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You've just sat down for dinner in your usual fashion in Absalom, thinking how lucky you are to be working for the Society and drawing a few cushy jobs studying some old books. Unlike other adventurers you've talked to in the past, your duties have been boring by contrast. Of couse that means its also safer, so there is a plus to that.
However, there is a quick tap on your shoulder and an envelop handed to you by a stranger. The stranger is gone, answering none of your questions. With a shrug, you open the envelope after seeing the Pathfinder Society seal on the letter. Inside isa note.
"Greetings Society Member. While your work here has been highly appreciated, you are now being called to meet Ambrus Valsin at the Grand Lodge. He is expected you to arrive as quick as possible."
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"It's about time, my ass has been spreading from to much chair parade."
Oday pays for his meal and tries once again to get the serving girl to meet him after she gets off work.
"But you see my dear, I have just received orders for a very dangerous mission. It is likely I will not even survive. You would not want me to spend my last night in Absalom all alone would you?"
"Oday Remner, I've heard that line before. I'm ta be wed to Wilim, and ya knows it. If you is that lonely, go see Fat Gretta. And don't act like ya haven't already been there, cause I know ya have." With that she turned smartly on her heal and walked off.
Oday glances over at Fat Gretta before he eases out the door.
It is a nice day in Absalom and Oday enjoys the walk to the Grand Lodge.
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Lore runs home to grab her gear after reading the note and heads out to see Ambrus.
I do hope he has something more interesting than my last mission for him... While it was fun retrieving items and doing a little collection and diplomacy for the Society, it might be fun to have a task that maybe takes me out of the city for a change of pace. We shall see what he has in mind this time.
She walks along on the way to the Lodge, whistling softly under her breath and smiling at everyone she meets along the way.
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Being relatively new to the Society, and just recently having completed training, Brother Grimdoc was surprised to receive the letter inviting him up to the lodge, he quickly gathered his gear and noticed a friendly gnome he had seen in the halls of the Grand Lodge on occasion.
"Uhm, excuse me Miss. I am new to these parts and see you heading towards the Grand Lodge. I received a strange request and wondered if you knew what this is about." . He holds up the letter as he walks beside her. He stops and bows.
"I beg you pardon....I am Grimdoc....at your service.." .
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"Hi, 'Doc... Hope you don't mind me calling you 'Doc. I could call you Grim if you prefer. I'm Lorelendral but you can call me Lore. I got a letter just like yours. Looks like you and I are going to be working together. Oh, blessings of Sarenrae on you this fine day... don't want to forget that! Is this your first task for the Society? I haven't seen you around before. Anyway, let's go see Ambrus and see what he has in store for us, then like good Pathfinders, we'll go die where we're told to. Just kidding about that, of course, we're not going to die, at least not while Sarenrae's power can keep us all healed up."
She finally stops chattering as they approach Ambrus Valsin's office.
Lore does add softly as they approach, "Don't let Ambrus scare you... he's not as intimidating as you might think... Under all that gruff, he's a sweet man."
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Oday makes his way into the anti-chamber, he sees the olives and wine and helps himself.
"Hey guys, free booze!! Name is Oday, Oday Remner. I guess Valsin is on the way. I've been sitting on my rear for the last few weeks blowing through what little gold I had left. I was beginning to think that that unfortunate misunderstanding in Kassen had sunk me with the Society."
Oday stops talking long enough to stuff some olives in his mouth.
"I'm just glad to be working!"
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"Hullo Oday, I'm Lorelendral but you can call me Lore... blessings of Sarenrae! and this is my new friend Grimdoc," she says, as she motions toward the dwarf present. "This isn't your first mission for the Society then? Good, good.... not mine either. This'll be my second, so I'm still relatively new at all this. Mmmm... those olives are good, aren't they? I think I'll have a few more." And true to her word, she helps herself to more olives.
"I'm a cleric of the Dawnflower, so I guess I'm your healer, though I don't have a LOT of healing magic, I do have some. What do you do, Oday? You have the look of a warrior about you, but I've been known to be wrong, guessing is hard work. And Grim, what about you?"
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Grimdoc bows deeply towards Oday upon the introduction.
"Brother Grimdoc Clanhammer at your service."
"Alas I am one of the few remaining of my clan in the dwarf hold of Kravenkus which stands in the World's Edge Mountains, in Taldor. I left the stronghold seeking knowledge or allies to help our clan rebuild our strength. I ended up in the Society in the search of lore and unlike the two of you, this will be my first mission."
He smiles at Lore and Oday then continues...
"I know only a bit of the healing arts but I have some general skills that have helped me reach the Lodge in one piece. I look to learn from the experience of the two of you on this mission."
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"Oh yes", Oday replies to Lore.
"I have received training in weapons and the martial arts. Grew up doing it actually. Home became unpleasant a few years back and I hit the road. I spent a year in a sell sword company campaigning near Augustana, after my hitch was up I joined the Society quite by accident. Until a few months back they kept me fairly busy."
Oday looks around.
"Looks like we will have our share of Divine influence in the group, I wonder who else is coming?"
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After a few minutes of chatting with each other, a messenger enters the room, "Excuse me, we are waiting on one more member of your party to arrive and then Mr. Valsin will take audience with you. Until then, please continue to help yourselves to the refreshments." The messenger bows and leaves the room
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Kurama Kenjin motions toward the envelope breaking his restful meditation.
After reading the message, the bright haired tiefling reflects on completing his daily vows and recites to himself.
To master both the blade and shadow, I am commited and remove any distractions.
The sword. The shadow.
(1) To exist as the sword and the shadow, I must separate myself from everything else. (Vow of Celibacy)
(2) To understand the sword and shadow, I must purify my body of taint and imperfection. (Vow of Cleanliness)
(3) To speak as the sword and shadow, I must listen to the wisdom. (Vow of Silence)
(4) To reveal the secrets of the sword and shadow, I must utter the truth. (Vow of Truth)
To achieve enlightenment, I adhere to these tenets.
I am the sword. I am the shadow.
Kuruma pats his pocket where he carries a palm-sized stone etched with his personal dogma. He moves quickly to the Grand Lodge navigating through the paths less traveled.
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A silent form enters the Grand Lodge. It's a fiery haired tiefling. He abstains from imbibing spirited drinks as it may inhibit his performance or judgment. Glancing around the room, he notices other pathfinders summoned here. Recognizing Oday in brief passing at Andoran faction gathering, Kuruma approaches the fighter and hands him a small etched stone bearing his monk vows which are written multiple times in several languages (Common, Dwarven, Elven, Giant, Gnome, Halfling, Orc, to name a few) repeating the same words.
Kurama then pats his chest to signify himself and reveals a tattoo under his forearm of a fox demon in sage's garment. He points at the tattoo then himself. Kurama waits for Oday to react hoping that the fighter would grant him a name or temporary moniker. Kurama tilts his head forward trying to determine if Oday understands; the tiefling also shows his letter to appear at the Grand Lodge.
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The little gnome smiles at the newcomer, then looks to Oday for a moment questioningly, then back to KK. Then she shrugs and introduces herself. "Hi...I'm Lorelendral, but everyone calls me just Lore. Blessings of the Dawnflower. It's nice to meet you. Who are you? Why so silent? Cat got your tongue?"
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A tall,slender elf wearing leather armor hurries into the room. "Apologies everyone. It took me a bit longer than I expected to gather all my supplies. I am Ruprecht," as the elf talks, the numerous small vials about his belt clink amongst each other. He approaches the olives, and pops a few into his mouth.
He nods at the others, and grabs a chair, knowing the mission briefing was soon to begin.
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"Hullo Ruprecht.. I'm Lore.. well Lorelendral, but everyone calls me Lore. BLessings of Sarenrae on you this fine day. A pleasure to meet you. Ooh... so many pretty bottles."
The little purple haired gnome waits for the others to introduce themselves, since she's unsure how to introduce the silent one, she leaves it each for them to greet the newcomer themselves.
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In a moment of quite between sentences, the door into Valsin’s office burst open with a thud. Before you stands the famed leader, looking irritated.
“Come in, its time to get this started. I have another meeting in just a few minutes.”
As all of the PC’s enter his office he quickly bids you to sit in the assorted chairs and one rather large plush couch.
“Close the door,” Ambrus Valsin gesters to no one in particular. “Let me start by saying, this mission is not for discussion among other members of the Society.” The chamberlain of the Grand Lodge gives everyone a serious look in turn before continuing. “This mission is not an investigation, just a simple, straightforward assignment, but that makes it no less important.”
“I need you to book passage to the Lands of the Linnorm Kings, and cross over into Irrisen. You’re to head north and rendezvous with another team who have captured some ...” Valsin pauses for a heartbeat before continuing. “...persons of interest. We have reason to believe that these individuals have information on the Shadow Lodge cells that are refusing to reconcile with the Society under Grandmaster Torch’s leadership.” Valsin’s expression becomes particularly grim at that point. “If these rogue cells are outright refusing amnesty, then they represent a clear threat to all of us. I need you to take charge of these captives and get them out of Irrisen safely and quietly. Once you’re clear of Irrisen, a larger extraction team will take custody of them and bring them in for questioning. Of course, we will cover the expense of your travel in full, and provide maps to lead you to the meeting point in Irrisen. Because of the nature of the mission and Irrisen itself, you’ll be meeting the other team in the field, away from what passes for civilization up there. The team you’ll be getting the prisoners from will show you the best route out of Irrisen, and the castellan of Trollheim has agreed to grant you passage through his lands. You are responsible for avoiding unexpected trouble between the handoff and Trollheim.”
Valsin gestures for the team to depart, but pauses, staring at his fireplace for a moment before adding, “Wait. You need to know this. Your prisoners will be goblins. The Shadow Lodge separatists made extensive use of the sadistic creatures as soldiers and servants, and as much as you may want to throttle them, please remember that we need them alive.” Then with a final nod for luck, the venture-captain dismisses the group.
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Ugh, goblins. What a mangy uncouth group...
"Does anyone in the group speak the tongue of the goblins?" If not one does, the elf inquires abut any possible translation magic that might be provided. "That would definitely make trying to keep them under control a bit easier. Trying to move a group of goblins will be like herding cats, as they say."
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"I have a little coin left. I'll spring for a few Comprehend languages scrolls."
He pauses,
"That is, if any of us can cast it."
"I'll need to pick up some cold weather duds as well"
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"I'm about as loaded as I can handle, and I'm going to pick up a wand of cure light wounds before we leave town, so I'm sorry I can't help you carry any extra rations." Lore sighs, lamenting her lack of strength and her limited capacity to carry items... Someday I will be stronger, and I will get one of those nifty haversacks I've heard about.
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spending 2PP to get a wand of cure light wounds - that is correct per the pfs rules, is it not?
Oday Shows Lore the wand of CLW that he keeps tucked away in a wrist sheath on his right forearm.
"I have one of those. You can never be to careful. If any of you new guys have any extra gold laying about I recommend picking up a few cure light wound potions or scrolls."
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The tiefling taps his forehead and then proceeds to pull on his ears to an imaginary enlarged size. Then holds his hands low to signify a diminutive stature to finish his hands beating his chest. Turning to each party member repeating these same movements.
Kurama writes on piece of slate with chalk. I understand goblin language; however, I can't relay that information efficiently to the party though. Please call me KK as Lore mentioned earlier. Thank you for your patience.
Kurama smiles.
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"Alright, KK, It's a shame you can't translate for us, but perhaps if we bring paper and ink - or your slate - with us, you can help out if we run out of translation magic. Would that be alright?" Lore smiles widely at the tiefling in return.
"I'm glad you can write at least, if we ever seem too dense to understand your signs, please feel free to write down your thoughts...obviously that won't work in the heat of combat, but your input is important too, and I'd hate to miss out on it, okay?"
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Oday, As you are shopping in the crowded business district a soldier calmly walks up and hands you a letter. He waits a moment for you to start to read it and then says, "Please pass this along to Kurama.
"Dear Friend of Freedom- Irrisen has an underground resistance movement, known as the Heralds of Summer’s Return, that we want to encourage. One of their agents is deep undercover in the small village you’ll be passing through in the course of your mission. Locate her at the local tavern; she wears a pin of a white eye. Deliver this note discreetly, and whatever you do, don’t expose her in front of anyone. The common folk in Irrisen are too broken down to be trusted.
- Major Colson Maldris
Before leaving Valsin's office he descretly hands you a sealed letter. Without so much as a wink, he ushers you from his office.
The confidence of the Ten be upon you, I’m writing to you privately, aside from the mission briefing, because I require someone dependable on this expedition. If the remnants of the original Shadow Lodge have retreated to Whitethrone, we’ll have difficulty getting to them. I can only imagine the sorts of allies they’re making in that damned city. We need to learn what these goblins know, but not at the risk of making the jadwiga Elvanna aware of our actions and interests. To that end, make sure nothing goes wrong. Don’t allow a single goblin to escape alive, don’t let any border guards live to see the group, and don’t allow an ‘incident’ to happen in Harvest’s End. This operation needsto be smooth, quiet, and efficient.
- Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin
While preparing to leave, you are summoned to have tea with the Sage which you hastily accept. Once there you meet with Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage.
"Loyal Servant of the Ruby Prince, The pharaoh has few contacts in Irrisen, and the people are tight-lipped under the lash of the witches. It is a land of great mineral wealth and heavy taxes, but all the wealth seems to disappear in Whitethrone. Your mission has you passing through a small community. Find a local person willing to speak, and make some discreet inquires about what exactly they’re mining and how much of it is going to the capital.
There are strange rumors about the monuments being constructed in Whitethrone, and wealth that would buy a small kingdom. We wonder whether Elvanna might be attempting to construct a contemporary “artifact.” You see, our interest is the mining industry is anything but mundane.
-Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage
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You know that Goblins have a unique status in the north. In many areas they are considered full citizens. Also, they are insane. Simply put. They hate dogs and horses and will try to fight or eat them if able. It rivals their love of fire and destruction. Provisions will likely be provided by the extraction team, but you'll have to be careful or the goblins are likely to eat them all at once. They have a fast metabolism and find hunger painful.
If you try to force march the Goblins, they will complain, stumble, and fall on purpose, making the travel much slower.
Your party will be crossing a disputed border between Irrisen and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings. If you get too close to the border before you are ready will invite trouble. The Ulfen will not take kindly to goblins passing through their lands.
After buying his cold weather gear Oday returns to the Lodge to wait for passage to Irrisen.
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Later in the evening while packing your things, you are summoned via another letter to the harbor to set sail on a boat to lead you to Irrisen. It leaves in just a few hours. The letter and its Pathfinder seal allows you free passage and reign while onboard the boat. After a couple of weeks, you enter into the mouth of the Rineflow River and then deep into the Lands of the Linnorm Kings and then later into Irrisen.
Once in Irrisen you are offered a ride along with a team of dogs into the middle of the wilderness. After traveling for half the day you see a camp in the distance. Your dog-team drivers bid you farewell saying their mission is now complete. Crossing through the copse of trees into the open snow covered fields you see a group of humans, along with a handful of what looks like goblin captives.
Upon seeing you, one of the humans approaches you with her hand extended, “Sverrir Lightfoot here. Glad to finally see some friendly faces. Well, here are your goblins. I hope your travel is swift and free of any problems. I see that you don’t have horses... that is good. Very good. Anyway, here is a map to help you get to Harvest’s Ends. Its the closest thing to a town around here, but its likely to be the easiest way to cross the Rineflow River and meet up with the extraction team on the other side.
Speaking of which, they are waiting for you in three and one-half days. Here is enough rations to get you that far.
As you can see, we are already packing up to move back into the mountains.”
She hands you a map which shows a clear trail. It details some places to camp at night as well as Harvest’s Ends and the final extraction point. Sitting at her feet in the snow is a bag apparently full of rations.
While you are talking with Sverrir, a group of chained, weaponless, and armorless goblins are lead to you. While not covered in furs they appear comfortable in the ankle deep snow.
Sverrir reaches out with her hand, dangling keys in front of the party. “Well, they are yours now.”
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"Thank you, Miss Lightfoot. I think things should go fairly simply. Good luck to you in your travels."
Ruprecht takes the map as he shakes her hand. "Who is the map specialist here? I can decipher a bit, but some of you might be more suited to this...," he intones, as he looks toward the grizzled veteran, Oday, hoping he had traveled to several lands in his career, and could lead the way.
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Lore holds up her hand and accepts the keys from human woman, nods at Ruprecht's words, whispers her own soft, "Thank you."
She gives a quick, appraising look to the goblins, takes a brief headcount of them, but doesn't speak with them, then turns back to the woman and asks quietly, "Do you know if any of them speak common?"
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"No one has ever accused me of being a ranger. But I would not mind a peek at that map."
Oday takes the offered map from Ruprecht, and gestures at the rest of the party to come have a look. After several minutes of staring at the unfamiliar land features, he clears his throat and says,
"Sverrir, would you or any member of your group wish to hire on as a guide? Or at the very least go over this map with us and point out some of the features of the land that would be best avoided."
As he glances towards where Sverrir is standing, he notices one of the Goblins had begun to vigorously scratch and claw at its groin. With a look of distaste he adds,
"I am also interested in how these Goblins came to be captured."
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Grimdoc steps up to help with the captives and listens intently to the discussion and plans. Not being familiar with the area, he is willing to do what he can. He makes a careful count of the goblins (#?) and any particular markings.
"Hah, so these are the captives? Not sure why the deserve the special treatment. My clan would not deal so kindly with them back home."
Grimdoc will check to ensure each looks securely bound or manacled or otherwise restrained.
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Sverrir tells you that they do indeed speak Common and very well. Be careful for the one named Biter. Its clearly a name earned.
The map is very clear. There is a road/path you follow until you get to hamlet, Harvest's Ends. From there you cross the river to the extraction point. Listed are places you can likely camp- caves mostly.
"Thanks for the offer, for I would love to get back home soon. However, we all have duties elsewhere. Its best we be off as soon as possible."
"How were they captured? Don't know, another group handed them off to me two days ago. I don't like this anymore than any sane person would. But made an oath to do my duty, just like you lot. Best be on now, the sun sets early this time of year."
There are 5 goblins, one for each PC.