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Venture-Captain Hestia Themis, a small, unassuming woman of Taldan heritage with dark hair and eyes, holds a large sheaf of papers in her small hands and clears her throat. Her booming voice, the antithesis of her stature, fills the main hall of the small Pathfinder Lodge in the Taldan city of Cassomir.
“One of our own has been kidnapped. Pathfinder Cestis was taken just days ago from a relics auction in the Imperial Naval Shipyards, and we believe his dissapearance to be related to the six dozen or so kidnappings of the last several months. Now that one of our own is missing, this has become a Society matter—something we’ll get to the bottom of.”
Themis gestures to a teenage boy standing beside her, who nervously regards his surroundings and sweats profusely, his thick brown hair matted and wet against his head. “This is Nefti, the assistant to the biggest thorn in my side in Cassomir—an agent of the Aspis Consortium named Kafar."
"Kafar is also missing, taken from the same relics auction along with Pathfinder Cestis and a dozen other citizens of Cassomir. Nefti was at the auction, saw where a small group of the kidnapped victims were taken, and his handlers in Cassomir have give us access to him so that he might guide us to our missing Pathfinder. If you happen to find Kafar...” Themis grinds her teeth. “Let him go, per the agreement I’ve just
made with his superiors. Your priority is Cestis, and I think
Nefti can lead you to him. Any questions?”
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Grahl looks at the assembled Pathfinders, one at a time, and then to Nefti. His demonic heritage apparent, Grahl is a bulky tiefling with lacquered leather armor adorned with etchings of dinosaurs. At his side, is a bear-sized dinosaur also wearing lacquered armor.
"How many kidnappers did you see, and what did they look like?"
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A serious and imposing, a 6-foot-tall, bearded wizard with black hair nods. Though relatively young, his hair and beard are prematurely streaked with silver. A distinguished man, he is dressed in nondescript black robes with silver runes on the sleeves.
"Please describe, in detail, where the kidnapped were taken," Thael says.
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Hestia Themis thinks about the two questions that were asked and replies with this. “They started a few months ago. Cassomir has always had some trouble with its citizens going missing, but this was different. Only those associated with the Imperial Naval Shipyards were taken—shipwrights, carpenters, navy guards, and so on. This recent kidnapping, where they took Cestis, was brash and bold. They grabbed more than a dozen people in one attack, neglecting to grab Nefti. Their mistake is our fortune.” He scratches his chin and continues his explanation. “There are... rumors of twisted men from the Darklands who climb up through Cassomir’s Locker, the sewers, catacombs, and older ruins below the city. Alas, they are only rumors. We don’t know who’s doing it.”
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Aye, wait up!" shouts a stubby dwarf as he runs up to the group. "Sorry 'm late. Got tied up and whatnot. Anyways, here now and up to speed. So off to the Inn of the Unlucky Sailor, huh? Is it underwater or just built on a peg leg, m'i'right? Then wes get to go in a sewer. No matter, 'm ugly enough as is."
The Pathfinders stare at the ugly dwarf, deep purple scars crisscross his face, intersecting in the middle by a partially cut off nose. He hefts is longhammer on his shoulder and strides off with the rest of the group.
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Perched precariously overhanging the dirty harbor water stands the Inn of the Unlucky Sailor. A fresh coat of white paint glistens on half the inn’s outside walls, and most of the windows are boarded up. The roof leans slightly toward the harbor, as if at any moment the entire thing could come off and slide into the ocean. The dock leading up to the inn is made of rotting wood connected to thick, rank-smelling pilings. Several small rowboats are currently tied up along its length. All in all, a nice place for a quiet drink... yeah.. right.
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Perched precariously overhanging the dirty harbor water stands the Inn of the Unlucky Sailor. A fresh coat of white paint glistens on half the inn’s outside walls, and most of the windows are boarded up. The roof leans slightly toward the harbor, as if at any moment the entire thing could come off and slide into the ocean. The dock leading up to the inn is made of rotting wood connected to thick, rank-smelling pilings. Several small rowboats are currently tied up along its length. All in all, a nice place for a quiet drink... yeah.. right.
How will you approach?
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"By Torag's balls what drunken gnome hobbled that shack together? I wouldn't put my mother-in-law in that .... well she is a piece o' work, so mayhaps. I suggest walking silently like up there, but I'd been clanking since I dropped from the cradle. Care to stroll around? Maybe one of yous can hop in one a them dinghies?"
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As you approach the building, you have several options as to how to proceed. Anyone moving on the pier must make an acrobatics or risk falling prone. Anyone trying to sneak on the boards, take a -5 to stealth checks.
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"See them boards there, well there are looser ... er um ...well I mean to say that a strong lad could wiggle them boards off. Seriously who built this thing? I'd like to show them a thing or five-hundred about how to support that load there."
Turning to Marsk, "Cleric, you think you could lend me a hand there? Couple 'o dwarves ain't no match for them rotting timbers."
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Scar:
Fall prone, and then crawl to 1 square SE of the green rat, still prone.
Grahl:
Casting "Summon Nature's Ally I"
Grahl motions for Scarnorak to attack the rat. Scar starts to head for his prey with malicious intent in mind, but slips to the dock. He then crawls towards the rat.
Grahl decides to take a 5 foot step to look into the doorway and slips on the dock as well. Frustrated, he begins casting a spell while prone.
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Mark shoots an arrow at the green rat, doing 3 damage. Brachar swings and misses... ouch... Thael moves up and taps Brachar with his enlargement stick. Finally, Scar stomps forward and takes out the green rat.
The brown and white rat move up and attack. Brown on Scar, White on the big dwarf.
both of the rats seam to miss... how about that.
The druid moves forward and casts Flare in front of Thael.
"Dame you humans, haven't you done enough to this world. You all need to die!!!"
-Round 1-
Mark
Brachar
Thael
Grahl
Rats
-Up Next-
Marsk
Druid
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"Oooh, hahaha. Did you see that? I dune squished that spellcaster. Oh that was fun." Wiping blood and gore from his cheeks, Brachar's ugly face is split wide in a grin like an urchin from the Coins District successfully lifting a gold-filled purse.
"What you you doin' here rat? Gonna squish you too. Harhar." the dwarf belly rumbles. Shifting his grip on his warhammer, the dwarf strikes hard with his mailed, spiked gauntlet.
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Scar's first attack slices the yellow rat in twine and his second attack redirected towards the other rat, the first claw missed, but the second landed, dealing some damage.
Mark's arrow hits, dealing a little more damage.
Brachar, in his enlarge statue, is unable to attack the rats that are right in front of him with is reach weapon.
-Round 2-
Mark -done-
Brachar
Thael
Grahl -done-
Rats
Marsk