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As you arrive at Heidmarch manner in the Varisian city of Magnimar, you're greeted by a harried clerk at the gate.
"Ah, hello there, more Pathfinders I see. Well, I'm sorry to say we're still getting organized around here. Please, wait for a few moments out here in the courtyard while we get set up. I'll come find you when it's time to go in."
You're led over to some benches in the courtyard where you can sit down while you wait, and the clerk recommends you spend this time getting to know each other while you wait.
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Philoneus Tippertille is an unpleasant looking Halfling. His hair is tousled and matted, with a few feathers sticking out at random. Feet covered in soil remained unbound by shoes, his ankles similarly dirty. His armor, however, was impeccable. The red scale breastplate shed light brilliantly where the sun hit it. He had a few weapons on him, a spear, a sling, as well as a finely made wooden shield. His backpack was full, but closed.
"Philoneus Tippertille," he said with a grizzled, growling voice as he fed the feathered raptor that stood before him with rapt attention. Philoneus alternated between eating two pieces of cooked meat and throwing one to his companion. "That's Mr. Tiggles," the Halfling continued as he looked the group over.
The velociraptor known as "Mr. Tiggles" perked up as he heard his name. Upon seeing his master return the pouch of meat to his pack, the raptor started preening his feathers, taking in the looks of these new companions for his master. He hadn't seen any of them before, but since the master didn't seem to mind them, Mr. Tiggles didn't pay them much attention.
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A handsome, but fairly young-looking halfling strolls up to the group. He's carrying an awkward amount of gear that he seems annoyed by and struggling with a bit. Worst of all is a longspear, poorly strapped to his back and sticking out far above the top of his pack. He looses the straps of the pack and dumps all of it on the ground behind him. "Somebody convinced me that I would need all of this. With my spell at hand... we'll see."
He wipes his brow and looks around at those present so far. He offers his hand to Deenha first and smiles brightly. "Hello there! Telos, at your service." He turns to Philoneus, offers his hand to him as well and continues addressing them both. "I hope to aid the party by burning and zapping things before they can reach us for close combat! I see only our kind so far, so I like our odds!" He smirks, and then turns to the velociraptor. "Who's this little guy? I... hope he doesn't scare easily when lightning strikes."
He stops there in hopes of not overdoing it, but fairly confident he's made a friendly and otherwise decent first impression.
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Philoneus eyes Telos' hand distastefully before deciding it wouldn't be good to alienate his comrades by not showing the bare minimum of friendliness. "Mr. Tiggles will be fine. He's tough enough." He said, eliciting another glance from the velociraptor. "If you wanna try and pet him, be my guest, but don't be surprised if you lose a hand."
Mr. Tiggles looked from his master to the other small creature. His head tilted and moved as he looked it over. Food? No. Friend? Maybe. With his head still tilted he took long strides to Deenha and stretched out his head to get a better whiff of her.
Cautiously sniffing the hand, Mr. Tiggles decides that everything's fine. Definitely a friend, even if they make strange noises. He leans in to the rubbing, closing his eyes and just enjoying it.
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A large, burly half-orc with -for an half-orc at least- friendly face smiles at you
"Thran, I assume you have heard of me?"
...after watching the blank stares he mumbles a bit under his breath as he kicks a loose rock with his foot
...you will at some point, I _will_ make it big..'
"Nice to meet you all. I'm sure we'll do great things together"
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Zekuli is a dark-skinned human with close-shaven black hair and an intense stare. He takes a seat on one of the benches, keeping a slightly aloof distance from the others while he sizes them up. Three halflings, a dinosaur, and a half-orc. It sounds like the setup for some kind of joke. I wonder who and what else will be joining this eclectic band. Keeping such thoughts to himself, he responds to the latest statement.
"Yes, great things, I'm sure we will. Very bold of you to say so before we even begin." He clears his throat and introduces himself, "You can call me Zekuli. I trust I will be able to serve my lord Nethys well this day."
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Philoneus eyes Telos' hand distastefully before deciding it wouldn't be good to alienate his comrades by not showing the bare minimum of friendliness.
"Alright friend, I get it. Not big on handshakes, hugs will have to do. That's okay. It's good to meet you anyhow." He chuckles at his own joke, hoping to lighten the mood with his fellow halfling.
Cautiously sniffing the hand, Mr. Tiggles decides that everything's fine. Definitely a friend, even if they make strange noises. He leans in to the rubbing, closing his eyes and just enjoying it.
Telos watches hesitantly as Deenha interacts with the raptor. "Well, it looks like he likes you anyway." He laughs nervously and then turns back to Philoneus. "Sooooo... should we all let him get familiar with us like that so he doesn't get confused about sides and teams during battle?"
A large, burly half-orc with -for an half-orc at least- friendly face smiles at you
"Thran, I assume you have heard of me?"
...after watching the blank stares he mumbles a bit under his breath as he kicks a loose rock with his foot
...you will at some point, I _will_ make it big..'
"Nice to meet you all. I'm sure we'll do great things together"
"That's the spirit! I think we will too. Good to meet you Thran." Telos offers his much smaller hand to the large half-orc in respect.
Zekuli is a dark-skinned human with close-shaven black hair and an intense stare. He takes a seat on one of the benches, keeping a slightly aloof distance from the others while he sizes them up. Three halflings, a dinosaur, and a half-orc. It sounds like the setup for some kind of joke. I wonder who and what else will be joining this eclectic band. Keeping such thoughts to himself, he responds to the latest statement.
"Yes, great things, I'm sure we will. Very bold of you to say so before we even begin." He clears his throat and introduces himself, "You can call me Zekuli. I trust I will be able to serve my lord Nethys well this day."
"Good to meet you Zekuli! As I understand it, Nethys favors magic. Perhaps he's chosen a good band of magic wielders for you to travel with."
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"Pah, he'll be fine. Mr. Tiggles won't attack if I don't tell him to so long as you don't pluck any of his feathers or grab his tail. Hates that. Gets him all worked up. If you wanna touch him like he's some kind of dog, too, feel free."
After a curt nod to the newcomers, Philoneus takes a fresh pear from his pack and takes a large, juicy bite out of it.
Mr. Tiggles swung his head around to see if his master was bringing out more meat. Upon seeing the pear, he warbled unhappily and returned his attention back to Deenha, offering his neck this time.
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Zekuli leans forward at Telos's words, his eyes sharpening with interest. "That he does, magic is the center of interest for Nethys and his followers. If I've fallen in with a group of practitioners, he must be guiding us today. This bodes well."
He watches the small creature of feather, tooth, and claw, but has no desire to get closer to it for the time being.
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A burly dwarven man tromps over to where the rest are around the benches, clanking with the sounds of metal and leather. As he arrives, he removes his helmet and stuffs it under his arm. He has a large pack sling to his pack, with a giant pole strapped tonits side. He tries to avoid it thwapping various branches hanging down into the courtyard with moderate success.
"Oh, err, uh, howdjedo. Roven. Lady Heidmarch sent for'n ye too I s'pose?"
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Oh look, here comes another short one. He doesn't have as much of a magical look to him, more's the pity.
As he's trying to figure out whether the heavily-accented words coming out of this dwarf's mouth are in Common or not, Zekuli seizes on the name that he recognizes. "Heidmarch, yes. If you're with the Pathfinders then we are all here for the same purpose. We've been told to wait here, and the preparations will soon be complete."
Preparations for what, he's not entirely sure, but he has no problem exhibiting patience if there's something worth waiting for.
At the request of hosts Canayven and Sheila Heidmarch, you have been invited to attend a private meeting at Heidmarch Manor. A large number of your fellow Pathfinders have clearly also been given a similar invitation, however the appearance of Sheila Heidmarch suggests all is about to be made clear.
She calls for your attention, and as the noise dies down she begins to speak.
”Dear friends, welcome to Magnimar and the newest Pathfinder Lodge—Heidmarch Manor. For those of you who do not yet know me, my name is Sheila Heidmarch—venture-captain of Magnimar. This lodge is also my home, which I share with my husband Canayven. While we are far from the comforts of the Grand Lodge at Absalom, we shall do our best to accommodate you with our humble Varisian hospitalities. My husband and I both spent many years in the field, so we know well what you do and appreciate that you have answered our summons. We are both extremely grateful to receive you and your support.”
“As you well know, Heidmarch Manor is a new lodge. Presently it is funded almost entirely from my own resources. Although I adore Magnimar, we have as many enemies here as friends. This being the case, I seek to court the favor of more powerful allies, specifically members of the Council of Ushers and the Office of the Lord Mayor.”
“This brings the conversation to our current situation. On one of their more recent salvage runs, the wondrous artificers of the Golemworks uncovered a strange relic while dredging stone from the bottom of Magnimar’s harbor. The relic appears to be some sort of a giant key, etched with ancient Thassilonian runes that their learned arcanists speculate may even predate the coming of the mysterious runelords. Because the key falls outside their area of expertise, the Golemworks donated the curious aritfact to the Office of the Lord Mayor. In turn, the Lord Mayor intends to auction off the key to the highest bidder in short order, to fund municipal projects. The auction will be run by the Cathedral of Abadar, gold in hand—meaning immediately after the final bid is accepted, the bidder must pay for his prize in full.”
“We want the key. However, we want it legally. Our establishment in Magnimar is relatively new and our footing tenuous. We need to secure more stable political relationships with the Lord Mayor’s office and the Council of Ushers to ensure the Society’s long term success in this city; especially since the Aspis Consortium already has such a strong foothold here. The legitimate purchase of the Runecarved Key from the local authorities would demonstrate our respect for the city’s government, which would go a long way toward improving our public image with these people.”
“That said, we can greatly increase our chances of winning the auction by persuading our competition to back out. While there are some we believe we can outbid, we are a new lodge with far fewer funds than many. Thus, we must find out who else is interested in the key, how much they can bid, and whether or not we can knock them out of the auction.”
“To assure our success, our espionage must be extensive. Therefore we have divided the task between our agents. While division stands to place field operatives in greater danger, we cannot risk revealing ourselves by working en mass. If you are discovered, we will disavow any association with you. We cannot aid you if you get arrested or fall into the clutches of the enemies of our Society. While this is unfortunate, I hope you can understand our position.”
”For now, please make yourselves at home. We have provided accommodations for each of your groups. Feel free to drop off your things and prepare yourselves. Then meet me in the manor’s theatre in five minutes.”
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“I can’t say I’ve had the opportunity to try, but subterfuge will be an interesting challenge. This key certainly sounds like something we absolutely have to obtain for the Pathfinder Society.”
Zekuli shifts slightly and his scale mail gives off a series of clanks and jingles and he adds, “Actual stealth would be difficult for me to manage, I suppose.”
Mr. Tiggles perked up, removing himself from the petting he was receiving and looking towards the sound of the snap. His master had already started walking. Not wanting to be left behind, the dinosaur fell in line at his master's left side as he was trained.
Even before the venture-captain arrives, the theater in Heidmarch Manor is crammed with Pathfinders. Heidmarch enters quietly, then slips through the crowd, takes the stage, and speaks. “Tonight, the Council of Ushers is sponsoring a pre-auction gala, to be hosted at the Cathedral of Abadar. During the party, the auctioneers intend to display the Runecarved Key in order to entice potential bidders. Anyone serious about entering the auction will be required to place a deposit of ten thousand gold coins in an escrow account at the cathedral.
“We need you to attend this event, both to submit our deposit as well as to determine who else might be interested in the key. While most of those attending received invitations, the event is semi-private and open to anyone with enough money to place serious bids. While the city provided me with an invitation, my appearance would give our many enemies cause for suspicion. For this reason, I ask that all of you go in my stead, and enter as my proxies. Still, we do not want out enemies to speculate on our own intentions. For this reason you must keep a low profile and avoid seeming too eager about the key. Each of you will be given a portion of the full deposit to take to the temple to present to Proctor Imikar”
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Once you have received your briefing, Sheila gives you a strong box containing a portion of the deposit. You make your way to the Cathedral of Abadar. Upon your arrival, you witness a steady stream of guests ascending the stairs and entering the cathedral’s main sanctuary, where the viewing is being held. Rows of temple warriors wearing white tabards stitched with the golden key of Abadar flank the main entrance. Their hands clench tightly around their gleaming swords as they stand almost motionless, ever-vigilant stares upon their faces.
As you enter, various low-level priests invite you to partake in food and beverages while you mingle about. You decide to deposit your funds first. One of the acolytes directs you to Proctor Jyronn Imikar, a pleasant Osirian priest who runs the temple. Imikar accepts your deposit and writes something in his ledger. You wouldn’t be proper pathfinders if you did not use the opportunity to attempt to see some of the writing. After a moment Proctor Imikar closes the book ”Thank you for entering the auction, will you also thank madam Heidmarch on my behalf?”
Perception:
Kresch Vaor representing Underbridge Exports
Falrig Sneve
Kresch Vaor representing Underbridge Exports
Sheila Heidmarch representing the Pathfinder Society
Dymal Rinks, independent
The Duchesses representing no one
Doctor Ernst Landis representing the Museum of Ages
Maiveer Sloan representing the Aspis Consortium
Falrig Sneve
Kresch Vaor representing Underbridge Exports
The Duchesses representing no one
Doctor Ernst Landis representing the Museum of Ages
Zimandi Kaddren
Falrig Sneve
Kresch Vaor representing Underbridge Exports
Sheila Heidmarch representing the Pathfinder Society
Dymal Rinks, independent
The Duchesses representing no one
Zimandi Kaddren
Falrig Sneve
Kresch Vaor representing Underbridge Exports
Dymal Rinks, independent
The Duchesses representing no one
Maiveer Sloan representing the Aspis Consortium
Kresch Vaor representing Underbridge Exports
Sheila Heidmarch representing the Pathfinder Society
Dymal Rinks, independent
Doctor Ernst Landis representing the Museum of Ages
Zimandi Kaddren
After depositing the funds you take a drink and something to eat. A squat man in white robes steps upon the cathedral dais to address the room. Introducing himself as the sexton of Magnimar’s High Cathedral of Abadar, he greets his guests with a broad, welcoming smile. “Good evening, friends! I’m pleased to see so many of our distinguished and honored guests could attend. For those of you not fortunate enough to have participated in our pre-auction festivities, please feel free to take part in all the luxuries and wonders within these halls. And with my welcome, I have the pleasure unveiling the auction’s feature lot. Enjoy!”
With the utterance of the final word he pulls aside the veil, displaying a gigantic key. It stands roughly three feet tall and is made of stone etched with glowing arcane symbols. The crowd applauds and people turn back to their companions to discuss the key. The crowd is an eclectic mix of landholders, merchants, and other notable figures from all over Varisia, wide-eyed and curious to glimpse the mysterious Runecarved Key. Hired servants weave through the crowd bearing luxurious platters of fruits, sweetbreads, and oysters or trays topped with crystal goblets of heady red wine. Guests mingle slowly, socializing amicably but cautiously with longtime acquaintances, as they feel out potential competitors.
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Telos feels a bit out of place at a social event like this, but decides to get to work, seeing how far his halfing charm can get him.
He gleaned several names out of the books as he entered. He starts at the top, casually weaving his way through the crowd asking various friendly folk if they've seen his "friend" Falrig Sneve around.
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Zekuli’s eyes widen when the key is revealed. It’s bigger than I thought it would be. And those symbols... He itches to go inspect it more closely, but he recalls the venture-captain’s warning, and so he turns to the side and only looks at the key out of the corner of his eyes.
Zekuli mentally repeats the names that he happened to see on the ledger, trying to fix them in his memory for later. Those Duchesses sound interesting. I wonder what their angle is. He weaves through the crowd, looking for anyone who might go with the names and trying to gauge who here is actually serious about getting hold of the key.
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Mr. Tiggles looks around uncomfortably at all the people around him but follows his master's command. He continued to move on Philoneus' left side as usual, falling behind and returning to his spot when there wasn't room for both of them to squeeze.
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