Pathfinder Society Master of Spells Aram Zey stands impatiently in front of the Hao Jin Tapestry in the bowels of the Grand Lodge in Absalom. The extraplanar realm within the frayed cloth has been the talk of the Society since it was recovered as a prize at the Ruby Phoenix Tournament earlier in the year, and the fact that the Pathfinder leader waits here to deliver the assignment can mean only one thing; the mission will take place within the tapestry!
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One of the attendees is a well-dressed, clean elf with blond hair and timeless blue eyes. By his looks, you can tell that he likes everything to be neat and spotless, just like his enamelled mithral breastplate bearing the open palm of Irori. His gestures are precise and never made in vain. Yet one thing contrasts with the elf's shiny appearance: his hands, up to the elbows, are severely burnt, to the point that it'll probably never heal. Those burn marks are in the open, a reminder of the vicissitudes of his past.
Addressing his companions, the elf displays a no-nonsense attitude, even adding a touch of humilty as he bows to the other attendees. He's obviously an experienced socialite, adapting to his environment rapidly. "I am Kynrac Chronarion, librarian of the Scrolls and apprentice of Master Shaine. Well met."
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"The Society needs my aid once more so quickly? And in that,. . . place." the gentle fire priest says, with a bit of a shutter.
Knowing full well that Mr. Zey is familiar with him, and pretty certain that he has ben asked here for a mission, and the others in the briefing room are likely his allies in this next quest, he turns to introduce himself. These sorts of mortal rituals had always and continue to puzzle him, though in his time here, working with this Society of Path Finders, he has become much more used to it. He listens patiently, nodding his head as the man speaks, but mostly focused on his soul committing to paper what is being said, just in case it needs referenced later. It is only once it's his turn to introduce himself that he finally notices the Elf's body, particularly his hands, and quite visibly starts.
"I am. . ." Oh my. What is this? His thoughts race, undecided if this Kynrac is some new sort of pit spawn, the poor victim of some curse or handicap, another of these mortals to have failed The Test, or and perhaps worst of all, one who has almost grasped the sacred wisdoms of the Purifying Flame, almost, but has been found unworthy. His shock only lasts but a moment, though the priest has little talent in the ways of deception or subterfuge, decides to give the mortal the benefit of the doubt for now. ". . . I am called Ignatious. I've been asked to be here, and so I am. I hope that I might be of service to you all in this."
The priest is slightly above average (for humans) in height, just at 6ft, and fairly lean and athletic, but not overly well built. His skin clearly has a natural silvery sheen to it, and his head radiates a calming flaming "halo", warm and comfortable to the touch, but incapable of harming others. He has a adamantine scimitar at his belt, stylized to appear like a jet of flame, and a Morningstar on the other side. On his back is a simple light shield. He is garbed in mithral breastplate armor, etched with celestial runes and glyphs. In the center of his forhead, designed to look like a third eye, is a tattoo of both Sarenrae's faith but also combined with that of the general of heaven's armies, Ragathiel's.
An aura of peace and serenity seems to radiate off of the man, and while generally quiet and empathic, he also clearly has some talent with the blade if required.
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In walks a humanoid female. Her skin has a blueish tinge to it that only compliments the icy blue eyes and platinum blonde hair. She is dressed simply in a white dress she looks more apt to shopping in the markets than exploring some unknown dimension.
On her shoulder sits a tiny dragon, who stretches its wings and yawns before flying above and perching on some overhead object.
Seeming completely normal until she stands next to you to listen to the address of the Venture Captain, the air around her is 10-20 degrees colder.
Well I suppose you are going to need the Authority of the Irrisen Nobility on this mission just in case negotiations are in order. She curtsies, Birgit, Jadwiga and lawyer in Irrisen, Winter Witch, and representative of the Sovereign Court.
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"I know the queen over there, from years back, Queen Yagevna, husband of The Ripper and pirate-captain of the vessel The Iceburg. But still, it wouldn't hurt to have another able to all on the elements at our side. It is, and I hope I have this right, It is a nice pleasure to meat you, Brigit Jadwiga. My mother says that you will be of great assistance in the coming days." as he attempts to take her, not hand, but rather forearm in a strange sort of "handshake", seemingly unaffected by the cold, or even noticing it.
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Amongst the illustrious Pathfinders in front of the Hao Jin Tapestry; a tall, blond, and well built human, confidently strides in and stops to take in the tapestry. His manner while confident also portrays humility. He wears full plate armor, which is neatly shined and contains many small symbols of long swords bathed in light and he has a red and white cloak clasped around his neck, his shield is similarly emblazoned with a large long sword also bathed in light. It takes little effort to know he is a follower of Iomedae, perhaps a paladin. He has 2 long swords sheathed at his waste as well.
His face reveals a young man, but his piercing blue eyes suggest experiences beyond his years. He wears a sly small smile. After a few moments studying the tapestry; he quickly looks around the room taking in each face. He then bows deeply.
Pathfinders well met, I am Boswick Bumbleberry and I am at your service.
Master Zey, I'm honoured to be included in this mission. Thank you.
Then turning to the others:
Kynrac, George so good to see you again so soon. I trust you have been well since our time on the stair? I must admit it's been nice to have a short respite in Absalom. But now I'm ready to go, wherever, this thing will take me.
Again looking at the tapesary, Boswick comments:
I've heard a lot of stories about the Hao Jin Tapestry, but it's more impressive to actually look at in person. Have any of you ever had the chances to enter the tapestry yourself?
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Kynrac smiles softly, though his thoughts are well-concealed. "Boswick, George, a pleasure to team up with you again. Yes, that mission to the Storval stairs was a harrowing one, but I like to think we did well."
The oracle contemplates the Tapestry with a bit of nostalgia. "One of my very first missions brought me inside the Tapestry, and I've used it several times since then. A marvelous artifact by all accounts, and I can tell you that all of them are correct. I'm actually looking forward to going back in there, for there are so many wonders ripde for the taking."
Seeing the entire team assembled Aram Zey clears he throat and steps forward to address you.
Behind me is one of the greatest treasures to come into the Society’s hands in decades—an entire demiplane containing some of Golarion’s greatest treasures, whisked away from the Material Plane by the legendary Tian sorceress Hao Jin. It should be ours alone to explore, but the Aspis Consortium has found another way into the isolated pocket dimension, and they’ve already begun plundering the treasures within with reckless abandon for the secrets they might contain.
A recent expedition to observe one of the Consortium’s encampments uncovered a fact we must act upon quickly. Aspis Consortium agents within the tapestry are currently, or will shortly be, meeting with a tribe of ratfolk in a place called Round Mountain in order to form some sort of alliance. These ratfolk are incredibly powerful within the tapestry, and their influence stretches far beyond the mountain itself. If the Consortiumallies themselves with such a dominant organization within the tapestry, our efforts to rid the demiplane of their encroaching filth will be all that much more difficult.
Thus, you must stop them. Get to the ratfolk stronghold—a place known as the Pagoda of the Rat in a cavern at the center of the mountain—and prevent the Consortium from negotiating an alliance with the ratfolk there. Form such an alliance yourselves if you can, but your priority is preventing official cooperation between the ratfolk and the Aspis Consortium within the Hao Jin Tapestry. Prepare yourselves for a long journey, Pathfinders, because I fear you will not be able to easily return here until your entire mission is complete. I trust you will take the necessary precautions, but if you must return early, simply step back into the extraplanar eddy that will appear behind you when you arrive
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Listening to Master Zey, Boswick recalls some particularly unpleasant memories of dealing with some Rat Demons. Hoping these ratfolk aren't like those ratfolk. He notes to himself some feelings of distrust for the ratfolk already, but he tries to shake that off and put things in the proper perspective.
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The pen continues to record notes in his journal as Ignatious simply listens, only speaking at the end. "Oh, my. More of these Aspis agents, huh. Very well. I am most familiar with travel in that place, and I'm certain that we shall do most fine. I'm going to send my ship back home. If we expect to be away for some time, you are all most welcome to store anything you don't want to carry aboard her."
"I must say, I for one am interested in speaking to these Pagoda Rats. Is anyone able to speak with rats?"
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"What an irony. The Aspis are precisely to be treated like rats, mere vermin we need to exterminate. However we'll proceed with caution, since I suspect that if the Aspis thinks these rats are worthwhile allies, there's no reason we shouldn't try to become their allies in the first place too, especially if we aim at supremacy within the Tapestry. A diplomatic mission of sorts, then. We will be worthy."
Pondering Ignatious's remark, Kynrac replies "I do not speak their tongue, though maybe Master Zey could enlighten us about whether the ratfolk usually speak the Common tongue or not? By the way, what do we know of these ratfolks?"
Through your combined knowledge of ancient Tian Xia history you recall that the Round Mountain was created over 500 years ago as an attempt to stop a ratfolk invasion of the Tian empire of Lung Wa.
The powerful sorceress Hao Jin—known by many as the Ruby Phoenix—teleported a massive sphere of stone from the Darklands, collapsing many of the ratfolk invaders’ tunnels and preventing further incursions to
the surface world.
Histories from the subterranean cultures beneath Lung Wa speak of entire communities that disappeared from Nar-Voth when Hao Jin removed the chunk of stone that would later become Round Mountain.
Kynrac also notes that Nar-Voth is the uppermost layer of the Darklands and consists of countless caverns connected by winding secondary
and tertiary tunnels. The stone that makes up Round Mountain is likely to have come from this layer of the Darklands.
Indeed, Aram Zey As such many ommon denizens o f Nar-Voth include brain oozes, cave giants, dark folk, derro, duergar, gremlins,
seugathi, and troglodytes. many of which might have been teleported with the Ratfolk when the mountain was ripped from ground. Listening to the questions asked the Master of Spells shakes his head. It is possible, though unlikely, that the ratfolk will speak our common tongue. More likely they will have their own language but they might speak Tian the common tongue of Tian Xia
Very well then. The Master of Spells says a he prepares the ritual. You all feel a strong pull, as if someone had reached inside of you and yanked you forward by you spine. Suddenly you are falling towards the tapestry, its intricate weave now as mass of swirling colors. slowly the colors start to take shape, forming a surreal landscape. There is a loud POP and you find yourself standing on solid ground looking at a strange site.
A massive hemisphere of stone rises out of a wide lake, as though a ball had been dropped from a great height and the dent left in the ground had filled with water over time. A set of wide switchback stairs has been carved into the mountain’s face, climbing the impossibly steep slope in a dizzying series of twists, turns, and reversals. A blur of green far above indicates that vegetation thrives atop the dome, some 10,000 ft above, where it finally levels out enough to hold their roots.
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Boswick examines the monument in front of him. Trying to gauge whether the switchback stairs go all the way to the top? A little surprised by how big the mountain actually is, he seeks his comrades opinion on what's ahead.
The mountain looks to be almost 2 miles high! Do the stairs go all the way to the top?
After a exhausting and dizzying climb the stairs reach a small platform, standing in front of you is a massive thirty-foot-tall stone fortress. Its black granite exterior is covered with a dozen arrow slits, and two looming iron doors bar entry into the tunnels beyond. From the arrow slits you can see a flurry of movement and quickly the tower is bristling with arrows. From the the top most level a sqeeky voice calls out in a foreign tongue.
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"Peace, friend. We are with the Pathfinder Society, a group from beyond this realm. We have come to help you and to bring a warning against a danger to your people. Can we speak?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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In Tien "We believe that there is another group coming, or perhaps already here, that intends to ally with you. I'm not going to lie, they have caused us a great deal of trouble, both individually, and also our organization. They, if they do come as we think, will do so in the guise of friends, offering a deal that seems to be mutually beneficial, but will instead exploit your people and kill any that resist. We, Pathfinders, seek only to explore and learn. We also seek to be allies, and have been asked to come here both to help and to prevent the Aspis Consortium, as they are called, from taking advantage of your folk. You can know them by the small shield-like badge they wear."
Asking in Taldan (Common)"Do you speak this mortal language? Many of my brothers and sisters here are unable to partake of this conversation."
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Boswick listens to the interchange and likes the tone of it. He is thankful that Ignatious is on this mission and is so fluent in Tian.
He thinks to himself I'm smart about a lot of things, but anything other than the common tongue just sounds like gibberish to me. Looking at Carrick (his squire), he recalls the young half-elf trying to teach him some elvish, but he could never remember more than a few words.
Wishing he could directly aid the situation, the best he can do is appear friendly, he does his best to stay relaxed and in a non-aggressive posture. Trying to appear competent, but non-threatening.
There is a long pause as the ratfolk seem to converse with each other. Finally the same voice calls out in common, You wait there! We bring you to our captain.
A minute or so later the large iron gates open and a squad of a half/dozen or so ratfolk move out an take up possitions surrounding the party. One of them, the same one as before it would seem, motions forward into the keep, Put weapons away and follow.
They ratfolk lead you into the keep down a short hall, though another set of iron doors into a large office. This austere room sports little decoration aside from a single wool tapestry on its east wall. The only furniture here is a simple wooden desk and chair, and a pair of chairs opposite the desk for visitors. Seated at the desk is a stern looking ratfolk with greying fur. Flanking his desk are two more guards. The Captain glares at you suspiciously waiting for you to speak.
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Following unarmed, I'll essentially repeat what I said above, but as it's in Common, I'll allow others to add to the conversation as well.
"I am Ignatious, the Seeker of the Purifying Flame. We come from another realm beyond this one, and work with a group called the Pathfinder Society. We believe that a group, called the Aspis Consortium means to come here, and that they mean you harm, though they will come as friends."
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Boswick is happy to add to the discussion.
I am Boswick Bumbleberry, and I am at your service. I can assure you that my friend Ignatious speaks truth to you. Our organization has honest attention toward your people. This other group will claim the same, but they have proven in our realm to only honor there bargains when it serves them.
The Captain is quite for a moment as he listens to you requests and warning. The outsiders you speak of have already been through here and made the same dire warning as you.[b] He pauses as he rises from his chair and slowly circles the desk. He looks the part over with his small beady eyes that glint with shrewd cunning and wisdom. [b]I'm inclined to believe both groups. Outsides have not been seen on the sundered path in quite some time and the arrival of two groups herald dark times for my people.[b] he pauses again as he contemplates the situation. With a sign he circles back around to his desk and takes a seat. [b]I will not prevent your from traveling the Sundered Path. The Empress deserves to hear both sides of this argument and it will be her burden to decide what to do. taking out a slip of paper he scribbles something down in Tian. Here is a letter granting you permission to travel the Sundered Path and admitting you entry into the Pogoda. Be warned though the path is not with out its dangers.
With a nod to one of the guards the tapestry behind his desk is lifted revealing another large iron door. The Captain gets up again and moves over to unlock the gate. Two guards then push open one side of the gate revealing a long tunnel descending down into the heart of the mountain.
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Boswick bows to the Captain.
Well met Captain, you have chosen wisely, both groups deserve to be heard by the Empress and let her decide. I feel the exact same way. I hope in time you will consider the Pathfinder Society to be trusted allies. We thank you for your time and wise decision.
If I may, you speak of dangers on the path. Are you at liberty to tell us the type of dangers we might expect to encounter.
Boswick has no intention of jeopardizing the mission by starting trouble here. But desiring to know the general alignment leanings of the ratfolk, Boswick casts detect evil on first the captain, then other guards.
The Captain seems reluctantly flattered by Bos's respectful tone. Monsters of all shapes and sizes hunt the Path. The Captain replies. Plus the occasional cave in or chasm. I will warn you too, beware Xiangnuer. She is a powerful futsanglungs and may demand tribute to travel the path.
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"Your wisdom honors you, Captain. We shall depart immediately. However, if you would just answer a question or two, please? What exactly is the Sundered Path? I'm a lore seeker, and I would be very interested in knowing the origin of the name for this place."
Kynrac takes his professoral tone to announce in a matter-of-fact way: "Interesting. Futsanglungs are also known as Underworld Dragons. These Powerful evil dragons are know for having claws hard enough to shred even the hardest of metals."
Once the discussion with the Captain is over, Kynrac will take steps to prepare to ascend the Sundered Path.
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"Waiiiit!" A rather small tiefling runs up the stairs and stops besides the paladin, trying to catch his breath. Most of his flesh is hidden by an ample and dirty cloak, but you can see his face, which is ugly and has a grey-red color.
Panting, he says "There you are, I thought you'd leave without me! Sorry for that, I had a little trouble with a god named... Yogsomething. Well, I'm here, that's all what matters, right?"
His tail unfolds from under his cloak and hands him a bow.
"My name is Voros. Well met."
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Kynrac takes his professoral tone to announce in a matter-of-fact way: "Interesting. Futsanglungs are also known as Underworld Dragons. These Powerful evil dragons are know for having claws hard enough to shred even the hardest of metals."
"All things burn before the power of righteousness. Fear not, brother, for as my father says, we just need to find the right heat to get the job done."
Ignatious looks upon Voros without emotion, neither judging not condemning <YET>.
"I was not told of you."
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Voros bows swiftly to Kynrac and Ignatious. He answers shortly to Kynrac "I don't."
Then, he frowns at the priest of Sarenrae and says "I have already been scolded for being late by Master Aram Zey, so let's not waste time on talking about it, right?"
"Oh, and I forgot you priests and paladins and all prefer to have it clear from the beginning, I worship Milani. No devil, no demon. I'm just born a tiefling. Is all." says Voros, showing a big tattoo on his right forearm, with a look of annoyance.