh? Works for me."
Not wanting to attract attention to herself, Saarai doesn't go directly to the Beer Gardens, but stops at the Fair for some browsing before going.
She examines the hall's occupants as she enters, hoping to see anyone that might be interesting to talk to.
"Bartender!" she says as she orders a drink. "I'll take whatever you have on tap, as well as any information worth knowing," she says with a smile.
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Hawk: 28
Mohok: 15
Nixkamich: 23
Saarai: 12
Hule: 13
Jagged: 5 (fail)
Caith: 6 (fail)
Hawk: 4
Mohok: 2
Nixkamich: 3
Saarai: 1
Hule: 1
Jagged: 0
Caith: 0
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Total: 11
11 - 3 = 8
8 - 0 = 8
You also find out a few more details on the mission, putting the pieces together from the note that VC Jorsal of Lauterbury received alerting the Pathfinder Society to this, what he was able to tell you, and also what you have gathered from the locals. Essentially the story goes that 3 junior Pathfinders where sent here a few weeks back in order to explore an ancient Sarkorian site in the nearby area. They took lodge in a nearby farm, but the night of their arrival there was a brutal murder at that farm of a local, with some evidence pointing at the three pathfinders. There was a second murder in the area, both of which indicate some sort of evil brutal ritual was involved with the corpse. An Inquisitor of Iomedae named Ekira Corum, herself a refuge from the fall of Kenabres and also new to town joined with the town's mayor and sheriff, Tobias Luin to investigate the murders, find the murderers, and help administer justice.
She visiting both murder sites, she uncovered a dagger that belonged to one of the Pathfinders, and enough other evidence to be sure that the Pathfinders where guilty. The local laws are clear, the three must die by hanging. That hanging, which has become a public event and is drawing the crowds is scheduled for the morning of the forth day from now.
You discover that Dawnton does not have a prison, or even an actual city guard. So all three prisoners are being held at Tobias Luin's home, under constant guard, though none have attempted to escape or even put up any trouble. Ekira has also been rising in the people's eyes, as both a righteous champion and protector of the people for helping significantly to rid the area of these dangerous threats, and has decided to stay in the town for the forseeable future.
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Once the party has assembled back in their room at the inn, Mohok says, "Well, we learned a couple of things, but I can't see how they fit together or help us. But I do wonder who the fellow is who's asking around just like we are, and if he's heard about us too."
He considers what they've learned and continues, "I don't think I'm much help at talking to the locals, so I'd like to go to where the murders happened and see if I can turn up any clues - other than what this Ekira character has found."
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Jagged Stone beams when he hears the first murder victim was found by a farmer, presumably on his farm, just outside of Dawnton.
"Jagged Stone will go talk to the animals of this farm and see what they say..."
With Scissors at his side, he lumbers out to Otto's farm and sees what if the livestock, crows, or varmits saw anything on the particular day in question. He makes a special effort to look for crows, since they would be keenly aware of any fights and bodies.
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Caith -> Nothing
Hawk -> Heath and Harvest (22)
Hule -> Tent City (18)
Jagged -> Otto's Farm (10)
Mohok -> Otto's Farm (24)
Nixkamich -> Tobias Luin's House (27)
Saarai -> General Store (17)
Heath and Harvest: (Hawk) Hanging around the inn, you see a multitude off people come though, most of which are also travelling through or here for the execution. With the local fair in town, many have gone there to eat, hoping for more exotic foods than the town can normally offer. However, you are able to strike up a conversation with a few people over a simple meal, and one small family tells you "Everybody knows Ekira hated Pathfinders even before this series of murders. She was elated, almost disturbingly so, at the decision to execute the condemned prisoners." Asking about the murders, the mother responds "I heard two small children saw one of the Pathfinders mutilating the body of the second victim. They barely
escaped when the Pathfinder chased them."
Tent City Fair: (Hule) Walking through the crowds, you are easily able to overhear a lot of discussion over the recent events. Two in particular stick out enough for you to ask about. "The sheriff himself wants to hang the murderers. He has a written testimony from a witness that says they’re guilty.", which you had not realized, but also "When the Pathfinders were arrested, the accused halfling had blood all over his hands and clothes. "
Otto's Farm: (Jagged and Mohok). Mohok goes looking around the farm. At first he is stopped by Otto, who has no interest in even more people on his land, but as you explain that you simply want to get to the bottom if things, he gives in and allows you to look around. Unfortunately, for you, most of your time is spend with him right there beside you explaining the redundant histories of various mundane things around the place, from the story of how he feel from a barn loft as a child and nearly died, to his plans to mate various sets of animals, to his grand plan to paint the old house various colors and why that is important to keeping it warm in the winter and cooler during the summer. While Mohok is fairly miserable, it makes a fabulous distraction that allows Jagged to befriend a few of the tamed wildlife around the area. Between the two of you, you discover, "When he arrived at the second murder site, Sheriff Luin found a dagger that fit a sheath belonging to one of the Pathfinders who was hiding nearby."
While there, Otto also relates that when he was going to feed the chickens is when he discovered the body of the first victim. It was hanging from a tree, and had been skinned (alive he says). Jagged is also able to locate a set of medium humanoid tracks that both come from and return to Dawnton, which Otto is unfamiliar with.
Tobias Luin's House: (Nix) You arrive to find Tobias only home for a short while, but after introducing yourself, and requesting permission to speak with the prisoners, he allows you enter, but only after revealing that you are here on behalf of the Pathfinder Society in hopes of finding evidence for or against the prisoners. He lives alone, but the house holds a small assortment of guards from the towns own populace and they do require you to remain in their presence the entire time, and not try anything "shady" like passing notes or whispering (or breaking them out). The three prisoners, are bound in a small room and constantly guarded, but otherwise treated well, thus far. They each claim that they really have no idea what is going on. They arrived some time ago to investigate a site for the Society. They had managed to rent the loft of one of Otto's Barns for the night, and when they awoke, there where two murders they where being blamed for. "Things are looking bleak for us, but we haven't caused any trouble, and we are innocent. I heard someone say as we where being brought in "Orug Foram discovered the second victim in front of his general store. He says he fought the murderer before he escaped, but has been known to stretch a point in the name of a good story." Not sure if that helps, though." The locals say that a knife was found at one of the murders that matched one of the Pathfinders, (who had coincidently lost it that same night), a few reports from eye witnesses pointing out the three Pathfinders, the fact that the two murders happened the same night that they had arrived, and other evidence, (most of it more circumstantial, but heavily pointing towards the three). "Some aren’t sure the prisoners are guilty, but it’s hard to get anybody to speak his mind with that inquisitor throwing accusations and the whole crowd screaming to see some necks get stretched.", one of the guards says in a conversation with another on a short break."
The General Store: (Saarai) Deciding to hang out with the town's "womanfolk" and and place an ear to the ground to catch the most recent gossip in the, well what passes for a salon, you actually discover a lot of things. For one, Orug's definition of "witness" is a little bit different than most people's. It's not so much that he's a liar as he naturally sort of exaggerates things, and while most locals are used to it, it's likely that Ekira took it at face value. Speaking with his wife, you find that it's probably more true that he heard a scream and went out to investigate, finding the body already dead, and doubtfully chasing anyone off, much less get a good swing in. Over the few hours, you also hear:
"Ekira says that Iomedae began speaking to her directly after she arrived in Dawnton. She’s thinking about setting down roots here, establishing a church, maybe even challenging Sheriff Tobias Luin for the title of mayor.
"When he arrived at the second murder site, Sheriff Luin found a dagger that fit a sheath belonging to one of the Pathfinders who was hiding nearby."
"Six children and their mother saw one of the Pathfinders mutilating the body of the second victim. They barely escaped when the Pathfinder chased them."
"On the night of the first murder, two of the murderers were seen dancing in a devil’s circle in the woods outside of town."