|
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
Corrections/suggestions on formatting appreciated! I also put together an easily-printable Google Docs version.
Arodus, 4714
Most loyal agent,
As I set pen to parchment, Korvosa is just fading from view in my cabin's window. The city served me well for my year of near-exile, but from peasant to prince, the population is too tied up in its Chelish origins. Already I find my thoughts clearer for having left. Of course, that's not the only reason. With a little help from friends in the Academae, I have performed most enlightening experiments with the gifts you and my other agents have sent me. Despite the school's reputation for losing students in magical accidents, it seems that there is a limit to how many bright-eyed, young conjurers can disappear before the faculty starts asking uncomfortable questions.
No matter, though. The experience has honed my skills, and your discoveries with the Pathfinder Society have provided ample information with which I have negotiated a more permanent home in Absalom. I fear the Chelish government has since cleaned out my townhouse in the Ivy District, but I understand the Grand Lodge has a space already prepared for me.
Do you remember how so many finds disappear into one of the lodge's vaults under pretenses of their being "stored for later study" or "too great a threat to Golarion?" The Decemvirate is concerned that we have acquired too many such relics without anyone spending the time to give them proper examination. They took rather kindly to my suggestion that we found a dark archive to curate and maintain these collections, and we get the unique privilege of operating it. Archival work may not seem glamorous until you remember what powerful artifacts we are handling. So long as we prove our competence, we will enjoy nearly unfettered access to this vast collection that everyone else is too afraid to handle.
Before we can settle into our new role, I want to ensure that we have the proper training to avoid any catastrophes. That means making friends with other curators who are in the business of handling dangerous objects. Can you think of any? I know I have a few in mind, and I have no interest in taking no for an answer.
Onward, brave archivist,
Zarta Dralneen
The Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign begins the Year of the Sky Key, its sixth season of Pathfinder RPG adventures. Keep the words of Zarta Dralneen in mind, and be on the lookout for opportunities to help the new Dark Archive faction succeed in its objectives. When the time comes, endeavor to participate in Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-02: The Silver Mount Collection.
Arodus, 4714
Honored Colleague,
This letter is one of many pages splayed across my desk—normally kept so tidy but now overgrown with contracts, orders, and confirmations sealed in a rainbow of wax with a menagerie of stunning signet rings. In other circumstances I might be anxious about the disarray, but instead I have good reason to be excited. When I meet with a dear friend tomorrow and sign on the dotted line, I will terminate my commission as an official representative of Qadira and create a new business—with you as a stakeholder.
It may seem like folly to abandon the backing of the Qadiran satrapy, but I assure you that there are advantages. Many of our new clients have expressed reluctance to work with anything but an independent outfit, and my former superiors have vetoed several otherwise lucrative ventures on political grounds. These fine men and women have acknowledged and honored my decision, ensuring that Qadira remains a friend in the future. We are no longer bound by those restrictions, and lucrative opportunities await.
I have already set in motion a merger with Guaril Karela's operation, and based on projections, this growth should establish us as a force to be reckoned with in markets across the Inner Sea. Keep in mind that while the Sczarni employees are very capable business people, they sometimes pursue less savory business practices to manage the competition. Finding the right balance between our styles will be an early growing pain, so please be accommodating as we find the appropriate middle ground. If anything, their diverse skill set should help us adapt to fulfill countless commercial interests.
The Pathfinder Society has taken an interest in our young company, too, and I have a meeting with several investors from the Grand Lodge later this evening. With a broad enough trade network, I may be able to negotiate exclusive contracts to supply the Society in future expeditions. As you travel abroad, remember to study the markets and build connections with well-established, independent merchants. At an earlier meeting, a Society representative mentioned the Mwangi Expanse, which has long been beyond our reach—until now.
To our future success,
Trade-Prince Aaqir al'Hakam
The Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign begins the Year of the Sky Key, its sixth season of Pathfinder RPG adventures. Keep the words of Trade-Prince al'Hakam in mind, and be on the lookout for opportunities to help the new Exchange faction succeed in its objectives. When the time comes, endeavor to participate in Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-03: The Technic Siege.
Arodus, 4714
Pathfinder,
Reports are just starting to come in from our expedition to Jormurdun. I am pleased to hear that the march from our base camp fared well, and I understand that several of our less reputable enemies were spotted on the field of battle. I trust that you or one of our other fine agents took advantage of the opportunity and laid one or both of the villains to rest. If not, then we'll need to keep our eyes sharp and our blades sharper.
It sounds as though our agents found something quite spectacular in the sky citadel, but I've yet to get a straight answer out of the Master of Scrolls as to what that is. It sounds complicated and may require further study, and if that calls for more travel, you're one of the first agents I'll contact. I imagine you would enjoy that more than reviewing these contracts we drew up with the Five Kings Mountains to make sure the transfer of power in Jormurdun goes smoothly.
In the meantime, we have a situation in Nantambu, one of the few lodges in the Mwangi Expanse. Venture-Captain Nieford Sharrowsmith has bitten off more than he can chew and has requested reinforcements, though he's been nearly impossible to locate magically since then. I don't like it, but we need to confirm that the lodge and its agents remain in good working order. It's virtually our only base in that wilderness, and I don't want it to go the way of Kalabuto.
Explore, Report, Cooperate,
Venture Captain Ambrus Valsin
The Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign begins the Year of the Sky Key, its sixth season of Pathfinder RPG adventures. Keep the words of Ambrus Valsin in mind, and be on the lookout for opportunities to help the Grand Lodge succeed in its objectives. When the time comes, endeavor to participate in Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-03: The Technic Siege.
Arodus, 4714
Author of Independence,
To date, we have played an instrumental role in the arrest of five corrupt politicians who have wielded their influence like power-mad aristocrats. It is reassuring that Andoran's legal system has so readily recognized the guilt of these villains, though so many seem content to congratulate each other on a job well done and declare a happy ending. They cannot see that the corruption runs deeper, and we must pull it out by the roots to prevent it from growing back. For every person we manage to convict, there are 10 more that I am watching with suspicion. No doubt many are innocent—I pray that is the case—but the allure of bribes and cronyism is powerful.
The greatest difficulty is that our investigations are all subject to state oversight. This and public accountability are important prerequisites for a healthy democracy, yet in the past several months it has also served to alert those in power that they were being investigated. Some of our best evidence has been reduced to ash when the authors learned I was on their trail. Democracy protects us all, but the tools also protect those who would pervert it into tyranny. What is one to do when the only way to fight corruption is to defy one of democracy's core tenets?
I have spoken with my superiors in the Eagle Knights, and they understand my consternation; however it is not the role of a Steel Falcon to police his government's actions, for my order operates abroad to vanquish slavery and tyrants. My commanding officer recommended I turn my gaze to other lands while she performs her own investigations. I have honored her request but also taken a leave of absence to pursue justice without a national affiliation. My ties to Andoran only hamper what I can do to liberate my home and other lands, even though we still work closely with the Eagle Knights. The lessons we learn in the near future may provide us the key to ridding Andoran of corruption once and for all.
Freer than ever before,
Major Colson Maldris
The Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign begins the Year of the Sky Key, its sixth season of Pathfinder RPG adventures. Keep the words of Major Maldris in mind, and be on the lookout for opportunities to help the new Liberty's Edge faction succeed in its objectives. When the time comes, endeavor to participate in Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-05: Slave Ships of Absalom.
Arodus, 4714
Salutations,
People live and die, empires rise and fall, and mountains grow and crumble, but knowledge of the past shall remain eternal. This was a foundational understanding of the men and women known as the Jeweled Sages, and was a philosophy imparted to me when I was very young. With the assistance of Amenopheus, we have taken important steps in reviving the order of the Jeweled Sages, who sought to preserve the art, culture, and technology of Osirion's first age. However, Golarion's people have grown in the millennia since, and with them grows the scope of our mandate. With the assistance of the Pathfinder Society, we shall discover, secure, and explore historical sites across Golarion—perhaps beyond.
Even so, the Jeweled Sages relied on an extended network of agents and a diverse cast of gem-bearing scholars. In the short term, we must build up our numbers once more. That means we must focus on finding other sage jewels that contain past lore and recruiting capable inheritors to become a new generation of sages. Study what once was, understand what is, and strive to become what you will; perhaps one day I will choose you to serve at my side.
For the foreseeable future, I must labor in the sages' sanctuary deep in Osirion's desert. I have secured numerous rooms that were once sealed, but the compound is extensive and dangerous; if the Pathfinder Society honors my recent request, I may soon call upon you and your colleagues to assist me in exploring the sanctum's depths. While I busy myself with that, Amenopheus is in charge of operations further afield.
Walk with wisdom,
Tahonikepsu, the Diamond Sage
The Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign begins the Year of the Sky Key, its sixth season of Pathfinder RPG adventures. Keep the words of Tahonikepsu in mind, and be on the lookout for opportunities to help the new Scarab Sages faction succeed in its objectives. When the time comes, endeavor to participate in Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-04: Beacon Below.
Arodus, 4714
Victorious Crusader,
I have received exciting news from the front: Mendev's crusaders have pushed back the abyssal armies and razed several of their strongholds! It is too early to declare that we have won a war, but this is another battle in which we have triumphed. For the first time in a year, it seems Mendev is secure.
Despite the lull, I know that Queen Galfrey will not allow her troops to grow so overconfident that they miss any demonic counterattack.
Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your contributions. Without the Pathfinder Society's assistance, we might not have won several key battles, including the fight for Nerosyan itself. Tales of our courage shall follow the crusaders home, where these stories will feed the imaginations of a new generation of heroes. This is not lost on the Society's leaders, and in addition to written promises of aid in future causes, I can tell that behind their unfeeling masks, they have witnessed the good that comes from aiding a holy cause—I am certain! Were we only to have another monumental cause to unite the Society! Fortunately, there is no obvious candidate—fortunate because the benefits are not worth the mortal costs. Those who died in Mendev left behind broken families, and some of those who are returning home are finding no home to return to. Crimes on a smaller scale afflict the land, and a host of lesser battles remain to be fought. We must turn our focus homeward to show that we can also be soldiers of peace.
As you travel Golarion, remember that the Society's reputation is not the only thing worth redeeming. A thief may steal to feed her family or to fuel misguided dreams of easy riches, but even one who appears evil is not beyond redemption. Show charity to the needy, and open the eyes of criminals, that they might cast aside their present misfortunes and pursue a virtuous life.
That all may know peace,
Ollysta Zadrian
The Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign begins the Year of the Sky Key, its sixth season of Pathfinder RPG adventures. Keep the words of Ollysta Zadrian in mind, and be on the lookout for opportunities to help the Silver Crusade succeed in its objectives. When the time comes, endeavor to participate in Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-01: Trial By Machine.
|
|
Yep! Great catch :)
Arodus, 4714
My Comrade in Arms,
With the Horn of Aroden in hand, our army more than doubled in size in the final month of the campaign. I sent our Army of Exploration north to join the Pathfinder Society, where I have already heard reports of our soldiers' success on the field of battle. News travels quickly in Taldor, and word of our success has drawn all eyes to the north—at long last. Even though the aristocracy is late to the party, they are already arranging parties to celebrate their supposedly pivotal roles in out expedition's success. It is preposterous, really.
For millennia Taldor's nobility led the Inner Sea region in war and in peace, and the model of the enlightened, even-handed aristocrat is the ideal form of rule for most nations; however, we must accept that Taldor's elite are no longer the shining example. In your mind's eye, remove them from that sacred pedestal. As other lands have grown in strength and prominence, so too have they developed their respective noble classes. In my travels this past year, I met with many of these leaders. Some are bold innovators with justice, virtue, and industriousness to spare. Others—including an uncomfortable number of monarchs—have lost sight of the bigger picture and settled into a life of luxury, indolence, and vice.
Nonetheless, with your help I have built a growing network of right-minded nobles across eastern Avistan, many who have the ear of their head of state. Rather than try to dredge Taldor from the stagnant harbor in which it has scuttled itself, we will effect change through the lesser nobility. As the nations we foster thrive, others shall open their doors to our vision. Perhaps—I hope—one day Taldor will deign to do the same.
The Pathfinder Society is our ally in this regard. You and its many other agents travel far and wide and speak to many powerful people in the course of your work. Use these opportunities wisely to find like-minded aristocrats to join us, but exercise caution; if we move too openly, those uninterested in change may try to stop us. My next goal is greater recognition in Absalom, which has long been my home and hosts a plethora of like-minded elite.
Our goal is worth the wait,
Lady Gloriana Morilla
The Pathfinder Society Organized Play campaign begins the Year of the Sky Key, its sixth season of Pathfinder RPG adventures. Keep the words of Lady Morilla in mind, and be on the lookout for opportunities to help the new Sovereign Court faction succeed in its objectives. When the time comes, endeavor to participate in Pathfinder Society Scenario #6-05: Slave Ships of Absalom.