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Sirettis sits alone atop the apartment building she rented out. The wind continues to blow. She can it whisper, mumble.
<Now then. Who will you claim next? Maybe you can convince Lady Kaddren to be your friend. And if she doesn't, then those letter will->
"I mailed her letters back, with an apology."
Sirettis retorts.
<And you worked so hard to get it. Lady Heidmarch seems like a stronger ally, at any rate.>
Sirettis shakes her head defiantly.
"I did not do this for power, I did what I felt was right. Remember when I mentioned trust? You cannot manufacture it. You cannot force it. You cannot trade it. This is currency you must earn it, yet never spend."
<...I see. Tell me more.>
Sirettis spends the evening talking to it about the power of trust and the dilemma her charms cause.
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The following day, everyone was delivered a sealed note.
On it was an address in the foreign quarter, and a time frame.
Even the kitsune remains to see their handiwork sometimes.
Even the daring and risk takers take pause to enjoy some time off.
The closer you get to the address, the more tien speech you hear on occasion.
Little stalls line the sides of the street, forming a cozy little market.
The address leads you to an eastern looking estate, or mansion, if one prefers to call it that.
A young woman in eastern attire opens the door,
" You have been expected, honored guests. Please, follow me."
You are welcomed into the house and led to a homely spacious room, where a low table with cushions to sit upon, stands amidst soft colored walls.
D. sits at on one already.
"Have a seat. I deemed it time for an evening of time off, wouldn't you agree? So i'm buying dinner, sort to speak."
[Insert whatever relaxing we want, and with one of the twins being a good cook, mealtime!]
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Cup bustles off to the main group, waving a couple of fliers. “Hey guys! I have heard of a great opportunity! There is this lodge in Absalom that was designed for Pathfinders who wanted better quality lodgings and food than is normally found in the Grand Lodge! The whole third floor is currently open because a bunch of higher level agents just retired, so if we act quick... It could be our clubhouse!”
Cup hands out some paperwork for the Restful Pathfinders Lodge.
When in Absalom, you may gain the benefit of 8 hours rest in only 6 hours when they are spent at this private club.
She has another piece of paper that she is holding, and she steps nervously from foot to foot. “Um... there’s also this meeting that I want to go to. I heard that Ashashar, envoy of the Seat of Balance, is starting this new faction... It’s called the Concordance. It’s about planar travel, and taking care of imbalances, and helping the elements work together in harmony. I met Ashashar once, and really liked him...”
Cup looks miserable, staring down at her emerald green boots. Then she bursts into tears. “I think I want to join! But what is Zarta going to say? Will she think I abandoned her? What do I do?”
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The fourth and final day of training has come to a close at the Grand Lodge of Absalom, heralding the end of this year’s Torchbearing. Pathfinders the world over attend this annual symposium to share their knowledge, teach each other new skills, and reinforce their connections across the Inner Sea and beyond. To celebrate the end of festivities, the lodge has hosted a grand banquet in the visiting agents’ honor. A refreshing winter breeze blows through an open window, flickering torches and sending papers scattering. The smell of freshly baked desserts fills the air while initiates clear away the remnants of the first course.
Before the meal, you might attempt an obstacle course, listen to one of the Master of Spells' famous arcane lectures, or learn about Golarion's history.
Master of Scrolls Kreighton Shaine beckons for you to follow him into a luxurious dining hall with a massive mahogany table spanning the length of the room. Copious amounts of meats, cheese, fish, and wine are brought out by servants.
"Well then, get settled, get fed, and enjoy!" He smiles, spreading his arms to indicating the sheer massiveness of the feast. "If you have any requests, Madame Po here will be happy to oblige you." An attractive middle-aged women curtsies, her frilly white maid's outfit bigger than she is.
Sirettis recalls that the Three Masters use the event to keep an eye out for particularly talented agents that embody the Pathfinder Society ideals: Explore, Report, and Cooperate.
Cup remembers that at the end of the Torchbearing, the most exemplary agents are publicly recognized and given special wayfinders.
Mr. Peppers knows that sometimes Pathfinder agents disappear for hours during the course of events. Rumors suggest they are brought before The Decemvirate, but no one can agree on why.
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Sirettis enjoys the tea as D... Sir D... D. Arth... well, he makes good tea.
Time passes, and the winds of change blow in her direction.
"Ah, the Torchbearing. Time to learn more about nature."
"I wonder what disaster will befall us this year..."
She partakes in the Heroes' Feast, gaining temporary Hit Points.
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Mr Peppers keeps himself quite busy after their return from Magnimar. To be honest he took a few extra days in the city to learn and meticulously copy scrolls and a certain spellbook into his own. SO MANY SPELLS! This is amazing, a jackpot! If only these inks weren't so pricy! After a few days of work and a sizeable portion of his freshly earned gold, he joins the others back in Absalom, quickly hearing about their new members only club.
"Our own lounge? Why didn't we think of this earlier? No half orcs making all manner of noises all night, no beggars, no neophytes!" And only one Gnome to deal with, biggest perk of all. Tall, dark and relaxed spends most all of his waking hours studying his new spells and working with another Elf on some arcane work.
After he's stuffed himself sufficiently with fruits, nuts and cheeses. And breads and tea of course, Mr Peppers makes his way slowly down to the lecture hall. "I can't wait to hear what those Holy Rollers have to say about Divine Magic. If it wasn't for the restorative magic I wouldn't even be bothered."
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Bolstered by her friend Sirettis, Cup attends the meeting for the Concordance on the day before the Torchbearing. When she meets with Ashashar in a room full of the elementals, travelers, dreamers and those interested in restoring the balance to the universe, she feels something in her ease. “I want to join,” she says in a loud, clear voice. “Please, let me join your work.”
Then she goes off to meet with Zarta Dralneen. “Cup!” Zarta says. “How delicious! What have you brought back for us this time?”
Cup looks up at the tall Cheliaxian woman, the person who had been her superior officer in the Pathfinder Society for as long as as Cup can remember. “My sorrow. Zarta...” Cup’s eyes tears up and she hands Zarta the paperwork indicating her transfer to the Concordance. “You know how much I love to travel. How hard I have studied the planes, and how passionate I have been about making certain that the Pathfinder Society can be a strong and welcoming force that can build connections between all of them.” Cup looks hopefully up at Zarta. “I love you, I love the Dark Archive. But I need to do this. Will you give me your blessing, Zarta?”
Zarta’s face clouds, the Cheliaxian for once at a loss for words. “It’s a lot to process, Cup. Let me think it over, and get back to you after your next mission.”
The gnome’s face falls. “Alright... We’ll talk after my mission.” Then impulsively, she runs up to hug her former boss. “I’ll miss you, Zarta.”
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Then comes the dinner with her friends. “I’ve had a rough day but being with all of you makes this so much better. To the Red Arm Clubhouse!”
She lifts her glass in a toast.
“Are you ready for your lucky numbers?” she holds out her wand.
★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★
Cup is quieter than normal going into Torchbearing. Rather study new subjects, as was her habit, Cup decides to find solace in song. She joins Janira in a voice class for Pathfinders, teaching some of the new students some of her favorite music. “This is called the song of the winds! Air elementals sing it to one another when they make friends.”
The music soars upwards, lifting Cup’s spirits.
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After returning from Magnimar, Gallix is once again absent from his usual haunts throughout the city of Absalom. Instead, he's enjoying the finer things as he accepts his noble Tien friend's invitation to tea, then follows Cup to lock down what has to be the most comfortable room he has ever been in. "Man! If I had known I could get such good booze just by hanging out with classier folks, I would've done this a long time ago! What did you call this stuff, D? Sake? Gotta say, I'm a big fan!"
Gallix stumbles into the Torchgearing ceremony, but finds himself suddenly back on his feet as he drinks the incredible golden fluid offered to him as he toasts his friends in the Restful Lodge. "You're kidding! I can get wasted and still get my job done?! Cup, this was the best idea EVER!"
After finishing his meal, he stretches lazily and heads off to study under Venture Captain Drandle Dreng, who is leading a course on getting the most out of your tools. "Don't know if you guys knew this, but Dreng? Yeah, he's a sneak! I'm gonna go learn to pick some locks and take out traps so we don't get blown up or something."
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Uesugi respectfully accepts D.'s invite and heads off towards the man's mysterious home. Upon entering the house he is taken back to his time in Lord Takamori's court.
Seating himself he raises a cup of tea towards D. "My thanks for the invite. You have outdone yourself D. your house is magnificent. This is where you have been disappearing too when you are away from the sight of the Ten. I have brought you a gift to show my appreciation."
Taking a scroll tube from inside his robes he unfurls a long sheet of paper. On the silk paper you see it shows the scene of the Battle of Eight Bridges where the Minkai army was victorious over the forces of the Teikoku Shogunate. Spelling the creation of the Minkai Empire in Tian.
"Something for you to remember our homeland."
The night is spent drinking much tea and dining on succulent traditional wares from Tian. The conversation never moves away from the talking about Tian Xia and the travels of the others prior to joining the Scoeity. It is one that Uesugi is quite happy to engage in.
"A place for the clan in the Petal District? I am in agreement with this one Madame Poshkettle. Have my name placed upon the paperwork if needs be it is long time for our clan to have proper quarters."
"The year ends soon with the Torchbearing festival. You will attend I hope? Madame Poshkettle here is quite excited about it but she is is always excited about everything it seems." Rising from the table he bows again to his host. "We have so little time to participate in functions as these. Thank you D. it was most overdue. Find me at the Grand Lodge tomorrow I think I will participate in one of the events that the Society is hosting."
The dinner is equal to the one that D. held and he eats more than his fill. Food on the road was never like this so he paused as he ate being mindful of each taste that circulated about his taste buds. As the others explain what they intend to do Uesugi offers, [b]"I have heard that there is a retired bard who is holding an oratory class. He claims he has won many a battle with only using his voice. I will ask him for his guidance to project my voice and changing the tone."
He then thanks Madame Poshkettle for the touch of fate provided by her stick.
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D. had indeed arranged for saké during dinner, and was pleased Galli didn't fall into a stupor from the amount he had consumed.
...or did he..
D. was honored to have received such a great painting, it was one of the most pleasant of surprises he had seen in a good long while.
While D. was far from the most cheerful bunch of characters, he feels proud of his country.
"This is a great piece, Uesugi. You made this?"
D. makes a bowing gesture, as he takes the painting.
He hangs it at a mostly empty wall, making sure the painting has ample space to be seen.
He places his palm on Uesugi's shoulder.
"May the koi smile upon you, and your Shenjin be in your katana."
May you live long, and the skills of your forefathers be ever with you.
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The front doors of Skyreach burst open with a loud crack. Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin strides to the edge of the platform, with a slender elf dressed in practical but expensive clothing trailing meekly behind. The red-faced venture-captain addresses the crowd in a booming voice.
“Pathfinders, I regret interrupting the festivities, but we have something of a situation. Approximately twenty minutes ago, unknown forces invaded the Blakros Museum. Fortunately for everyone involved, the Torchbearing is about cooperation and helping our colleagues, so let’s think of this less as an inconvenience and more as an opportunity to practice what we preach.”
The elf, Nigel, exhales sharply, then speaks, “Now, Ambrus, I’ve spent a king’s ransom fortifying the museum from all sorts of invaders: sentinels from the Golemworks, magical wards from the Arcanamirium, and even contracts for guard beasts, both magical and mundane—spared no expense. I didn’t want to come here, but I’ve got no choice.”
Valsin’s forced smile cracks slightly, showing his annoyance. “Out with it, Nigel. Get to the point.”
“Someone broke into my museum and set off the magical protections! I was preserving priceless Shining Crusade pieces for our new exhibit when the first alarm activated. I sent for district guards and went to investigate, but by the time I arrived, the thieves had already locked themselves in my study. They somehow caused the Shining Crusade relics to fly around the museum and attack my sentinels. Everything is going haywire! The magical traps started to target me, the sentinels are not responding to my commands, and—”
Valsin holds out a hand to steady the increasingly agitated elf. “The last you knew, the thieves were still in your study?” Nigel nods. “Very well. Pathfinders: the Seekers should prepare to teleport directly into the Blakros study—“
“That won’t work,” Nigel interrupts, “The study is magically sealed. After that dreadful Numerian exhibit, I turned it into a magical safe room. The robbers must have figured out how to activate it; no one can get in or out while the wards hold. I can work on breaking the wards, but meanwhile my sentinels are smashing up the collection. Some of those priceless relics are on loan from your own Society lodges, so helping me is really helping yourselves.”
“Fine.” Ambrus Valsin takes a deep breath and then turns to the assembled Pathfinders. “Pathfinders, go to the Blakros Museum, secure any relics you can, disable the security systems, and apprehend the looters if possible. Stay safe.”
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Dozens of Wise District guards surround the Blakros Museum. The sergeant nods to Ambrus Valsin as he approaches, a subtle smirk dancing across the venture-captain’s face. The museum itself is alight with swirling whorls of color and the sounds of metal and stone clashing. Occasionally, brief flashes of light burst from the front entrance, illuminating a toppled banner that says “Legacy of the Shining Crusade.”
The sergeant briefs you as you arrive, looking at you with an eyebrow raised. "You lot sure look familiar! If you're heading in, let me help you prepare. In my seven years of service, I've responded to numerous catastrophes at the Blakros Museum, though none quite so dramatic as this. Except that one time..." He pauses, scratching his head. "My scouts tell me that there are animated relics, guard animals, and clockwork creatures skirmishing with one another inside. There's a strange blob of arcane runes just outside in the garden too. Magical wards, it seems, gone rogue." You watch as a vase tumbles from a window on the upper floor, shattering on the ground below. The sergeant urges you in. "Go on, get in there! Nigel won't be pleased if his entire museum is ransacked!"
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Mr Peppers shakes his head as yet again they stand outside of the Museum. "Nigel really makes Elves look bad. Not to mention this is the second time this has happened in less than a year! I swear he needs to work on his magical wards. Maybe hire me to help..." He muses out loud, to anyone that'll listen.
Tall, dark and prepared draws out his ironwood wand and taps himself, summoning in his favorite suit of glimmering mithril chain and offers it up to the Dragon (and anyone else that needs mage armor). "Your barding Longjin?"
At the end of the line, Mr Peppers takes his turn with the 'luck wand' "Thanks Miss Cup. I'm not sure how lucky this seems to make me, but if you insist."
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Cup sighs. “Did Nigel really make the same mistakes with the wards?” She stares at Pep. “How are you feeling about the idea of taking down wards again? Want to fireball some paper again?” Cup rummages through her bag. “And maybe D can blast it to bits, and we can bring down those pesky wards for everyone.”
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Sir D fades from sight, and then slips into the museum. On the main floor, he passes by two noteworthy rooms.
The first room, highlighted by a sign that says The Shining Armory, contains Shining Crusade artifacts that move and creak by some unseen force. A low, artificial hill top features two large, stuffed constructs wearing chainmail and a caparison depicting a stylized owlbear.
Further into the ground floor, a second area, the Crusader's Chronicle, is fraught with ruined displays and broken furniture. Two majestic and otherworldly blue tigers patrol the area.
Sir D moves invisibly upstairs - he may as well be a ghost! - to the Scars of the Lich exhibit. The corpse of a woman dressed in furs lies in a pool of blood, and a constant ticking and whirring sound echoes throughout. Sir D swears he's seen the same corpse before. What's with this place? Two mechanical soldiers stand watch, their arms holding giant metal shields.
Finally, outside, Sir D creeps into the garden, where he sees thousands of glowing glyphs forming a protective shell around the fountain. The many runes move and swarm the area as if they're a living, breathing creature.
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Mr Peppers smiles at the little Gnome who could "I did prepare fireball today. And truth be told, I learned how to switch spells on the fly, it should be very helpful on occasion when fireballs aren't the answer." Its pretty rare for fireball to NOT be the answer.. but it happens.
Mr Peppers waits for sneaky D to return, although he has an idea on what he'll find.
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"Odd that the curator of the museum and our Venture-Captain did not notice this. Is this some sort of time trap that we have caught ourselves in unknowingly? Much like how we were taken to different points of time in the past with the Sky Key? It would explain why none but us realize we are repeating our actions? Mr Peppers and Madame Poshkettle what do you think of this? You are the most interested in topics of this nature."
Uesugi draws his katana and looks at the foreboding museum.
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Mr Peppers shakes his head in the negative slowly at Uesugi "Who knows what's going on exactly. If we're lucky everything is the same as before and we can use that knowledge to our advantage. Resolve this museum issue safely and swiftly." He pulls out his crossbow and double checks that everything is ready and loaded.
"I'm ready." He announces.
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“Let’s do the garden first!” Cup says. “We can disable the wards then move swiftly through the rest. I would not mind talking to the Dweomer Cats again once we are done with those pesky wards.”
Then an animal messenger drops a missive into Cup’s hand. Cup opens it swiftly, joy lighting her face. “Zarta gave me her blessing!!” The little gnome relaxes, a weight suddenly taken off her mind.
“Those annoying scraps of paper won’t know what hit them!”
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You head around the edge of the museum to the magical wards. Thousands of glowing glyphs form a protective shell around the outside of the museum, casting a sparkling aura of light that bounces off the fountain’s waters.
There are two swarms here, made up of thousand of pages, all with a single rune on them. The masses of paper magically float just above the ground, the pages flapping in the wind. Mr. Peppers senses a double dose of moderate evocation auras stemming from the swarms' bodies.
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Mr Peppers gently rubs his long, graceful fingers together and smiles "We meet again wards... lets tango." He looks to D and gives the nod. "On your mark Sir. Everyone else prepare your brains and your fingers to get to work!"
Once D has hopefully stunned the first swarm, Mr Peppers get to work on the arcane side of things.
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Sir D launches a preemptive attack on the runic swarm, tearing up a hundred pages with a barrage of sand.
The two swarms shudder their bodies, bending and folding their runes to face whoever just attacked them...
Sir D, Uesugi
Green Rune Swarm
Gallix
Blue Rune Swarm (-40)
Cup, Longjing, Sirettis, Mr. Peppers
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Gallix waits in the wings, his thieves' tools at the ready, though he's not entirely sure how effective lock picks will be against a swarm of animated papers. Once he sees an opening, he runs to the nearest swarm and gets to work trying to disable the magical wards, following some of the lessons Venture-Captain Dreng had given earlier that day.
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Uesugi prepares for the other swarm to float towards him... But it doesn't. Instead, the pages form a ball in the center of the swarm, vibrating wildly as if to charge up, until suddenly, a massive surge of electricity shoots from its center, zapping Uesugi.
Gallix moves into the gardens and analyzes the runes printed on the pages of the swarm. He discovers a set of runes that react to the metal in his tools, and they burn off the page. The swarm appears to weaken.
Sir D, Uesugi
Green Rune Swarm (1 success)
Gallix
Blue Rune Swarm (disabled 1 minute)
Cup, Longjing, Sirettis, Mr. Peppers
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Uesugi is a samurai trained to combat any opponent. As the electricity flies from the center of the paper he turns and steps to the side allowing the bolt to hit his shoulder instead of blasting him in the chest.
"Wu jen trickery ahhh this place is full of it if memory serves me. Do what you need to disarm these traps I will keep it occupied." As he says the words a tiny blade flies off the samurai's helmet disappearing and then reappearing in front of the ball of paper.
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D blasts the active swarm with more sand, but Uesugi finds that his attacks are entirely ineffective, with the rune-lined pages moving much too fast for his blade to hit. His magical crown of swords hones in on the nature of the runes and catches at least a hundred pages in its arc, weakening the swarm considerably.
-- Bold is up --
Sir D, Uesugi
Green Rune Swarm (-54, 1 success)
Gallix
Blue Rune Swarm (disabled 1 minute)
Cup, Longjing, Sirettis, Mr. Peppers
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The wind begins to blow, and the active swarm levitates its way towards Uesugi and Gallix. The pages form a whirlwind around the samurai/brawler duo, with the magically charged runes provoking a sinking feeling in their bellies.
-- Bold is up --
Sir D, Uesugi
Green Rune Swarm (-54, 1 success)
Gallix
Blue Rune Swarm (disabled 1 minute)
Cup, Longjing, Sirettis, Mr. Peppers
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Gallix steps out of the whorl of papers, clutching his stomach. "Oof! I haven't felt this awful since that night in Magnimar!"