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Jeb is a very weathered looking fellow with a full head of wild hair and a long beard. His gear looks equally as weathered. As the old man boards the boat, Jeb is leaning over the railing humming to himself. Jeb watches the confused looking old man with interest. He scratches his beard, and picks a hunk of mud out of his hair. He gives it a flick, sending it flying into the river. Then he wanders over to the old man and the blonde elf. At his approach, he brings with him a funky odour.
“Pleasure to meet y’all. I’m Jeb. Jeb Barlo.” Jeb gives them a hearty handshake. He seems very happy to meet everyone.
"You lost, fella'? This ship's headed ta' Bellis. For the Pathfinders. Ya' hear?"
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"Lost? Me?" The old man laughs. "Oh, no! My owl says I'm supposed to be here." He nods happily, causing his hat to flop around wildly. "My name is..." He pauses and looks confused. "My name? Hmmm... My name is..." He strokes his beard in thought. "Ah... That is to say... Hmmm... I can't seem to recall... It's all rather fuzzy...."
Suddenly he smiles. "Ah, yes! That's it! Fuzzzy! My name is FUZZZY! Pleased to meet you! Have we met? I can't seem to recall..."
Looking at his owl, Fuzzzy asks, "What am I doing here, again...?"
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Watergreen is a tall, slender elf woman who wears what looks like her undergarments! . On top she has a scrap of green cloth that is tied around her waist like a skirt. She wears sandals on her feet, and has a backpack over one shoulder. Her hair is long and blonde, and she wears a braided knot of purple flowers and vines in her hair like a crown. She is tanned from the sun, and she smells like she's been swimming at the beach.
On the top of her hand is a tiny green frog. She just sits there. Sticking to her. The frog licks her eye.
The elf shakes her head no, but her blue eyes twinkle in amusement. "We have not met, Elder. I am known as Watergreen." She holds out her hand to show off her frog. "And this is Lilith."
Watergreen smiles at Jeb, and doesn't seem bothered by the man's dirty, stinky appearance. "Hi there, Jeb."
Watergreen looks at her frog. "Okay, okay. I know! Ribbit ribbit! Yes, yes. But, it's my job!"
Watergreen looks up from her frog and smiles at the others. "She's a little worried about the owl."
The frog croaks, then starts to creep it's way up her arm.
Watergreen looks at Fuzzzy the third time he asks if they know each other. "Tell your owl not to eat my frog." Then she looks at the owl. "Don't eat my frog." she tells it.
The frog finishes crawling up her arm, then goes over her shoulder, and sticks to her back where the owl can't see her.
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"Haha! Friends! Fellow Pathfinders maybe? In any case I look forward to our trip!"
Korad is a short and well build Oread, a man who appears to be made of rock, gravel and gemstone. He travels relatively lightly; only carrying a small bag of equipment while wearing merchantman's clothing. Beneath the cloth his body looks as though it has been scoured broken and reformed many of times from wounds he has taken. Despite his scars his body seems to be holding up well as he grants strong handshakes with anyone who accepts, although he hesitates hitting the odor from Jeb.
"I must admit, I haven't traveled much with frog or owl. This look to be a interesting adventure! Don't you all say? I must agree though."
"Have any of you been to Bellis before or any other part of Andoran?
Where are you all from?"
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Fuzzzy smiles. "What's that? Oh, Bobby can hear you just fine!"
When the rock man asks Fuzzzy where he's from, Fuzzzy smiles at him. "Bellis, hey. Bellis... Is that we're going? How lovely! I don't remember going there!"
He smiles, although it's unlikely he remembers going much of anywhere.
"Home? Ah, yes! Home! Home is... Home is... Bobby? Where is home?"
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"Ah, yes! Home is in Absalom! I have a tower there!" he smiles proudly. "And I'm from... Really? Huh! I was born in someplace called Mendev where I answered the call to arms and battle demons in the Worldwound as a holy knight! Until I met a horrible death, of course! Haha!"
Fuzzzy nods his head happily and grins.
Fuzzzy does not look like a holy knight. Of course, he doesn't look dead, either.
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Watergreen smiles at Korad. "Hello! I am also looking forward to our trip. I have never been to Bellis. I hope they have a lovely lake to go swimming in."
"Home?" Watergreen smiles. "Home is wherever the water flows."
"Pathfinders? Oh, yes, of course I am one. This will be my first mission."
Watergreen looks at Fuzzzy. "You were dead? How interesting."
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Jeb smiles at Watergreen. "Mmm... You smell real nice."
Looking at the rock man, Jeb smiles. "Why, I'm from Wartle. It's a fine little place nestled in the wild swamps of Varisia. I've never been to Bellis." He scratches his beard. "Never been most places."
At Fuzzzy's tales of home Jeb scratches his beard. "Well, that's what demons do, ain't it? Kill things. Right?" He appears to be taking news of Fuzzzy's death in stride.
Jeb grins Watergreen. He raises his hands up above his head causing a blast of water to shoot right from his hands up into the air. The water falls back down from the sky as a mist of fine rain droplets. "Me and water have always been kin."
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"I must admit Fuzzy, you look very good for a dead man." Korad doesn't question Fuzzy's credentials although he does give him a few looks before shrugging any complaints he might have had away.
"If you stay with the Society long that will tend to change. There seems no end to the lengths they will send us. I'm also glad to hear that you have such a bond with water Jeb. Last time I was in this land I almost drowned! I must admit, I've not gone swimming for a long while after that."
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You all received a letter from Venture-Captain Brackett of the Almas Lodge.
The Sellen River bears a multicolored blanket of fallen leaves upon its broad surface, but the Freewind’s bow scatters them as it glides towards Bellis. Though the logging season has ended, the town still buzzes with life.
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When Jeb makes it rain, Watergreen holds out her hands like a cup and catches as much water as she can inside. She smiles widely, and drinks it.
"Water is our friend. It is rare to meet a man who is friend to the waters. You are lucky, Jeb." Watergreen smiles. "We are going to be great friends."
At Korad's words, Watergreen gasps. "Oh, you poor dear! You must miss swimming! I would wither and die without the waves!."
Watergreen leans over the side of the boat and reaches down to touch the river. "I'd rather swim that sail," she sighs with a smile. "This weather we're going to investigate sounds intriguing. I admit I'm happy for the rain and heat, but it must be disconcerting for the locals. Perhaps this region has come to be blessed by water spirits!"
She seems like she would like this idea.
"Thank you water spirits!" she calls out at the river.
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Flavias is a well dressed Taldan man with a light beard and a winning smile.
"Greetings my companions, Flavias here." Flavias flashes a big smile to his companions. You can see a fine wooden holy symbol to Erastil around his neck as well as a longbow on his back.
Flavias will implant the Compel Alacrity Trick in Jeb's mind.
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You begin to hear a somewhat unnerving sound from below deck: A sort of staccato *squishing* of damp footsteps making their way unevenly up the stairs...and you begin to hear another sound behind that, like nothing so much as one long, soft, drawn-out *squish*.
Eventually, a gangly human woman - Ulfen, from the looks of it - with fair skin, red hair, and if one looks closely, mismatched eyes (blue on the right and hazel on the left) comes on deck. Seemingly random tremors haunt her movements, and her clothes are horribly disheveled beneath a bizarre-looking suit of hide armor, and so dirty that moss and small flowers literally seem to be growing out of the folds and cracks. Funny that you never saw her come aboard.
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Not far behind the tatterdemalion is what can only be the source of the second sound: A vibrant blue slug, as long as a human is tall. Its eyestalks retract only slightly as it slithers into the light, then scope around the deck with an intense, inscrutable stare.
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Bellis is a small but thriving town whose inhabitants produce lumber, honey, beeswax, and mead. Unfortunately, Falbin is not here to greet you, nor do you have any indication as to where he works. Important details that you would think the Pathfinder Society would provide, but alas, it seems as though Venture-Captain Brackett must have been preoccupied this time.
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"I must say this place is still a nice respite to come to. Although I do have poor memories of attempting to seek out gnomes in the area. Hopefully it is just bad memory. The town is small though lets see about finding Falbin." Korad begins moving to the shops before adding, "And maybe finding some honey to pack away for the return trip, right?"
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Watergreen waves hello to the newcomers. "Hello everyone. Where did you guys come from?"
Watergreen wanders the little town with an interested smile. As she wanders she asks if anyone knows Falbin. She also stops to sniffs at any pretty flowers along the way.
"Why thank you!" Watergreen says to the kind people who have helped her. "I think Falbin is this way, everyone."
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Falbin stands on the steps of the Bellis Library, arguing with a stately female humanoid with gold eyes and intricate henna tattoos. A bird with magnificent plumage perches on the woman's shoulder. You catch a bit of the discussion before they notice you, with Falbin insisting, "The druids are to blame, I'd bet anything," while the woman shakes her red mane, saying, "Think bigger! There's more to this than your old grudges."
Once Falbin notices that you are approaching them specifically he stops and turns to greet you. "Ah, you must be the Pathfinders! Thank you for coming. I do believe you have already been briefed right? Allow me to introduce you to Jamila."
The woman nods, "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am a friend of Ashasar, the chief liason between the Pathfinder Society and the Concordance."
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"Nice to meet ya Flavias. I'm Jeb. Wow, your teeth sure are nice." Jeb greets Flavias with a handshake. Once closer to Jeb, it's apparent that Jeb has a strong funky odour.
"Hey there Angrboda. Never seen a slug that big before. Friend of mine has one the size of a cat. He named his slug Slick." Jeb strokes the slug's head. "Who's a good slug?"
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"Well now. Some honey sounds mighty fine."
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Falbin gets rather excited. "Yes... strange weather indeed! I saw it, clear as my own noase, and felt it on my gooseflesh. About 3 miles south of Bellis - a fine spot to gather pokeroot, even in autumn - everything suddenly gets hot! Summery... I dare say even tropical! The flora overflows. It's a jungle out there! Those dru-"
Jamila raises a hand to cut him off. "We don't know enough to hazard a guess. That's why you're here - although I hope you don't mind if I accompany you. An extra pair of eyes can't hurt."
Between the group of you, you know a fair bit about the Verduran Forest.
The vast Verduran Forest teems with druids, fey, and treants, many of whom clash with the Andoran-based Lumber Consortium over their clear-cutting practices.
One reason for the Verduran’s high population of fey is the thin border between the forest and the First World, a plane of reality where fey can live forever.
Enclaves of druids perennially cause trouble for loggers in the Verduran Forest. Although the most feared cabal are the Primordial Ones, a feral gang from Briar Henge has been sniffing about the woods to the east, transforming into giants and ambushing loggers.
The forest’s fabled affinity with the First World sometimes attracts those who wish to exploit extraplanar magic. Tales tell of hapless arcanists who open gates to the First World only to unleash more than they bargain for. These gates are often accompanied by sudden and fantastical spurts of growth among the local flora and fauna that planar scholars refer to as blooms.
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Jeb inspects the slime on his hand from the slug. He raises it to his face... and sniffs it...
"Huh."
He rubs the slime around on his hands as if it were lotion, working it into his skin.
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At the sight of Falbin and Jamila, Jeb waves. "Howdy. I'm Jeb. Reckon' I'm here to help."
Jeb scratches his beard. "Aren't druids about keepin' natural balance?" he asks Falbin.
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"I'm certain we would appreciate as much aid as possible. We must find out as much as we can here and I see little reason to suggest you should not come."
Korad's eyes at drawn to the horizon, looking for signs of unusual activity from here. He turns back to the conversation after the half-hearted search.