The Lantern Lodge of the city of Goka has asked for assistance on a rather dangerous mission. Venture-Captain Amara Li wishes to send a small contingent of Pathfinders to the jungles of Nagajor, the realm of the serpent-people known as the nagaji. Loosely governed by a naga matriarchy, the nagaji are fiercely loyal to their rulers, and although trade has existed between Nagajor and the outside world for thousands of years, very little is known about the nagaji themselves. Li believes that this needs to change, and that both the Lantern Lodge and the Pathfinder Society would benefit from a greater understanding of the serpentine realm. Luckily, a key to such understanding has recently come to light.
Coffee traders have brought rumors of an ancient document known as the Lotus Annals to Goka. It is said to have been written long ago by a naga mystic named Holadi, the great-granddaughter of Nalinivati, the founder of Nagajor who would eventually achieve divinity to become the patron goddess of Nagajor. These documents are among the earliest known descriptions of the nagaji people and their culture. What makes the Lotus Annals an even more important historical and religious artifact is that, during her youth, Holadi was a close friend of her great-grandmother, and recorded many of her stories and sayings. The Lotus Annals are therefore not only an important tool for understanding the nagaji people, but could also reveal a heretofore unknown path to godhood. The chance to study, or possibly even acquire, such a document is worth the risk of traveling to Nagajor.
Before the team leaves for Nagajor, Amara Li conducts a short briefing. “We believe that the Lotus Annals can be found in a small farming community called Nibung in western Nagajor. Other copies of the Annals are known to exist, but due to their cultural significance, they are kept under strict lock and key in Zom Kullan, the country’s capital. If the copy in Nibung is authentic, it is most likely the only one we’ll ever be granted access to.
“Your mission is to travel to Nibung and gain access to the scrolls. You can simply make a detailed copy of them for later study, although if you could actually acquire them, so much the better. I am sending with you a small cache of gems, as the village’s naga ruler will doubtlessly want some form of compensation, if she can be convinced to grant access to the annals at all.”
Venture-Captain Li emphasizes that it is unlikely that anyone in Nibung will speak Tien, and can guarantee that no one will speak Common. If no one speaks Tien or Nagaji, she strongly suggests that they hire someone in Goka to act as a translator, or bring along magical means of communication. Li also gives you a small bag of very expensive gems to use in the bargaining process, worth approximately 5,000 gp.
"Now, I also have these missives which came for you. If you have any more questions, I have several minutes to grant you."
Defender of Democracy,
You are about to descend into what is almost literally a den of vipers: the naga dictatorship of Nagajor. The creatures that call that land home, the serpentlike nagaji, are said to have literally been bred to serve the nagas’ every whim. This state of affairs naturally offends all true Andorens to the very core, but we know so little of this distant land that we must ask you to discover the following: have the nagaji always lived beneath the wormfolks’ yoke, or did they ever rule a land of their own? If they were able to free themselves, it would prove that they are not natural slaves, and that we might, in some distant point in the future, be able to coax them in this direction again.
Return to us with all speed,
Major Colson Maldris
Devotee of the Perfect Law,
A realm ruled wholly by snake women? This sounds almost too good to be true! If only all lands had such enlightened governance. We know that most of these nagaji reptile folk worship their patron goddess Nalinivati, but we can’t imagine that the Prince of Law has not made some inroads in that far-away land. See if you can find out if there are any temples dedicated to Asmodeus or one of the archdevils in their capital, Zom Kullan. After all, we only need a foot in the door, don’t we?
Don’t let those snakes bite you too hard,
Paracountess Zarta Dralneen
Agent of the Decemvirate,
We know next to nothing of the land of Nagajor, save that it is ruled by nagas. More importantly, we have no way of easily accessing such a far-away land. Make a detailed sketch of the village you are being sent to. It will greatly help Aram Zey should he ever need to teleport there.
May your wayfinder guide you safely home,
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin
I, Your Honored Leader, Greet You,
While you travel in Tian Xia, you are a representative of the Lodge. Your honorable actions bring prestige and honor not only to our faction, but they are also a reflection on the people of our continent in general. While in Tian Xia, make sure that your fellow Pathfinders (even those with other affiliations) know that they have an ally in the Lantern Lodge. I am sure their leaders will ask them to perform numerous bizarre tasks. Be sure to help at least two of them in these endeavors and you will bring great honor upon yourself and the rest of the Lodge.
May the ancestors guide you,
Venture-Captain Amara Li
Child of the Sands,
The jungles of Nagajor are far from the deserts of our homeland. You are sure to find unusual magic there that the people of the Inner Sea have never seen or even heard of. If you encounter such a wonder, study it and report back to us. It may prove useful in promoting the power and prestige of the Ruby Prince.
Nethys guide you,
Amenopheus, the Sapphire Sage
The Satrap’s Faithful Servant,
We hear that you are about to embark on a trip to faraway Nagajor. We have little contact with this nest of vipers, but hear that they are producers of a particular strain of coffee that is second to none. If you could acquire a cutting of the best coffee tree you can find and bring it back to me, we could plant it here and surely make a significant profit. After all, who doesn’t like coffee? The people of Absalom will pay through the nose for a brew from mysterious Tian Xia!
Sincerely,
Trade Prince Aaqir al’Hakam
Child of the Cunning Wolf,
I was recently contacted by an old acquaintance of mine: a creature named Dakar who heads the Commerce League in the Varisian city of Kaer Maga. He said that if anybody under my purview were to be sent to Nagajor, he would pay handsomely for any freshly shed naga scales that could be acquired. Who knows why this interests him, but I cannot look a gift-snake in the mouth, so to speak. Do this for me, and you shall be properly rewarded as well.
Desna guide your journeys,
Guaril Karela
Trusted Confederate,
I pride myself in knowing a little bit about everything, and a lot about most things. The land of Nagajor, however, is almost unknown to me, and that bothers me. A good friend of mine, a powerful druid from the Verduran Forest, is willing to help me travel there, but in order to take him up on his offer, I need a handful of living seeds from a tree or other large plant that is native to Nagajor. Fine one for me, won’t you?
My thanks,
Grandmaster Torch
Champion of the Downtrodden,
I shudder to think what abominations you will find in the naga-ruled land you are about to visit. We have heard that a race of serpent-people lives there called the nagaji, who serve their naga masters. They are surely not wholly evil, and like peasants everywhere, are bound to labor under a heavy yoke. If you find such nagaji peasants in your travels, do a good deed for one of them and be sure to let them know in whose name you perform it. They deserve hope, and must know that they are not alone.
Sarenrae’s blessing upon you,
Ollysta Zadrian
Servant of the Empire,
Taldor’s reputation has been waning of late, especially in military matters. The other nations think of us as nothing but effete dandies who can hardly hold a sword. Prove to them that this is not so, and that Taldor’s martial might is second to none! You will surely face terrible beasts in Nagajor. Strike the killing blow (whether with a weapon or spell) against at least one of your opponents, and be sure that your non-Taldan Pathfinder brethren see you doing it.
Taldor will rise again,
Lady Gloriana Morilla
A tall, slim woman stands before you all.. She wears a set of revealing robes and has arcane runes tattooed all over her body.. She listens intently to her Venture Captain.. "Sounds like a most interesting and important task.. Thank you for the opportunity to partake in something like this.. As far as speaking Tien or Nagaji I do not, however if we can procure some scrolls of tongues i can use them easily.." She turns to her fellow pathfinder's.. "Hello my name is Selena Wild, a Lantern Lodge Pathfinder, I look forward to accompanying you all on this most important adventure.. As a heads up I am skilled in the arcane arts and will do my best to pull my weight on this journey.." Bowing, she accepts her missive from her Venture Captain..
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The smell of dusty old tomes wafts in the air, as a bookish looking elf begins to speak. You can tell he is attempting to simplify his upcoming sentence so he does not have to repeat himself.
"Greetings fellow Pathfinders. My name is Thoth the Constant and I am a proud member of the Risen Guard, Arcane Zoologist, and archaeologist extrodinaire. I do believe I was chosen for this mission for my extenisve knowledge of the Tien language, and many other subjects for that matter. For those of you who do not know me, or have yet to hear of me I prefer diplomatic resolutions, and when things get ugly I tend to disappear.I have been the lone survivor of a mission or two and met Pharasma once as well. I would rather not do that again. I promise I will find any traps, detect ambushes and answer any questions on any subject you may have along the way. I am looking forward to meeting these interesting humanoids."
Know Religion
know Dungeoneering
About the Nagaji/Nibung Know Local
Nalinivati was once a mortal naga sorceress who was able to achieve divinity thousands of years ago. She is said to have helped create the nagaji as a servitor race. Whether this happened before or after she became a goddess is unknown.
The nagaji were given free thought many years ago, and are not a pure slave race. They are, however, extremely loyal to the naga.
Also known as the Serpent’s Kiss, Nalinivati is a deity of fertility and sorcery. As such, she is worshiped by non-nagaji sorcerers, as well as those who wish to have large families or who are having trouble conceiving. She has been romantically linked with the kitsune goddess Daikitsu, although both goddesses deny this relationship.
Nagas have the bodies of snakes and human-like faces. Most are poisonous and all possess spellcasting powers. Found throughout Golarion, they seem to be particularly concentrated in Nagajor. The term “wormfolk” is sometimes used synonymously with nagas, although they find the term highly offensive.
There are six known races of nagas. In order of ascending power, they are the reflective lunar naga, the bestial water naga, the Darklands-dwelling dark naga, the corruptive spirit naga, the benevolent guardian naga, and the five-headed royal naga.
Most scholars believe that nagas originated in Vudra and came to Nagajor thousands of years ago. This is contradicted by the nagas themselves, who say that Nagajor is their true home. Most nagas are aloof and believe themselves to be superior to all other creatures, and can sometimes be manipulated by appealing to their vanity.
You travel on a ship to a small trading port on Nagajor’s western coast. From there you travel overland into the foothills of the western Kullan Dei mountains. The oppressive humidity of the jungle lowlands is soon replaced by cooler temperatures as the path climbs in elevation. As the party gets closer to Nibung, the dense forest gives way to groves of carefully arranged coffee trees. Rows upon rows cover the hillsides, the red coffee cherries weighing down the branches.
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Coffea canephora, these berries seem to be nearly black. If something is not done soon, that harvest will be lost. Nine months of cultivation down the drain, what a shame.
To everyone and nobody in particular, Thoth points to the fields as he speaks
"These beans need to be harvested, if you take a look you will notice that the berries are ripe and currently in a transistion period transforming from this beautiful cherry red you see there, to the rotten black that is starting to take hold over there. To the trained eye this clearly indicates a lack of care. It seems that the workers have a more pressing concern than their primary export... very strange"
Selena listens and watches.. Appraoching one of the trees she picks a few of the berries.. "Must be something serious to completely neglect a cash crop such as this.." She casts a spell..
Extended Mage Armor(lasts 14 hours)
1st-8/day
2nd-6/day
3rd-5/day
"Do we have time to brew a cup? It would be a shame to let this all go to waste."
Seelah pauses, thinking.
"Actually, that might be wrong. Although, maybe the real crime is to let these beans spoil. Hm..." Seelah quickly becomes lost in thought.
"Oh. Well perhaps we can take some ripe ones with us and deliver them to their rightful owners. But if they should start to go bad first, and we find ourselves around a campfire..." Seelah thinks about this for a minute, then seems satisfied. Then she looks around.
As you round a bend, you see two giant stag beetles harassing a nagaji farmer who has climbed up a tree to try to protect himself.
These Goliath Stag Beetles are immune to mind-affecting effects. They have 10 ft reach.
Selena will target the closest beetle.
Confirm crit
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Thoth will assume the kirrin Style while employing combat expertise,
Swift action against the beetle Selena is not setting aflame.
Know Nature vs (DC 15 + Creature CR)
Selena's first ray seems to hit hard, but the second one misses entirely. Thoth enters a defensive stance, seeming to know exactly what these beetles are.
Beetle 1, maddened by Selena's fire spell, charges and tramples everyone.
Beetle 2 double moves to get closer to the attackers.
Selena attempts to dive out of the way..
"What in the holy hell!"
1st-8/day
2nd-4/day
3rd-5/day
20/41
Seelah gets thoroughly trampled. She shifts Northwest and channels energy to heal her companions. She then draws her sword, ready to fight.
Seelah channels as Oxirane thickens his skin.
Selena will take a 5' step and blast the beetle again.. "Die Vermin!"
1st-8/day
2nd-3/day
3rd-5/day
42/44
Again, one of Selena's rays connects while the other flies off wildly.
Thoth creates a large fire and the beetles flee in fright. Unfortunately, Beetle 2 tramples everyone in the process of fleeing.
"Help!" the nagaji farmer screams from the tree.
Selena gets run over by the stag beetle again..
16/44
Limping over and taking a seat.. "I could use a bit of healing if possible.. Things ran me over good.. You sure they wont come back?"
Seelah tries to discern the alignment of the treed fellow.
"I can provide you healing, miss Wild. I think..." Seelah pauses, considering, then casts Detect Evil on Selena. Seeing none, she continues. "Yes, yes, of course I can. Just um... you know. Better safe than sorry and all that."
The man is helped down from the tree by Oxirane. He holds both arms over his head in a sign of respect and makes a low bow. He is tall for his kind, standing nearly 7 feet in height, but he has a slender frame. He dresses in a common homespun brown cotton tunic with matching pants and no shoes. A broad- brimmed hat made of reeds keeps the sun out of the farmer’s sensitive eyes.
The man begins to gibber in
If everyone stands there confused by his language, he begins speaking in
The man furrows his brow and thinks for bit.
[b]"You see, the entire village of Nibung, my home village just a ways down this path, has become a battleground between the two gangs, the Daughters of the Lotus and the Ruby Circle. They have been fighting for control of the village ever since the death of our last magistrate, Wise Owani. Almost everyone in the village has died or been driven off in the pointless fighting.
"To tell you the truth, I am quite upset by the death and disruption of everyday life caused by the fighting in Nibung, and wish it would just end so that I could get back to my farming."
"The Daughters of the Lotus are led by Wise Owani’s granddaughter, a young Hooded Protector Mother named Aishwarya. She’s a bit naive and inexperienced, and wants to keep things as they’ve always been. It is also said that she has no friends in our capital city of Zom Kullan. The other gang is led by a Mother of Change named Dhanishta. She’s much shrewder and more connected than Aishwarya, and wants to open Nibung up to foreign trade. Both sides have reached a stalemate as of late. Neither feels powerful enough to take on the other in open combat, so they sit around plotting each other’s destruction. It is a deplorable state of affairs that has been going on for months, and in the meantime, nothing gets done."
Hooded Protector Mother: Guardian naga.
Mother: A female naga.
Mother of Change: Spirit naga.
Mother of Five Faces: Royal naga.
Selena takes a break while Thoth speaks with the Nagaji in a tongue she doesn't understand..
Seelah makes practice swings with her longsword to impress herself (but not in a threatening manner).
"I try not to get involved in the politics of the affair, though. That's for the villagers to quarrel over. I just tend to my farm, or at least I try to." He sighs, looking at his overripe coffee plants. "The trouble in the village has soaked up much of my help, however."
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Thoth thinks for a second and follows up his initial question.
"Is Avinash a Hooded Protector Mother as well?"
Thoth translates what has been talked about to the rest of the group.
We may get caught in the crossfire of a turf war ladies and gentlemen.
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Thoth turns to Oxriane and quips
"I am inclined to follow whomever Avinash believes we should follow. Is it not she who has the Lotus Annals afterall?"
He pauses then continues without really waiting for a response
"Who wins or loses this Nagaji turf war should be of little concern to us, let the "people" decide who they want to follow."
The paladin may make this difficult...
"Perhaps we can offer some assistance in peace talks!" Seelah offers hopefully. "Or maybe we should help him harvest his coffee first? Hm..." Seelah drifts off into thought again.
Yesmoro will accompany you to the village to find Avinash if you wish. Or are you staying to help Yesmoro harvest his coffee first? There is no skill check required, but you will all have to stay on his farm for the rest of the day and leave tomorrow morning. He will gladly house and feed you all and then take you to Nibung tomorrow.