Dot!
You've been sent to Taldor with instructions to meet Venture-Captain Muesello. Located in the Taldan Capitol city of Oppara, Venture-Captain Muesello’s lodge hides behind the facade of a simple bait and tackle shop, which Muesello dutifully maintains to provide Pathfinders a local base of operations that doesn’t invite much scrutiny. His pockmarked face breaks into a smile as bell on the door jingles, and he motions for everyone to gather in the building’s back room before locking up the shop and propping a sign in the window that reads “Gone fishing.” Lady Glorianna Morilla sits at a table by a small fireplace and Muesello introduces her with the full formalities as a guest of the Society.
Venture-Captain Muesello quietly closes the door behind him before speaking. “The Pathfinder Society does not have a sterling reputation in Taldor, despite my and others’ efforts to impress the local moves and shakers. As a result, the most prestigious universities and colleges often deny our agents access to the best libraries in Oppara, thinking we are meddling good-for-nothings. As one of the oldest intact civilizations near the Inner Sea, these libraries no doubt house some very precious volumes. Recently we received a most wonderful opportunity—an invitation, really, from a very powerful patron,” he adds as he withdraws a scroll tube with a broken wax seal from his apron. “This patron will secure us a couple hours in the rare books collection at the Kitharodian Academy, during which we may peruse for whatever we wish so long as we also retrieve several documents of interest for our friend."
The scroll tube Muesello withdrew from his apron bore a royal seal.
The seal bears arms of Princess Eutropia—Grand Prince Stavian III’s only child, who has been maneuvering to take the throne upon his death, despite the nation’s tradition of crowning a male heir.
"That,” he punctuates by tapping the scroll tube on the table, “is where things get interesting. Apparently there is an even more precious archive hidden beneath the academy’s library, and our patron believes it to contain numerous original records and undoctored historical accounts otherwise unknown to the world! Our contact knows how to get into the archive and has shared the secret with us." Muesello begins pacing the room. “Two hours is little time, so you must make the most of your time. I know it will be tempting to research other interests, but it would be selfish for the Society to think of itself when the Worldwound’s borders threaten to envelop Mendev and beyond. I am sending you in with the express purpose of uncovering more information about the Shining Crusade, the sustained war against the Whispering Tyrant a millennium ago.”
Lady Morilla snaps open a fan to fend off the room’s growing warmth, adding, “Historically, Taldor is the authority on massive military campaigns, but most texts have undergone extensive revision to serve some political agenda or another. Entering this hidden archive is an excellent opportunity to learn from the real mistakes of the past and apply those lessons to the Mendevian Crusade." She pauses to fan herself a little more vigorously. “Remember that you have permission to be in the academy’s library, but not in this secret archive, so do everything you can to avoid being noticed while exploring. In fact, the fewer clues you leave of your passage, the better. Specifically do not steal or destroy any of the library’s contents. A few slip-ups might alert the authorities that someone has been poking around, and too many with give them enough evidence to trace this act to us.”
Muesello opens a drawer in the table and begins pulling out a couple small parcels wrapped in cloth. “Any questions?”
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One of the Pathfinders in attendance is a human male of Taldan extraction wearing a long gray coat, with his facial hair formed into mutton chops. He listens extremely carefully as the Venture Captain and Lady Morilla explain the assignment, his eyebrows raising significantly upon seeing the seal on the scroll case.
"Venture Captain Muesello, Lady Morilla, I must say it is a pleasure and honor to be in your company once again." He slightly bows to the both of them before continuing, "I believe the assignment is more than clear, there should be no issues. In fact, my previous mission involved stealth and subterfuge, so this should not pose any problems for me whatsoever."
Although for a moment he seemed content to leave it at that, he instead addresses the other Pathfinders, "For those of you who have not made my acquaintance, which I believe is all of you, allow me to introduce myself. I am Sebastian Mapplethorpe, formerly of this great city of Oppara. Before my...unfortunate...AHEM." He pauses again, perhaps due to the presence of the Venture Captain or the Lady, "Well, I suppose that is not pertinent to the current mission, but allow me to say that I served for some time as a detective and investigator for several municipal and imperial entities due to my unfailing mastery of logic and deduction."
"I now serve the Pathfinder Society in the same capability, having previously unearthed ancient shrines and discovered the whereabouts of personages of note who had disappeared. I must confess I'm quite thrilled at the prospect at our current assignment for there are many lost tomes of lore that would have been quite useful in my previous investigations when I made this city my home. That being said, I shall direct my attention to the task at hand."
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After making a theatrically florid bow to Lady Morilla, a tall, lanky Taldan man of somewhat disreputable mien slouches in a chair, his half-closed eyes conveying an attitude of disdain for the whole process as he idly taps out a complicated beat on the table next to him. As the Venture-Captain finishes, though, the man leans forward intently. "Here, what does your--our, um, 'friend' want us to lay hands on for him or her? Something that'll get us in deep, I shouldn't wonder?"
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A half-orc woman with jet black dreadlocks pulled into a ponytail looks around the hidden Pathfinder Lodge, with obvious discomfort. Her red, fiery eyes look over Muesello and Lady Morilla distrustfully, and her arms are crossed over her scale mail.
She waits for others' introductions before speaking up herself. "I've got a couple of questions, yeah," she pipes up, standing and approaching the Venture-Captain. "First of all, you said that we'll be looking for something for our 'friend' who provided the invitation? Any idea what we'll be looking for?"
She stands as her brow furrows and her lip curls into a toothy sneer. "Also, Muesello, I don't suppose you remember a half-orc you send out on a mission with a bunch of Sarenrae sissies? Kind of a thick guy with mutton chops like Seb over here? Kind of long winded in the same way?" she asks, gesturing to the verbose detective. "Ended up dead at the hands of those traitors? I was just wondering if there was any surprises we should expect from this library, or if I should just go ahead and order myself a grave next to my brother's, hey? 'Here lies Nazza--I guess Taldor just hated this family.'"
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Despite his verbose introduction, Sebastian seems a bit tongue tied by Nazza's accusations and the number of half-orcs.
After a moment he clears his throat and tries to change the subject by asking Muesello and Lady Morilla, "Might the documents our friend is interested in pertain in some way to the Taldor crown's order of succession?"
"I am sorry for your loss." Muesello says to Nazza. "The life of a Pathfinder is rarely a safe one. My own life has been risked more than a few times, though luck has spared it so far."
Lady Morilla intervenes. "Musello cannot be blamed or the traitorous actions of others, and this is not the place to question the events of that day. Regarding the subject of research, as we said we are looking for historical accounts of military tactics from the Shining Crusade. Taldor has much to offer in the current crusade against the Worldwound, but we believe it remains hidden in those accounts."
To Sebastian, she simply says, "The Succession of the crown will be irrelevant should we fail against the Worldwound incursion."
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Nazza relaxes a bit, but her arms remain crossed as she addresses the Venture-Captain and his guest. "Thanks for the condolences, but Gunter was kind of a jackass anyway. I just don't like to be surprised, and while this library sounds interesting, it would be nice to know if we have an idea if there's someone who wants to murder us once we're in. Anyway, I know that we're looking for the Shining Crusades records, but is there something else that our benefactor would like us to locate? Or will they tell us once we get there?"
"Anyway, nice to meetcha folks. Name's Nazza," says the woman, flashing a brief, wry, and sharp-toothed smile to her fellow Pathfinders. "I'm ready to head out when the rest of you are."
"I always expect surprises." Muesello replies to Nazza. "That's why I'm still alive."
Morilla adds, "We don't expect anyone to be waiting for you there. This mission was planned with the intention of sending young Pathfinders not yet established or well-known, so that they might get into the archives without raising suspicion. This briefing is the only instructions the Society intends for you."
To Garry, "I doubt you will have time to copy the documents. I imagine they are extensive and you will only have a couple hours to get in and out before drawing undue attention."
"A few more details..." Muesello says as he slides a couple cloth-wrapped parcels toward you. “This,” he says, tapping the first parcel, “contains a deck of illusions that I am in the process of modifying; instead of each card creating a random creature, each one creates a copy of one of you. The illusions won’t interact with anyone, but they can pretend to be reading and deceive the casual observer. Each only lasts for two hours, though. Stick a card to the bottom of a chair to create the illusion, and don’t forget to remove the card when you’re done. The other package contains several potions in case of emergency.”
In the second parcel are a potion of invisibility and a potion of pass without trace.
Muesello gives Sebastian a look. "Come to mention it, I think you, Tuskgar, Nazza, and I should have a private word."
Lady Morilla watches the party for a moment, then says. "Well, if you have no more questions, you should be off in order to make preparations. Chamius, stay a moment."
As the group filters out Glorianna takes Chamius aside as Muesello gestures for Sebastian, Tuskgar, and Nazza to join him in the back room.
Once everyone has left the room, Glorianna says. "Most of Taldor’s shortsighted nobles have not deigned to aid the Mendevian Crusade in any significant way, and as you may know, I am raising an independent army to march to the Worldwound and reignite the glory that Taldor once commanded. All goes well, but the demons act more quickly than we can recruit. We need something—some kind of holy relic or the like—that the noble and the brave can rally behind. This nation has led countless crusades, but the public records contain little reliable information. If you find clues about such an object, record everything that you can about it so that we might use it for the good of Avistan. Good luck to you."
Muesello hands you a small scrap of paper. "Ambrus Valsin contacted me this message, which he said is written in a Taldan cipher that the Society is yet to crack. If you find any notes about old codes that work for this message, you are to report back with your findings."
The Code: K-Y-V-W-K-C-E-C-O-O-M-I-M-E-C-F-G-C-Q-F-C
Nothing! Only Taldor and Grand Lodge have official sub-missions.
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Nazza smirks at the armor comment. "I guess that's what the potions and the illusion cards are for, eh? I suppose a little extra help with subterfuge wouldn't be so bad. If you got the goods, Seb, this scale mail rattles pretty bad sometimes. But I figure the cards should be enough if we're going to some secret underground library away from where we're s'posed to be."
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"It's very interesting that you asked that very question, Ms. Nazza. Indeed, my last mission for the esteemed Society involved breaking a cypher of a very similar nature to this one! Unfortunately, without any clue whatsoever to decipher this code, I'm afraid it could be a number of things. Even if it was broken up into individual words that might make things easier. I'll ruminate on it while we work."
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The investigator nods in affirmation to Nazza's statement "Sadly, being employed by the Society full time has yet to pay serious dividends, so I'm unable to fit the bill for any magical enhancements, and my buffering techniques only work for myself. I suppose I shall just have to trust in training and luck for this venture!"
After making preparations the following day, in the late afternoon the party heads to the Kitharodian Academy. Colloquially called “the Kith,” this bard college is the largest in the city, and ranks among the largest on Golarion. The Kitharodian Academy sits atop the northern cliffs of Oppara and has an impressive view of the Porthmos River valley. The school boasts architecture as lovely as its music, and elegant domes, towers, and columns adorn the principle music hall. On this night of the performance, mirror-focused lanterns and dancing lights illuminate the structure, making the academy a radiant beacon of Taldor’s greatness.
As the party nears the entrance, crowds of commoners and nobility alike jostle to enter the music hall. You have no problem pushing through the crowds, but see an usher or attendant, at the doors, collecting tickets.
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"Were we supposed to have tickets? Should we go back and buy some?" Nazza asks the group in a low whisper. She puts an arm around the shoulders of Chamius Lune and Garry Bibb. "Drummer boy--Chamius, was it?--and Useless; you two seem like the entertaining sort. Think you can talk us past the usher? If not . . ." Nazza trails off and cracks her knuckles with a violent-looking smirk. "I'm sure I can have a word with him."
The attendant looks curiously at Gurau. "I'm sorry, there are no tickets waiting here for you."
The usher looks at the invitation and nods. "Yes, I see. For the library it seems. I will get to you in just a moment, the performance will start soon and I have to get these people inside before it does."
The usher considers Garry a moment. "Don't I know you? Have you sung here before? Nevermind... I suppose you are correct. Follow me, but hurry. I must get back."
You are led quickly to the library, which thanks to the performance, is nearly empty. The usher leaves you with a young Taldan man departs back to his duties.
The young taldan bows. "Greetings, I am Tobias, the librarian on duty. How can I be of assistance to you?"
"Pathfinders?" Tobias repeats as if he might have heard wrong. "Well that's... Unusual."