Ambrus Valsin, the venture-captain in charge of daily operations in and around the Grand Lodge, storms into the meeting room and sits down.
"All right, Pathfinders! Listen up. I know you have just finished your Confirmation and are eager to make names for yourselves in the organization, but first we need to make sure you are up to snuff and won’t get yourself killed out there. I have a number of small assignments for you and your team before your first real mission, and it would be best if you could finish them before the day’s end."
He slides a envelope over to the party, looks at the group and shakes his head. " Every day we get some doe-eyed hopeful or some sniveling bootlicker willing to do anything to join up with the Pathfinders. Most of them are good kids, but not all of them have the salt to make it in a world like this. It’s rough out there and I’m not just talking about the ruins, tombs, and wilderness Pathfinders find themselves in on missions."
He takes a deep breath as he continues, "We’ve got people who look down their noses at us, folks who think we squander our resources, and agents who want to take everything we have collected. For every friend of the Society, there are two enemies. So we got to make sure we treat our friend with respect and help them out from time to time."
He looks at each of the assembled Pathfinders in turn. "Your first mission, is to test your mettle and loyalties. It sends you to meet a few people very important to the Society, living here in Absalom. These are other venture-captains or close allies of our organization, so follow their orders as you would mine."
He stops and eyes the party to make sure everyone was listening. "That list of tasks are not arranged in any particular order of importance, but I want them all completed as quickly as possible."
He gathers the rest of his paperwork and stands ready to leave, "Only report to me once you complete everything. Included in the envelope is the list, complete with the name of your contact, and directions to the meeting location." With a nod he heads for the door. You only have a moment to ask any questions you might have before he is off to attend other business.
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"Let me begin by expressing how deeply grateful I, and I daresay my cohorts, are in your willingness to give us the chance to be a part of so great an organization. We will triumph over these trivial trials and bring you and the world the peace and honor it deserves." Chortles bowed low, waving his large brimmed feathered hat in an arc of sincerity.
"For those of you I am first meeting today, let this be the beginning of a history for the ages. No where shall our names not be expressed as chants of power over darkness and dishonor! All that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity!"
Chortles twisted the end of his mustache as he let his words sink to the depths of the souls of his audience.
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Ansha quietly reaches for the checklist. The elven enchantress peruses it, pausing briefly to arch an eyebrow at the unfamiliar gentleman. She glances at her companions, the expression on her face asking what she does not: Where did this guy come from?
She smiles ambiguously at Ambrus, then returns to reading the checklist.
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"Good Morning to you all! Let us start at the end of this list so as to avoid any untoward forwardness. The Chelish Paracountess Zarta Dralneen sounds the most inviting."
Chortles did not want anything to do with pickled anything, nor ancestral vaults. Charity work would make a good story, but royalty was where the real drama lived.
He turned to Ambrus Valsin, "Does the lady Zarta expect our call?"
"Yes, she is expecting you," he says.
With apparently no other questions for him, Ambrus Valsin leaves the newly-minted Pathfinders to their tasks.
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Ansha looks up from the list and looks Chortles over. With a sidelong glance at Theo, she turns a smile that could easily be mistaken for flirtacious on the man. "The Paracountess does sound like a good place to start," she agrees. She is the one most likely to have us dealing with magic.
Still smiling, she stands from the table and introduces herself with a lady-like curtsey. "I am Ansha Saeralyan. A star shines upon the hour of our meeting."
With an agreement reached, the Pathfinders travel through the streets toward their first destination
They arrive at the estate of the Paracountess, a magnificent gothic structure three stories tall. They are greeted at the ebon lacquered double front doors, wrought with gleaming silver fixtures, by a well-built male servant dressed in tight pants and a half buttoned shirt. He leads them through the well-appointed sitting rooms, ballrooms, and a grand stairway of the estate without saying a word and ignoring all questions. All the way up on the third floor of the house he opens the door of Zarta’s personal study.
A large intricate carpet dominates the marble floor in this room. A chaise sits along the north wall and a desk spans the southeast corner, its chair positioned with its back to the southwest corner of the room. Three comfortable chairs are positioned around a small, low circular table. Sitting in the chair behind the desk, Paracountess Zarta Dralneen regards the Pathfinders with a wry smile, putting away a few papers before addressing them.
"Aldor, you are dismissed. Close the door behind you and attend to your other tasks."
She then turns her attention to the group. "It’s always so incredibly adorable when I see a fresh-faced batch of Pathfinders. I mean, look at you scrumptious little teacakes. I could eat each and every one of you up!" She stops and gives Kame a critical look, "Well, maybe not you"
She continues, "I assume this isn’t a pleasure visit since most of you are terribly overdressed for that manner of occasion, so that must mean you are here for that trinket Valsin has been nagging me about. Seems I can’t get that man around these parts anymore," she gestures, sliding her hand down her body and widening the gesture to sweep out and across the room as if her home were a secondary thought.
"On the good side, he always sends me all the precious new recruits."
As the paracountess talks, a cacophony of booms and crashes sounds from beyond the room’s west door. She sometimes pauses at an extended eruption of these noises before continuing with the conversation. "I am sure you are all aware of my recent... promotion within the Society. It is now my responsibility to maintain order in the Vaults beneath the Grand Lodge of Absalom. Seek out other dangerous relics, and retrieve them for proper storage and research in the Dark Archive. Study and understand hazardous phenomena, and harness these occurrences’ power for the Societies benefit. Build alliances with like-minded organizations to learn their techniques—or steal these secrets as the situation dictates. Since I am still new to this position I am seeking others who can appreciate the work I do to join me in my... work."
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The elven enchantress follows after the well-built servant with an appreciative eye on his back. After the group is escorted into the Paracountess' study, Ansha's eye lingers as much on Zarta as it did upon her servant. A faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips, she takes a seat at one of the chairs in front of the desk.
"Invite us some other time and I would be happy to oblige," Ansha says. She winks and waves a hand, adding, "Pleasure is always preferable to business. 'Work to live and not live to work,' and all that."
"Today, though, it is business, yes. The work you discuss sounds intriguing--quite literally, in fact. Quite the opportunity for someone who likes to throw herself into her work wholeheartedly, so perhaps we could discuss it more? At the very least, I imagine that that same work is related to the relic the dear Venture Captain is after you about."
"Oh, you sweet young thing! This is one of those, 'It's what I can do for you' type offers!" The Paracountess says with a coy smile.
"We can discuss other business later," she says, noticing that several of the group seem more interested in the noise emanating from the next room. Zarta feigns hurt, even putting on a pouty face.
"Well if all you want is to get Valcin's trinket and be on your way so be it. It's in there. One of my servant is greatly misbehaving, so you’re going to have to deal with it in order to get the trinket. You might find this useful."
She holds out a small silver letter-open, her pout replaced with a look of boredom.
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The elf leans forward, taking the silver letter-opener with a quizzical look written on her face, though it quickly passes. The smile widening, but still crooked, the enchantress stands. "I'm sure a mutually beneficial arrangement can be made," she says, her gaze lingering on Zarta a moment before slowly traveling to the west door. "After all, everyone has their uses."
"But yes, I suppose 'other business' will have to wait. Wouldn't want to keep the Venture-Captain waiting," she sighs. Glancing back at the Paracountess, she adds, "The name is Ansha Saeralyan, should you think of me later and wish to...discuss things further."
She shifts her gaze to the rest of the group, clearly not intending to lead the way into the raucous commotion going on next door.
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Stonetree catches Ansha's gaze and looks towards the room form which the commotion was coming from and back to Ansha. "Oh, that is why I am here... that and the meals!" Stonetree barked before making his way towards the next room.
"Now what in the bloody hell is going on here!" Stonetree thundered immediately after throwing the door open to the room.
Stonetree pushes the double doors open to reveal a bedroom.
Zarta’s bedroom is decorated in the colors of Cheliax—ebon black and crimson red. Silk, rare woods, and carefully carved marble compose every bit of furniture in the room. Goose down now litters the room, covering
almost every surface and the silken shreds of the cushions that contained it lie about like flayed skin . A post on the massive screened bed is snapped in half, collapsed on the bed and drawing the screened curtains into a ripped slope of formerly fine cloth. Vials of perfume and crystal jars of other cosmetics sit smashed on the marble floor around the dresser. A prominent fixture in the room, a large “X” made of stout wood sits along the west wall, complete with leather shackles and chains.
Fiendish wings and a whipping scorpion-like tail lash behind a diminutive, red-skinned nuisance of a creature, which desperately tries to get into some kind of box.
It seems to be ignoring everything but the box.
Chortles recognizes that the creature must be an imp, though he does not remember anything specific about how it was defeated in the play.
The imp ignores Theodric and slams the box into a mirror, shattering it in a great cacophony.
The imp doesn't seem to notice Jivan's telekinetic effects, so driven is the creature to break the box open.
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Stonetree focuses on the box in an attempt to discern if there is something special about the box
"There is no need to put holes in the little guy, he just needs a moment to calm down." Stonetree chided his comrades.
"Put the box down little one, my friends just want to speak with you." Stonetree spoke to to the imp as he started walking forward.
The creature slams the box into a bed post, denting the bed badly, when Chortles' oratory reaches its ears.
Its arms drop to its sides, with one clawed hand holding the box. The imp looks unnaturally fascinated by the bard's performance, entranced by some supernatural effect.
While Stonetree prepares to subdue the creature with his brawling craft, Jivan walks up to the imp and simply removes the box from its hand. While not the stealthiest effort, the creature is so fascinated with Chortles that it hardly seems to care.
The Paracountess claps appreciatively. "That was...resourceful," she says.
In response to the question as to what is in the box, she says “Many think we in Cheliax serve and worship devils, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, we use the creatures for their power. They serve us and we sculpt their power in our own interests. The world must come to terms with the order of things. People need to know their place and operate accordingly. It is the only way to make order from this
world. Too many people stretch too far beyond their station, making waves and eroding the true order The box compels these creatures to follow their orders.”
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Ansha's eyebrows raise, curiosity piqued at Zarta's words. After the group has exited the Paracountess' presence, the enchantress looks to Jivan. "Mind if I take a look at the box before we return it to the Venture-Captain? It sounds fascinating."
She pauses a beat, then adds, "We should check out this rare book shop next. Who knows? He may have something interesting on his shelves about this thing."
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"Stonetree, I can think of no one better to have suggested such a personally perpendicularly labeled location. Not only will we 'out-wise' the inhabitants of the Quarter of the Wise, we shall feast on our most tenderly cooked friends!"
Chortles chortled loudly and brandished "Axe" for a giddy frolicking tune of joy. He was still beside himself for the incredible reception of his latest audience.
The Pathfinders decide to visit the Osirian nobleman named Dremdhet Salhar in the Wise Quarter to get permission for the Pathfinder Society to explore the Salhar ancestral vaults below Sothis.
The group make their way to the rich estate of Grand Councilmember Dremdhet Salhar, and are greeted by a guard who is expecting them as they reach the tall, wrought-iron gate. Once the Pathfinders are inside, a servant tells the group Salhar is not present, called away on important Council business, but his most trusted advisor is available to negotiate any business they may require. The servant explains this while leading the group down well-decorated hallways, past expansive rooms.
After a few minutes, the group arrives at a simple study near the end of a long hallway. Inside Amenopheus, a tan-skinned old man sits behind a desk flipping through pages in a large tome. Scraps of paper jut from the book marking over two dozen different places. As the group approaches the open door, the wise sage silently gestures the Pathfinders into the study with one thin hand, while closing the tome with the other after finishing what he was reading. Once they are all inside the study, he addresses the group.
“Good day to you, Pathfinders. I am Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage, advisor to Master Salhar. I understand you were sent here to discuss archaeological permissions. Knowing this was coming, I spoke with Master Salhar at length on the subject and have this to say.
"Since Osirion was reopened to exploration a decade ago, adventurers, historians, and treasure-seekers flock to my country by the hundreds, perhaps thousands. While most families with ancestral burial vaults maintain guards and keep their sites out of the hands of casual thieves, not all families have the wealth or power to restrict everyone, and as we all know, not every defense is perfectly secure. Unscrupulous tomb robbers and maligned merchant organizations cause Osirion to bleed relics into the Inner Sea—something the descendents of Ancient Osirion cannot afford. We Osiriani have thousands of years of rich history coursing through our veins, and while that power has been out of focus in recent years, we are content to wait, knowing our enemies will wear themselves down. As they fall into arrogance, folly, or greed, we wait for our return to power, knowing we bear the riches of our ancestors at our feet.
“Master Salhar remains impressed by the Pathfinder Society, orating in their favor a handful of times in front of Absalom’s Grand Council, in fact. Due to previous relationships between him and the Society, Master Salhar has agreed to grant permission to the Pathfinder Society to explore his family’s vaults below Sothis. The only thing he requires is that you retrieve the map of the vaults from his own vault here. The servant will lead you to the basement and show you the room.”
The Sapphire Sage’s eyes twinkle as he smirks knowingly, then he turns back to reading his book as though he had never been disturbed.
After leaving Amenopheus’ study, the servant brings the group back through the spacious estate, leading them down sturdy stone steps into the cool basement. Down a hallway, after a couple turns, the party ends up at a plain wooden door. The servant opens the door, gesturing to the room with a bow, and waits silently for the Pathfinders to enter. When questioned, he doesn’t know anything beyond that he is supposed to escort the group to this room and lock the door behind them.
A plain stone room contains three chests: a copper-banded chest of smooth, dark wood; a red lacquered chest; and what looks to be a cube of solid steel. Behind the chests sits a low table holding a clear glass jar half full of liquid and a covered wicker basket.
As Ansha looks back toward the door, she reads an inscription on it.
“Within these cases lies your quest and your way out.”
The copper and steel chests both have magical auras. The copper chest has an aura of illusion, while the steel chest's aura is universal.