Guaril Karela's page

Abadius, 4714

My Loyal Associate,
You've heard, haven't you? At least half of the family seems to be running around half-mad. Well, let me assure you that hearing the word on the street is hardly the same as seeing the writing on the wall; anyone who thinks she can send assassins to stick a knife between old Guaril's ribs is in for a nasty surprise—at least half a dozen nasty surprises with 20-inch biceps and iron-studded cudgels, in fact.
Fortunately, the Pathfinder Society knows just how valuable our services are and has volunteered some extra muscle to ensure that my head and neck do not end their longstanding partnership (I find the two have grown rather attached to each other and would terribly upset if separated). The key now is finding out which rats think they can take on the Sczarni and where their little warren is. I have to say, your work so far has turned up some strong leads; keep this up and you'll go far in the family.
What I'm not so happy about is hearing that my former business associate is one of the ones selling me out! What's worse, he's done a truly professional job of covering his tracks—so much so that none of my cousins have been able to track down our real enemies. I've run out of good options, so I'm sending you in to negotiate. The information-broker I'm talking about is holed up in Eto, and the Pathfinder Society has organized a special trip for us to knock on his door and ask some pointed questions (I'm telling you, this deal with the Society is great). Stay sharp, figure out where our enemies are holed up, and don't promise anything we can't deliver on.
Once you know where our enemies are, contact me. I'll pull some strings and make sure the Society lends us a hand in busting some skulls and ending this debacle. Of course, when the time comes, I'll need you to lead the raid. In the meantime, go help the Pathfinders do Pathfinder things—you know the routine.

Go make me proud,
Guaril Karela

The Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign continues the Year of the Demon, its fifth season of Pathfinder RPG adventures. Keep the words of Guaril Karela in mind, and be on the lookout for opportunities to help the Sczarni faction succeed in its objectives. When the time comes, ensure that you represent the Sczarni proudly in Pathfinder Society Scenario 5–12: Destiny of the Sands, Part 1: A Bitter Bargain and Pathfinder Society Scenario 5–18: The Stranger Within.

Arodus, 4713

Upstanding Cousin,

There’s something about being waited on by a trio of blackmailed nobles that makes me truly sad to leave Varisia. Of course, these nobles were not blackmailed by us; they were simply—
The above lines are crossed out repeatedly and barely legible.

I shall truly miss Varisia, but that market is saturated already by our burgeoning enterprises. One might think that ending the threat of a runelord would open new commercial opportunities, but apparently such a feat merely makes locals feel safer and less interested in buying guaranteed protection services.

Instead let us turn our sights to the world beyond Varisia’s borders. The folk of far-off places like Taldor, Katapesh, and the like say, “Who is this Guaril Karela? I have never heard of these Sczarni you mention.” These are people who I would love to conscript for a jury, but they are hardly doing our humble operation any favors in the long run. Let us start with the low-hanging fruit of Mendev, where I hear there’s no end of demand for the rarely sufficient supply. Of course, where there’s demand for goods exchanged over the table, there’s a niche for purchasing choice goods under the table, too.

The trouble is that we don’t have enough information just yet as to who does the moving and shaking in the shadows of Nerosyan. If there’s nobody there already, then the Diamond of the North is ours for the taking. If there’s someone operating there already, find out who’s who and how they operate. If you’re having trouble finding out who to talk to, don’t forget to check among the metal-clad dupes who keep throwing themselves in front of demons—the local vernacular is “crusaders;” I’ve heard some of them grew up around shady folk and might know a thing or two about shady dealings.

Stay discreet,
Guaril Karela

Trusted Friend,

Congratulations are in order, my friend! Your guile and clever words have earned us many allies, to say nothing of your influential arm-twisting, polite “suggestions,” and timely messages dropped into waiting pockets. Of course, we’re speaking of hypothetical tasks and nothing that would ever hold up in a Korvosan courtroom, right?

Just the other day I had the pleasure of telling one of our new friends to jump, and do you know what he did? He jumped! That is the type of loyalty and influence we need in the family, and we now command that type of power in Varisia. Certainly we have stepped on a few toes in our ascent, but with Varisia in hand, we should have little to fear on the home front.

Upon my return to Absalom with a cadre of cousins, you can imagine how displeased I was to find that our prestige has not grown there over the course of a year; apparently what happens in Varisia stays in Varisia, much to my dismay. We shall have to work diligently indeed to ensure that our family’s name grows beyond the crowded territory.

In the meantime, keep a close eye on the Lissalan developments in Varisia. While a adopting a runelord as a client may at first sound like a lucrative proposition, do not allow short-term greed to threaten long-term survival. I have no doubt that it would not only undo our accomplishments over the past year but also make Avistan a much less comfortable place to run a legitimate business like ours. Scratch the Pathfinder Society’s back in their fight against the Lissalans, and perhaps later they will scratch ours.

Stay sharp,
Guaril Karela

My Best Friend!

I am overjoyed to hear you will soon be venturing to Varisia, a land of my people and home to opportunity beyond your wildest dreams. You see, people like you and me are quite common in Varisia, whether they ply the roads in colorful caravans of painted wagons, sail the waters of the Yondabakari to ferry travelers obvious and hidden across the great land, or operate a nondescript curio shop in Magnimar or Riddleport. If you know where to look for a friend in Varisia, you can find one, I assure you.

You can also find a few enemies, though, if you know what I mean, because it turns out, not everyone who comes from our side of the street sees things the same way. But you and I are in a great place to change that, you see. I am, after all, an incredibly well-connected person among our kind here in Absalom. And Absalom is, as you well know, the City at the Center of the World. It stands to reason, then, that the one with the most influence in the city with the most influence should, well, have the most influence everywhere. You follow me?

It would be a shame for the Pathfinder Society to send so many to Varisia and for me not to be able to see my friends as much any more, so I’m going to travel to Riddleport and see if I can’t set up the Pickled Imp II there. It’ll be easier for us to stay in touch that way at the very least. And as you’re running errands for the Pathfinders, you can also deliver some messages to other members of our extended family who might need a reminder of who’s really in charge of things. Between the two of us, I think we can be the ones planning all the Karela family reunions in just a year’s time, no?

Make sure you’re always looking out for those who have your back, and if you need to rearrange your priorities a bit so the Pathfinder Society’s serving us instead of the other way around, I certainly wouldn’t stop you. Don’t get into any trouble that’d make you unable to do your main mission, however. Knowing your place is important.

I look forward to seeing you soon beneath the Cyphergate,
Guaril Karela

Patience young padawans. Already submitted to IT and we have gone back and forth for the past several months on the best way to implement this. We have a plan and I think folks will like it.

Just.....a.....bit....more....time.......before......I.......can.....say... ...more.......

You want me to motivate them to work faster? I can be very inspiring with the right tools.