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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"Respectfully, Venture-Captain Wallace, I don't see this as a waste of time, since no one is unimportant - 'even' a vagrant - and investigating an amazing tale is what defines much of life as a Pathfinder. Add to that, the obligation to determine the fate of, or perhaps yet aid, another Pathfinder - something we as a small group have been known for - then it makes perfect sense to me. Besides, I have been eager to see more of your fair city."
Naurin, by the way, is looking unusually confident, casually fingering the edges of what appears to be a new cloak.
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The newcomer had met the others on the passage from Absalom, apparently just come from his first mission as a Pathfinder. The quiet bushi from Shokuru had spoken at length only with Naurin on the sea journey, glad to speak of the goals of the Silver Crusade with a fellow member, though he was unfailingly polite to the others.
Kuwabara Kasei inclines his head to the venture captain in a measured bow, and turns to the others, waiting for their lead.
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"As Naurin says, it's never a waste of time when someone shows up with a wayfinder," Gunther comments. "Besides, you know we get all the fun missions, eh Mal?"
"So let's head in and 'speak' to the man. I'm also sure that if Naurin can't get him to speak, Walter can."
Gunther indicates the door, and walks over to hold it open for Naurin. "M'lady."
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"Ventune Captain Caudron Wallace," Naurin begins with formality, ending with a now-familiar vow: "I accept your mission and will get to the bottom of this mystery, using all means at my disposal that are within the limits of what is lawful and what is good."
Naurin takes out her flaming holy symbol of Iomedae and says a prayer to the goddess before she does. "It is always best to start on the right foot ... or, in my case, my left, better foot," she explains, looking at her still and bent right leg awkwardly. She then asks for Guidance from Iomedae. (She pretends that that is her 'mystery', though she knows she doesn't actually need her holy symbol...)
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Among the meetings in Absalom, standing quietly in a corner during the discussions, and saying nothing, is a well-tailored gentlemen human.
He wears attire more fit for the theatre than for traveling. He carries a rapier on his left side with a matching dirk on his right hip.
Once on board the ship across the sea, he politely introduces himself to those in attendance with a formality fit for a stage.
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Dimitra smiles as Malfeas conveniently forgets to mention her when extracting information is mentioned. She knows that she is perfectly capable of subtracting information as well.
"Even if it turns out to be mere happen-stance that this man has a wayfinder, I am sure it will make for an entertaining story."
"Well, suit yourselves. I'm just glad you're willing to deal with this."
The V-C shows you to 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 the you enter. His skin is shockingly pale and his features are sharp with high cheekbones and a jutting chin. Despite his incredibly filthy visage, matted white hair, and infirmity, he awakes and regards youo with a look of absolute, confident superiority.
"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 takes this opportunity 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, without pause or acknowledgement of interruptions.
"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!"
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Kasei finds the story bewildering.
He whispers to Naurin, "Is his spirit unbalanced, or has he been bewitched, do you think? "
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Naurin tries to diagnose whether the man is physically or mentally ill and also tries to remember anything about any emperors in the history of Augustana but, even consulting her Pathfinder Chronicles, she comes up with little.
"Perhaps, if he thinks this was his father's empire - the Pathfinder Society - then his father was a Pathfinder. Maybe even in a leadership role like a V-C: 'Empire' can have the colloquial sense, of course.
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Vincenzo Luca stands back completely observing this...person.
His facial feature remain steadfast, except for an occasional raised eyebrow.
Pardon me, but did I hear you correctly, Sir, saying that you were gathering an army in the otherworld ?
He then bows--slightly--to him.
My apologies, but you may called me Dottore
The man glares at Gunther and Vincenzo for the briefest moment, but ignores their questions.
Naurin and the group recall that before the revolution, Andoran indeed had a landed gentry with royalty and all.
"Well, some of you are quite silent, and the rest obviosuly haven't the proper etiquette for speaking to a person of my station."
Naurin also recalls that appropriate forms of address for a true pirnce would be "My Prince" or "My Liege" or "Your Royal Highness".
"Well, my loyal subject, I see that you do recognize me for who I am! You asked earlier about my army from the otherworld. You are quite correct, I have been in contact with the faeries of the First World. They have prmised ot rally to my cause! Except now I must turn to my faithful subjects for assistance in returning me to my court so that I might solemize the alliance."
The old man waves his hand.
"By all means, please be seated. Why, I was just a lad when my father was forced from power. It must be twoscore years, at the least. Such a long time. But like the circling eagle, I now spy my chance to strike! Will you help your sovereign?"
"When I was just a boy, revolutionaries broke into my father's estate. They were bent on assassination and destruction. They set our home on fire, and we were lucky enough to escape in the confusion. My father, though, suffered badly to protect me and perished soon afterwards. I was able to survive for a long time in the ancient vaults beneath the streets of fair Augustana. Here I waited, patiently gathering followers to my cause. Now, I was able to find my way here, and finally have hope that my restoration is soon at hand!"
It's clear to you that he hasn't got much more to say on these matters. His tale does not match your own understanding of Andoran history, so you politely take your leave and return to speak with VC Wallace. He says:
"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."
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"Vincenzo, do you really want to spend time to browse that book? I guess Naurin already browsed it" Dimitra looks at Naurin "why don't you point us to the entrance to those sewers? I might guess they are located in the seedier parts of town."
Dimitra is eager to be off, and does not want to spend time browsing a book when the knowledge is readily available.
VC wallace shows you on his map of the city where Gandros likely came from. He indicates a spot near the north end of the harbor. He tells Kuwabara that local clerics were able to detect trace signs that the old man's scrapes were caused by some sort of evil outsiders, possibly even some kind of lesser demon.
On the way to the harbor, Naurin makes sure to try gathering more information from the locals.
She learns the following:
The Steel Wyverns 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.”
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.
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"I may not know the local details, but I always find it pays to know who to ask. The sewers are everywhere in the city, rich areas and poor, but the people who know about them are going to be in the poor and shady areas."
"Presumably, the lake of ships refers to the harbor, and the waterfall is perhaps a reference to some sewer outflow pipe at the harbor's edge. It must be fairly near here, too, for him to find himself here in his condition."
"If we find it, we can follow his path back 'upstream', hopefully to find the Almsman's sanctuary and from there the Emperor's palace."
Before heading out, VC Wallace tells you that sewers are often a good place to take ill, and advises you to purchase items that help resist disease if possible.
Naurin leads the way to the sewer outflow pipe. It's easy enough to find, but it's obvious that there's no kind of walkway here. Going in this way means wading through the sewage for some distance.
She asks around for information about another way in.
[ooc]Naurin, go ahead and roll Diplomacy to gather info with your +2 bonus from the blue book. I rolled for you but didn't make the DC, so you get a free chance![/dice]
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Kasei goes by an apothecary's shop before meeting the rest of the team at the sewers. He asks for something to help prevent disease, and gets sold a vial of antiplague. He also prepares his spells, which he usually does at or around noon if he's not adventuring, by meditating in a sunny courtyard near the pathfinder lodge. He also finds a very high pair of boots and replaces his sandals.
As the team shops for items, Naurin continues to ask about the sewers. despite getting her share of strange looks, she hears of another way to enter, this one from street level. After everyone has thier supplies, she leads the group over there. They pull back a rusty old grate and find a set of stairs leading down.
The smell of waste and rot is strong in this large chamber where filthy water flows in a series of cascades between tiered stone tanks. A raised platform along the east wall is connected to the passage’s walkways by several thick wooden planks creating a makeshift bridge. On that platform is what looks to be a makeshift alchemy lab on a rough-hewn table—beakers, glass vials, dirty bottles, and moldy buckets cover the entire surface of the table.
Two rough-looking men sit at the south end of the bridge, and a third stands by the table. As you come down the stairs the man at the table turns around and says:
"You there, you'd better watch out! Drop all your stuff and go back the way you came or else!"
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Dimitra speaks up soothingly
"Now, now, there is no reason to be so agitated. I am sure that we can come to an understanding. After all how many times have two beautiful ladies joined you some for a bit of a tumble down here? It is only natural that we are accompanied by our own men at arms. We would not want to spoil our wares before you got a chance to sample them?"
Dimitra uncovers part of her top while saying this. Meanwhile she is also moving closer to the men.
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Vincenzo reaches into his coat pocket, drinking an extract.
School abjuration [force]; Level alchemist 1, magus 1, sorcerer/wizard 1, summoner 1; Domain defense 1
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
EFFECT
Range personal
Target you
Duration 1 min./level (D)
DESCRIPTION
Shield creates an invisible shield of force that hovers in front of you. It negates magic missile attacks directed at you. The disk also provides a +4 shield bonus to AC. This bonus applies against incorporeal touch attacks, since it is a force effect. The shield has no armor check penalty or arcane spell failure chance.
Dimitra's actions seems to arouse the men's interest. The leader grabs something off his table and the two thugs stand up.
"Well now ladies, that is a mighty fine offer. But you don't sert the terms down here. Why don't we just kill your guards and have soem fun anyway?"
With that, they move to attack!
Round 1;
Malfeas <<
thugs
Dimitra
Vincenzo
Kuwabara
leader
Naurin
Gunther
Mez's arrows strike the man full in the chest and he drops into the sewer channel, where he is swept away.
The first thug jumps onto one of the platforms in the middle of the channel and then to the next one (ends on D5).
From there he attacks Mez with a spiked chain!
It's a miss!
The second thug jumps onto the other platform (D7) and lashes out at Gunther!
The chain cuts into Gunther's arm.
Round 1:
Mal
thugs
Dimitra <<
Vincenzo <<
Kuwabara <<
Naurin <<
Gunther <<