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" It sounds as though we are supposed to be taking care of a pig at 8am tomorrow? Not sure I caught her meaning."
While you know a bit about the places history, especially to the Pathfinder Society, the most pertinent bit of information that comes to mind is a bit of conversation you had just this morning. . .
"You haven't been paying too much attention to your studies of our history, huh?" the Venture Captain smirks as the young warrior-nobleman jokes about the name of the "Pickled Imp". "Ever heard of something called the "Pig's Paunch"? No? That's okay. Maybe when you get back from this little task we can discuss such things."
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"Paunching the Pig? These Pathfinders have some strange hazing rituals don't they? Now sczarni please make sure you are not too drunk to partake in tomorrow's festivities." he says, bidding everyone goodnight early and making his way back to his room.
Having already been up since the rising sun, practising with his blade in the yard, Dante stops to take a swig of cold water from the well. Stretching and rolling his shoulders, Dante is about to resume his practicing when a bell tolls 8 times.
"Wait, something was meant to happen today...The Pigs!" he exclaims, gathering his tunic and jacket before rushing to find another agent to find the right place.
Rushing through the door sometime later, still pulling on his coat, yet not with his armour or gear he breathes heavily.
"Go-Good Morning..." he pants heavily. "Have I missed anything?"
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The message nags at your mind late into the night, but you finally discover the simple riddle. Making sure to wake up early the next morning and make ready, you meat up outside the barracks in time ot make your way into the city, a place you hadn't been allowed to venture out into for some time, with the exception of yesterday's mission.
The Pig’s Paunch is a run-down building with a faded sign of a large pig standing on its hind legs, arms folded above a corpulent belly. Inside, the air is thick with the scents of human sweat, stale tobacco, and leftover food. In the center of the room, surrounded by inebriates sleeping off their revelries, you see a familiar young Halfling woman sitting alone at a large round table.. “Welcome! Welcome, my students! Please, have a seat!” looking about the tavern with a sense of reverent wonder. “Can you believe it? It all started here years ago—well, over four hundred of them at least. Under this very roof the Pathfinder Society was born."
Allowing everyone the opportunity to order a small breakfast before continuing, you are all a little unsure just what to do. Is this allowed? Is it a test? Will we get in trouble?
"I was rather impressed with your skills, and I made sure I mentioned you all by name to Kreighton Shaine, the Pathfinder Society’s Master of Scrolls. He didn't seem to pay attention, but I'm pretty sure he wrote your names down in the Chronicle." she says, smiling and shrugging her shoulders. She wears a large backpack and carries all manner of tools, pouches, and scroll cases around her waist.
"So, I asked for your help ago. Six months ago, while I was mapping cave entrances in the foothills of the Kortos Mounts, I witnessed a lone gillman entering a concealed cave. I thought little of it at the time, but I saw another one enter the cave again a month later as my Confirmation stretched on. A few days later, after I completed my assigned task, I entered the cave system, but was unable to find the gillmen.”
Master Shaine said, and I quote "You will travel to these caves to explore and document its many passages. Additionally, and most importantly, you are to learn what the gillmen are up to in there. Oh, and you need to come back alive as well.” He is always so sincere."
"Anyway, you think you can help me out? It's not too far, and you will be back by tonight. Well, if the dragon doesn't wake up."
"I'm kidding! I'm kidding. I don't think there is a dragon."
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Cyrus listens to the halfling, annoyed at her rambling before he's yet to finish his coffee. "I'm came here to adventure and explore, so I'm happy to do both. Though I must admit, I'm not very familiar with Absalom. I've spent too much of my time trouncing through Osiriani ruins to pay much attention to the city and it's goings on. Since you're familiar with these caves, what can you tell us about them?"
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Taggin's listens intently, but wanders in his mind. Exploration? Mapping caves? This was not what I signed up for! At the sound of dragon, his ears flinch, his eyes widen, and he maintains and upright posture in excitement and anticipation. But soon after, his demeanour changes and he sinks back down to the chair on which he sits. His face turns a little sour as if he witnessed an ogre step on a puppy.
"Well..If not a draguun, I hope it's sumething worth the hunt. I'd be disappuinted if the most dangerus creature we went up against are centaurs, harpies, and minutaurs."
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Dante waits patiently for Janira to finish her briefing, trying his best to memorise the finer details, he soon finds it too difficult to focus and gives up, relying on someone else to keep him informed of the mission's goals, likely Janira herself. Buttoning his long jacket, Dante takes a seat and begins to tuck into breakfast.
"Well, if it is on the Society it would be rude not too." he explains, before spearing a greasy sausage with a fork and waving it at Xanko. "Sausage Sczarni?" he says with a smile.
Listening to Cyrus and Taggins he nods thoughtfully. "Exploration sounds grand, let us get to know this place, hardly a grand tale though!" he then turns to the dejected Taggins "Don't worry my little friend! I am sure we shall tackle a proper scaled beast in no time!"
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"Do we think the Gillmen might be hostile towards our exploration?"
"That’s exactly what you are being asked to find out. The only known permanent surface settlement of the gillmen is in Escadar. Why they’re venturing into the foothills of the Kortos Mounts is a mystery."
“The gillmen are a humanoid race much like humans save for the three piscine gills on both sides of their necks. They’re a little secretive but not outright hostile. Most live in or near the water.”
"Since you're familiar with these caves, what can you tell us about them?"
"Do gillmen wear jewels? Or harpies, centaurs and minotaurs for that matter?" asks Omreejka.
"Well..If not a draguun, I hope it's sumething worth the hunt. I'd be disappuinted if the most dangerus creature we went up against are centaurs, harpies, and minutaurs."
"Centaurs control the lowlands and surrounding wilderness of the Kortos Mounts. The areas farther up the Mounts are controlled by minotaurs, and the icy peaks are home to tribes of harpies. They’re always vying for territory, but with any luck, we should be able to avoid them and reach the caves without conflict."
"On to the details of the mission at hand,” Janira says with an eager grin. “After reviewing my mission reports personally, Master Shaine believes it is no coincidence that each time they entered the caves it was during a full moon, so it is also no coincidence that you have been called here now, just a day before the moon is full again. We both believe that tomorrow night is our best chance to find out why these caves are important and what exactly the gillmen are doing in there."
“The caves we’ll be travelling to lie under the base of the Kortos Mounts. We’ll need to spend every minute of daylight possible to reach the caves by foot, crossing over the Cairnlands, taking the paths to Diobel, and finally making our way through the wilderness. With any luck we won’t run into any of the local inhabitants. Once in the caves, we’ll need to work together to explore and determine whether any gillman are present or have been recently. Keep an eye out for any other clues that might hint at the caves’ significance, too.”
“Now, before we head out, if there aren’t any more questions, we should take a moment to go through your gear and make sure nothing important gets left out.”
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He listens intently once more but begins to drift off a little as his concentration wavers. Why do these briefings have to be so long? he thinks to himself as the others fire off questions. Unable to think of anything he doesn't think sounds too dumb he keeps quiet and finishes his hearty breakfast.
"That sounds fine. I have torches left over, whilst you all shop and prepare, I will go and collect my things." he says as the group get ready to depart.
Nodding to Janira, he speeds off to the Grand Lodge to collect his armour and travelling gear from his small cell where he left them before donning the awkward scales. Satisfied and taking the time to comb his hair and wash his face he makes his way back to the Paunched Pig.
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Just before heading out, Janira takes a moment to inspect your gear, making a few suggestions as she goes through, "Rope is always handy to have. Never thought much of it until I was crawling through the ceiling ducts in Cheliax once on a stealth mission. I decided to just jump down, thinking it would be fine. I landed hard, and apparently loudly. So loudly I woke up a bloody chair. Yah, a chair. Thing nearly killed me."
Moving down, she continues to offer suggestions or compliments for some of the things she sees, nodding at things like Alchemist's Fire, pens and paper, and torches, and offering further suggestions, "A Pathfinder never knows who they will be teamed up with. A good source of healing, for yourself and for they guy and gal at your back is always a wise decision.", and continuing to tell little stories as she points out different gear she either does not see or only a few of.
Once completed, she pulls out a scroll box. From inside she pulls out a small stack of blank paper and both a bundle of pencils and charcoal sticks. "I want everyone to take one of each of the utensils and a few sheets of paper. From now on, for this mission, these are inspectable items. Our main task is to study and record, after all." Anyone one that already has some means of taking notes is welcome to use that instead, but she still offers her supplies if desired.
"Ok, lets get rolling. Can you feel it? We are about to take the first step on the next grand adventure. It's like the call to battle." Once everyone is ready, the journey to the Kortos Mountains begins. She leads you west out of Absalom and through the Cairnlands, picking up any last-minute purchases on the way out of the city.
The first phase takes you through Absalom, leads across the Cairnlands, along a well-worn path that leads toward Diobel, through the wilderness surrounding the Kortos Mounts, and culminates at the cave entrance noted in Janira’s report. The journey through the City at the Center of the World is swift and without incident, and the long trek across the Cairnlands provides a great opportunity to discuss Master Shane’s class on the history of Absalom. Most of the journey is uneventful, but Janira might point out landmarks such as siege towers, distant mountains, or distinct flora and fauna along the journey.
As the party progresses deeper into the forest, the trees towering overhead begin to shield most of what remains of the day’s sun and the vegetation beneath grows denser. Janira pauses a moment and pulls out an intricate silver compass emblazoned with the Pathfinder Society logo: the Glyph of the Open Road. “I received this wayfinder when I successfully completed my Confirmation. Should we be successful on our journey, it will not be too long at all before I'd say you are all ready to be tested and get your own as well.” She flips open the device and holds it in front of her; the initials J. L. are engraved into the inside of the device’s lid.
After studying the compass inside for a moment, she remarks, “We’re on the right path. We need to keep heading northwest past those large rocks up ahead.” Most of the trees in this section of the forest have trunks that are too big for any creatures to share their space. Sporadic patches of light undergrowth provide areas for creatures to hide while restricting movement for those passing through. A large rock outcropping to the east rises nearly 20 feet above the forest floor, and a small sinkhole to the northwest drops off sharply, descending to the ground 10 feet below.
As you begin to make your way over a rather large overturned tree, you suddenly begin to hear a soft buzzing noise off in the distance.
[spoiler=INIT ROLLS]
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ROUND 1
Hellena (), Taggins (), Ser Dante (), Xanko (), Janira (), Cyrus ()
Buzzing Death ()
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Dante looks across the clearing and spies the buzzing mosquitoes as pointed out by Hellena. Bloody hell! Blood sucking parasites!" he curses as he moves out of the core group and draws a vial of Greenish liquid, bubbling slightly.
Keeping his eye in he prepares to toss it at the Mosquito Swarm if it gets closer.
for
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Hellena calls out the approaching swarm as she draws an Alchemist's Fire to have just in case. Taggins does similar, producing two vials of death, and Ser Dante launches his, missing the swarm, but causing the flask of acid to smash on the stumps behind it and begin to sizzle.
Seeing things not going so well, Xanko and Omreejka fall back, while Janira calls out a warning, stating the obvious "When thousands of tiny creatures swarm together, it's difficult, and practically impossible to focus on one target and do any damage to the mass. Larger magical blasts and things like acid though, can be very effective."
The Killer Mosquitos move in, flying as a mass towards the party's center, slowing as they wash over Ser Dante, but likely to move more and go for the larger population of fresh blood near them.
ROUND 2 <Inspire +1>
Hellena (), Taggins (), Ser Dante (-2 , bleed), Xanko (), Janira (), Cyrus ()
Buzzing Death (-1)
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Unperturbed by the swarming Mosquitos, Dante bats them away with his gauntleted hand with little effect, choosing instead to back off. Having tossed his only vial, the Fighter moves back towards the tree stumps to allow his allies to toss freely.
"Accursed creatures! The blood of Taldor is too rich for you all!"
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Seeing a fire already in play, Hellena instead draws a lamp oil and tips it on the fire, making a bigger conflagration
Damage (burns 2 rounds)
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Hellena and Taggins bombard the swarm with more death in a bottle as Ser Dante moves away, more afraid that the fire might singe his fine Taldan hair than the swarm itself. As he does, his multiple wounds continue to bleed, and he can see his "too rich" blood draining out onto the earth.
ROUND 2 <Inspire +1>
Hellena (), Taggins (), Ser Dante (-4 , bleed), Xanko (), Omreejka (), Janira (), Cyrus ()
Buzzing Death (-13)
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Xonko and Omreejka both withdraw to the sides, not being terribly proficient at dealing with swarms, but, that's why they are part of a team. Janira moves closer to Ser Dante, the words of a small chant on her lips, and as she arrives, she lays a calming hand on the knight's shoulder, causing his wounds, and more importantly his bleeding to heal.
Just following that, nearly hitting the young woman as she moves by, Cyrus heaves his own Alchemist's Fire, causing a small explosion of flame that eradicates the last of the Kortos mosquitos.
"Great job on a successful battle, but no time to dally. We need to pack up and keep moving. If we do not make it to the caves by dusk, the Gillmen will probably be gone, and our chance missed."
As the group continues to travel through the wilderness, you find trails blocked by fallen objects, shortcuts overgrown, and other minor delays that cost them time.
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"No! No! You're not doing it right! You hafta think like animals"
Taggins drops on all fours and looks around at the ground, observing every inch of broken twigs and leaves. He walks like that for several moments and turns to the group, "Well? Cmon follow me then.." And soon he takes off along the path.