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The city of Padiskar near the northern tip of the Isle of Jalmeray is not so much a city as a ring of small villages surrounding a massive, howling ruin, from which terrifying screams of whatever the Vudrani Maharaja Khiben-Sald left there in ancient times can still be heard. The new Venture-Captain Vasuman Mihir maintains a small safe house for the Pathfinder Society here, taking over from Padiskar’s longtime Venture-Captain Aamina Shahrazad, who was recently murdered by men loyal to Zamir, a bandit lord and rumored Aspis Consortium agent who operates out of the nearby jungles.
Venture-Captain Mihir’s briefing was short and serious.
“This is a fake scepter of the arclords,” he said, hefting a bejeweled staff in his hands bearing glowing runes across its surface. “You will lead a caravan toward Niswan carrying this false relic and several crates of minor magical items. My porter, a young boy named Waman, will give you a detailed travel itinerary, which you must follow with care. Except that it is almost certain that you will be ambushed before you reach your destination, since young Waman is a spy for the Aspis Consortium and has sold out and murdered a dozen or more of our brethren and associates, including our former venturecaptain— I’m sure of it. The scepter is bait in a trap, and you are the teeth. Do not let on to Waman that you know of his transgressions—we need him to lead us to his master, the bandit lord Zamir. We’ll either make Zamir our man or disrupt his business permanently. I’ll deal with Waman myself once this affair is resolved.”
Venture-Captain Mihir held up a second item, a plain-looking but easily recognizable wayfinder. “This wayfinder is also a fake, although unlike the scepter, it does have real power. The dial always points to the scepter.” Mihir demonstrated, moving the wayfinder in a circle around the scepter, the needle pointing unerringly at it. “Waman gave Zamir information that enabled the bandit fool to steal artifacts from dozens of our caravans and even from safe houses such as this one. Zamir has a method of disassembling the artifacts so that he can smuggle them off the island with ease, bound for ports of call in Cheliax. What we do not know is where Zamir is, since he never attacks with his men.”
“I gave Waman the information about your journey, so at some point along the route, Zamir’s bandits will ambush you. Previous experience indicates that his bandits will not kill if they don’t have to. Let them steal the scepter. You must put up a small struggle, maybe even kill or injure several of his men, but most importantly you must let them escape and they must escape with the scepter."
“Give them a few hours after the ambush to escape and then use the wayfinder to track Zamir to his hideout. Zamir is an arrogant man whose loyalties lie with whoever can make him famous to the people of Jalmeray. Right now he believes the Aspis Consortium is the answer. You will either convince him that the Society is the answer—as he could be a very powerful
ally in the region—or you’ll end his operations for good. How you handle it, I leave to you. Good luck on your journey and may the gods guide your hand.”
The Scepter and the Compass The Pathfinder Society did not entirely invent the scepter of the arclords. It is a legendary artifact lost when the Vudrani rajahs returned to the island in 2822 AR and destroyed the Arclords of Nex at Padiskar. The scepter’s actual powers and location (or even if it survives) are unknown.
Mihir glares sharply at the warrior. I thought they were sending more accomplished agents. Lucky for you it has been pretty temperate lately. However, Padiskar will have just about anything you might want to buy. You have a couple of days before you leave."
are you sure that wayfinder works propertly? i dont wanna lose the path , im not a very good tracker
”Do we know anything of Zamir’s base, or how many men he has?"
"Well son, if anyone knew where to find him, we wouldn't have had to concoct this scheme. As to his boys, we honestly don’t know exactly. The villagers are sure that he’s absorbed several smaller jungle-bandit groups and we’ve heard rumors that the long-deposed and villainous monks of the Tiger’s Eye are working for him.”
"Forgive me, I'm not yet a Pathfinder...what advantage does the Society have over the Aspis?"
Mihir does a double-take at the warrior. "Oh, lookin' fer a field commission, huh? Well let me tell you, the Aspis may seem like a legitimate organization, but they are nothing but trouble. They'll desecrate a temple for quick coin, and betray an ally for less. Not sure how you got this assignment, but you'll learn soon enough that The Pathfinder Society looks after our own and stand by our allies. Remember that when you finally make it to the Grand Lodge."
"As for 'persuading him'? He’s a rebel and a bandit and the people of Padiskar know him from his youth as a fool who desires fame above all else. This is why I think his loyalty to the Aspis Consortium is thin at best and there’s a chance he can be brought to our side rather than simply slain.”
With an impatient roll of his eyes, "How you turn him, IF you turn him, is up to you. Threaten, lie, bake him a cake or seduce him for all I care. Just make him ours or make him gone." Realizing he is not angry at Eberwolf, Mihir softens a little, "Look at it this way, what makes you want to be a Pathfinder? Maybe that will be the thing that gets him."
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Running a hand through his hair to remove any loose strands from his face, Hob clears his throat, announcing his presence before he speaks.
"The Aspis are thieves and murderers with no honor at all. I joined the society to stop people like them from succeeding in their nefarious plans!" comes his passionate response.
His dark eyes narrow and grow very serious as he continues.
"I'm normally not one for playing games, but I see the logic behind this ruse so I will do my best to play along. One way or another, Zamir won't be a problem for the Society after this mission."
and that murderer Waman better face justice or I will certainly have something to say about it."
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Arindel, head foggy from the previous nights endeavors, struggles to sort out the current desires of the Society and tries to keep track of the conversation amongst his companions. What did they put in that Varisian mead? Arindel struggles to form a cohesive thought. "Fear not my friends. All great deeds have a beginning and it seems we now have ours. I for one have little hope in convincing this bilge scum to join the Pathfinders. What we can bet on is little cooperation from that bunch. What we can plan on is working together to live through this thing."
With the rod and wayfinder in you possession, you head out to find the location Mihir described. At the end of the second long day of travel through rough hills, a campsite comes into view. Smoke curls upward from a small fire, where a man is tending a roast on a spit. Three more men are setting out bedrolls and four mules are picketed beside a pile of sacks and bundles nearby. They are camped exactly on the ambush site described in Waman’s itinerary. They do not seemed to have noticed you yet.
As the warrior gets closer, you all realize that the Vudranian merchants sitting around the fire take notice of you. There was friendly conversation between them, but that has now seemed to come to an end.
The closest turns to you. With a friendly smile, "Well met travelers. I am Phalgun. As is tradition, you are welcome to join our fire. As we ask is good company. If you cannot manage that, then we ask that be quiet company. And if those two things are beyond you, we ask that you keep moving and find somewhere else to camp for the evening."
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"Well met Phalgun and friends. You've met Zaldur, and my name is Hob and these are the rest of my friends, Eberwolf, and Arindel. We would be glad to share your fire and offer the best company we can." Hob says with as friendly a smile as he can manage.
As the group approaches the fire, he takes a seat nearest Phalgun and politely inquires, "So where do you hail from and how has your travel been?"
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Archybald has been mostly silent since the trip began, so he isn't reaaly surprised when Hob forgets him.
"Archybald" he says to noone in particular by way of introduction. Then, as the others make smalltalk he moves to attend to the mules, feeding and watering them as he keeps a wary eye on the strangers.
With a smile, Phalgun responds to Arindel, "We have indeed provided a fine fire. Perhaps you have something to wash the road from our throats?"
You recall that the swords being carried by the 'merchants' are standard issue for the local constabulary.
You made the roll for the Sense Motive spoiler above. You can share this with the team if you would like.
With a little surprise look of his own, Phalgun looks toward his companions with a shrug. Turning back to you, he says, "Look, you seem like nice enough men. For your own safety, you should find a different camp tonight. There have been bandit raids in these parts."
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"Bandits? That is an uncomfortable thought. What can one do about them? Is there anyone in these parts who can stop them? I remember a song, "Cyllen's gambit", where a group of brave young troop risked everything to stop the plague of bandits in a region much like this one. They struck out at night to search for the bandit camp. You know the hunter's become the hunted. Oh, it is quite a tail.." Arindel leans back as if to ponder..."Ahh well. It may be to much to ask for there to be brave men like that nowadays. Say, would any of you know of anyone brave enough to make a tale of their own? It would make a great song...one to be remembered."
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"I'd hate to move on from here as I am sure this spot is safe. You see we didn't see anyone on our way here, and you've been here for some time already from the look of it without any sight of bandits, so if there were any, they likely moved on." Hob says by way of steering the constables out of the area. "If I were looking for bandits I would probably be looking elsewhere at this point."
Upon hearing the news two of the Thakur’s men (Samarjit and Phalgun) stare at each other for a moment and then begin conversing in Vudrani. After several moments of fierce and fast argument in their native tongue, Phalgun reveals to you that he and his men are agents of Kharswan, the Thakur of Jalmeray, and that they are on a mission to stop Zamir and his men. He honors your request and agrees to look for Zamir elsewhere.
Long about midnight, Eberwolf and Zaldur hear men running toward the camp!
Surprise Round **Bold may act**
Zaldur
Bandits
Eberwolf
Round One starts here
Hob
Archybald
Zaldur
Arindel
Bandits
Eberwolf