You have been stationed at the Grand Lodge in Absalom, awaiting assignment for a mission of utmost importance. Things finally seemed in motion when Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng sent out a summons for available agents. Specialized in the history of Absalom, Dreng is known for putting off-duty agents to work on sundry tasks when he finds them resting within the city’s limits.
You arrive at the meeting location, a deserted street corner far from the Grand Lodge, the constant drizzle of rain having driven most of the nearby population inside.
|
Giovanni adjusts a nice pair of glasses as he turns a page in a book. A text about the fading of Azlanti civilization. An interest of his due to his Chelaxian heritage. The small widows peak on his forehead would indicate that heritiage if one were so educated to notice. Otherwise one would notice a medium build human in a smart coat with a rapier hanging at his waist.
Giovanni folds and stows his book as people begin to arrive. Greetings, Pathfinders. Seems there's a job for us.
|
Vinny wanders onto the street mentioned in the letter she received from Captain Dreng. She sees a man standing on the corner and walks over to him. "Hi there, I'm Vinny. You must be here for the Pathfinder mission too, nobody else is crazy enough to be out in this weather..." She pulls off her backpack and checks that it is closed securely. She pats it affectionately before replacing it on her back. "Gotta make sure my supplies stay nice and dry. Alchemical reagents, they really don't like getting wet!"
|
|
An eccentric gnome with a bald head appears past his prime. With white mustaches and a long beard, he also sports multiple ear-piercings in each ear. He wears a perpetual scowl.
He pulls his cloak a little tighter.
"Well, this must be an incredibly important mission if they chose me for it. As you likely know, I'm Nixim Suneater."
|
A small, heavily bundled character slips into the room and heads towards the most shadowy corner of the room. He arrives early enough to hear Vinny's attempts at conversation, but ignores them, opting instead to annoyingly 'twang' the string of his crossbow and mutter incessantly under his breath.
Almost as angry as bald gnome-thing's presumptions. We will use this anger, won't we Betsy?" This last sentence is aimed at the crossbow.
Even without speaking Wayang, the look of disgruntled malevolence in the creature's eyes is easy enough to understand.
|
Clutching his hastily-drawn city map, Pollock rounds the corner. He moves with the kind of strength which is earned from years of honest labor. Despite the increasingly soaked state of both the map and his hand-made raincloak, it's clear that Pollock is excited to begin his adventure. His backpack is stuffed full of supplies, if somewhat inexpertly packed.
He gives a friendly wave to the other folks waiting in the area, and approaches to a polite distance. "Hello everyone! I'm guessing you're waiting for-" he checks his map notes "- Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng too?"
As Giovanni laments the tardiness of your Venture-Captain, a hooded beggar in baggy, shabby robes slips out from behind a nearby building, shuffling up to the group with his hand outstretched.
“Have you any coin to spare, fine folk?”
The question hangs in the air for only a scant moment before the figure pulls back his hood to reveal the wizened face of Venture-Captain Drandle Dreng. He gives a crooked smile, soaked head to toe from his unprotected time in the rain. His clothes smell faintly of cabbage.
“Sorry about that,” he says with a wink. “I always like to play a little joke on agents when I stumble across them during my jaunts into town. Now, why did I summon you fine folk here again…?” Dreng shakes his head from side to side, as though trying to knock water out of his ears, despite the constant downpour.
“Ah yes, the Wounded Wisp! I’m undercover now and can’t stray far from the site I’m watching, but I need someone to retrieve a package for me from that fine establishment. It’s among Absalom’s most storied taverns, you see, and one that holds a special place of privilege in the Society’s lore as the place where the organization began. Well, I could drone on and on about it, but standing out in the rain is doing none of us any favors.” As if anticipating agreement, the bedraggled venture captain produces a small slip of folded paper from one of his many stitched pockets. Dreng quickly shows a glimpse of the page’s contents: a map detailing the location of the Wounded Wisp bar.
“The bartender is a woman by the name of Heryn Gale, a fine lady who came to own the Wisp after the passing of her father from—oh, bah, it’s really getting too cold for me to give a proper history lesson! If you could just go to the Wisp, and tell Heryn you’re there to pick up my parcel, it would be most appreciated. I’ll be around here for several more hours at least.”
the generosity of Society agents who spend coin at the establishment.
but whatever it was, he didn't sound very happy.
|
|
Vinny raises her eyebrow when the Venture captain reveals his ruse, but doesn't say anything. He's the boss after all, even if he's a little...eccentric. She listens to the task and thinks for a moment.
"Wounded Wisp? Doesn't ring a bell for me. Good thing you know the way!" she says, gesturing at Giovanni.
"Oh, the old bar is safe enough. Heryn takes good care of the place." Dreng chuckles. "I've been there more times than I can count, and the ceiling only tried to fall in on me once." He gets a far off look in his eyes as a wistful smile crosses his face. "Lots of good times there, with good friends."
Dreng shakes some of the rain off his hood, before pulling it partway back over his head as he nods to Nixim. "Indeed, the package is crucial to my current mission. Or at least my comfort while I'm doing it. I've been working my way though the Wisp's finer wines in descending order of bottling, and a truly excellent vintage is up next. I dare not disappear from my current role in this district, but I also would appreciate some comfort items given the terrible weather. After all, I doubt anyone would judge a supposed beggar sipping from a bottle of wine, and it would make this stakeout much more pleasant.”
|
|
L.B.'s face immediately darkens back to the glower. He manages to restrain himself from muttering in Wayang again, but his words are strained as he speaks.
"So... we're errand-running... for a bottle of wine... for you to drink on the street." The wayang's fingers are white around the knuckles as he grips his crossbow.
|
|
Pollock hangs on to his enthusiasm for his first almost-entirely-official Pathfinder mission. "It sounds like this tavern is steeped in Pathfinder history! Maybe we can learn a few things about how to thrive in the Society there."
Pollock turns to Giovanni. "Eando Kline sounds important. Is he a Pathfinder?"
|
|
Nixim's brow knots up in anger as Dreng leaves.
"He gathered us here to retrieve a bottle of wine for him? Surely I merit a much more important mission!" the gnome complains.
"This venture captain will surely receive some bad conduct reviews..."
The gnome continues on for some time as they travel to the tavern.
|
|
Nixim's brow knots up in anger as Dreng leaves.
"He gathered us here to retrieve a bottle of wine for him? Surely I merit a much more important mission!" the gnome complains.
"This venture captain will surely receive some bad conduct reviews..."
The gnome continues on for some time as they travel to the tavern.
L.B. slips out of Wayang to commiserate with the gnome. "Yes! What waste of talents! Elby is a trained killer, not some urchin running fetch missions for coppers!" A snort issues from within the face wrappings. "If this Society were not so generous with their coin, their leadership would have no one to lead. Elby would be first out the door!" He waves a finger in the air for emphasis.
|
|
Seeing he had found a like-minded Pathfinder, Nixim nods solemnly.
"If we are destined for greatness, should they not send us on missions of the greatest import? Those that will test our mettle and increase our skill, at the least?"
The gnome spits in emphasis as they continue walking toward the tavern.
"One day, they will see..."
Dreng raises an eyebrow at L.B.'s mutterings before responding to Vincenza. "Of course, feel free to warm up and sample the bar before you return. Just don't take too long, or this stakeout will end before you get back." With a nod, Dreng pulls his hood up fully around his face and slips down a side alley, leaving the group to voice their grumblings about the nature of their task.
Giovanni is easily able to help guide the group to foreign quarter in Absolom and from there to the Wounded Wisp. As the group approaches more commercial areas, foot traffic increases somewhat, but still is kept low by the incessant rain.
The Wounded Wisp is a welcome sight. Built from dark, discolored wood, the exterior of the Wounded Wisp is the image of an iconic dive bar. Stained and barred windows obscure direct vision into the establishment, though ruddy yellow light bleeds from a window in the front hall, and the noisy sounds of laughter and conversation drift from the open door. The only distinguishing feature on the Wisp’s exterior is a thick wooden sign hanging from above the bar’s entrance. A brass ring fitted onto the sign anchors a lantern, referred to by the staff as “the wisp”, that hangs there to provide light during the evening hours.
Inside, the bar is fairly full of groups of people drinking, eating and talking together. The smell of smoke and spilled ale assails the senses as the group enters the common room. Walls of dark-stained wood make up the sides of the Wounded Wisp, while well-used wooden tables are spread throughout the space. A raised area in the back of the establishment houses several additional tables and eating areas for groups seeking more than just a good drink. An austere bar supported by kegs instead of wooden panels commands the northern end of the room. A stained-glass cabinet stands behind the bar, its dark panes cracked in several spots, yet not so opaque as to conceal the several dozen types of hard liquor within.
A group of young men and women wearing wayfinders sit listening in rapt attention to a halfling woman recount various tales at a table by the door, while two burly half orcs seated at a table near the bar break out into an out of key drinking song punctuated by swigs of ale as they engage in a drinking contest. The woman behind the bar seems to be fairly busy taking orders and pouring drinks for crowd, but takes a moment to wave hello as you come in the door.
|
|
Vinny follows the group into the Wisp. She's about to walk over to the bar when she spots the halfling woman talking to the group of young people. She breaks out into a huge grin and waves, "JANIRA!! I'm just going to get a drink, but then we have to catch up!"
She catches up to Giovanni and Jan and puts a few coins on the bar. "Don't forget, round one is on me!" She attempts to catch the attention of the bartender. "Excuse me, you don't happen to have coffee, do you? Maybe with some whiskey in it?" she asks hopefully.
Janira turns at the mention of her name, a huge smile widening across her face as she gives a friendly wave. "VINNY! How's it going! I was just telling these recruits the story of Durvin Gest and the fabled Lens of Galundari. You should definitely stop by if you've got time. Come join us and tell this group the story of your confirmation." She turns back to the group. "I promise you all, its a good one. One of the most exciting confirmations I've seen in recent time. She helped save my life, you know!"
-------------------------------
At the bar, Heryn is being kept busy fetching drinks for the other patrons, but after a minute gets around to the newcomers. "Sure thing! We've got fresh coffee on the fire and whiskey. That'll be 2 silver."
"ONE COFFEE!" She yells back over her shoulder towards the kitchen. "What can I get for the two of you?" She smiles towards Giovanni and Jan.
"Oh! So you're the group that Dreng sent over to pick up his parcel." Heryn grabs a mug off a shelf and begins to fill it from a tap. "I'm Heryn Gale, nice to meet you all! Dreng's package is in the wine cellar, and I'll take you down there to pick it up, but we'll need to wait for my replacement to get here so I can leave the bar. Shouldn't be more than another fifteen, twenty minutes until the end of my shift. 'Til then, make yourselves comfortable, mingle a bit and have some drinks on the house!" The mug full, she slides it across the bar to Giovanni. Moments later, a teenage boy comes from the kitchen with a cup of coffee, that Heryn liberally doses with a bottle of whiskey before handing it over to Vinny. "Careful, its hot!"
|
|
Vinny gratefully accepts the cup of coffee from Heryn and toasts with Giovanni. "Cheers!" She blows on the mug to speed the cool down. "I'm going to go visit with Janira, you should all come meet her too. She's amazing, and she's not kidding about the excitement level of my Confirmation!"
She takes her mug over to Janira and the recruits, sitting down in a chair with a relaxed air. "I totally did save her life you know," she says with a grin at the new pathfinders. "So there we were, about to go down into this cave system, when all of a sudden a minotaur pops out of the forest! We were all pretty new pathfinders, not really equipped to deal with something like that, so Janira goes off to try and distract it while we continue through the caves. We ran into a few skeletons down there, but nothing my trusty bombs couldn't dispatch. Skeletons are very flammable, you know. Of course the others on the team helped as well, there was a gunslinger named Link, he was super handy with his six shooters. Oh, and a fire kineticist, we got along real well. We also had a gnome bard who was a lot of fun, and a huge half-orc axe wielding fighter who was kind of scary... and Katswiri, an oracle! She's the one who actually saved Janira in the end...but I blew up the Minotaur with my demolition bomb. Hit him right in the chest! BOOM!" She gestures to indicate a huge explosion, being careful not to spill her coffee. "Ah, good times." She smiles and sips her drink, eyes sparkling, inviting questions from the new pathfinders.
|
|
Having entered behind all of the other Pathfinders, Pollock is overwhelmed by the bustle inside the bar. He stands in the doorway for quite a long time, taking in the sheer level of noise and activity.
Finally, as he hears the others putting in drink orders, he snaps out of his daze and joins them at the bar. He sits at a stool, not sure how Elby will react to having a neighbor.
Pollock is just in time to miss Giovanni's mug-tap, gesturing awkwardly with a cup-less fist. He turns it into a wave at the bartender, and with an embarrassed smile, puts in his order: "I would like an ale for joining with my fellows."
"Sure thing, we have some for the coffee and tea." Heryn pulls a carafe out of from under the bar, pours a cup and hands it to L.B. "Here you go." She quickly grabs another flagon of Ale and slides it over to Pollock with a smile before another patron calls for her attention, and she shifts to take their order.
Next to Polluck, an older man is drinking from a large flagon of ale and reading from a large tome entitled Military Tactics of the Jistka Imperium. On the far side of the man, a couple are loudly talking "...it's sort of crazy though, to think we might have a new god in a few days. Who was the last one who succeeded? Cayden?" "No, wasn't it, um, what's his name? The holy one with the demon slaying? " The woman turns to the man reading the book. "Hey, what do you think? Somebody tries the test of the starstone every once in a while. Think Sir Reinhart has what it takes?" The man marks his place in his book, then sets it down. "The Inheritor. Iomedae was the last one to pass the test, 185 years ago. The others were Cayden, over a thousand years ago, and Norgorber, near a thousand before that. Somone does try, every few years at least. Based on prior rates of success, I would not bet on Sir Reinhart. But few would have predicted that Cayden would have succeeded when he took the test on a drunken dare, so I suppose we will see." He picks his book back up, taking a sip of beer as he turns a page.
--------------
The assembled new pathfinders make appreciative noises at Vinny's story, especially the part involving the minotaur. Janira smiles along with the story, until Vinny finishes. "And that, pathfinders, is how you handle a mission for the society! Vinny, you all did a great job. Not only did you save my life, but you all uncovered the mystery of why the gilmen were traveling to the Kortos mountain. So, have you been putting your explosive talents to use on any other pathfinder missions since then?"
|
|
Pollock overhears the couple talking about the starstone test. I'm not sure how I feel about that... I think the power of being a god would be too much for a regular person to handle. I think it would drive them insane...
Before Pollock can bring up the subject with Elby at his elbow, he overhears Vinny's amazing tale. He pipes up with a few comments. "Skeletons? Of people? That sounds creepy... I've read a few things about them, but I haven't seen any up close."
Pollock is clearly absorbing every iota of information about the Society and the tasks that they undertake. He seconds Janira's question, "I'd like to hear as well. And do any of you-" he gestures to his companions at the bar "- have tales too?"
|
|
L.B. sits at the bar with his cup of milk - he's slid enough of his rags and wrappings out of the way to take a sip.
"Of course Elby has tales! Big dangerous tales. Tales that would make green Pathfinders like you turn green with fear and envy!" He takes another long sip of milk. "But these are not tales for running errands or sipping milk. I shall save these tales for other times."
he doesn't have any tales.
|
|
Though Nixim has been sulking at the unimportant task they have been handed, he looks instantly interested in the talk of the Test of the Starstone.
"He is attempting it today?" he asks. "Perhaps after we have satiated our drunken venture captain, there will be time to see it!"
He puffs out his chest. "Someday, I will attempt the test! I am curious to see how this Reinhart performs. Doubtless he will fail, though I will succeed!"
|
|
"I haven't done another mission since my confirmation, but I did get myself a pony with my earnings so I've been looking forward to taking him out and about. His name's Milo," Vinny says to Janira. "Right now we're all here to pick up a package for Venture Captain Dreng. Turns out it's a bottle of wine for his stakeout." She snorts a short laugh, then turns to Pollock. "The skeletons were gilmen, actually. The cave system was full of them. They were kind of creepy, but like I said, flammable. My favorite kind of enemy!"