The salty air of Aspenthar’s port yields to delicate perfumes and incense as a servant leads the way into an elegant townhouse. Another servant serves tea in Tian porcelain, offering the first cup to Lady Gloriana Morilla and the second to a regal woman wearing a colorful headscarf and a striking gold necklace.
“At last, our team has arrived!” Lady Gloriana announces, gesturing to the other teacups. “Please help yourselves. Allow me to introduce Lady Ziralia, eldest daughter of Aspenthar’s liege, Prince Zinlo. She has requested the Society’s services for a rather intriguing project.”
Lady Ziralia nods. “Thank you for the introduction, Lady Morilla. As it happens, I am here today on behalf of Pashow, not Aspenthar. Like Thuvia’s other cities, Pashow relies on the sale of sun orchid elixir to fuel its economy. Unfortunately, the last two batches destined for Pashow’s auction house were lost to mishaps with teleportation magic. Emir Guldis has borrowed money to keep the city afloat, but Pashow cannot afford to lose another shipment. Magic failed the last two times, so I’ve petitioned Guldis to transport the vials in person, as my father does. I rallied enough public support that the Emir was forced to see reason, and he began building some armored convoys and training guards to escort them.”
“Guldis has entrusted me with looking into his transport’s total security. Our interactions have been somewhat tense of late, and his full motives for choosing me for such a sensitive task are not yet clear. Nonetheless, the task at hand takes precedence over idle speculation. If this shipment is lost, Pashow will suffer greatly, and I respect the weight of my responsibly in preventing that fate.”
“The Emir plans to send the transport on a practice run from the Citadel of the Alchemist to Pashow with a decoy elixir. Your job is to perform reconnaissance, plan an ambush, and raid the transport. To best assess the transport’s vulnerabilities, we are treating this exercise as a genuine heist. The guards don’t know they are being tested, so they will respond to you as they would respond to a real thief trying to infiltrate their operation. They do know that Guldis appointed me as his auditor, however, so my direct involvement will be limited. I am here to offer advice, monitor your strategies, note any security flaws you manage to exploit, and report back to the Emir. I will counsel you as best I can, but you should approach this heist however you see fit. I understand that this is an unusual mission, but Pathfinder agents are well known for their resourcefulness.”
KNOWLEDGE (GEOGRAPHY) OR KNOWLEDGE (HISTORY) Based on the results of a Knowledge (geography) or Knowledge (history) check, the PCs might know more about the nation of Thuvia. Each PC recalls all of the information whose DC is less than or equal to the result of her check.
KNOWLEDGE (LOCAL) OR KNOWLEDGE (NOBILITY) Based on the results of a Knowledge (local) or Knowledge (nobility) check, the PCs might know more about Thuvia’s leaders and the importance of the sun orchid elixir in the nation’s identity. Each PC recalls all of the information whose DC is less than or equal to the result of her check. Members of the Sovereign Court faction have sufficient understanding of the political climate that they can attempt this check as if they were trained in the skill and gain a +2 circumstance bonus.
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"Lady Ziralia, enchanted to make your acquaintance," says Zzorn, bowing and kissing her hand. "Visbaron Zzorn Eilif at your service. Lady Morilla, always a pleasure. Many thanks for granting us the opportunity to serve in one of your numerous noble causes. We are at your disposal." He bows to both ladies, before taking a glass of wine from a servant.
Seating himself in a comfortable reading chair, he continues, "If I understand, Emir Guldis has built the convoys and trained the guards, but you, Lady Ziralia, have been tasked by the Emir to test his defenses yes? do you think, perchance, that the Emir could plan to use you as a scapegoat if the real shipment goes awry, down the road? what of your father, Milady? would he not desire to see the Emir humiliated and see him fail? if you wish for Pashow's continuous independence, I believe we must make this ambush truly successful so as to provide the Emir real intelligence on improving his capabilities, but I also believe that we should make sure the Emir's guards do not count spies in your father's employ. Such moles would undo any efforts we yield, come the time for the real shipment. My humble opinion, of course, Milady."
Lady Glorianna Morilla smiles, seemingly pleased that one of her own is driving the questioning.
Lady Ziralia's look is more of perceptive concern, and she sighs.
“Yes, Emir Guldis has hired us to test the defenses he has arranged. You are correct that we want the heist to be as successful as possible.
Pashow’s citizens favor magic, so expect constructs, illusions, and traps within the transport itself. The convoy’s wardens will likely be soldiers and trained animals. The Emir assembled two independent teams to prepare the escort and the transport itself, so I recommend performing reconnaissance at the guard barracks and workshop building the transport. Learning their vulnerabilities on site should help you plan an effective heist.
Insofar as ulterior motives, be they the Emir's, or my father's... it is a delicate matter. If you prove your ability to exercise discretion and subtlety during the tasks I have laid before you, perhaps we can discuss the situation.”
"They've spared no expense.", says Lady Ziralia. "Expect anything. It's really up to you to find out where the holes in their defenses are, so that when the actual sun orchid elixir is transported, it will get to it's destination safely."
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"Greetings one and all! It is I, Tanto Kawaterru!" With a flourish, the lightly armoured foxlike figure strides into the room, fashionably late for the briefing.
Half a dozen pointy daggers arranged around his waist, the amber-eyed kitsune flicks his tail up before taking his place with the others, giving a quick bow to his faction leader, Lady Morilla. "M'lady, always a pleasure...and m'lady, I'm sure that It'll be a pleasure with you as well!", he gives Lady Ziralia a similar bow, before settling in.
"I assume we've got the initial questions covered? We're to be bandits then? Shoe on the other foot and all that! Throw in a little spy business as well! Thrilling I'm sure!"
Lady Morilla grins and gestures a hand to one side in front of Lay Ziralia, "Don't worry, this is another of ours."
Lady Ziralia frowns. "Lady Morilla, this is a stealth and infiltration mission. You must forgive me, but I doubt the Emir has any fox-folk in his employ."
Lady Morilla smiles more broadly. "Oh, Tanto can take many forms. Can't you?"
A litte quite girl that has not even reached puberty yet is listening to the discussion with a stern look on your face. That children are allowed to join the Society is news to many.
She suddenly speaks up.
"Hellloooo, I have not even introduced myself! So before you start asking. No, I am not lost here. No, I am not the daughter of a fellow Pathfinder. No, I will ... oh ... yes, I will hide in the back! And then burn them to ashes! Ha, ha, ha ..." Yoon says laughing.
"I am Yoon! Nice meeting you! And yes, my life was tragic ... this question always goes on my nerves so let us get over it. My short life has been filled with tragedy and adventure. Hailing from Minkai’s Oda province in distance Tian Xia, I lost my mother at the age of five. FIVE!" and tears are visible in her eyes.
"Then, just before my eighth birthday, my father and grandmother took me to Oda for a fireworks festival that honored Desna. As the fireworks faded, though, I saw flames shooting from the building where my father had gone to meet with fellow Desnan dissidents, who were unhappy with Minkai’s harsh imperial regency.
Just when the imperial soldiers moved to cut them down, my grandmother unleashed her pyrokinetic power to allow me to escape." and now she is really crying but gets a grip on herself.
"And now ... now I need to control my own powers. And this is my first mission by the way so I will follow you, ok?!"
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Zzorn appears stunned at the inclusion of a child in this mission, and gives a look of concern to Lady Morilla. He quickly recovers however, in order not to put Lady Morilla in an embarrassing situation.
"Child, I am sorry for your loss," says Zzorn, rising to put a hand on Yoon's shoulder.
Turning to the other, he adds, "The child's words brings up an interesting question: what are the rules of engagement for this test upon the Emir's guards? surely loss of life is not to be risked yes? should we adapt our tactics to fight in a nonlethal manner, or should we spill real blood and trust you will have clerics at the ready to stabilize the fallen? even the idea of inflicting real wounds to innocent guards in a temporary manner with the knowledge of future healing does not rest easy in my stomach..."
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As Lady Ziralia expresses her concern at the presence of a fox in their midst, Tanto quickly appears to turn into a human, a handsome young man with long flowing red hair, but the same amber-hued eyes. With another bow, he again addresses the ladies. "Well, not many forms but two to be sure. Does this please you more m'lady?", he winks.
Tanto also seems a bit concerned at the presence of the young girl, but is clearly touched by her story. "Oh no, child! What a heartbreaking story...but really why would you put yourself at risk on these sort of missions? You should be out playing with the others your age...but don't worry, we'll keep eye our for you if you insist on coming along."
She smiles and looks at Zzorn and Tanto.
“Oh that is very kind of you to look after me! And I promise not to kill anything with my fire! And how I became a Pathfinder is a story to tell when I have heard your stories! After all you are the heroes and I the child. “ she says with a smirk.
She looks at Lady Morilla „I know that you were reluctant to admit me to this mission but I promise to behave and follow orders!“
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"Do not apologize for your youth. In fact, it may be useful in our endeavor."
The unassuming holy man bows to the ladies, "Peace be unto you. I am Huni." He takes a seat and some tea. "The secrecy and politics give me some concern, but the mission itself seems simple enough. We are to steal the sun orchid elixer, then report back on how we were able to do so. Yes?"
"From what you have said, the guards have finished their training or are nearly done. It would be best if we could get some if not all of us assigned to guard the caravan." He doubts that will be an available option, but still.
"The wagons themselves are not quite yet finished being built? It might be possible to impair them to our benefit."
Huni considers for a moment. "Do you have the route they will take? Also, you oversee the security, but do not know the security measures themselves?"
Lady Morilla raises an eyebrow, and looks over at Zzorn, sharing his concern discretely. "The society has always helped those in need. Yoon is a reservoir for great power, and we feel it is our duty to make sure that power is used towards the goals of learning and justice. So, yes, she will be going with you. Treat her like you would any other Pathfinder. I know she will learn well from your example, and perhaps she can even join us in our more private goals." She looks at Zzorn and Tanto pointedly.
Lady Ziralia smiles kindly at Lady Morilla, and continues answering questions, looking over at Zzorn. " “I’ve recruited Abadaran priests to stabilize any guards who are critically wounded during your operations, so using force is permitted. I would ask that you refrain from excessively lethal tactics, however, as it would be best for this exercise to proceed without casualties. That being said, I strongly advise against trying to simply overpower the guards. You are likely to find yourselves outnumbered. If you can complete the mission without any violence, all the better.”
She turns to the holy man. "You will need to learn the convoy’s route through the desert in order to find the best place for an ambush. I imagine Guldis’s navigators will debrief the convoy’s escorts before the practice run, so spying on the guard barracks will help you plan your attack.”
"I know the guards are short-staffed and the convoy workshop needs skilled artificers, so posing as new recruits may get you far if you have the skills to back up your claims. You might also be able to pass as supervisors sent by Guldis, as long as you can avoid suspicion from middle management. Of course, there’s always the option of just sneaking around and stealing information. Don’t get caught engaging in suspicious behavior or this little test will be over before it begins. You are likely to meet with far more success if you to divide your forces between the two sites to cover more ground. You only have three days before the practice run, so every minute counts.”
She seems to carefully look over the gathered group, a rag-tag bunch by any account, as if she might have her doubts.
"Both sites are preoccupied with preparations, so anything could happen. Your most likely obstacles are traps protecting the officers’ notes and guards interfering with your surveillance. My advice is to either blend into the background or make a positive impression; overseers are more likely to scrutinize a nuisance than someone they enjoy. Also, watch out for anyone else spying on the operation; with so much at stake, we can’t afford to miss any foul play for the sake of our own heist.”
She laughs briefly and quietly, and continues.
"You could try to sabotage the wagon... if you can call it that ... transport would be a better word ...before it sets out, but the key is that we want to fully access where there might be gaps in their defenses. So we don't want them to just cancel the trip."
Lady Morilla raises an eyebrow, and looks over at Zzorn, sharing his concern discretely. "The society has always helped those in need. Yoon is a reservoir for great power, and we feel it is our duty to make sure that power is used towards the goals of learning and justice. So, yes, she will be going with you. Treat her like you would any other Pathfinder. I know she will learn well from your example, and perhaps she can even join us in our more private goals." She looks at Zzorn and Tanto pointedly.
Yoon blushes after these words and it becomes obvious that it means something to her that Lady Morilla wants to see her grow ... for someone without parental guidance these are rare moments.
Ziralia seems to think for a moment, and then resumes talking, "I should mention that his is a trial run, so a less powerful elixir will stand in for the sun orchid elixir during this exercise. If you successfully locate and steal the mock elixir, however, you may keep it. Your payment will also be based on your performance, so please take this exercise seriously.”
“The Emir himself sanctioned this heist, so no one involved will be breaking the law. If Guldis’s men imprison you, I will ensure you are released, but being captured will not reflect well on your performance in this exercise, or on my trust in you.”
Lady Morilla daintily sets down her teacup, and stands gracefully. "Well then," she says, straightening her skirts, "I can't imagine any other information Lady Ziralia could have for you. Off you go." She smiles, and gently gestures towards the door.
Lady Ziralia smiles and says, "Don't be so impatient Gloriana, one of them hasn't even had a chance to speak.
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Pai waves cheerily at Yoon. "Oooh! Another kineticist! I've never met another one before! We'll have to compare notes. By the way, Yoon and I could pretend to be someone's kids, if we disguise ourselves so we look more alike. Maybe a 'Bring your daughter to work day' sort of thing? Then we could go off and play and no one would think we were really spying, just playing. Do you think that could work?"
„I am not a very good actor but that seems like a good idea Pai!“ Yoon says shyly.
"Thank you for all the information Lady Morilla and Lady Ziralia! We will surely be very stealthy! Well ... I hope ..." she says and looks not so sure about that.
She looks at Lady Morilla and Lady Ziralia and continues "I just want to make sure that you really want us to build two teams and divide our forces between the two sites to cover more ground. Well, I heard that Pathfinders are usually good because they stick together, right?"
"Yes, you're right Yoon, it is usually a good rule not to split the party. But in this case, it sounds like time isn't on our side, and we can't be in two places at once. But, after all, how you conduct the mission is entirely up to you."
Lady Gloriana smiles brightly at the young kineticist, and then turns to the other kineticist. "Yes, that might work, they're unlikely to pay much notice to a child if they think they're supposed to be there, especially if they're supposed to be children of one of the supervisors, or noble children."
“Okaaay, now that I know you all a little better I want to introduce you to my dear companion and mighty ally! The man in my life that has never let me down: Gom-Gom, my stuffed owlbear!“ Yoon says giggling.
"Ha! That's awesome! I used to have a stuffed owlbear when I was little. Well, littler."
Yoon is giggling because of Pai's comment but then her face shows signs of insecurity. "But ... but I cannot share Gom-Gom with you! He ... he is very attached to me!"
"Yohoooo!!! Usually I am late! But not this time! a little child starts to cry out.
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After concluding their business in Aspenthar, the Pathfinders undertake a long journey across the desert, traveling with the camel caravans, until they finally arrive in Pashow, in southern Thuvia. It is a large town, but the smallest of the Thuvian city states, and the most vulnerable. The adventurers divide into two groups and make their way to their respective targets.
Building the transport requires dozens of engineers, spellcasters, and laborers. Each build team designs only one discrete portion of the transport, preventing anyone but the overseers from seeing the complete layout and learning its secrets.
The facility where the transport is built consists of several workshops surrounding a central courtyard, where the unfinished structure resides. Each workshop contains crates of machine parts or arcane grimoires, and just one shop is active each day. A single main office where overseers coordinate the transport’s construction takes up much of the northern workshop.
The Emir’s artificers spend the first day completing the transport’s interior. Many of the transport’s walls and floors were constructed on a previous day, but they have not been fitted together. Some of the artificers focus their efforts on assembling the walls into a finished structure, while others construct and animate the altar to hold fake vials of sun orchid elixir.
As a potential investor, Zzorn is given a full tour. He is able to identify the characteristics of the animated altar that guards the elixirs. He also notices that Temeera ordered a few of the workers to take turns walking around the transport’s interior in circles for some unknown reason.
Huni’s day doesn’t go so well.
Meanwhile, Tanto is able to discover a secret, lead-lined compartment in the transport’s back left corner, during his supervisory duties, which he points out to the others.
Perception checks
locate a small, inconspicuous “X” etched into a tile in the floor covering the secret chamber.
A soft-spoken woman named Temeera manages construction of the main chamber’s defenses. A scholar who studies magical constructs, the word is that Temeera loves to teach enthusiastic students, but often forgets to instruct her creations not to attack her pupils during a lesson. If anyone would like to interact with her more closely, it might be an opportunity to gain an advantage.
The transport’s escorts reside in a single barracks, where they plan routes, train animals, and prepare for the harsh environment. Guldis’s penchant for teleporting elixir shipments left him with few veteran escorts, so Pashow’s current recruits are inexperienced. As a result, the senior officers are desperate for skilled fighters and take on any recruit who demonstrates talent in a required field.
The barracks is a sandstone complex with thick walls and few windows, designed to shelter trainees from prying eyes. Recruits share bunks in the easternmost building, adjacent to the officers’ quarters where the Emir’s appointed overseers supervise preparations.
The western building contains an armory and a mess hall, each guarded by more experienced sentries. The buildings surround a massive training field, where recruits spar and practice on dummies while wranglers train guard animals in the southeastern paddock.
The first day revolves around training the convoy’s guard animals. Handlers teach tricks to a pack of barely domesticated Thuvian desert dogs—vicious beasts native to the barren wasteland—while recruits learn tactics for fighting with them.
Yoon, during her time sneaking around, is able to pilfer 3 of the treats Ishyal uses to reward the desert dogs.
Pai notices the handlers shooing the dogs away from a crate of chocolate. It must be harmful to the dogs. Cargo manifests indicate that every crate containing chocolate shipped from Bloodcove and arrived in Aspenthar, where it received Prince Zinlo’s seal of approval before traveling to Pashow. At the end of the day, each worker at the barracks receives a small amount of chocolate as a reward for their dedicated work.
Both Pai and Yoon are also able to learn all of the desert dogs’ command words and develop a rapport with the beasts.
Guldis’s beastmaster Ishyal oversees the stables and animal training regimens. A boisterous Qadiran woman covered with scars, Ishyal sees buildings as cages that prevent living souls from reaching their full potential, preferring to train guards and animals in the desert heat. Word is that most recruits avoid her around noon, but those who join her beneath the midday sun earn her favor.
Around noon, as most of the laborers and trainers make their way into the buildings for lunch, rest, and some relief from the blistering sun, Ishyal strides out into the yard again, loudly berating her charges, “You soft-skinned Thuvians can’t handle the sun? Ha! This is the best time of the day to work!” She laughs and goes about her business training the dogs.
Temeera’s hawk familiar identifies a Huni as a potential spy.
Huni will need to make a Stealth or Disguise check in order to keep the hawk off him the next day, to get any spying done.
Ishyal seems delightfully surprised that she has company in the noonday training yard. "By the satrap's beard! A gnome! Ha! Tougher than all of these grown humans. Cowards, afraid of a little sun, but not you. You and I will be friends, little one."
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Tanto, a wary eye on the magical altar, tries to spend some time with Temeera as well, striking up a conversation in his supervisory role. "So, ah Temeera, is it?" he smiles charmingly at the soft-spoken woman. "I've heard you've doing great work here. Your students speak highly of you, and the work you're doing with the defenses, quite impressive...I'd love to hear about what you're doing, it's fascinating!" Casting an eye across at the altar, he coughs. "Ah, you couldn't switch that thing off for a moment, could you?"
Temeera is one of those people so focused in her work that if Brigh herself walked up and asked her a question she would at first just nod and say, "Mm-hmm." She is incredibly intelligent, a master at the construction of constructs. And eventually Tanto gets her talking.
"Oh, I'm just a simple craftswoman," says she, "Though I must admit that this is one of my finer works. When completed, it will be quite sophisticated. You see, the construct’s commands automatically designate any creature holding a glowing vial as the primary target,
and all other targets are ignored until the primary target is neutralized. Quite clever."
Huni and Tanto are able to get on her good side by serving as her gofor, but they are exposed at times to the flailing of the not-yet-finished construct.
Early in the day, Huni manages to dodge a blow from the altar, but right after lunch, sluggish from a large meal of gyros and lentil soup, Tanto is unable to move quickly enough to avoid another of the slams.
Zzorn- Investor
Day 1- Knowledge (nobility) at the workshop = 20 = 1 success
Yoon- Thief
Day 1- Stealth at the barracks = 26 = 2 successes
Huni- Supervisor
Day 1- Sense Motive at the workshop = 13 + 2 (for aiding Temeera) = 15 = 1 success
Pai- Laborer
Day 1- Perception at the barracks = 25 + 2 (for impressing Ishyal) = 27 = 2 successes
Tanto- Supervisor/Guard/Thief
Day 1- Diplomacy at the workshop = 22 + 2 (for aiding Temeera) = 24 = 2 successes
Kiaru- Thief
Day 1- Stealth at the workshop = 26 = 2 successes
Barracks
Day 1- 2 + 2 = 4 successes (+2 on all checks for day 2 at barracks)
Workshop
Day 1- 1 + 1 + 2 = 6 successes (+6 on all checks for day 2 at workshop)
The accommodations for the workers at the Emir's facility are snug but comfortable. Everyone gets a good night's rest.
The second day focuses on guard training. Recruits learn combat tactics, proper responses to various threats, and what signals scouts will use to change the convoy’s heading or raise the alarm.
Drill sergeant Jaravo, a towering Garundi man with a penchant for tall tales and flashy combat, who uses hyperbolic anecdotes and threats to strike fear into his trainees and any who question his methods. Tanto soon learns about Jaravo’s penchant for showmanship by talking to the other guards. He is sure that he could exploit the soldier's flair for the dramatic.
Yoon, meanwhile, learns how the guards use dancing lights to communicate via signals in the sky. She learns which patterns will tell the convoy to halt and the escorts to disperse and search the surrounding area for hidden threats.
Yoon also observes several mysterious men and women tempting the guards with strong drink, drugs, and other indulgences. Though these scoundrels speak highly of Prince Zinlo and the lifestyle in Aspenthar, they are throwing around a lot of coins whose mintage is peculiar for the area.
Tanto generally impresses the officers with his supervisory skills. He is invited to join some guards on their night off, and he learns personal vices that the he thinks he can later use against them.
Furthermore, Jaravo replaces one of the convoy’s guards with Tanto, he is so impressed with his command skills.
Guldis’s artificers take over during the second day, building a complex trap into the transport’s walls, designed to make the interior inhospitable. Engineers build and calibrate the trap’s components, while spellcasters provide arcane energy to fuel the apparatus. Meanwhile, people without the specialized knowledge to create the trap haul thousands of pounds of trade goods, food, and camping gear into the transport.
The halfling trapsmith Lyshna oversees the workers assembling the transport’s primary trap. Lyshna delights in the pain of others, and she loosens up around people who accidentally or intentionally hurt themselves. Pai, Huni, and Zzorn soon learn of her sadism, and they think that they could exploit her sadistic sense of humor by either faking an injury, or actually being injured, which might earn her favor.
While she is helping load crates, Pai learns in detail about the transport’s desert heat trap.
Zzorn, however, is able to gain access to Lyshna’s personal notes about the trap.
However, he also uncovers weak points in the trap’s ventilation network that would allow someone to disarm the entire trap from anywhere within the transport as a move action.
In addition, he also finds several lavish gifts and valuable luxuries among Lyshna’s belongings, some emblazoned with the seal of Aspenthar’s royal family.
Zzorn- Investor
Day 2- Knowledge (nobility) at the workshop* = 23 + 6 (from previous day’s excess successes) = 29 = 2 successes
Yoon- Thief
Day 2- Stealth at the barracks* = 25 + 2 (from the previous day’s excess success) = 27 = 2 successes
Huni- Supervisor
Day 2- Linguistics at the workshop = 7 + 6 (from previous day’s excess successes) = 1 complication
Pai- Laborer
Day 2- Perception at the workshop = 16 + 6 (from previous day’s excess successes) = 22 = 1 success
Tanto- Supervisor/Guard/Thief
Day 2- Intimidate at the barracks = 27 + 2 (from the previous day’s excess success) =29 = 2 successes
Kiaru- Thief
Day 2- Acrobatics at the workshop = 25 + 6 (from the previous day’s excess success = 31 = 2 successes
Barracks
Day 2- 4 successes (+2 on all checks for day 3 at the barracks)
Workshop
Day 2- 5 successes (+4 on all checks for day 3 at the barracks), 1 complication (Huni, already explained)
The halfling laughs manically at Zzorn's injury, and jokes about it all day long.
Zzorn- Investor
Day 2- Knowledge (nobility) at the workshop* = 23 + 6 (from previous day’s excess successes) + 2 (from distracting the halfling)= 31 = 2 successes
Yoon- Thief
Day 2- Stealth at the barracks* = 25 + 2 (from the previous day’s excess success) = 27 = 2 successes
Huni- Supervisor
Day 2- Linguistics at the workshop = 7 + 6 (from previous day’s excess successes) + 2 (from distracting the halfling) = 15 = 1 success
Pai- Laborer
Day 2- Perception at the workshop = 16 + 6 (from previous day’s excess successes) + 2 (from distracting the halfling) = 24 = 1 success
Tanto- Supervisor/Guard/Thief
Day 2- Intimidate at the barracks = 27 + 2 (from the previous day’s excess success) =29 = 2 successes
Kiaru- Thief
Day 2- Acrobatics at the workshop = 25 + 6 (from the previous day’s excess success + 2 (from distracting the halfling)= 33 = 2 successes
Barracks
Day 2- 4 successes (+2 on all checks for day 3 at the barracks)
Workshop
Day 2- 6 successes (+6 on all checks for day 3 at the barracks)
Yoon shares all information, especially on the group of coin disperses and shows the coins as she has no idea what to make out of this.
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Tanto nurses his injuries after the first day, several nasty bruises on his side and a couple of broken ribs from the slam of the construct. "Anyone know how to work one of these wands?" The kitsune offers up his stashed CLW wand to anyone who can use it upon him.
Tanto tries to impress Jarava with some knife juggling. It's not really a trick he usually tries, but it's the best thing he can think of to impress the Garundi.
The swashbuckling kitsune hopes that his fumbling attempt, in which he dropped all of his knives, will be humorous enough to 'impress' the big man.
Tanto, not recognising the coins also brings some back for the group to inspect.
Tanto happily accepts the offer to work in the convoy crew, although is a little bit overawed with the prospect of supervising a group of mages when he has no real magical prowess himself. He hopes his own innate racial ability to cast dancing lights may be enough.
Was the secret lead lined compartment in the floor trapped as well?
Huni was able to heal Tanto's wounds with cure light wounds the previous evening.
Upon looking closely at the coins, Kiaru realized that some of them bear the image of Queen Abrogail II of Cheliax, while the others appear to have been minted in Bloodcove. He recalled that the settlement of Bloodcove is under Aspis Consortium control, and that the Consortium is based in Cheliax—together, these associations suggest that the mysterious figures may have Aspis ties.
Tanto was unable to impress Jaravo with his knife juggling (though Lyshna probably would have enjoyed it, especially if you were at all injured during your performance). Nonetheless, his skill at commanding men was enough to impress the Garundi, and as mentioned he was assigned to help guard the caravan.
Another successful day. That night the Pathfinders sleep well, and in the morning they are ready for the last day of the infiltration.
The third day is spent planning the convoy’s route. Officers teach navigators how to find hidden desert trails, while guards learn how to scout for threats and maneuver the convoy to safety without getting lost.
A jumpy, paranoid man named Enyro organizes the routes and scouting missions. Constantly worried about his plans falling into the wrong hands, Enyro distrusts anyone without instructions from the Emir himself. This promises to make finding out the convoy route very difficult.
As the Pathfinders at the barracks make their rounds, they notice one of the halfling recruits, a scout named Varnic, surveying the convoy’s defenses. He seems to also be trying to follow Pai.
The final preparations focus on sealing the transport with mechanical and arcane barriers. Craftsmen assemble chains and locks to restrict access, while mages add wards to foil teleportation magic and shunt the transport into an extradimensional space, leaving behind a 10-foot cube of iron that serves as the transport’s visible exterior. With the exterior created, another team gets to work covering the cube in chains and locks. Finally, the mages lift the cube onto a collection of floating disk spells.
A Garundi man with dozens of piercings named Duciar directs the team responsible for the transport’s outer trappings. Duciar never uses a sentence when a word will do, and often instructs his workers with little more than grunts, gestures, and stern glares.
Zzorn is able to discover the location of the transport’s secret door from the outside, the only means of entering the inner chamber without teleportation magic. He further discovers by talking to some of the overseers that teleportation magic doesn’t work near the transport, and will actually hurt the caster.
Kiaru, meanwhile, identifies which locks maintain the door’s seal, removing the risk of disabling a decoy lock. Yoon finds several broken lockpicks and scattered thieves’ tools hidden near the door, suggesting that someone had secretly practiced picking each lock. Even better, Huni is able to acquire a key for each real lock.
The transport floats 3 feet off the ground, carried by numerous floating disk spells cast by the mage guards. The Emir deliberately excluded wheels from the design so that thieves couldn’t simply hijack the transport and escape into the desert. Magical wards inside the transport disrupt extradimensional travel; any creature casting a spell of the teleportation subschool takes damage as the spell violently fails. Teleportation effects do not allow one to enter the transport, since its interior is located on another plane.
A single hidden doorway provides access to the transport’s interior. The transport is covered in chains that are secured with locks. 12 simple locks secure the door. Half of the locks are decoys, so even a successful check has a chance of failing to unseal the door. One must remove at least two real locks before one can remove the chains. Instead of disabling a lock, one could break a chain near the lock to remove it. The chains are made of reinforced steel.
The transport serves several purposes. In addition to providing a vault for the elixir, it provides storage space for gear and a fully functional shelter from sandstorms or other extreme weather.
Note that the map does not show the trapdoor entrance, which should be in area D1.
D1- Entryway: The front room of the sun orchid transport is a meeting space. A black curtain hanging from the ceiling can be drawn to separate the area into two rooms. A secret door in the center of the north wall opens to the altar chamber. The secret door is exceptionally difficult to detect without prior knowledge, but since you performed reconnaissance on the transport you know where on the wall to search.
D2- Bedroom: The shelves lining the walls of this room are stocked with bedrolls, blankets, tents, and assorted camping supplies. One of the switches to disable the desert heat trap is hidden behind a pile of blankets at the location marked S on the map.
D3- Storage: This room is packed with crates and boxes. Most of the boxes carry carefully packaged glass vials filled with water, which the Emir is considering deploying as part of the distraction on a future test run. Others contain much of the leftover iron from the transport’s construction.
D4- Kitchen: The shelves that line the walls of this room contain enough food and water to supply one hundred people for a week, as well as pots, pans, and other cooking supplies. One of the switches to disable the desert heat trap is hidden behind a large barrel of water at the location marked S on the map.
D5- Elixir Chamber: The steel plates lining this chamber reflect the light cast by six vials of glowing fluid, sealed within a glass case atop an imposing altar wrapped in chains.
Zzorn- Investor
Day 3- Knowledge (nobility) at the workshop** = 16 + 6 (previous day) = 22 = 1 success
Yoon- Thief
Day 3- Stealth at the workshop = 23 + 6 (previous day) = 29 = 2 successes
Huni- Supervisor
Day 3- Diplomacy at the workshop = 24 + 6 (previous day) = 30 = 2 successes
Pai- Laborer
Day 3- Perception at the barracks = 10 + 2 (previous day) - 2 (suspicious overseer) = 10 = 1 complication
Tanto- Supervisor/Guard/Thief
Day 3- Acrobatics at the barracks = 26 + 2 (previous day) - 2 (suspicious overseer) = 26 = 2 successes
Kiaru- Thief
Day 3- Sleight of hand at the workshop = 23 + 6 (previous day) = 29 = 2 successes
Barracks
Day 3- = 2 successes, 1 complication
Workshop
Day 3- = 7 successes