Venture-Captain Roderus sits at his desk in the lodge beneath the popular
Winding Road Inn in Katapesh. Maps cover every wall of his workspace,
and precarious stacks of journals and papers nearly reach to the ceiling.
The venture-captain glances up from his work. "Welcome, Pathfinders. I
hope your journey here was not too arduous. I have a fascinating assignment for you."
He plucks a single sheet of paper from the middle of pile on his desk.
"This is a letter from the Osiriani investigator Amenira, who works with the Temple of
the All-Seeing Eye. Mercy, the town she mentions in her reports,
wasn’t even on our map until now. It’s a small settlement out in the
Mana Wastes. Magic is unpredictable out in the Wastes, and it sometimes coalesces
into deadly storms. People in Alkenstar reported seeing one of these magical
disturbances heading in the direction of Mercy, but the town weathered the
fearsome storm without so much as a scratch."
After six months in Mercy, the local
priests are still not totally cooperative.
I am still referred to as “the outsider”
and nominally kept under curfew, though
they’ve stopped caring when I break it, so
long as I keep to myself.
The rivalry between the carpenters and the
blacksmiths is intensifying, and I’ve noticed
restrained violence between the two groups.
I will investigate further.
The infiltration of the weaver’s home was
successful, though brief. I have not yet
obtained a sample of the ointment.
My illness has been growing steadily worse,
which has complicated my work, as it is
becoming increasingly difficult to hide.
Something shielded Mercy from another
mana storm a few days ago. The storm
should have razed the town, but it split
into two fronts that bypassed the town before
recombining. I strongly doubt that the priests
here have the power to evoke such a miracle. Is
there an artifact in or near Mercy?
Further inquiries are required.
He gives you some time to read the letter. When you finish and put the note
down, he venture-captain clears his throat. "One of my contacts at the
temple received this missive from her four months ago, and he hasn’t heard
anything from her since. I’m sending you to Mercy to figure out why. If she’s
still there, ask her why she hasn’t contacted anyone in months and help her
finish her investigation; if she isn’t, find out what happened to her. While
you are there, see how much of the mystery of Mercy you can unravel. Several
of the clergy within the temple are intensely curious about why the mana storm
didn’t level the town, and so am I. I will gladly provide you with additional
pay for the information that you retrieve. I’ve booked a ship to the city of
Alkenstar, which is a few days’ journey from Mercy itself. The ship departs in
three hours. If you have any questions, ask them now. You’ll have time to
purchase supplies when you arrive."
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Ah yes. The Temple of the All-Seeing Eye is the most prominent temple of Nethys, god of magic. Perhaps I should visit the place. Yes.
Nivik scans the document and passes to the next person. I see a mention of violence between tradesmen and a break-in to a residence. What do you know of this? And this ointment, what of that?
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Bom clears a stack of papers covering a couch with his heavy spiked shield, adjusts his sword belt, then plops down. A look of consternation flashes across the human as he reaches underneath himself and extracts a candelabra, which seems to be severally bent. Bom mumbles something about it being like that before he sat down and tosses it to the side. The dark-haired Ulfen ranger does not appear to notice the mess he is causing as he whistles for his black and gray haired wolf to jump on the couch with him, causing more stacks of papers and journals to fall to the floor.
"Ulfur, up boy!"
Bom turns his attention back to Roderus as if trying to recall what they had been talking about. Then looking around and spotting the obvious wizard, Nivik
[b]"You got all that, right? Nice to get out Absalom and see the world a bit, don't you think? Mercy, no, don't believe I've heard of it....let me think. "[/b
Bom invokes his jade wayfinder...
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"I've always wanted to visit the Temple of the All-Seeing Eye. About time the Society sent me there." Ghrezzd snatches up the letter and gives it a quick read. "Most likely dead, I imagine. Nonetheless, we'll get to the bottom this, Roderus. You can count on me... well, us, I suppose."
Ghrezzd takes a long look about the room, sizing up the other Pathfinders. Why do I put myself in such situations.
The ship travels down the coast of the Obari Ocean, tacks northwest up the
Elemion River, then sails south down the Ustradi River, finally stopping at
the city of Alkenstar. It docks slightly short of a five-hundred-foot-tall
waterfall in the middle of the city, where southbound ships painstakingly
ride a winding elevator to the river above. Nearby, carriages wait to lead
passengers into the smog-covered city.
Knowledge(Local) or Diplomacy check
The people there worship an obscure nature deity. Rumors speak of a vampire
who occasionally hunts travelers along the road.
extremely devout to their god Robori. The town has rigid, inflexible rules,
but the quality of its harvests encourages traders to occasionally stop by
the town to purchase produce.
came to Alkenstar every month. She traded for supplies and sent large
collections of letters before returning to Mercy.
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Mercy is located a little over 20 miles south of Alkenstar. The people there worship an obscure nature deity, name unknown to me. Some stupid rumors speak of a vampire who occasionally hunts travelers along the road. Sheer nonsense I'm sure.
Nivik will use his wand of Mage Armor before trekking into some strange city.
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"Certainly, Nivik. It is nice to have a fellow Pathfinder on this assignment that is of a noble race. Too often I'm forced to associate with less worthy members of the Society."
"Nivik is correct. I have conversed with several locals and found that the people of Mercy have a reputation for being insular and extremely devout to their god Robori. The town has rigid, inflexible rules, but the quality of its harvests encourages traders to occasionally stop by the town to purchase produce. Additionally, one of these loose-tongued fools has informed me that for the past year, an Osiriani woman from Mercy named Amenira came to Alkenstar every month. She traded for supplies and sent large collections of letters before returning to Mercy."
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"An intriguing assignment, don't you agree, everyone? A town that managed to escape destruction by an arcane storm... now that's a story to be told for generations to come! Well... for a human anyway..." Zandric glances at the elves, thinking they must find him boring, or childish, or perhaps both. Someday I'll learn how to conduct myself around these folk...
"I suppose once we're finished buying supplies we should head south to Mercy and try to find this Amenira person? While we're there, we should be careful not to offend the people. As you all have said, it seems they are quite set in their ways."
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Of course, I can't imagine I would offend anyone so you'll not have to offer me such trivial advice.
"No, I can't imagine you would offend anyone at all," Zandric mutters under his breath as he inspects his newly-purchased silver morningstar. Thinking Nivik probably heard him, he changes the subject. "I've heard there are magical creatures who can only be harmed by silver. Have you met any such foes in your travels?"
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A tall and skinny man looking pretty old stands in the briefing's room as well. His eyes are piercing and seem to judge anyone they encounter.
He's dressed in breastplate and wears a small book hanging from a necklace. This book bears the inscription "Arodenite institution" and the holy symbol of Iomedae. With a wide grin, he wrinkles his eyes and says with a calm voice "Strange place to send pathfinders. I wonder what happen there..."
He then coughs lightly "I apologize, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Pierre Viret, holy servant of the glorious Iomedae. I hope everything will go well for this mission! If we need to fight, I need to say to you that I'll prefer any non-violent solution. You can rely on me for the talking."
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Once in Alkenstar, Pierre is glad to rely on his companion's knowledge of the place. He tries to know more about the osiriani woman's activity in town, though. Striding into the market, he'll buy some fruits and asks some questions about the woman.
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A slightly hunched Tengu slaps Pierre on the back as he enters. "Apologies for being late-late." he says in a voice that mimics Pierre's. "The council thought it'd be a good idea to send a sharp-sharp eye and a sharp beak with you all as well." he says.
He is a black-feathered Tengu, squat but moving gracefully. A pair of short, curved blades hang at his waist, recognizable as Tian Wakizashis.
"Rackle Rakis, sneak-sneak, trap-finder, and swordsman, at your service." he says.
The dirt road toward Mercy winds through rocky, tree-lined hills. Sporadic
clearings occur where large sections of trees have been destroyed or damaged.
Some are only missing a few branches, while others have been split almost in
half vertically or chopped down to a short stump. The exposed wood is black
and perfectly smooth. One such clearing reveals the opening of a narrow cave
in the hillside. The trail splits, leading both into the cave and off to the
north.
As you travel through the winding path, you notice a Gnoll and a hyena watch the party behind the rocks on the east closest to you. The gnoll has one hand on the cuff of hyena and another on her bow. You notice a second set of gnoll and hyena hiding behind the northernmost rock cropping. Both hyenas have their arms and legs covered in tree branches, and they seem to drool green spit onto the rocks.
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The black sheen on the wood is burnt sap. Interesting.
Nivik then stops and says quietly, We are being watched. The east rocks and the north. Gnolls that have been mutated by the Mana Wastes. It may be able to infect us with its attacks.
With that, Nivik would be proactive and attack with a spell if he can.
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Bom stops in his tracks, acknowledges the keen advice from Nivik, drinks a potion of antiplague and then begins using his wands, asking for assistance where needed.:
Shield Companion,
Longstrider
Mage Armor on Ulfur (with a wizard's use of Bom's wand)
Finishing with Lead Blades
Then drawing his longsword and giving Ulfur the command to defend him.
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Rackle is an affable travelling companion, amusing all with his natural talent for vocal mimicry, and occasional suspicious acquisitions of odd shiny objects.
On the approach to Mercy, he is watchful, his blades at hand when needed.
Also spying the Gnolls, he draws one of his swords which gleams silver in the sun. "Armed with bows-bows they are. Flush them out with magic or approach under cover-cover?" Rackle asks, looking for a way to approach the Gnolls under cover.
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Zandric laughs longest and loudest at Rackle's vocal mimicry. "An amazing talent, my friend! Perhaps, another time, you could teach me that trick."
As they make their way along the path, the warrior stares at the blasted landscape in awe. "I'd heard tales... but I never would have expected this much destruction."
Distracted by the wastes, he is completely oblivious to the gnolls until Nivik warns the party. As soon as he is aware, he reaches for his sword, but then Rackle mentions they have bows. At the first opportunity, he draws his own bow and takes cover if possible. If no cover presents itself, he trusts his first instinct and draws his sword, hoping to rush the enemies before they can get off too many shots.
Realizing their cover is blown, the Gnolls laugh and uncuff the hyenas. They bark at the party as the Gnolls raise their bows.
The Gnolls manage to get the drop on the party through incredible luck. G1 isn't sure which one to fire upon first, so she picks someone on the front line.
The second one moves behind a closer rock to get a better view, then sends an arrow down the hill.
In their zeal, the gnoll's shots go wide.The hyenas seem to be waiting for something.
Gnolls
Nivik
Zandric
Bom & Ulfur
Rackle
Pierre
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Pierre brandishes a wand and says out loud, shouting blessing words at the party.
"Quatre par quatre j'découpe mes rêves avec un cimeterre, noie tous les espoirs avec un lance-pierre. Mais d'où j'ai pas fait tous les trucs que j'aurais dû faire? J'ai fait mes soixante prières par terre dans la poudrière!"
As the Gnoll moves up to take the shot, Nivik produces a pile of sticky webbing.
The Hyena avoids the worst of it, but the Gnoll is stuck.
As the webbing springs forth, both hyenas spring to action, double moving down the cliffside.
Pierre blesses the party to fortify their aim.
Gnolls (G2 Entangled)
Nivik
Zandric
Bom & Ulfur
Rackle
Pierre
Zendric's arrow fails to penetrate the Gnoll's surprisingly tough skin. She laughs and slaps it away.
Bom charges in, cleaving the hyena in two before it has a chance to do much. Ulfur runs up to keep up with Bom.
Ghrezzd, feeling ignored by the gods above, makes his presence known by hurling a ball of ice at the laughing Gnoll.
The intense cold silences her for a brief moment as she slaps the frost from her fur.
Gnolls (G1 16 damage, G2 Entangled) & Hyena
Nivik
Zandric
Bom (Charged, AC 18) & Ulfur
Rackle
Pierre
Ghrezzd
The webbing and the snowball that Nivik and Ghrezzd cast are covered in pine needles.
The two casters smell strongly like pine trees.
The pine scent seems to have kicked in as you cast the spell to ensnare the enemy up north.
Rackle moves uphill, hoping to close the distance on his attackers quickly.
One Gnoll tries to wiggle free of her webbing.
She does, and tries to escape the web. Here, the party can see her leg, covered in tree branches and webbing, slows her down.
Read the Dungeoneering spoiler up above.
You can ask an extra question about the Gnoll if you made a DC 17 check, and 2 if you made DC 22.
The other Gnoll brushes off the frost and fires an arrow at Ghrezzd in retaliation.
The Gnoll laughs as the arrow hits. Meanwhile, the other hyena runs up to Ulfur and yips, baring his fangs.
Gnolls (G1 16 damage, G2 Entangled) & Hyena
Nivik
Zandric
Bom & Ulfur
Rackle
Pierre
Ghrezzd (11 Damage)
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Ghrezzd takes an arrow to his left thigh and grimaces with pain. Luckily, it did not hit an arterry. He glares up at the gnoll on the canyon ledge above him and taps himself with his wand of mage armor. Then moving further up the canyon he stores his wand.
That's gonna leave a mark...
"Carefull! These Gnolls have been mutated by the Mana Wastes. They may be able to infect others with their attacks. I wouldn't get too close to them," the elf shouts to his friends.
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"Upward and onward! Don't let up the attack! They cannot infect us if they're dead!"
Zandric inspires his companions to move quickly and fight fiercely, and makes further progress up the hill, dropping his bow against the cliff and drawing his sword.
The Gnoll's drool is green, and you can see it all over her overgrown right arm. She may transfer whatever she is suffering from if she injures you with a slam attack.
This Gnoll's skin is unnaturally tough. You'll need cold iron weapons or it will ignore glancing blows (DR/5 cold iron)
From what you remember from your discussions with the citizens in Alkenstar, one apothecary warned you about Mana Fever. It causes plant-like growths to grow over you. Over a few days it wears away at your Constitution, until you are nothing more than a tree.
Zandric sings a rousing song of heroism as he makes his way up the cliffside. Urged by the song, Bom and Ulfur work in tandem and kill the other Hyena. Rackle gets there a little late and ponders his next move.
Pierre uses a wand to close most of Ghrezzd's wounds. Both elven wizards remember the old standby and enhance their defenses before climbing up the hill.
Gnolls (G1 16 damage, G2 Entangled)
Nivik
Zandric
Bom & Ulfur
Rackle (standard action only)
Pierre
Ghrezzd (4 Damage)
The Gnolls are carrying longbows as well as a spear. Their arms are tough enough they could use them to slam you.
Rackle uses the information to change his weapons.
One of the Gnolls drags herself through the webbing.
The other Gnoll squeezes between the rocks and the cliffside and fires another arrow at the men below.
Her arrow instead snaps in half as she's pulling it back, causing her to curse some more.
Gnolls (G1 16 damage)
Nivik
Zandric
Bom & Ulfur
Rackle
Pierre
Ghrezzd (4 Damage)