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Eolowyn is enjoying a walk through the woods. She steps lightly over fallen branches.
She is dressed in a studded leather armor. At her side are two quivers with arrows and a longsword. Over her chest she wears a bandolier with 4 flasks in it.
She moves smoothly, but is hampered a bit by the backpack on her back. Over her shoulder she carries a longbow, that is rather green and still has some verdant leaves seemingly growing out of it.
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A gruff looking bald man glares at the newcomers to the group, clearly upset over being saddled with more people to slow him up. Dressed in loose clothing, the front of his shirt is left open to reveal his muscled chest. Across his back is an exquisite looking bow with a few quivers of arrows on his hip. ”So, looks like the Society has another job that needs doing. I hope it’s not as weird as the last one, Angels, Dragons, Demons, and a talking sword. No thank you in my book.”
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"如果我的舌头，我的眼睛，我会很盲目!" Shu exclaims after forcing down a mouthful of something resembling food.
"This taste like yeti testicle!" The old Tien gnome scowls at the food before him. Short even by the standards of his race, he wears a simple hooded hanfu made from a material of the deepest black that contrasts strikingly with his white beard. His eyes, oddly mismatched with one slightly larger than the other, turn to glare at an old Tien human standing nearby. "When you say you are great kook I thought you mean maker of food! This is like rotten egg seasoned with spell component! Look! Even Pu think it awful!"
A white-furred monkey sits on a chair next to the gnome, pawing desperately at its tongue.
"What fool give you job here?" The gnome looks around Maximo's Hideaway as if seeking an enemy to challenge.
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”You would kno what that taste rlike!” (yeti testicles), Mu takes back the squarely folded palm-leaf container, moderately hurt at his failed recipe. ”This is not bad!!”. He takes a bite of the gelatinous morsel, but could barely contain the convulsion and tear at the corner of his eyes. Mu Ping storms back into the kitchen and shouts to the crew, "Throw it out! The Emperor don't rlike it!!"
In the middle of the night, the you are summoned to the Grand Lodge. It is abuzz with rumors of something monumental happening in Oppara. In the formal briefing, you are informed that transport has been arranged and the team of agents is being sent to the Oppara Lodge.
A swift boat ride, a quick trip through Taldor’s gilded capital, and a coded knock at the front door lead to the unassuming, windowless Pathfinder Society lodge masquerading as a bait and tackle shop called Rods and Reels. The strong smell of old fish permeates the dwelling, which has somewhat of a ill cared-for, haphazard appearance. The light of a single, whale-oil lantern forms strange shadows on the floor among the nets and buckets that fill the lodge’s ground floor.
The middle-aged venture-captain who runs the lodge—a ruddy-skinned and pockmark-faced man named Muesello—emerges from the narrow spiral stairs to the lodge’s second floor and addresses the group.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Pathfinders. Let me bring you all up to speed. It seems that I may have gotten myself, and by extension the Society, into a bit of hot water. You see, lately the Taldan government has been growing particularly protective of what it considers its national treasures. Grand Prince Stavian seems to have taken a personal interest in anything older than last week’s fish stew, imposing heavy tariffs on any antiquities being sent out of the country."
The grey-haired man lets out a deep sigh and his shoulders slump.
"This is where my own idiocy comes in. I thought that I could save the Society a few pieces of gold by smuggling items out of the city, using my contacts in a secret cult of local Sarenites known as the Dawnflower Blossoms. They receive significant support from people in Qadira, and oversee regular shipments to and from Katheer."
"Everything went very smoothly until last night. A group of local guards known as the Porthmos Militia conducted a violent raid on one of the cult’s safe houses here in the neighborhood of Westport. A man named Chalfon Dalsine, a minor noble who was himself nearly a Pathfinder in his youth, led the attack. This gang slaughtered half the members of the cult, even those who didn’t fight back—it was horrible. A few members were able to escape, but the rest were either slain or captured and dragged away for interrogation."
Muesello goes on to explain that while the deaths were tragic, his primary concern is that he had given the Sarenites several parcels for transport just last week. The parcels included a number of notes written in a personal cypher, but anything involving codes eventually makes
its way to the Lion Blades, the secret spies of the Taldan government. It’s only a matter of time before they crack the code or use some divination magic to track him down.
Muesello continues his explanation.
"The Society is in a very delicate place at the moment, especially here in Taldor. The upheavals caused by the Shadow Lodge have only made things worse. If the government tracks those packages back to me, they might formally expel all Pathfinders from the country! Now what I need you to do is …"
A loud knock on the shop’s front door interrupts the venture-captain mid-sentence. A strong voice calls out from the other side, “Open this door! This is the Porthmos Militia. Open this
door in the name of the Grand Prince!”
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Walter is a stern-looking 1/2 Orc. He hardly ever smiles,
and he also seems to be constantly looking at those speaking with great attention.
He wears his all blue traveler's outfit,
along with a blue suit of scale mail.
His ever handy longspear is extremely well made; it's never far from his reach.
Walter listens intently at the Venture-Captain.
Turning on a dime, Walter readies his longspear,
stepping close enough to the door to allow for his reach should any come through with violence.
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"Grleetings?", the native inflection of the Tian Xia people precedes a venerable human stepping into the room. The man has seen better days, his skin is gaunt, taunt and dark, much like the skewered grilled lizard he's snacking on. Grey robes of monastic traditions states his general neutrality on philosophical matters.
He flicks the remains of the garlic treat away; rests his cane and straw hat against the wall introduces himself to the Captain and others. "I am Mu Ping. Rleporting foh duty." (Either someone needed a quota filled at the recruiting station or his application was misdirected from the Napfinders.)
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At the pounding upon the door, Mu looks around for the back door and readies a potion.
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Shu follows Mu into the meeting with his monkey perched atop his head. He also carries a burned lizard on a stick, and spends most of the meeting scowling at the horrid excuse for a snack, scowling at Mu, or looking for a place to dispose of the thing.
When the meeting is interrupted, the lizard clatters to the floor in the spot Shu was standing in...
Those with really good eyes might notice his toes peeking out from under a table.
Venutre-Captian Muesello doesn't respond to any of you directly yet. He plays up his age, and calls to the guards outside the door that he must find the key, motioning for you to remain quiet. As Muesello loudly fumbles around the shop to make it sound as though he’s searching for something, he whispers to the gathered Pathfinders.
"Ten of the escaped Dawnflower Blossoms members are hidden here in the lodge. I was able to rescue them after the raid. They’re all upstairs—five in my bedroom and another five in my supply room."
He knocks over three hay bales along the room’s east wall, revealing a trap door beneath. He flings it open to reveal a ladder descending into darkness.
"You’ve got to get those people out of here," he pleads, gesturing frantically at the hatch. "In my basement there is a staircase leading down to the ancient catacombs under the city. At the bottom of that staircase, there is a large lever on the right, just a few feet down the connecting corridor. Once everyone is clear of the staircase, pull it down and it will collapse behind you. That should keep anyone from following you. Once you’re in the catacombs, just ask the cult members for directions; they should know their way around. Ask them to take you to the Vault of Sarenrae—it’s their last hiding place. Oh, and track down this Chalfon Dalsine, and see if you can find my parcels: two beautiful sets of armor crafted by the fey of the Verduran Forest. Last I heard, the Porthmos Militia had taken them back to Dalsine’s home.”
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Shu peeks out from under the table, listening to Muesello's plan. "I scout ahead. Make sure way is clear." He whispers, then drops down through the trap door.
There's an old saying that Shu considers:
You don't need to be the fastest.
Just faster than the slowest.
With short legs that usually means establishing a healthy head start.
The Pathfinders notice captain Muesello cast a spell on the door as they begin to assist the refugees. The Sarenites are frightened, but follow along willingly enough. With the party helping them, they are able to move much more quickly.
Suddenly, you hear a loud banging at the door. The guards are trying to break it down!
While the pounding is fierce, the augmented door holds fast.
As the last person climbs down the ladder, Muesello casts arcane lock on the trapdoor, after which he loudly surrenders to the guards above.
The Pathfinders gather the refugees in the tunnel outside the shop. Johann examines the lever, and finds it to be perfectly ssfe and in good working order. He pulls it as he exits, and the door way behind is blocked with debris spilling down with a loud crash!
The party take a moment to look over their charges. They see 5 human women, 3 human men, and 2 halfling women in the group. All of them are unarmed.
The Sarenites introduce themselves and then suggest the group move quickly to avoid detection. A human woman named Xene and a halfling woman named Sophone say they know the way to the Vault of Sarenrae and offer to lead the group there.
The halflings accept the weapons that Joahnn offers them. They give Walter soem directions to get started, and while walking they share some information with Eolowyn.
"The Vault is really an ancient temple dedicated to the Dawnflower we discovered here in the catacombs a few years back. Only a few of us know about it, so it’s probably the most secure location for us right now. Then again, after the attack, I’m not so sure it’s wise to trust anyone or anything.”
"I think we can find our way to the Vault, although I’m not familiar with this particular part of the catacombs. Sarenites like us have used the catacombs for centuries to meet in secret and to move around the city undetected. It’s not the safest place, as we’ve encountered criminals and dangerous creatures down here from time to time, but I don’t think we have a better choice at the moment."
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"The Dawnflower is another name for Sarenrae, a forbidden deity here in Taldor. Sarenrae is the primary deity of Qadira, and since Qadira and Taldor have been fighting for ages, Taldor has forbidden her worship here. That is why her temple will be in catacombs, and not on the surface in the sunlight." replies Malfeas curtly, while observing Walter for any sign of reaction, given his allegiance.
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"Huh. Thought only evil cultists that chop up people lurk in sewer. Wait, is Dawnflower evil?" Shu frowns, thinking about taking his crossbow back. Reminding himself of the Pathfinder code, he decides to go along with the current plan. For now.
"So, any of you cultist know where we find Chalfon Dalsine?"
The worship of Sarenrae has been illegal in Taldor since the Great Purge of 4528 AR. The degree to which her followers are persecuted has waxed and waned over the last 200 years.
Sarenrae worship is much more common outside of Taldor’s major urban centers (Cassomir and Oppara), and away from the xenophobic southern border region (which includes the city of Zimar).
The catacombs of Oppara are a mix of ancient sewer lines, natural caves, and old city streets and buildings buried centuries or even millennia ago. The ground beneath the city is literally honeycombed by countless tunnels and chambers. The catacombs have been used throughout Oppara’s history as a meeting place for secret organizations.
One of the escapees speaks with you.
"In deed, the Dawnflower is another name for Sarenrae. As to the question over whether or not she's evil, well - she alone stood against the Rough Beast and forced him into his prison! She also teaches that all people might be redeemed if they follow good."
"I am not sure where this Dalsine lives, but perhaps some of the other members of our group can help you when we get to the Vault."
The catacombs twist and turn, the passages ranging in width from narrow five-foot crawlspaces to massive twenty-foot avenues. The walls and floors vary in material from rough-hewn stone to cobblestone to moldering wooden boardwalks. The current stone passage spans a width of twenty feet and features dozens of smaller, five- and ten-foot-wide, round tunnels branching off every few yards. The air is dry and still.