Venture-Captain Amara Li is waiting in a well-maintained private garden behind a house on a quiet street in Ramparassad, the capital city of Dtang Ma, a nation in eastern Tian Xia. She speaks once everyone has arrived and has had an opportunity to enjoy tea. “When first I arrived in Absalom two years ago, I had a simple but nuanced mission: to increase communication and sharing of resources between the Pathfinder Society and its counterpart in Tian Xia by establishing the Lantern Lodge’s position on the other side of the world.”
She pauses briefly to sip her tea, before adding, “More than a year ago we successfully purchased and restored the house known as Hinojai, which was once a base for the Way of the Kirin. When we acquired Hinojai, it was as much a gambit to attract the attention of the remaining agents of the Way of the Kirin as it was an opportune acquisition of real estate. And indeed, a man claiming to be an agent of the Way recently contacted me by leaving me a message here.”
“Although the Way of the Kirin fell into ruin with the fall of Lung Wa a century ago, its far-reaching resources remain valuable, and it still commands great respect. If the Pathfinder Society could ally itself with the Way, the relationship would be of immense benefit to both organizations."
Amara’s voice reveals her satisfaction as she says, “Pathfinders, we are on the cusp of just such an alliance. In a day’s time, we shall meet with this representative from the Way of the Kirin, and you are to act as security for me and ensure that the meeting is a success. I do not expect any trouble from the Way, but after all of the betrayals and double-crosses that the Society has experienced over the past few years, I worry that this is an elaborate setup by the Aspis Consortium. I have arranged for us all to be transported to the site early tomorrow morning, so take care of any errands you have in Ramparassad this afternoon. There are no settlements near our destination, and we will be spending the night there. I expect you understand the need to be fully prepared.”
Amara Li stares into the dregs of her tea as though she were attempting to discern some lost thoughts in the green leaves floating at the cups bottom, then looks up. “Ah yes—before the negotiations begin in earnest, I will host a formal tea ceremony to set the tone. I encourage you to participate, though doing so is not required. I would, however, expect you to dress appropriately for the event." With that she stands and waits to accept any questions.
K: Local or Diplomacy: Gather Info
Golden League toughs have been more visible than usual in Ramparassad, though they have not caused much trouble.
Members of the Golden League have been spotted all over Ramparassad, and it looks as though they are watching for someone
A Minkai member of the Golden League visited Ramparassad recently—the local Xun all seemed afraid of him. Named Mikogu Shimazi, he is a ruthless man with a reputation for throwing away the lives of his subordinates to accomplish a goal.
Once a friend of the Way of the Kirin, Shimazi turned his back on the organization when it refused to support him against an enemy. He has since joined the Golden League and denounced his former friends.
“To ensure the utmost secrecy, I will not reveal any information about our meeting site until after we have left in the morning. There are too many curious ears in Ramparassad.” Amara replies. "While we have taken considerable measures to ensure this mission is secret, I am certain that both the Golden League and the Aspis Consortium would leverage every resource to prevent this alliance.”
"Typically one wears a formal court dress or formal armor. I doubt that our contact will be particular about which you choose.”
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"This 'Golden League' is looking for someone," notes Sir Terramor, his dour expression soon giving way to youthful enthusiasm. "I'd wager that's either you or your contact in the Way of the Kirin. Either way, we must expect trouble at the site or en route. If a fight starts, stay close by me, I beg you Madame. I am trained as a bodyguard."
"Thank you Sir Terramor. It is because of my trust in each of you that you have been chosen for this mission. Now please feel free to spend the rest of the day doing whatever you need to do to prepare for our journey. We leave at first light."
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Sir Terramor is going into town and shopping for something appropriate that will fit over his western armor. A blue silk sleeveless gown that will not interfere with his motions in combat. He only regrets that he has no time to have the gown embroidered to match his horse Morningstar's panoply.
He will visit a tea house in Ramparassad that evening to learn what he can of a Dtang Ma tea ceremony, then retire early after giving Morningstar a thorough brush-down (he has a squire, Bellamy, but habitually sees to Morningstar's needs personally.)
Sir Terramor will be at Amara Li's garden gate before dawn, fully packed and ready to move out.
The next morning, you, Amara, and a pair of servants are teleported to the island where the meeting will occur, and she reveals that they are now on a small volcanic island at the northern end of the Minatan Archipelago.
A black stone pier juts out from the beach, though years of pounding surf and use make it impossible to discern whether it was magic or skilled hands that constructed the pier. Igneous black sand peppered with chunks of dark gray rock makes up the beach. Further up the hill, the landscape is filled with strange shapes eroded from the charcoal-colored stone. Wild basalt beasts, bizarre pumice chimneys, igneous archways, and twisted stone snakes line the winding milelong path that crawls up the steep hillside. The black tiles of the lighthouses’s rooftop is just barely visible between two of the more serpentine stone menhirs. A light mist dampens the docks and darkens the stone to a glossy black.
The many rocky outcroppings provide ample material for constructing deadfalls, anchoring tripwires, and so on.
"How Iko Tsuneo arrives is up to him; he is expetcing to meet us at the house. Let us make haste so that we are ready when he arrives."
A lighthouse towers above a two-story house. Both structures are made primarily of the local soot-colored basalt. The lighthouse appears to be intact, but the manor has fared less well—its windows lack screens and its roof sags, suggest it has suffered badly from decades of neglect. These structures perch at the edge of a cliff, with the north-facing side of the house supported by tall stilts anchored deep into the cliff.
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"The Elders say, ‘Calvary is indispensible in battle, but the first rule of the march is never follow directly behind the horses.’” Dartenelles grins with a wry smile. He then moves offset of Morningstar as he follows (if the path will allow it.)
Seeing the Blue Knight’s and Strat’s focus on safety over humor, Dartenelles loses the grin and subtly expends a charge from his wand of mage armor. (AC now 15 and FF 14 for the next hour.) (49 charges remaining)
"Really...so paranoid! I told you we took every precaution." Amara sighs but resigns herself to your diligence. "Fine...fortify the house and grounds however you see fit. Just try to make it as transparent as possible so as not to worry our guests."
With that Amara leaves you to your preparations. Although no sign of an assault is imminent, the information you gathered earlier has made you concenred enough to be prepared for the worst, and as well trained Pathfinders you set out to discover the resources available to you.
A1. Entry
The strong wooden door can be barred from the inside and makes a formidable barricade. Piling furniture behind the door will take 10 feet worth of material.
A2. Kitchen
The kitchen has several large, empty chests that once served as pantry space, an oven with openings in the top for pots of various sizes, a sink, and a single wooden stool.
A3. The Great Hall
This large room served as the great hall that once provided Way of the Kirin members a place to meet and socialize, as well as a library for research. Two massive bay windows with window seats topped with ruined silk cushions face north and offer a spectacular view of the ocean and a cluster of smaller islands; barricading these windows takes 15 feet of material each. An immense fireplace against the southern wall conceals a small stairway leading to a lava tube that snakes through the island’s stone core.
A4. Lighthouse Storage
This circular room has a simple wooden door and contains a jumble of old supplies, among which you recover two rusty bear traps and a 20-gallon barrel of whale oil meant to fuel the lighthouse’s fire.
Many of the old pieces of lumber and iron fittings are actually what remains of a disassembled catapult. Assembling the siege engine from what remains presents two challenges. First, not all of the pieces are present, as past visitors borrowed various pieces for repairs or firewood. Second, it may take some practice shots to get a feel for how accurate it is.
A5. Spare Room
This room is devoid of furniture, making its original purpose difficult to discern, but because of the room’s position immediately above the main door, the floor could be modified to create murder holes for firing arrows down at intruders or even pouring dangerous substances on them.
A6. Master Bedroom
A large, rotting bed dominates the master bedroom along side a relatively well-preserved desk and chair. The ceiling sags from water damage and the floor in the center of the room slants alarmingly.
A7. Lightroom
The lighthouse rises 30 feet and is built of the same dark basalt as the nearby house. A slightly arched covered bridge connects the second floors of the two structures. Inside, the lighthouse contains only a small storage area (area A4) and a wooden spiral staircase that winds its way up to the tower’s top. A trapdoor at the top of the stairs exits to a narrow walkway with a railing that encircles the middle of the small room that houses the lantern.
The lighthouse’s lantern is still functional, but the lens and half of the glass panes that would have once protected and focused the flame are now broken from years of bad weather and lack of maintenance.
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To Dartenelles: "Just tell me how big a hole you want in the floor, my sword should go through wood like water. "
"We should have the meeting take place in the Great Hall - the view from the windows is impressive, and we can escape down the fireplace should our enemies try siege or fire. Can anyone tell if the bear traps still work? Does anyone know how to assemble this catapult? Should we block off the lighthouse? (We could block the ground floor entrance, or the entrance to the main building, or break the stairs or the bridge.)"
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<<So now we're preparing for a siege? What else isn't Amara Li telling us?>> Sir Terramor wonders.
"Getting that catapult ready should be a priority," offers the Blue Knight. "But I think that Morningstar and I might best spend our time preparing some surprises for any foes as they travel here overland. Assuming that they don't use magic to arrive, any foes will have to move north through the island from the pier or the beaches to the south. There are several places I can try to set up deadfalls or other traps."
Terramor thinks for a moment. "What if Strat and I work outside while Dartenelles and Chai Kai work to ready the building? If we spot invaders we'll fall back here. Morningstar can carry us both if he has to."
1. The bay windows do indeed overlook the cliff. The only way into the structure is through the main doors (A1) or to enter through the lighthouse door (A4), ascend the stairs and cross the bridge to the second floor.
2. Murder holes are easily cut into the floor above the main entrance. The whale oil and an unlit torch are easily moved to that area as well. (I'm assuming someone has the means to light the torch?)
3. Bear traps are set in front of the bay windows.
4. Sir T. and Strat are setting up traps along the approach to the lighthouse. (Each trap substantial enough to earn a defense point requires 1 hour of work; please let me know how many traps you intend to set.)
5. Dartenelles is going to need some help getting that catapult working.
You still haven't barricaded the doors and windows; keep in mind that Iko Tsuneo needs to enter the building for the meeting so if you plan on blocking the main entrance that should be your last task.
First Sir Terramor and Strat explore the tunnel. Then they ride down to the pier and beaches and look for likely locations for traps and set as many as they can, working their way back towards the lighthouse.
The plan is to vary the sorts of traps they can set: deadfalls are probably the easiest, but perhaps some rope-and-torsion spikes (a la Conan the Barbarian) as well. In no case will they be late to greet Iko Tsuneo. That would be rude.
Sir Terramor will await the arrival of Tsuneo by the pier to greet him courteously and to guide him around the traps.
[See Perception result above for the search of the Tunnel.]
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Dartenelles will grab a candle or lamp from the wall and have Strat spark it when he gets back. He'll leave this near but not too near the whale oil upstairs.
He will investigate the ceiling of the great room to see what would have to be done to bring it down in a worst case scenario.
He'll also re-up his Mage Armor after all the preparations are made. [48 charges remain]
Despite all best efforts the catapult doesn't appear to be able to be restored to working order. Luckily Terramor and Strat are able to set a handful of traps after an uneventful exploration of the tunnel.
By late afternoon Iko Tsuneo, an ancient samurai who wears his armor lightly despite his age, arrives and climbs up to the house with Sir Terramor. Amara Li has changed into formal robes of azure and dove-gray silk. She greets Tsuneo and suggests everyone retire to the great hall for tea.
Once seated, Tsuneo inquires of the Pathfinders "Help me to understand the Pathfinder Society better, if you please. What is your role in the Pathfinder Society? Perhaps you can also share your proudest moments as Pathfinders?"
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"My role is to seek out hidden knowledge," says Sir Terramor, his tone cultured and his voice filled with the pride so common to too many Taldan noblemen. "To uncover for the free races of the world that which lies hidden, to record my adventures for the edification of the future."
"And to serve the aims of the Decemvirate, of course," he adds, somewhat less convincingly.
"And I am proud that I helped to free the Temple of Empyreal Enlightenment from a dangerous foe that lay hidden in its breast, corrupting the followers of that good temple. So too did I aid in the cleansing of a temple to fell gods in Taldor, striving with the dead things that had taken up residence there. And I conquered the fey creatures of winter in the strange snows that befell Taldor a few months ago. All these I truly did in the name of the Pathfinder Society."
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Dartenelles ponders over Tsuneo’s questions and then replies, “The Glyph of Open Road says it all. The Society’s symbol reveals its great appeal; The open road, what lies ahead, freedom. The Society brings together those who embrace the road and steers them to explore, cooperate, and report of what they experience along the way. I am but a pilgrim that has won over dissidents in Jalmeray, found brotherhood among the natives of northern lands, and put down an undead uprising in Kaer Maga. But those are just points along the river of life, yet I continue along the way like the noble eagle.
“You know of this majestic bird? It soars in the heavens as a symbol of liberty, unfettered by the bonds of tyranny or oppression. I know your order reveres the mighty Karin. Perhaps there is a link between these two regal animals. Why do your people hold them so dear?”
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Tsuneo lights up at Dartenelles' question. We revere the kirin's good heart and will to defeat evil creatures, though that is tempered by its caution about meddling directly in the everyday affairs of others." He reflects a bit more before adding "There does appear to be no small similarity between the kirin and your eagle."
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Kardak considers his words carefully, aware that one man's exploration is another man's grave robbing. I'll have to hold off on the story of how I got this outfit - it doesn't portray the Society in a good light. Neither does the time we helped the Blakros family break a centuries-old agreement.
"My role is to pit my swordsmanship against evil things that lurk in dark places of the world, so that fellow Pathfinders can explore without fear. I've cleared harpies out of their nest in a giant statue of Irori, defended a village in Shokuro from bandits, and helped transport a relic and a dead man's ashes."
"I cherish the stories of your accomplishments and will carry them with me always. I look forward to a long and fruitful alliance with the Pathfinder Society. However I must ask about some of the...precautions you've taken. The traps, barricading the doors behind us...are you expecting trouble?"
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Sir Terramor looks sidelong at Amara Li then returns his gaze to the aged samurai. "The Pathfinder Society tries to take the time to learn whom its foes might be. In Ramparassad we learned that members of the Golden League were searching for someone. We have reasons to believe that someone to be either the honored Venture-Captain or yourself. Since we are isolated here, it is a logical place to strike if your enemies know what you plan. We were tasked with keeping you safe, and so we shall."
"Of course, we hope that such precautions will not be necessary."
The misty rain blocks direct view of the sunset. Slowly, the sky darkens with the coming night, only to start lightening again, perhaps a sign that the clouds are breaking to the south. A warm, reddish-orange glow brightens the horizon. But instead of fading like a normal sunset, it glows brighter and brighter. The glow isn’t the sunset—it’s coming from the pier.
Tsuneo rises to his feet when he sees the glow. Realizing that something is amiss, he turns towards Amara Li. "Lady Amara, explain the meaning of this! I had your assurance that this meeting would take place under your protection! Why are we under assault? Or are your Pathfinders behind this attack?"