Your first day of travel isn't so bad until you pass Maroux's island and hit the thick bog and you really start to slow down. Relan hits land marks like he was born here and keeps a clear lock on where you guys are headed. However, it distracts him from foraging and he only successfully comes up with enough food for eight people, leaving 15 people without anything to eat.
With minimal complaining, the Maidens set up a highly efficient camp and post watch.
Braelex does what she can to help, both in guiding the group and searching for edible flora.
Vuloo will forage the five days, as will Andel.
As the company marches on and resources begin to get stretched thin Nalar and Thyrl go with the foraging parties. Nalar preparing sleep spells to subdue any game they find as Thyrl uses it's speak with animals ability to assist with tracking.
Between Relan, the Maidens and Braelex all independently foraging, the party is able to feed everyone, although it takes a bit longer to travel.
At the end of day four, Relan spots some interesting spoor that seems like a large mammal (hard to identify from the broken bones and gore) got on the wrong end of a tremendously large creature. He easily picks out the trail of this clawed beast as leading off to the east, its prints easily 2 to 3 feet long.
"What kind of monster could make this?" Braelex asks, trying to identify the tracks.
Relan considers the tracks.
Large reptile maybe. Unsure. It went that way. Lets go this other way.
Neither of you trackers, even with the Maidens' help can puzzle out what the creature might be without following the tracks further.
Vuloo stares wide eyed at the tracks, "Yes, let's go the other direction, please."
At the rear of the group, away from the pathfinder's doing the pathfinding and foraging Nalar sighs in annoyance for the uptenth time. "You don't need to study Transmutation Nalar, it's a useless school Nalar, why learn to fly when you could learn to teleport Nalar." He whines slugging through the marshy water before teleporting to the front of the group, holding his arms up in the air as if cursing the sky. "Oh I don't know. How about because teleportion has a limited range!" He shouts to no one in particular as Thyrl flies up next to him.
"Master, I don't beleive your helping." It says, admonishing the wizard.
"Well what good is arcane power if I can't use it to punctuatie my complaints." He replies, prestidgitating his clothes clean in a losing battle against the evesive swamp muck.
The party eyes askance at the tracks and changes their path to avoid them and the vector they were on. The wide berth adds a bit of time to your travel, but eventually you realize you are far enough away from any known creature's hunting radius and move with a bit more ease.
Having found a rhythm and plan to your foraging, the next few days pass without incident and a group of beleagured, dirty warrior women and adventurers stumble out of the marshes and on the road to Magnimar.
When you get to the gate to Ordellia on the south side of the Yondabakari,, one of the City Watch glances askance at the Maidens as they enter but doesn't bar your entry, snarking at them as you pass through. "Gave up on your city, eh Korvosan? Don't expect to find much help on the other side of the bridge. Best if you stay in here with the rest of the foreign scum."
As they walk through the gates Nalar uses prestidigitation to clean the group up. "Sorry about that, some people are just pricks. Let's focus on getting to the lodge, our Venture Captain will be wondering what became of us." He says to the maidens.
Braelex nods, "Oh, for a hot bath and scented oils. I'll be soaking for a week. I cannot wait to get to my apartment!"
Vuloo sighes with relief upon reaching Magnimar. "Cursed Mushfens! I'm never leaving the city again!"
He nods to Nalar. "Yes, let's go immediately to the lodge. Sheila will be very interested in what we found under the Lady's Light."
Relan agrees, but stays alert, knowing that cities are not safe places.
The party progresses through Ordelia and before you cross the bridge to Kyver’s Islet, Oriana and Quennelle exchange a couple words and the Lieutenant takes the the Maiden cohort off to find some place to stay and Oriana continues along with you.
The guards at the bridge glance at her strangely, but don't move to stop her progress as you all travel forward and north through the city up the main thoroughfare. You pass through Seaspring Park and one of Magnimar's famed monuments, the Our Lady of the Blessed Waters statue. Out of the park you head north up to the cliff side and into the Alabaster district before you arrive at Heidmarch Manor.
It isn't but mere minutes before Sheila rushes out to greet you, excited as always to hear about your adventures and to discuss your next path forward.
Andel passes off his maps and records to you all, but mentions he wishes to piece together some of Ashamintallu's diary and other notes to figure out how she ended up there. He will outbrief you once he's done. Will likely take him a week or so to compile.
After Nalar debriefs Sheila about his misadventure he turns to indicate Oriana to the venture captain. "Without the help of the lovely Oriana and her cohort of Grey Maidens we wouldn't have been able to recover the shard of lust. If it would be agreeable for the Society, would we be able to find a way to repay them for their actions? Grey Maidens have a well deserved reputation for being fearsome fighters whose discipline is only matched by the Hellknight orders. I can only imagine how useful it would be to have a fully trained cohort as our retainers, let alone what it would do for the prestige of our lodge."
After checking in at Heidmarch Manor, Braelex takes her leave and returns to her apartment. Using the magic bag, she hauls the plethora of alchemical gear and lore looted from the Lady's Light. She tries to suppress a mad grin as she excitedly ponders the discoveries within.
First things first! she says to herself as she finally reaches her place. She locks the door, dumps off her bag and weapons to the floor, and steadily peels off the leathers and travel clothes, soiled and stinking from weeks in the wild. With deliberate focus, she fills the bathtub, heats the waters with a simple alchemical admixture and scents it with oils and soap. Then, at long last, she slips into the steaming waters, letting out a long sigh of contentment.
After soaking and washing until long after the bath water has cooled, Braelex finally emerges, feeling like new. The thought catches her strange and she glances in the mirror, momentarily startled by the naked stranger she sees there. A dizzy pang of cognitive dissonance brings her to a knee. Once she recovers her balance, a look back in the mirror only confirms the hard truth. Who am I? She stands, moving close to the looking glass to examine her new body. Sorshen's features are flawless -- the envy of any young maiden and the object of mens' desires. To Braelex, they seemed strangely neutral, like meeting a stranger who is also your twin.
"I'm still me, right?" she asks out loud. No one answers. Braelex shudders and turns the mirror away.
***
Given time to relax and explore the markets of Magnimar, Braelex tries to find an interested collector for the platinum plate, the collection of Sorshen's jewelry, and other esoteric items.
After Nalar debriefs Sheila about his misadventure he turns to indicate Oriana to the venture captain. "Without the help of the lovely Oriana and her cohort of Grey Maidens we wouldn't have been able to recover the shard of lust. If it would be agreeable for the Society, would we be able to find a way to repay them for their actions? Grey Maidens have a well deserved reputation for being fearsome fighters whose discipline is only matched by the Hellknight orders. I can only imagine how useful it would be to have a fully trained cohort as our retainers, let alone what it would do for the prestige of our lodge."
"Bah, Sabiyya will certainly be disappointed that we didn't come through for her by brokering an agreement with the Mushfen tribes. I'll see if I can put her off another month and put someone else on it. You did right to stick with these others. They are on to a task of grave importance for all Pathfinders and one that will make this Lodge the envy of the Society!" She stops abruptly as she watches your gaze linger on the expanse of skin exposed by her low cut dress.
"Mmm, you are certainly a part of this team now, given what you carry. Perhaps you should see someone about that curse. I gave Braelex ... is she really a clone of Sorshen now, fascinating ... a list of the ioun stones that will suppress the curse. Even a cracked or flawed one will suppress portions of it. I suggest you take care of that ... soon. Do you know where you are headed next? I assume you have used the Shard to sense the location of the next one?"
"As for the Maidens, I am certain Oriana and I can come to an arrangement of benefit to both of us. There are many things about Korvosa that I wish to know that would vastly improve our information network here. Tarry a while, Oriana, let us see what we can work out."
Your venture captain then dismisses you.
Braelex hunts about for a collector and or connisuer and is able to find buyers for all the jewelry and other valuable items at an incredible price, her bargaining gaining an aggregate 10% over the luxury items' value.
However, she is unable to get anyone to buy the plate for anything more than it's value as an art object. One man does hear about Kaer Maga and suggests she look there for purveyors of Thassilonian artifacts, "The City of Strangers draws all sorts of weird folk ... certain to be one or two that like that old stuff."
One man does hear about Kaer Maga and suggests she look there for purveyors of Thassilonian artifacts, "The City of Strangers draws all sorts of weird folk ... certain to be one or two that like that old stuff."
"Kaer Maga? I've heard of the place, but don't know much about it. My old troupe used to avoid the place, on our leader's insistence. She never explained why."
***
Nalar's eyes flick away from the tantalizing show of skin, knowing better than to get on the bad side of his venture Captain. Through direct force of will, and some personal use of mental magic, Nalar had done his best to ignore his lusts during the trek home. Sheila's direct confrontation of his condition brought the empty feeling his soul into the forefront of his mind. In a moment the only thing on the wizards mind is his desires.
"I need to go!" He shouts, fleeing from the lodge in a flash of green light as he dimension doors away, making a beeline for the nearest decent brothel like a man possessed.
Thyrl, to the outsider's credit, floats in the air where it had been on the wizard's shoulder, nonplussed. "Excuse him Sheila, he's been a powder keg of lust ever since he picked that shard u- The outsider halts mid sentence as a wash of emotions hits it through the familiar bond.
"Ehhh arrgh," It growls, obviously in discomfort, twitching slightly. "By the bliss of Nirvana. How do you mortals deal with that?
"I, ah, wow. Master and I have discussed options in case this event should occur. We thought it likely that the moment he entered the city gates it was only a matter of time until he sought out, relief. I'm surprised he made it through the debrief. He wanted you to know he suspects the next shard is in Kaer Maga, any information you could find would be of tremendous help."
As the group is dismissed Thyrl floats up to Oriana. "I shall meet you at a later time Maiden, I must go save Master from his sinning. I enjoy our talks, please come visit us at our apartments." It says, giving an address in the Marches.
Sheila smiles thinly at the familiar, "I'll get some notes together on Kaer Maga and send word ahead to a contact for you," she then moves to talk terms with Oriana.
Braelex lights up with curiosity, "Yes, please. I'd like to learn as much as I can about the so-called City of Strangers. I have heard so many strange rumors, it is hard to tell fact from fiction."
Braelex will spend some of the down time plumbing the Society members in Magnimar about Kaer Maga, as well as asking around to any of her old troupe mates that may be in town.
-Posted with Wayfinder
You guys are under no time pressure.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Some time later, after Braelex has time to research Kaer Maga and confer with travelers and transiting Pathfinders, she meets the other at Heidimarch Manor.
"Kaer Maga, also known by the monikers: the Asylum Stone, the City on the Cliff, the Hex, and most commonly, the City of Strangers. It's... a strange place. It people pride themselves on their autonomy. The city has not had a ruler -- no duke, no king, not so much as a city council -- for as many years as anyone can remember. Its people get along, mostly anyway, by a sort of ongoing truce. As long as no one faction tries to take control, they agree to live and let live."
"The city is a massive hexagonal structure -- no one knows who built it or how long it has been there -- resting on the edge of the Storval Rise. The hex ring is large enough that entire city neighborhoods lie within the walls, eight districts in fact: Ankar Te, Bis, The Bottoms, Calvalcade, Highside Stacks, Oriat, Tarheel Promenade, and the Warren. Three more are in the open air at the hex's center: Downmarket, Hospice and Widdershins."
"Given the city's open nature, its a huge hub of trade. Almost anything anyone wants can be had for the right price. The powerful factions in Kaer Maga are as myriad as its people. I can explain more, if we know better where in the city we need to go, and who we might need to work with."
"Do we know anything more specific about the shard's location, or are we just going to have to go there and figure it out?"
You are invited back to the Manor after about a month of time enjoying the sights and sounds of Magnimaar and helping the Maidens acclimate to their new lives. They take up as a sort of hired mercenary force to augment the beleagured City Guard and immediately find some place in the city. Their proclivity for violence is tempered fairly quickly by the lawful City Watch and they find a fairly decent place in the city.
Sheila awaits you in her study with a spectacled man in his late 30s dressed in simple, rough-spun clothes. He has a fragile, pale and gaut look and walks slowly with the aid of a cane.
"My friends, let me introduce to you Unselm Oldurac, a long time Pathfinder that has come to retire to be my research assistance. He has some information to share with you about your upcoming trip to Kaer Maga.
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The man coughs weakly, opening a tome and sitting down on a stool to read from it. He stops every couple sentences to catch his breath, making you all feel a bit fatigued empathically just listening to him.
"Kaer Maga is much as Braelex has told you earlier, but I'd like to move from geographical points to fill you in on some of the gangs for you are likely to encounter some of them and you should be careful in your dealings with the strange politics of the place."
"First is the Arcanists’ Circle: This faction is Kaer Maga’s most powerful collective of magic-users, an elite group of spellcasters who pool knowledge and resources to advance their research while also growing fabulously wealthy by working together to produce magic items in a systematic (and thus cheaper) fashion."
"Next, while Kaer Maga has numerous organizations that might loosely be referred to as “crime families,” the Ardoc brothers actually are bound by ties of blood and marriage. Within their home district of Bis, this loosely democratic organization of brothers, fathers, uncles, and cousins rules with an iron fist—yet one that protects and shields as much as it imposes. No one moves through Bis without their knowledge, and no one operates without their permission. Tread carefully if you need to operate in their domain. They have been friendly to the Society in the past, even offering to buy magic items over market value for those they favor."
"Moving on to the strangest of the bunch, for as long as anyone can remember, the Augurs have been a part of Kaer Maga. Unlike most trolls around the Inner Sea, who tend to be bestial, savage creatures with little use for the society of other humanoids, the troll Augurs of the City of Strangers are the lubrication that helps keep the social machinery of the city running. Through their guidance, both overt and subtle, deals are mooted, business ventures steered in beneficial directions, and internecine conflicts turned toward truce rather than open war. The tool the Augurs use to accomplish this feat is prophecy—in particular, an ascetic form of haruspicy. When a citizen of Kaer Maga is about to embark on some bold or significant endeavor, it’s common to engage the services of an Augur. The troll listens to the client’s situation, then drags a knife across its own stomach, spilling
forth its entrails. In this steaming mass, the troll “reads” a cryptic prophecy, which it delivers without explanation before accepting payment and shuffling away. They are incredibly well regarded and a visit to an Augur is always worth the price of admission, if for nothing more than the experience."
"Next are the Bloatmages. Though not truly a faction, these hemotheurges are synonymous with the city in the minds of many. Believing that magic truly “runs in the blood,” bloatmages overload their own circulatory systems, increasing their power by increasing
the amount of blood in their veins—a dangerous practice that leaves them hideously swollen and blimplike. They are dangerous and unpredictable, dedicated to their gluttonous craft."
"On to the mysterious Brothers of the Seal. For generations, the monastic order called the Brothers of the Seal was sworn to defend an
ancient doorway far beneath the artists’ district of Oriat. Recently, however, we believe a schism has arisen between those men and women who believe that the time has come to open the seal, and those who still cling to its traditional defense. The result is violent sectarian conflict, with the monks bitterly divided into groups called the Faithful and the Scions. I would avoid getting embroiled in this chaos if possible. The Society has no record on what is beyond that doorway.
While of great interest to us, it is far beyond the scope of your trip there."
" The Commerce League doesn't believe in a free market, and this union of local merchants and traders theoretically fosters peace and goodwill in the market districts by allowing merchants to work together to keep prices down. In reality, the Commerce League is a mafia-style coalition devoted to price fixing, protection rackets, and predatory lending, and isn’t afraid to back up its economic policies with violence. If you run afoul of one of their merchants, rest assured you will be visited when you least expect it."
"The Council of Truth was a group of exceptional sages and magic users devoted to unlocking the mysteries of the multiverse. They made exceptional breakthroughs, often selling off the results of their discoveries to the highest bidder, many times us when we weren't outmaneuvered by the Aspis Consortium before disappearing mysteriously many years ago. One of our Sociey contacts, Gadka Burtannon, reports increasingly organized gang activity in one of the old Council of Truth hideouts."
"You will most likely encounter the Duskwardens if you decide to enter the city through the Halflight Path. Sworn to defend the city and to place their duty above all other bonds of blood or loyalty, these expert delvers maintain the barricades that block off all but a select few entrances into the warrens beneath the city. They run the aforementioned Half light Path, a well-traveled underground road connecting the city above to the cliff ’s foot below and are the only group officially charged with exploring and mapping out the dark reaches beneath the city."
"It is highly likely you will encounter someone from the Freemen. Originally a gang of escaped slaves, they have expanded greatly over the last decade, becoming a powerful abolitionist force within the city. Though they know that other gangs won’t tolerate outright raids to free all the slaves in the city, the Freemen still shelter those slaves who manage to make it to their stronghold in the Bottoms, and purchase the freedom of many through traditional means at the Flesh Block in Downmarket. The group has become more and more militant recently."
"Another engimatic group, the men of the Iridian Fold, show up in the city at various points over the years, always in pairs and apparently hailing from the distant east. The men are always chained together in a manner that suggests slavery and subjugation, one of them swathed completely in veils and wrappings, while the other wears elaborate lacquered armor. Though it would seem that one might be the bodyguard or plaything for the other, which partner takes charge depends on the situation, and the veiled man may sometimes be bigger and more physically imposing than the presumed bodyguard. The handful of Iridian Fold men in the city keep to themselves, never joining another faction, and many have tried in vain to discover what motivation the group has in coming to the city."
"Lastly are the Tallow Boys, a secretive alliance of information brokers that exists within the ranks of the city’s young male prostitutes, collecting information from their customers while their guard is down and then selling it to those willing to pay exorbitant prices. The Tallow Boys are quick, smart, and highly organized, maintaining their anonymity by making potential information buyers jump through elaborate hoops. Another solid source of information."
"There are others that I have not finished researching, like the mysterious Sweetalkers who sew their mouths shut or the necromancers of Ankar-Te and their undead citizens who have rights like you and I, but you should be able to find more about those in the city if you need to. personally, I'd avoid both."
The man falls back into his seat, clearly exhausted from the long exposition.