You've not been initiate pathfinders for long, yet each of you received a letter for an assignment pretty quickly. After a hurried summons to the Grand Lodge in Absalom, a quick conversation with Venture-Captain Alissa Moldreserva, and a wet, stormy trip across the Inner Sea to Andoran, the
small, warm Pathfinder Lodge in Augustana is a welcome break from travel.
"I can’t believe we are wasting our time on this matter," says Caudron Wallace, the venture-captain of Augustana as he paces the main hall. "Frankly, I want as little to do with it as possible, so I’m passing it on to you."
Wallace nods toward a door at the back of the room. "The vagrant through there was found collapsed on our front steps gripping a wayfinderof all things. We still don’t know who he is. Talk to him, for the tale he tells is amazing if true, and then come back here."
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Before you appears to be a well dressed man wearing leather armour and a buckler strapped to his arm with a few other weapons at his waist. Although he seems to give off an air of aristocracy, he doesn't hold himself up as a noble and appears more concerned with being here than anything else.
He appears to have been looking at a empty space for a few moments before turning back to the venture captain.
"A vagrant with a Wayfinder? Do you know if he is a pathfinder too?" as he asks this he looks back to the empty space and turns back "Let us hear what he has to say, but does he had any identifying marks, wounds or tattoos?"
For a moment he looks to one of the members of the group as the Silver Crusade is mentioned.
"Silver Crusade? Do you wish to fight demons?" he asks as a hand twitches near his rapier. He again looks at a empty corner before looking back over to him "May the Dawnflower bless you as she has blessed many in my family."
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A booming laugh is heard, and the door opens wildly.
I hate traveling by ship... But the open sky was wonderful to watch!
A small woman in studded leather armor, with breaded blond hair hold with a simple blue ribbon, enters. She's got a big smile on her lips.
It takes you a few seconds to realise she is a member of the dwarf race... but the huge, nearly oversized and definitevely sharp battleaxe is quite a clue.
So, this is what a pathfinder lodge looks like? I'm Brallenera Thalkham, and I'm thirsty.
The venture captain waves off Brallenera's comment on drinks.
"You can drink all you want, after this assignment."
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The door opens slightly and a slender, yet strong looking man steps in, he wears a strange looking hat made of straw on his head and comes in head held low.
"Good day to you all, is this where Venture Captain Moldreserva resides? I've come to her summons after a long road."
The man looks up and it is now apparent that he has a beak and brown feathers under his mundane garb. Evidentally he is nor armoured, but he has a variety of strange looking weapons on his back and side, none of them from around Absalom.
A Sickle and ball connected with a chain, a folded-up staff with a chain and an odd-shaped trident.
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Ala'Ihys nods at the well dressed man, following the mans eye the paladin looks the some direction.
what is he looking at,
nodding his head at the mans recommendation Ala'Ihys agrees
yes speaking to the vagrant would be the next step
hearing the mans question, again following his eye and seeing his hand twitch near his rapier
I will fight whoever the Dawnflower wills, demons or no, and she has blessed my family also. Speaking of families, my family name is al-Rashid of the Nabataean tribe; perchance does your family or yourself have a name?
"My family name is Wraitheart. We have a long bloodline to the royal family in Taldor." he states with a small smile. "You may call me Joseph." he puts out a hand to shake.
Of course they're Lawful and this character's plans with his deity will involve exploiting the society's resources.
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Joseph, that name is familiar
Ala'Ihys thinks for a moment, not immediately shaking the mans hand, but in a moment he finally reaches out and grasps the others hand firmly shaking, seaming to be familiar with the idea but not used to the custom. He looks the man in the eye holding both his hand and his gaze
Ah yes Youssof, or 'the lord will increase' tell me Youssof Wraith-heart, what lord do you seek increase from?
Joseph doesn't manage to hold the gaze too well and seems obviously uncomfortable.
"Lord?" Joseph appears a little confused at first and again looks to a corner before turning back to him. "Do you mean deity? I follow the lady Pharasma."
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A tall man wearing gracefully tailored traveler's garb has been standing behind the others. He wears no armor and has the plethora of small pouches along his belt that usually contain spell components. Also on his belt are a longsword, dagger, light mace, with a longbow and quiver of arrows slung from his small pack.
Both the elegant yet simple design of his weapons and clothes and his pointed ears reveal he is an elf, with emerald green eyes, dark eyebrows, hair the color of sandlewood, streaked with gold and blond, flowing past his shoulders. Peaking out from under his cloak is the emblem of the firebird, indicating he is a member of the Sovereign Court faction.
He has started to speak a number of times, but each time, he has deferred to one of the other Pathfinders who introduces himself or asks questions of the others. Finally, he steps forward and says, "I am Toorin Valpamiucon, son of Barathon and Daeralda, of Kyonin. I am pleased to meet you all and look forward to serving at your side. As you may guess," he says, gesturing toward his spell component pouches, "I cast arcane spells. I am a transmuter of the Elven tradition of Spellbinders." Next he pats his sword and adds, "I will support you as I may but know that I can manage well enough in a fight."
Glancing at Ala'Ihys and pulls from under his shirt a delicately wrought medalion with a golden wire circling three long double-terminated crystals of red, blue, and yellow, arranged in an asterix configuration. "I revere all the dieties of my people, but Yuelral hears my prayers under the stars."
Everything about Toorin is aristocratic and refined. He speaks perfect common (if there is such a thing), with only the melodic tones of Elven inflecting some of the vowel sounds. He stands straight, his clothes are clean and neat, and his voice is polite and calm. Perhaps it is just his height, but he might have the slightest of haughty expressions as he regards the humans, tengu, and dwarf.
The Venture Captain's eyes close briefly and he pinches between them.
"He's in that room down the hall, enjoy it, i know i sure am not. It's very likely a waste of time on a lunatic."
When you are all aquainted, you take the VC's directions and walk through a firm door to a room in the back of the main hall. In there, you find a small sitting room with six comfortable chairs and a few bookshelves filled with the latest Pathfider Chronicles. An old, withered man sits in one of the chairs, half-dozing when the PCs enter. His skin is shockingly pale and his features are sharp with high cheekbones and a jutting chin. Despite his incredibly fithy visage, matted white hair, and infimity, when he awakes and regards you he does so with a look of absolute, confident superiority.
"My loyal subjects, welcome! I know that some of you might not recognize me in my current state, but it is truly me, Gandros, the long-lost Prince of Augustana. I have been in hiding since the untimely death of my father, the Emperor, preparing for my return to glory. Unfortunately, I bear ill news. The army I have been gathering in the otherworld has been infitrated by agents of our enemies. When last I called my forces together for inspection, dark assassins attacked me
and I barely escaped with my life."
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The Venture Captain's eyes close briefly and he pinches between them.
"He's in that room down the hall, enjoy it, i know i sure am not. It's very likely a waste of time on a lunatic."
When you are all aquainted, you take the VC's directions and walk through a firm door to a room in the back of the main hall. In there, you find a small sitting room with six comfortable chairs and a few bookshelves filled with the latest Pathfider Chronicles. An old, withered man sits in one of the chairs, half-dozing when the PCs enter. His skin is shockingly pale and his features are sharp with high cheekbones and a jutting chin. Despite his incredibly fithy visage, matted white hair, and infimity, when he awakes and regards you he does so with a look of absolute, confident superiority.
"My loyal subjects, welcome! I know that some of you might not recognize me in my current state, but it is truly me, Gandros, the long-lost Prince of Augustana. I have been in hiding since the untimely death of my father, the Emperor, preparing for my return to glory. Unfortunately, I bear ill news. The army I have been gathering in the otherworld has been infitrated by agents of our enemies. When last I called my forces together for inspection, dark assassins attacked me
and I barely escaped with my life."
"The other world? Prince of what?" he asks as he looks over the man in his rags. "How are we able to help you, my prince?"
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Toorin glances at the others, looking to see if anyone recognizes any of the names Gandros mentioned. Then he bows and sits so his head is a little lower than Gandros' head and says, "Welcome to Andoran. I fear that time spent in the otherworld may have caused you to emerge from hiding to a place that no longer remembers you. Please, tell us the story of your travails. If there is anything you require, perhaps one of my comrades can fetch it for you. Do you require food or drink? Please tell us of your life."
Without a family name, it is hard to tell what family this man is from.
Gandros looks most pleased when young Lord Joseph 'addresses him with his title', receiving a haughty but politely happy nod, so common for higher placed nobles.
"Prince of my father's empire, founded within these very lands."
Toorin and Ala'Hysis are outright ignored.
Whereas the average person would pause to answer your individual questions, the old man leaves no space and then simply goes on.
"The assassins were of a kind most foul, they attacked with tooth and claw." He rolls up his right sleeve, revealing recent inflicted claw and bite marks on his right forearm.
"I fled back through the magic portal to this realm. Grievously
wounded, and with the assassins in close pursuit, I leapt into the dark river. I floated past the Almsman’s Sanctuary, but couldn’t climb out of the water. I did manage to grab one of the bridges, but a plank fell in with me. I held on for dear life and continued to drif downstream. I went over a waterfall and then emerged in the lake of ships and crawled to shore. Augustana has changed since I last walked my city’s bright streets, but I managed to find this house, bearing the symbol of my father’s empire."
He holds up the wayfider hanging from a chain around his neck. "I knew I would find help here! If you remove the threat from my kingdom below and help restore me to my rightful place as Emperor of Andoran, I will grant you any boon within my power!"
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An human noble? Him? Don't think so..
Then the elf says the magic words, which brings a smile on the dwarf's face
Of course. He's a mage, or something like that. He knows the magic words...
Hey, your .. king, the tall one is right, you're totally needin" a drink. Or two. I should be ashamed not to serve you quicker. I will bring you something strong. Just stay there, and talk to the others, your kinginess. I'll soon be back!
With a grin, the female barbarian comes back inside the first room, and politely asks the Venture Captain for something strong to drink.
You know, your strange guy, he's thinkin" he's a king or something. So I got to pretend I'm a servant obeying his orders, or something like that, to get his trust. Could I get a big glass and a few bottles?
Of course, it's obvious she plan to share a drink with the "king". Out of loyalty, probably.
She doesn't even bother to hide it- or she's doing it totally wrong, who knows?
When asked for his father's name, the old man does finally respond, albeit because he addressed him as prince.
"My father's name was Relios, and to the dwarven lass, thank you."
When she gets to the Venture Captain with the request, the man's right eye brow raises.
"What did i tell you about drinking on the job? It's written on your face that you're going to drink with the lunatic. You'll only get non-alcoholic beverages in here, either water, milk or fruit juice."
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Awwwwww... That's sooo sad. Not even a small ale? For the king? "All ale the king", or something like that, isn't what the humans say usually?
Her eyes twinkle as she looks at the Captain
I remember what you said, you said I could drink all I want AFTER this mission. You will find I'm quite a strong willed woman.
Thinking quickly
Well, for the king and me,I'll bring some fresh fruit juices, if you don't mind. That's a strange story he's telling. Our dwarves kings seems... nobler. He doesn't look the part. But some parts of his story are backed by facts, he showed us some recent bites and claws scars. What is the "Alamans sanctuary"? He speaks of a "kingdom below", and of a river where he floated.
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Awwwwww... That's sooo sad. Not even a small ale? For the king? "All ale the king", or something like that, isn't what the humans say usually?
Her eyes twinkle as she looks at the Captain
I remember what you said, you said I could drink all I want AFTER this mission. You will find I'm quite a strong willed woman.Thinking quickly
Well, for the king and me,I'll bring some fresh fruit juices, if you don't mind. That's a strange story he's telling. Our dwarves kings seems... nobler. He doesn't look the part. But some parts of his story are backed by facts, he showed us some recent bites and claws scars. What is the "Alamans sanctuary"? He speaks of a "kingdom below", and of a river where he floated.
Joseph initially backs away from the venture captain at his outburst
"N-no worries. I'm sure our companion here was just mistaken." he states as he looked at the dwarf worriedly "I am not certain of his nobility, but if there is somekind of hidden world, we will need to investigate this."
For a moment, Joseph mutters quickly to himself in somekinda of Growling, gnarled language.
Joseph then coughs
"Sorry, I've had allergies." he states openly
@ Ala'Ihys:
"It is a world most wonderful. The people who gathered under my cause there, to free them from oppression by the 'Dark ones', are remarkable. Their skin is violet and they have bright red hair. Skilled mages they are as well. Sadly Dark Ones infiltrated the ranks and attempted a strike on my life before i came back through the portal."
Once you've finished talking to the 'prince', the VC requests you back in his office for some surprising news.
"My diviners say that there is some truth to his story. There has
never been a Prince of Augustana, nor an Emperor in Andoran, but the old fellow has a surprising amount of knowledge of the pre-revolution noble families of the city. He may be the lost scion of some noble line. If so, he’s fallen far. From the filth and stink on him when we found him, we’re fairly certain he’s been living in or near a sewer. The wayfider is also a mystery, but for now, it makes him one of ours. However, i’m more interested in his supposed gate to the otherworld. If it exists, I want to know about it. Implausible as it may seem, I’m
certain that his injuries were caused by otherworldly beings. We must take the possibility of a portal seriously. I don’t want to dirty my hands with this, but you don’t have that choice. Retrace the old man’s path through the sewers. The Almsman, whom he repeatedly mentions, is rumored to be an eccentric priest who runs some sort of hidden beggar’s sanctuary in the sewers. He may know where our prince’s portal is, if you can fid him. But be warned; a local gang calling themselves the Steel Wyverns claims the sewers near the Almsman’s Sanctuary as their own territory.'
He takes a citymap from his desk and rolls it out. He points at a sewer outlet, where the old man most likely came from. It’s near the north end of the crowded Augustana harbor, near where the north harbor wall hits land.
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The Steel Wyverns were once the most powerful criminal organization in
the city, but they have been in decline for decades. Now they are a rag-tag gang of thugs and petty crooks. The wyverns prefer to fight with spiked chains, which they call “Wyvern stings.”
The Almsman has recently started providing sanctuary and assistance to
the city’s beggars. He is a mysterious fiure who wears a mask, but most folk believe he is a priest. Most of the city’s poor do not know where his sanctuary is—those who do know won’t tell.
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”When I stable Khamsin I will grab my pack which contains rope and torches, though only ten, if any of you can create another source for light I will leave the torches and travel lighter.”
At this, Toorin picks something tiny from his component pouch, holds it between his index finger and thumb, and says, "Lux Vedictuas." The tiny body of a firefly begins to glow and the glow transfers to Toorin's fingertip. He touches a ring on his left hand and it glows like a torch. "I can only cast it one at a time, so if we want more than one light source, never a bad idea, we should have other sources besides my spell."
Before the group leaves, he says to the prince, "Μιλάτε Αζλαντϊ;"
He follows this up with,"Вы говорите дракона?"
Toorin also is unsuccessful with his requests for information. Perhaps it was because he couldn't bring himself to ask some of the shadier looking individuals he passed.
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Brallenera knows that she got no chance to get some info, but tries anyway.
She remains clueless about the big scheme of things, but at least she got the opportunity to get a few drinks. So everything is fine, in her point of view at least.
Later, she walks back to the sewers entrance near the Alsman's sanctuary, either waiting for the others of joining them
Awwww... We're back to the underground. Just because I am a dwarf, I'm supposed to enjoy this? I like the open, fresh air! Sure we'll have to "get our hands dirty" in the sewers. The Venture Captain will own me a good bath and some fresh clothes after that. And as much drinks as I can handle.
She rolls, flexes and stretches her muscles to warm up.
Ready to go? I call dibs on the Steel Wiverns, while you look out for the portal. I got some torches and flint and steel in my backpack for those who don't see well in the dark.
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Toorin shows no excitement at the prospect of going into the sewers, but he bears up and does not complain. He ties his long hair into a ponytail and tucks it under his cloak so it is not in the way and does not provide a way to yank his head around in combat.
He explains that in the event of battle, he will stay to the back and try to help others fight with spells like Burning Disarm and telekinetic fists, bludgeoning attacks he can deliver at a distance. If need be, he will conjure Mage Armor for himself and wade in with his sword or provide ranged support with his bow.
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Awwwww, come on. I'm first. Why do you bother to ask? I can see in the dark. Where's the one with the beak and feathers?
Brallenera gets into the sewers entrance, ready to go in. In fact, she seems impatient to go in.
I hope we'll meet the Steel Wiverns. I don't want to walk into filth for nothing...
Noticing how the bowman uses his turban to hide his nose, she rips one of her sleeve to do the same
These clothes will be ruined in the sewers anyway. Good idea. There are noxious gases down there, surely.Anyone got a lantern? Sometimes it's better not to use torches, if the sewers are like the mines. Pocket of explosive gas, you know? That's why I prefer the outdoors.
Ala'Ihys is shown an empty available spot for his steed to rest, before the group heads off to the sewers.
Toorin's questions to the old man get nothing more than a confused stare, the man doesn't speak either of those tongues apparently.
Your friendly feathered companion isn't paying too much attention either, with many a shiny bauble on the market stalls.
Kravg replies to Brallenera's statement. "Explosive gasses in the sewers? I think that hardly likely, unless somebody tends to blow up an entire city."
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The water in the sewers is revoltingly filthy and for the 1st 100 meters, there is no walkway, leaving you little other option than to wade (or swim) forth.
The smell of waste and rot is strong in this large chamber where fithy water flows in a series of cascades between tiered stone tanks. A raised platform along the east wall is connected to the passage’s walkways by several thick wooden planks creating a makeshif bridge. On that platform is what looks to be a makeshift alchemy lab on a rough-hewn table—beakers, glass vials, dirty bottles, and moldy buckets cover the entire surface of the table. You notice 3 figures as you arrive, 2 obvious thugs and 1 young guy in commoner's clothing, standing bent over at a table.
You're actually entering the room via a stairs, Brallenera's the 1st to spot them. She enters the room stealthily.
Ala'Ihys detects these 3 are not so pure of heart. As he speaks up, it draws their attention.
"What the...? There ain't supposed to be anyone here."
Toorin
Brallenera
Ala'Ihys
Kravg
Lord Joseph
Red thug
Drake
Blue thug
Bold are up.
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If Brallenera can charge one of their opponents ("Drake" if possible, if not one of the thugs)
We're under attack!
A blonde dwarf burst out of nowhere, with a big axe and an even bigger smile, while the Steel Wiverns try to make sense of her words. The blade get deep into the intended target's flesh, and the world turns red...
Awwww, I should have said, "you're under attack." Sorry for the mistake.
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If she cannot charge, due to terrain or anything else (Drake remains a primary target)
Out of a tunnel, an axe flies and buries itself in a chest of the man in commoner's clothes, as a female voice cheerfully says
Kiss my axe!
A dwarf woman, holding a bigger axe, comes from the tunnel, ready to spill more blood... and seeming happy to bring a brutal and bloody end to her foes lives