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Two weeks ago, Osprey showed up at the Grand Lodge in Absalom, his features shadowed by the long cowl of his heavy leather cloak, his unmistakable voice a sullen whisper of both mystery and urgency.
"A grim shadow creeps over Absalom, one that threatens all of us. We know not its source or even its purpose, and need answers to secrets only known to the dead. Your task is one of great importance and urgency. You must retrieve the bones of the ancient mystic Amao from his cairn and bring them to me so our seers can contact his spirit. We need to contact him before these dark forces track his spirit down in the worlds beyond and devour him. Take extra care on this mission, for the Aspis Consortium also dearly desires these bones and their secrets. Amao’s bones rest in a cairn atop a mountain. Go to Cania’s Drop, a small waystation high in the Fog Peaks along the border of Southern Galt. There you will meet with an ex-Pathfinder named Rysam Aklon who will provide you with equipment and directions to Amao’s cairn. You shall hear from me again once you complete your mission, but for now may the gods speed you on your way."
Now, here in the foothills of a wintery southern Galt, bitter winds blister skin and numbness settles in to exposed extremeties. While Absalom isn’t known for its sunshine, at least its foggy shores are more favorable than the bonebrittling cold of the Fog Peaks. Before you lies your destination, a mountain waystation run by exiles and recluses.
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Vrald invests in cold weather gear before heading up the mountains. He also inspects a nice new cloak and his recently refurbished armor.
Slogging through the now he looks towards the way station and the first sign of warmth and civilisation for several hours.
One foot after another, Vrald strides forward.
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"Rysam Aklon you say. How will we recognize him? And how many bones do we need to bring back? What if we only find a few of them there...will that be enough? Will there be other tracking these bones down as well? I understand the grim scary shadow thing wanting the bones, but are there others that I can kill with steel that seek the bones? Just wanting to know what I am getting into." Fenrik asks coldly.
He also glances over his companions for this mission as if judging their worth.
After the briefing and before moving out Fenrik will purchase some cold weather gear as well.
"Who was this Amao? What do we know about his cairn, the poeple that left him there or the Fog Peaks?" asks a finely dressed woman with a serious rictus. A scimitar hangs from her belt and a holy symbol embodied in sun light at her neck.
Kyra tries to remember information about the old mystic Amao.
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A dwarf in a long coat with a wide brimmed hat smoking a cigar enters the room. A dwarf... with a tail? Upon lowering the hood one can see the unmistakenly sharp teeth, black skin and red eyes of a tiefling.
Under his coat is a bandoleer over a grey laquered breastplate with many potions, a strange looking firearm is located under his left armpit, a dagger is strapped to his left breast, hilt down and on his right hip is a chunk of adamantium shaped in a dwarfs head with a long chain.
"Torags blessing with you. I was supposed to meet ya laddies here. Tytus me name."
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Raising an eyebrow and with a steely gaze Tytus answers.
"Torag disapproves of stealing. Please, never call me a thief again!
Apart from that, it is good to see you again. Very good indeed. How did you far the last months?" And with that the tiefling and the ulfen chat for a while comparing adventures and perils.
Adressing Osprey"Ex-Pathfinder... what happened?
Fog Peaks and southern galt
Amao
Rysam Aklon
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A large brash man with a big smile on his face, and an even bigger axe on his back jogs through the snow.
"Lovely weather! Iso is pleased to be back where he may be free of the blistering sun of the south."
He shakes his head, and a peal of small bells can be heard. A closer look (if one dares) shows a number of small silver bells woven into his unkempt beard.
"Iso bought them in Oppera" he says proudly.
That doesn't stop him heading into the shelter.
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"Rysan Aklon is a burly man with a shock of wild curly black hair and an unshorn beard. You may encounter Aspis scum on your way, they are also looking for the bones, and whatever else lurks in the hills. Get as many bones you can, don't leave a single one behind or the Aspis may be able to contact the spirit as well." Osprey answers to Fenrik's questions.
"When the kingdoms were young, adventurous souls traveled around the world, seeking ever to expand into the new territories and tread those places unknown to their kin. Some ventured for sport or fame, but others sought only the purest knowledge. Among them Amo, the Frost-Blossom, who ascended a spirit journey up Mount Cania to the sacred flower that blooms high atop its harsh wintry peaks. It is said he found his flower, and it bestowed upon him four truths, words of making and unmaking that he should keep for all eternity, until the time came that he was called to recite them. Amao made his home in the cloud-skirted ice and snow and lived for over a century, until the years finally devoured him. His bones were laid to rest near his cave overlooking the surrounding peaks." Osprey summs up the legend about Amo. "Little is known about his people."
"His retirement was his choice, a self-imposed penance for murder. More about that I must not tell, but you can trust him." the Venture-Captain answers to Titus' question.
A halfling woman with long, brown hair and a robe as blue as her eyes sneezes. She gives the others a surprised look, as if noticing them only just now.
"Uhm, yeah. So, uh... Shall we go?" she asks, quickly straightening her face.
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"What sort of person was this Amao? Human? Gnome? Aasimar?"
Johann looks through his belongings and quickly finds what he's looking for: a statuette of a yeti cradling a small child. To anyone who'll listen, he tells the tale of how this statue, found in the mountains of Zi Ha, was charged psychically by the spirit of Malikeen Heartsong, a powerful being from that distant land, and would protect him from the cold and thin air of the high altitude.
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"He was human."
The Fog Peaks climb thousands of feet into the icy skies of eastern Golarion. In the harsh mountain environment rests an isolated waystation called Cania’s Drop, about a mile above sea level. Cania’s Drop is one of several dozen waystations erected in the Fog Peaks highlands, a wild expanse of rock and glaciers that creates a craggy border between southern Galt and northern Taldor. Situated to provide aid to travelers and keep watch over the surrounding lands, these stations are manned by outcasts, exiles, former criminals, and others who simply seek isolation or penance.
Once you get closer to the waystation you spot a wisp of chimney smoke and just before sunset you rach a small cabin at the waystation.
Outside the cabin are rows of sleeping sled dogs, curled up together in the deep snow. The few strangers out in the cold eye you with a mixture of nervousness and naked fear. As you approach the cabin, you are immediately approached by a man.
"Welcome, I'm Rysam Aklom." he introduces himself.
Ok, noted!
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Iso smiles and pats his axe.
"Iso will protect little people from anything bad. Iso grew up in lands much colder than these. Iso likes the cold. Hot weather is bad. MAkes Iso sweat."
He pales as some foul memory springs to the surface.
"And people Bathe in hot lands."
He shudders in horror.
As Rysam approaches, Iso steps forward and wraps him in a huge hug.
"Hello Rysam Aklom. Today is your lucky day, for tomorrow you may tell your children that you met Iso Soturi!
Kyra also buys a cold weather clothing before departing.
She observes deeply at the man trying to assess if he is really saying the truth.
"What has happened here Sir?" she merely contributes to the conversation.
"Yeah, yeah, and I'm Enora," Enora says rudely to Rysam. "Just let us inside. We came to talk, but there's no reason it has to be done in the cold."
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"Yes, please follow me." Rysam says and leads you to the cabin. The dogs and strangers look at you but don't show much interest. "Some beastmen came last night, killed a dog and stole some food. That's all." Rysam answers to Kyra's question.
Kyra and Tytus are sure Rysam tells the truth.
Once in the cabin he sends two men outside and asks you to sit down on the furs on the floor draped around a small oven in the middle of the cabin.
"Tell me, what are you here for? Are you the Pathfinders Ospreay sent to get the bones?"
Kyra nods then explains "We are here to get those bones back. We will need your help for that if you are available"
She looks through the window remembering the dogs "What kind of beastmen have attacked your men?"
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"There's not much of a defense to build with only a handful of men and some dogs. We call the beastmen Taer, and we don't have any of their bodies here. We were not able to kill one of them recently. The beastmen are our problem, not yours. You are here to get the bones and I promised Ospreay to help you, so let's get started." Rysam says.
After a few seconds he continues. "You can reach the cairn by traveling a snaking trail the ancients called Qi-Oamatok Pass, which loosely translates to the Winding Serpent. Locals simply refer to it as the Dragon. The Dragon bisects wild lands sacred to clans of the primitive beastmen, so be careful when you are out there. Now follow me." he says and leads you outside.
"I prepared three dogsleds for you, with six dogs each. 2 days rations for each of you and enough food for the dogs, a map of the Dragon, a set of heavy furs to help protect from the cold, and a heavy pick. I have several scrolls I can give you for a discounted price, the Society is not going to pay for these unfortunately."
Seriously... we will be sliding over the snow? Dam, I love my home desert... "Ok sir! Let's do it"
When she sees Iso pat one of the dogs Enora walks over and also pats one, albeit carefully at first.
"I hope they're not," she says in reply to Iso. "That would be veeeeery bad."
"These are mountains. Do we have a climbing kit and ropes?" adds Kyra.
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"The heavy pick is to dig up the bones. Osprey mentioned the Aspis, but I think you know more than me in this case. And the dogs won't eat the bones, no worries. They are well trained riding dogs, they usually won't run away, but if they do just hold on to the sled and they will calm down sooner or later. I can lend you a rope." Rysam answers to the mission related questions.
He turns over to Tytus and says "I can offer two scrolls of calm animal and four scrolls of charm animal for 20gp each."
"The first light sounds appealing. Let's do it like that, Serenrae's light will guide us to success!" shouts Kyra while smiling.
She nods towards the climbing kit idea.
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Johann rises from his slumber, and just needs fifteen minutes to prepare for the day.
"Gentlemen and ladies, I have a knack for making extracts that you can drink to produce the effects of a spell on yourself. I can give you one that can make you large, or give you a magic shield, and so forth. I can fly if needed, or give others an extract to allow flight. Are there any specific requests?"