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After searching around for a few days, you seem to be going nowhere in finding this Dakar, and no one seems to know about the Shadow Lodge/Shadowfinders. Regardless of where you ask, people either shrug and say they don’t know him or fiercely shake their heads, look up and down the street nervously, and then hurriedly walk away. Suddenly, where a thick crowd of people once stood are now only six burly men carrying cudgels and a seventh with his hand in a pouch at his belt. All seven sets of eyes are on you, while in the distance, the crowds suddenly turn and find another way past this street. “You’ve been asking about Dakar,”. . .
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Seems word is a little slow to get around this town, its only been three days. Maldoc quips. I've forgotten why we've been asking for him.
Maldoc stands ready to defend himself but has not drawn a weapon or moved in an aggressive fashion toward the men. You wanna keep your hands where I can see 'em, friend? Maldoc moves his eyes to the man with the pouch. No need for a show of public hostility.
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His head turning to take in the rapidly dispersing crowd, Umaro's grip on his spear tightens as he turns back to the group of armed thugs. Well at least it is a lead, not the most friendly of one, but a lead all the same.
Umaro takes care to position himself between the thugs and Variel and Seaweed.
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"Then you must come with us, peacefully." he says as he motions to one of the others. The other man goes and pulls a sheet aside, revealing a coach, but its windows are completely blackened with paint. Another man steps forward, holding burlap sacks. He tosses them towards you, while the leader says "Dakar wishes to keep his secrets. Put them on, and we will take in you the carriage. You will be safe, but it will be impossible to know where you are. The sacks are enchanted."
As promised, once you have placed the sacks over your heads, they tighten them, and bind your hands, then escort you to the carriage. There is no sound at all once the sacks are over your head, making even conversation or signals impossible. But you are not harmed, as you cruise through the city for over an hour. Even if you where familiar with the city, tracking your location would be impossible.
Finally, after what seems like forever, you are removed from the carriage, and marched through the streets. All the while able to neither see nor hear a thing. Eventually, they stop you, and remove the sacks. "We have arrived". You find yourselves in a nice club, or perhaps even a private residence with carpeted floors, potted plants, slaves waving fans, and a giant, backlit screen along one wall. A shape, decidedly vague in outline, can be seen behind the screen, and a voice speaks. “You’ve asked for me and now you have me. I am Dakar. What do you wish to know?”
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People and their secrets.
Umaro musses during the trip, the quiet time letting his mind drift.
Hopefully we can at least find some bloody answers, all this roaming around is getting a tad tiresome.
"From what rumors say, the Shadow Lodge has the potential to cause some problems in this city. We are hoping to prevent that, with your help we can. We only need to be pointed in the right direction."
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Seaweed bows to the screen with a respectful folding of hands. "We are led to believe you do not want the shadow lodge setting up in your city. Our employers feel the same. We are visitors here though and have not been able to find any information on these shadowlodgers so that we may 'address' our mutual concerns."
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“One of my good friends, a merchant in the Varisian outcast’s haven known as Kaer Maga, sent me a very strange letter, which I need you to investigate. The merchant—his name is tells me that the residents of Kaer Maga are very upset about the Society’s plan to build a lodge in their city and even further upset that the agents we sent are making trouble, stirring up the delicate balance of power that exists in the so-called City of Strangers. The trouble is, not the Decemvirate or any venture-captain I can find gave the okay to build a lodge there. We know it would be folly to do so - at least right now - and so this idea that Collgardie has that the Society is there and doing just that is worrisome"...
..."If there are Pathfinders in the city founding a lodge, tell them I order them to stop at once. If this is some kind of ruse, get to the bottom of it and do what you can to keep our Society’s good name in Kaer Maga. We may not be completely welcome there, but neither are we unwelcome. Let’s keep it that way. My advice, . . .keep your head down and be smart. The balance...
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From beyond the screen, the voice replies “I don’t give anything away for free, Pathfinders, but I will give you the information you want in exchange for a future favor. Do each of you agree to my terms?”
And as soon as the inevitable question is asked, he responds "Nothing of you just yet, Pathfinders, but when I need something that you will be uniquely ably to provide, I will let you know."
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Mr Dakar, Collgardie summoned us to deal with this problem acting under your instructions. Ultimately we came all this way here because you asked for us. Quietly removing this shadow lodge of the picture is in your best interest as much as it is in ours. If somebody should own a favor here... you should own one to us. But since we are good nature fellows we will not charge you for it.
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"Now that we have agreed, here is what we know. These other Pathfinders you seek, the ones causing all the issues, are not actually Pathfinders at all. They where, but no longer. They call themselves the Shadow Lodge, and are a militant group comrised of individuals that have fallen away from the Society. They are very real, and a much larger threat to the Pathfinders than you realize. They are using Kaer Maga as a staging grounds for a war against you. One of their leaders resides in the Naderi Theater", . We only began to suspect he was not a Pathfinder when he called out a hit on you. He is responcible for the Goblin attack in the Halflight Path. Do try not to die, Pathfinders. I like to cash in favors owed to me."
Dakar's men "escort" you back the same way you came, and offer you luck in dealing with the Shadow Lodge. At your request, they take you close to the theater, then depart.
As you begin to turn to look for another way in, you notice that the chain barring the door is actually a fake, and that the door is not actually locked at all. Opening it up, you see a way forward. Just inside the doors is a small hallway that runs east-west and leads up to the theater’s dusty balconies. Another set of double doors, just across the hallway from the entrance, is unlocked and leads to the theater’s seating area.
The seats are all covered in white sheets, which are covered in a fine layer of dust. Birds flap around in the rafters, and the fallen remnants of nests can be seen all about the seating area. On the stage is a covered piano and several chairs—the chairs are uncovered, their
sheets cast aside, and piles of papers sit nearly around them.
As you enter the theater area, a loud ominous voice calls out to you, "Ah, welcome, Pathfinders. . . So, you have discovered the Shadow Lodge of Kaer Maga." You look about, but are not able to see anyone, until a well-to-do gentleman walks out from the shadows. With a cruel look, he continues. "Vadoma failed to killed you, I see. I’ll have to take over."
Pratt immediatly begins to cast an arcane spell.
Round 1
Variel, Evigail, Maldoc, & Zedril
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Bard
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Tilda & Alastor
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The Bard continues his chanting (going before Evigail's Silence), and two devilish-looking Fire Beetles appear right in the middle of the path between you two. Wyatt then begins singing, inspiring his minions to battle and steps a little closer to you.
Round 1
Variel, Evigail, Maldoc, & Umaro
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Bard, Fire Beetle 1, and Fire Beetle 2
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Tilda & Alastor