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As per the pear shaped Dwarf's instructions, a tall, well muscled, half elf man with pale skin and fiery red hair, makes their way to the practice fields, taking his gear with him, In case of a swift departure. From his dress it would be obvious that he had Chelish influences.
Plate greaves encase his lower legs from the knee and half-fingered gauntlets rise to his elbow, a long, dark steel chain shirt, hanging down to his greaves and the sleeves reaching his vambraces completes the look, over a gambeson. On closer inspection, the armour seems to be somewhat for show and not as truly protecting as would be normal for the armour it is trying to replicate.
Over this, a dark gray tabard his belted around the waist, emblazoned with the symbol of a five pointed Iron star, which is slightly off axis as if it were spinning. He carries a tall spear, made from fine golden oak.
Hmm, it would appear I am the first to arrive, well Sir Aldonis did instruct me to always be early if not punctual
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"Um...Hi. I'm Rex—Rex Havoc." The man before you is not carrying much. He is dressed in Varisian style, but his clothes look old and threadworn. He fidgets with a harrow deck nervously. "Is this where I'm supposed to go? Someone told me that I'm supposed to meet my team here. I think. I have trouble remembering things sometimes."
He extends his hand. "My name is Rex—Rex Havoc."
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Thracius looks at the man who introduced himself twice and take his measure, notice the nervous ticks and harrow deck at his side. He give the man a smile though it doesn't seem to reach his eyes, before extending his hand.
"A pleasure, My name is Lysaer Nymmis, Squire to Sir Aldonis." His tone is strong and clipped, though not unfriendly.
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A particularly demonic-looking tiefling listens to their instructions. Though her features are unsettling, perhaps the worst is that her hair seems to have a life of its own. Strands of her hair move and writhe of their own accord, as if she were a medusa with a head full of snakes.
"I am Calypso," she smiles sweetly.
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A lovely elven woman walks into the room, followed by a strange creature, which looks to be a small treant!
"Hello, friends. I am Miriam. This is Tarlon, my companion. I am pleased to meet you all."
Miriam steps back toward Tarlon, and he makes her a sort of chair using his limbs, which she sits upon.
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Boldren quietly enters the room and finds himself a seat at a distant table. The tall copper toned man stands well over six foot tall and displays a number of unique looking tattoos across his cleanly shaved head. His long articulate robe quickly identifies him as some sort of caster.
After sitting a backpack on the ground next to his feet, the tall lean man sits back in his chair and cautiously observes the room.
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Tipping his flagon of mead back Oddr takes a long swig then tells the others "I would suggest you all stay behind my shield and axe if we get into a scruff of things. I cant protect you all if you are in front of me. Hey Lysaer, are you any good with that fancy spear? Just trying to gauge the capabilities of my fighting mates."
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Shaking his head in mild disbelief that such an absent minded man would sign up to be a pathfinder, Lhsaer quickly puts him from his mind as he surveys the group assembled on the fields. He nods politely to Calypso, striving hard to hide his indoctrinated distain for those with tainted blood and turns to Oddr as he realises he is being addressed.
"I am well trained in spear craft, yes. I am particularly adept in darting strikes as the enemies encroach upon us, I will gladly stand in the front lines to keep casters from harm." As before his tone is serious, almost businesslike in his discussion of tactics.
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"HA!HA!HA!HA!HA! Funny elf. Yes indeed I do have skill in it. I would let you heft it but I do not know if you can bring it above your shoulder in a mighty swing with those scrawny arms. Best you stick with your slender spear. Perhaps we shall both prove our salt in the coming hours. You make me laugh. Drink some mead with me, it will put hair on your face if you drink enough. "
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Lysaer's left eye twitches perceptibly and his so far cool compsure breaks for a moment "I am no, Elf" he makes the word Elf sound like a slur, before quickly remembering himself. Outbursts like that won't help his conscience scolds.
"I am sure we will both have ample opportunity, these missions never run smoothly, why not share some drink?"
He takes to proffered drink from the Ulfen and reaches into his pack, drawing out a flask containing Chelaxian Brandy, offering Oddr the flask.
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"Is that mead?!" Oddr asks as he takes the flask. He sniffs it and takes a quick quip of the liquor and passes the flask back to the knight. "Not bad.... tastes like the sweet homemade syrup mum used to put on our flat-cakes when I was growing up. Let us toast to keen edges and strong arms in the coming moments. And also to that elf over there, she is a looker."
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"Now, boys. Less posturing, more helpfulness, please? Oddr, so long as you keep that axe of yours away from my companion, I look forward to seeing you use it in battle. And I thank you for the compliment, but I have been married for many moons. My partner is a high-ranking Pathfinder, and for many years she convinced me to stay at home and brew healing ointments and potions, but eventually her stories of adventures out in greater Golarion convinced me that I must see more of it. So, here I am."
She gives Oddr a bit of a flirtatious look.
"That being said, there is nothing wrong with sharing a glass of mead with a compatriot."
Water laps steadily at the pier as sailors, laborers, and merchants rush busily around Absalom’s port. The venture-captain’s summons called for a meeting aboard the Sixwing Drake, a sleek sailing ship. The Drake’s captain, a Varisian woman and fellow Pathfinder named Zarah Zendrani, stands at the helm of her vessel. “It’s not like Valsin to be late,” she mutters, furrowing her brow. As if on cue, a tall and meticulously groomed man pushes his way through the crowd and up the gangplank, cursing audibly. “Whoever supervises this mess of a port needs to be dumped in the sea!” he grumbles.
The tall man looks around at those gathered before him. “Just the group I requested. Perfect. I’m Venture- Captain Ambrus Valsin, and I took great care in selecting just the right Pathfinders for this assignment.” Valsin reaches into his belt pouch and withdraws a small, folded paper before continuing. “A few days ago, I received a curious note from a rather unexpected source. It’s not every day that I get a request from an agent of the Aspis Consortium.” Captain Zendrani’s eyes widen, and Valsin smiles knowingly. “But Magali Delroya does not appear to be your typical Aspis agent. As you surely know, the Aspis Consortium pursues a variety of activities across the Inner Sea that the Pathfinder Society finds abhorrent. It seems that Delroya has been working with them for some time, but can no longer stomach the snakes herself. She wants to stop a shipment of an experimental drug from leaving Diobel later this week. It’s bound for a number of locations across the Inner Sea region. According to Delroya, she can’t ask the local authorities for help, because the Aspis Consortium has already struck a deal with a faction of the Kortos Consortium, a powerful merchant collective. Her hands are tied, so she’s come to us for help. In this note, she outlines three different tasks that would help to disrupt the Aspis long enough for her to move the shipment to a secure location, out of the clutches of the consortium. Once you accomplish two of these tasks, she’s willing to meet with you, but not before.
“Normally, I wouldn’t trust an Aspis agent at any hour of the day. But our sources in Diobel have confirmed the Aspis and Kortos consortia’s activities. Everything checks out, so we are presented with a unique opportunity. If we help Delroya, we might not only strike a financial blow against the Aspis Consortium, but we could also reveal their dealings with the Kortos Consortium—and possibly prevent their arrangement from turning into a more formal alliance. Furthermore, we hope to stop this drug from spreading across the Inner Sea region, and if we—if all of you—do a good enough job, we might even convince Delroya to join the Society. A turncoat agent would be a valuable asset in our ongoing run-ins with the Aspis Consortium.
“Take some time to look over Delroya’s note and the tasks she has set for you. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask. Remember, the Aspis Consortium is a long-time enemy of the society, but the Kortos Consortium, while certainly suspicious, is not our enemy. It is a complex organization with many factions, and we should avoid antagonizing any of them, except when necessary to oppose the Aspis Consortium.”
The Venture Captin passes you the following notes.
I write to you out of desperation, and I can only hope that you hear me out, though
you may consider me an enemy. Our paths crossed years ago, and though we did not
see eye to eye, I trust that you will do what is necessary—what is right—regarding my
request to you today.
I am an agent of the Aspis Consortium operating out of your neighbor city, Diobel.
The Aspis Consortium has long been active in Diobel, but now its foothold is stronger
than ever: House Locosta of the Kortos Consortium lends aid to the Aspis’s smuggling
operations in exchange for valuable alchemical ointments from across the Inner Sea
region.
For years I have worked as a broker and go-between for the Aspis Consortium, but my
employment with them will soon come to an end. I recently discovered that the consortium
is experimenting on the poor and destitute of Diobel with a vicious and unpredictable
drug called whip. Next Fireday, Aspis agents will send a large shipment of this drug to
many cities across the Inner Sea region, with the intention of expanding whip experiments
and perfecting the drug. I intend to stop them, but I need your help. I cannot go to the
authorities—the Aspis’s arrangement with the Kortos Consortium offers it too much
protection.
I have made arrangements to move the shipment to a more secure location, where it
can be disposed of properly. You will forgive me for not trusting you with the location
immediately—first, I need proof of your Pathfinders’ skills and their willingness to help
me. The three tasks I describe on the attached note will each thwart the Aspis agenda.
Perform any two of these tasks and the consortium should be sufficiently delayed as to
allow me to enact my plans—and I will know that you are serious about offering aid.
When I joined the consortium, I did not know the extent of its evil—their members’
willingness to do anything for gold, no matter the harm caused. I cannot stop the group,
but I can be a thorn in its side. Lend me aid, Valsin. Send me your Pathfinders. Prove that
you are better than the Aspis Consortium.
—Magali Delroya
Dear Pathfinders,
Thank you for giving me the chance to explain myself, and agreeing to help me stop
the Aspis Consortium’s foul plot. As it stands, I do not have enough time to stop
the shipment, so I have compiled three tasks that would each delay the consortium’s
operations. Please select two of the three tasks to perform. Two disruptions could be
a coincidence, but with three disruptions, the consortium will almost certainly suspect
sabotage.
The first task is to disrupt a meeting between two agents, one each from the Aspis
and Kortos consortia. Somehow, a snooping Kortos agent caught wind of my plans,
and has set a meeting with an Aspis agent to reveal me and ruin everything. The bad
news: I do not know the identity of either agent. The good news: I know that they
intend to meet at a tavern called the Overflowing Oyster at noon on Oathday—the
day before the shipment of drugs is to leave Diobel. If you can disrupt this meeting,
you can prevent the Aspis from taking a closer look at my plans. However, you must
be discrete. Killing either agent, or revealing yourselves as Pathfinders meddling in the
Aspis’s operations, would only cause them to grow more suspicious. It may help to
know that the owner of the Overflowing Oyster is involved in creating fake pearls and
selling them on the black market.
The second task is to steal the shipping documents from the smuggling ship that the
Aspis Consortium intends to use for this operation. The ship is called Blue Dragon’s Bite ,
and it is scheduled to offload its current cargo in the Trawl district all day on Oathday.
The documents should be in the captain’s cabin. Find a way to get aboard and obtain
the documents without causing too much of a disruption, and you will cause a significant
delay in their plans. Remember, the Aspis Consortium is our enemy, but the dockworkers
are merely citizens of Diobel. If possible, they should not be harmed.
The third task involves the alchemist responsible for engineering the drug called whip in
the first place. He has picked up the unfortunate nickname Laszo the Leper because of
the drug-induced lesions and rashes that cover his skin. Laszo operates out of Diobel’s
sewers beneath Rat Street. Find his lab and bring back samples of unrefined whip, along
with the alchemist’s notes. These we can use as undeniable proof to the authorities
that the Aspis Consortium is experimenting with the drug in Diobel. Laszo is a cruel and
despicable man. Do what you must to obtain the evidence.
Complete any two of these tasks before the end of Oathday and I will give further
directions the following morning, assuming you were successful. Good luck, Pathfinders.
— Magali Delroya
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Theleb is a brooding half-orc shaman in chain armor and crossed bandoliers, with a great axe and two javelins carried on his back. A small scorpion can periodically be seen within the folds of his explorer's outfit. He watches the play between his compatriots with little apparent interest ... but it IS clear that he is watching. After the briefing, he moves to review the notes on the tasks before offering any comment ...
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As they make their way through the docks towards the Drake, Lysaer keeps vigilant for people trying to get too close, he looks uncomfortable about getting on to the boat, but does so without comment and listens to the tardy Venture-Captain's briefing without comment, carefully absorbing the details.
He takes his turn reading the letter in silence before passing to to the next agent, before speaking to Ambrus Valsin.
"What reassurances do we have that this isn't a trap?"
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"Greetings to you Theleb! I have heard of your exploits in defeating some sewer goblin scum. Impressive." Oddr says after the briefing and grabbing his gear.
"Hmmmm by the looks of us I doubt none of us are good at suberfudge, stuperfoodge, aww heck, at being sneaky! However killing everyone that deserves it is usually a good way to solve problems if that becomes the case."
The Venture Captain responds to Boldren's question about "The Overflowing Oyster": "I'm sure he does, and I'm sure that should you choose that path you can find more information in Diobel."
VC Valsin looks to Lysaer: "I met Magali several years ago,when she was barely a grown woman. It must have been just before she joined the Aspis Consortium. She’s a wanderer, never comfortable in one place for long. I saw great potential in her as a Pathfinder, but she always preferred to work alone and felt that the society was a poor fit. Had I known that she would wind up with the Aspis Consortium, I would have put more effort into recruiting her.”
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Lysaer listens to the Venture captains story, he is clearly unconvinced by his trust in this mostly unknown girl and let's it show, though he doesn't press him further. He looks at the group with a tactical eye before sighing softly.
"It does seem like we are not equipped to take on a stealthy sea raid, so I would suggest the Oyster and the Alchemist would best suit our needs." He smiles slightly as he thinks of something, "I am happy to use my Order's Reputation to cause distress in the bar's patrons."
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“For those that are interested, I recall a little bit of history about the Kortos and Aspis Consortium.”
“There is no formal alliance between the Kortos Consortium and Aspis Consortium, and the two groups are likely working together in a limited capacity—at least for the time being.”
“Although the Aspis Consortium seems to have an agreement with part of the Kortos Consortium, neither group is centralized enough for such an arrangement to be very stable. Causing a major disruption in their operation would very likely sever ties between the two groups.”
“House Locosta, the faction allied with the Aspis Consortium, claims that its major interest is in Qadiran spices, but the family derives most of its pro t from buying and selling Qadiran slaves.”
"Hopfully some of this information proves usfule.”
Venture-Captain Valsin gives you some parting words. "Traveling to Diobel will leave you little time to disrupt the Aspis plans. You'll have only about a day and a half, once you arrive." He suggests that you take an hour or two to gather supplies and make any last-minute purchases before setting sail aboard the Sixwing Drake, which departs shortly.
Captain Zendrani and the crew of the sleek Sixwing Drake steer the ship up to the massive barrier of broken war-barges, crumbling walls, and jetties of iron and wood that protect the port of Diobel. “Well, here we are,” says the captain. “I’ll make sure everything is in order with Diobel’s inspectors and charter you a barge to the port. You aren’t carrying anything particularly valuable, so you shouldn’t draw much attention from the inspectors or pilots, so long as you don’t run your mouth. My crew and I will wait here with the ship. You can return here to rest, if you need to, but remember—there isn’t much time!”
The Overflowing Oyster is a dirty, broken-looking building that barely fits between the fishing tackle shop to its north and the junk shop to its south. Hanging over the door is a creaky sign that shows a painted oyster with pearls spilling from its gaping shell.
The interior of the Overflowing Oyster displays a mix of rickety furniture and gaudy decorations, from strands of obviously fake pearls hanging over the kitchen’s entrance to wooden carvings of sultry mermaids and cheap paintings of ships at sea.
You stand outside the Oyster, and discuss your plan ...
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Miriam sees Zendrani secure the ship to stay put, and nods in approval. Tarlon sees a lot of wooden vessels made from his relatives, and seethes inside with the hatred of a thousand suns... or would if he had the wherewithal to do so.
At the Oyster:
"This place is a bit disgusting. I won't be using any of their chairs or benches."
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"Just a couple interesting notes on the Oyster."
"Contrary to its name, the dirty tavern is hardly crowded, even during its “busy” hours: at meal times, several local laborers hunch over cheap food and casual games of chance, cursing and muttering to the same old friends about the same old troubles."
"The proprietor and barkeep, Paltus Flynter, asks the regulars to call him “Pal” and is always willing to lend an ear. Aside from Pal’s mute younger brother, Gregon, who tends the kitchens, the Oyster has no additional staff."
Aarion looks over towards Miriam. "What is so discusting about the place?"
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Making his way from the ship to the docks, Lysaer seems lost in tactical thought, not paying much attention to the others around him. Strolling through the docks with purpose he cares little for those that try to get in his way and happily barges past them if needed.
At the Oyster he surveys it with a grimace, though hearing Miriam s assessment he says "Looks, Quaint. Now the question is, how are we going to disturb this meeting whilst not being ratted out or killing one of the fools? In uncouth taverns such as this place, a bar brawl would be customary, but if it is often empty and filled with regulars, I doubt that is going to work well and would be hardly inconspicuous"
The Overflowing Oyster is a dirty, broken-looking building that barely fits between the fishing tackle shop to its north and the junk shop to its south. Hanging over the door is a creaky sign that shows a painted oyster with pearls spilling from its gaping shell.
The interior of the Overflowing Oyster displays a mix of rickety furniture and gaudy decorations, from strands of obviously fake pearls hanging over the kitchen’s entrance to wooden carvings of sultry mermaids and cheap paintings of ships at sea.
Paltus Flynter, his bald head showing a poor comb-over, looks up from wiping down the bar with a dirty cloth, mostly just spreading the filth around. "Whaddya wan'?" he asks in a mumble. A chubby man with some family resemblance looks up from his sweeping a short distance away.