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Naiar has been on quite a vacation since his last Pathfinder mission, spending a lot of time doing his finances as well as doing some extra learning in the libraries of Absalom. It's been awhile since he had a break.... since his encounter in the Enigma Vault, it seems. His skills proved to be most useful that day and since then he was called upon by many Venture Captains who required his vast knowledge to help them solve a few issues they had been having.
His return to Absalom was met with lots of prestige and fame and he could barely keep quiet in the Grand Lodge's library with new adventurers asking him for advice. One day in particular, he was met with a Venture Captain that wished to reward him with a Dayfinder; a rare Wayfinder that could shine even in the darkest moments. Naiar was proud to finally be a known figure, someone who might be remembered in the history books of the Grand Lodge.
With his new equipment and his partner-in-training, Boots the Owlbear, wearing his barely scratched chainmail barding from their last encounter, he arrived at the location where the message from the Pathfinder Society told him to meet his group for the mission. He rummages through Boots' saddlebags and makes sure all his stuff is there before tackling the Owlbear to the ground and wrestling around with him before the others show up. "Get it together, Boots! This one won't be easy like the last one. I'm taking you on a REAL mission this time! You going to keep me safe, buddy? DEFENSE."
Boots nuzzles playfully at Naiar's head, letting him know he's here to keep him from harm.
As a clock chimes the hour, Ambrus Valsin opens the door to admit his guests then resumes his seat next to a grey-eyed woman wearing the robes of an academic. “Please seat yourselves quickly so we can begin. This is Lady Darchana Madinani, archdean of Absalom’s premier school of the arcane, the Arcanamirium. She’s has come to the Pathfinder Society on delicate business.”
“As Second Spell Lord of Absalom, I continually investigate magical attempts to attack our home. The Pathfinder Society recently aided one of my investigations by capturing a disguised Okeno slave ship used for several months to transport various unfortunates to Absalom for sale as slaves to the city’s noble families. Normally this would be legal, yet it seems someone has marked each of these slaves for use as divination foci. I can’t ignore the threat posed by such an insidious spy network. With the capture of that ship, we’re now in an excellent position to strike back at the hidden mastermind behind the slave-scrying.
“Know that I do not come to the Pathfinder Society lightly. I am taking on a calculated political risk by asking you to handle this investigation for me. But my long friendship with your master of spells Aram Zey has given me confidence in the abilities—and discretion—of Pathfinder agents.
“Using my own spells, I acquired an image of the slaver: a humanoid woman wearing a heavy veil and peering into a mirror. Her clothing is common in Kelish fashion, and I could sense her location was somewhere underground on Stonespine Island.
“Although we could pursue conventional means of tracking down the slavers, I have taken measures to ensure our quarry does not see you coming, and I would appreciate a similar effort from you. I propose disguising yourselves either as slaves for sale or possibly the slavers selling them. If successful, you need only allow our enemy’s agents to escort you to their hidden stronghold. Once inside, it should be a modest challenge for you to escape and take their leader by surprise.” Lady Darchana pauses for emphasis. “Your goals are to capture the veiled spymaster and to bring the scrying mirror I observed back to Absalom for further study. If the spymaster dies before she is brought here, that would be regrettable but also understandable.”
“Before you get too concerned,” Ambrus adds quickly, “it isn’t the Society’s practice to sell our field agents into slavery. We’re sending you with a reliable cover story and a magical edge we can discuss in a moment. This isn’t just because it’s a dangerous assignment; we also found the name ‘Muhlia’ associated with the captured Okeno ship. It’s not a common name, but if haven’t kept up with recent history, I can understand why you may not remember her. Pasha Muhlia al’Jakri was an associate of ours who represented Qadira’s interests to the Pathfinder Society. Three years ago, she departed following very ugly circumstances in Taldor and hasn’t been seen since. If it’s true that she’s building a spy network in Absalom, we need to head off the threat she poses to the society before she can strike.”
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The elf kept his eyes down, not meeting the gaze of Lady Darchana. He remembered her from his previous engagement, but his group was less than successful during the ensuing chaos. He was ready to get out of there, rather than ask any other questions.
He took care to ensure the many vials he had on his person didn't clink together too loudly, trying to blend into his surroundings.
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"Ah! Lady Darchana! My friend Pathfinder friend Zommy has told me much about you." (Ran Slave Ships on my Halfling Gunslinger, hehe) He bows in respect and listens to her mission. When he hears the idea of selling themselves as slaves, he looks over and Boots and frowns. "Guess it's going to be a little hard getting my friend inside, won't it? I'm hoping your magical edge will at least allow us inside with our equipment; I have to admit I'm nothing but a weak Oracle without the things I've acquired in my travels." He gives out a little cough as if to reinforce his "weak" statement. (I'm an Oracle with the Wasting curse. :P)
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"Lady Darchana, a wonder to see you again." Sündr says with a deep bow. "Much glory was to be had taking that ship, and so it was truly our pleasure to do so."
The Ulfen listens carefully to the briefing, curling a golden strand of hair around her finger absentmindedly. At its conclusion, she is primarily interested in the tactical elements of the mission--but she assumes that Valsin will get to that presently. In the meantime, she has a few questions about their destination. "I know the library is just down the hall, but what can you tell us of the Okeno and their island? Their customs, their laws? Are they handsome fellows?" A playful smile flashes across her lips, etching an unspoken like you?
"Guess it's going to be a little hard getting my friend inside, won't it? I'm hoping your magical edge will at least allow us inside with our equipment; I have to admit I'm nothing but a weak Oracle without the things I've acquired in my travels."
Lady Darchana answers, "It would not be irregular to bring him along I think. And Ambrus Valsin here also has another treat for you concerning your gear, I think?"
Ambrus Valsin excitedly rubs his hands together as a proud grin cracks his businesslike expression. “Thought you’d never ask! I’ve brought one of our experiments out of development for a field test,” he explains while planting a boot on an unremarkable cedar chest. “This is a magic chest warded in much the same way as our craftspeople sometimes enchant small pouches. From the outside, it’s nonmagical and holds whatever you put in it as expected. However, if you speak the right command word before it’s opened, it instead accesses a secret, extradimensional space that can hold several hundred pounds of gear. It’s yours to use on this trip and should help smuggle most of your gear through Okeno. The forged paperwork we’re sending with you notes the chest is part of the shipment.” Valsin demonstrates the chest’s use and command word. “Anything else you want to bring needs to be something you can hide on your person and keep hidden.”
Lady Darchana nods her approval and adds, “I can also shrink one essential tool or weapon for each of you. It should provide you enough of an edge in breaking out and recovering the rest of your gear.” She then casts shrink item on one item for each of you.
QUOTE="Xerance-RK"] "I believe he was one of the men who uncovered the name Muhlia."
Ambrus sighs before responding. “Yes, Muhlia is quite the pain in our side; she is a resourceful negotiator and agent who was known for nursing grudges even before she disappeared. Over the past several years, her name has appeared documents recovered from Aspis Consortium operations. We believe she may have had a close connection to the Desimire brothers Aglorn and Tancred, both associated with the Consortium and slain during conflicts with the Society. Muhlia favors deception and ambushes, so be on your guard.”
"I know the library is just down the hall, but what can you tell us of the Okeno and their island? Their customs, their laws? Are they handsome fellows?"
"Okeno is one of the largest cities of Katapesh. They have a large population of gnolls who come there to purchase slaves, primarily. Okeno boasts the most profitable slave markets, known as the Fleshfairs. The slaves are carried by Okeno's well-known yellow-sailed slave galleys."
Ambrus Valsin adds, “We do have a detailed report from Rilla, a Pathfinder who spent some time as a prisoner of our enemies. Rilla remembers being separated from the other Pathfinders while in Katapesh, taken to Okeno, then marched inland to a little fort with a lot of gnolls. The gnolls deferred to a humanoid woman who always wore a heavy veil that concealed her head and face. At least once, the veiled woman used surgical tools to take some of Rilla’s blood. Rilla vaguely recalls lessons on how to serve multi-course meals and help nobles into and out of fancy clothes. When the veiled woman was satisfied with Rilla’s progress, the gnolls marched her and several other slaves back to Okeno and put her on a ship bound for Absalom called the Kat Season.
“The gnolls tend to nap or just relax during the day, trying to avoid being given chores. At night, they’re more active and alert, and usually several of them leave the fort to go hunting. Rilla wished she could help us more, but her memory of the last few months is hazy. We found and removed a curse placed on her to weaken her resistance to divination, which may also explain this memory issue.”
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"Oh, gnolls, of course! Like the ones aboard the At Sea. Nasty creatures. You know they hunt and kill sentients just for fun? Sounds like a Pathfinder. And EAT them too? We should be ready for packs of pet hyenas, and keep a special eye out for flinds--gnoll leaders--carrying flail-like weapons. Kill that one first. We should also aim to strike during the day; when their slaves are about but the gnolls are asleep."
Sündr chews on her lip for a moment, struggling to decide between getting her greataxe shrunk or her drinking horn. Eventually she comes to thinking that shrinking the horn would shrink the mead too, and that would be downright criminal, so she asks Lady Darchana to shrink her steel weapon instead. That accomplished, she strips off absolutely everything down to the simple tunic of her bespoke adventurer's outfit and dumps her gear unceremoniously into the open trunk.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" she asks with a grin.
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Graz chafes a bit at the notion of going as slaves. Having been a slave himself, and only recently been freed thanks to the Eagle Knights of Andoren, he abhors all things slave-related.
"Dressing up is the only way?"he asks Valsin, a low growl emanating from his tusked mouth. "Not sure I can do that, Captain, but I'll try...if it's the only way."
Listening further, comments:"Gnolls, eh? Wouldn't mind crackin' a few of them heads anyway. Especially if they're slave runners."
When asking the item to shrink down, Graz shrugs: "Got my fists and my tusks, don't need much else. Guess you could shrink down my spiked chain, just in case, I have to get really rough with the lot of 'em."
As you leave Ambrus Valsin's and Lady Darchana's presences, you find Major Colson Maldris walking down the hall towards you. He puts a loose bundle of maps he’s carrying down on a nearby table to have a hand free for saluting Graz.
“I have heard about your participation in Darchana’s plan, and I’m proud to know that you’re involved. Daring acts like these strike terror in the hearts of slavers and give hope to the subjugated. I know you’re unlikely to have—or leave—many witnesses, but if you can strike fear into the hearts of this villainous operation’s leadership, strike down the more dangerous and oppressive slavers in a dramatic way, or just be seen battling in the defense of the oppressed, we can share your exploits and inspire a new wave of freedom fighters.” He considers his advice for a moment and adds, “But don’t throw your life away trying to burn Okeno to the ground. Pick your fights carefully, and return a hero.”
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Before they leave, Naiar asks Lady Darchana to provide a safe haven for Boots to stay at while he’s gone. ”You be good now, Boots. No pecking anyone while I’m gone, you got it?”
Naiar tries to handle Boots again, this time taking a second to use a treat and ensure he listens. (Taking 10)
Naiar glances at the maps when the Major sets them down, studying the locations carefully.
”We’ll be sure to have plenty of stories to tell future recruits upon our return. For now, could I ask what your interest is with Cheliax?”
Major Colson Maldris turns to address Naiar with a knowing smile. "Even more daring missions are in the works, but you should first focus on the task at hand."
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Graz seems star-struck as he meets and converses with Major Maldris. He's far too busy listening to the man to notice anything about what he is carrying.
"Aye, sir!" says the strangely humble half-orc. "You can count on me to do my best, sir. Slavers will never know what hit them, or worse, they will know and fear will beat in their black hearts until the day I come and tear them out."
Graz grimaces a fearsome visage as he says this last. He barely pays attention as the rest of the crew questions the Major about some future mission.
Once you are ready, a Pathfinder agent will lead you into the Coins district.
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Naiar groans as he begins to take off his +1 Mithril Breasplate (Agile) so he can put it inside of the hidden container in the box. After taking his armor off he lets out a big sigh and starts to put on the cheap tunic and loincloth to disguise himself as a slave.
”How do I look, guys?” he asks as he turns around to show off his new grotesque outfit. He puts his +2 Charisma Headband on his head and tries to cover it up with a hat of some sort. ”Do you think I can sneak in with this on? Or should it go in the box, too?” He twirls the headband around a finger as he takes his shrunken +1 Longspear and slips it into his pocket before looking over at the metal collar. ”Is one of you good with these sorts of things? Maybe you could rig mine to not be completely locked?”
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Already down to a tunic, Sündr giggles as the others fret about their belongings. She tucks her 1/4000 scale, cloth-like greataxe someplace where it won't be found. Grabbing a collar, she calls out to the alchemist: "Ruprecht, if you want to try to rig this, be my guest. If not, it matters not! Once my axe is in my hands, I dare any slaver to come and get me, locked up or no!"
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Graz cannot bear to submit to the slave collar again, and grimaces as he sees his friends and allies don the object of his shame and hatred.
Instead he poses as a brutal slaver, modeling his behavior after those who mistreated him during his time on the receiving end of the lash. "Step lively, my beauties! Can't keep the man waiting. Step lively, or face the cord."
The Pathfinder agent leads you into the Coins district, where a nervous Kelishite slave trader named Mahjub Mahdi writes up the appropriate paperwork to identify you as slaves bound for Stonespine Island. He then transports you to the impounded Okeno slave ship, which is already outfitted with a new crew loyal to Lady Darchana and additional cargo bound for southern coasts. The voyage south is fairly uneventful.
Sharks casually feed on cast-off corpses that float like buoys marking the channel into Yellow Harbor. This close to Okeno, the rocky mountain range that gives Stonespine Island its name is a blur against the sky, hidden by the city’s haze of smoke and dust. Each pier is crowded with yellow-sailed slave galleys, pirate clippers, and the occasional, heavily armed merchant ship. Past a row of taverns, the slave markets are smelly and crowded, packed with auction blocks and pens.
The group is met at the pier by one of the harbormasters, and Graz is given directions to a specific pen in the Fleshfair. There a harbormaster consults a logbook and tells Graz that you’re right on time, should expect your client to arrive for pickup later that day, and can place the merchandise in one of the pens until then. As if on cue, a pair of gnolls ambles toward the group and inquires about your shipment. The harbormaster grins, identifies you all as the cargo in question, and calls over several assistants to finalize the transaction.
The gnolls give the 'slaves' a quick glance over but don't seem to notice anything unusual. The gnolls bind the slaves’ hands with rope and link the slave collars together on a rope leash. They bring along a few other slaves as well:
There are three other slaves who are part of the gnolls’ expedition: Gima, a recently captured member of the Bellflower Network; Talmin, a bitter Kelishite who recently sold himself into slavery to settle his debts; and Epanas, a Kellid hunter from Numeria who has spent several years enslaved in her homeland and Katapesh.
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Naiar is talkative during their voyage to Okeno, but upon their arrival he becomes silent, and focuses his attention inwards as he consults the spirits of Lore while they are being inspected and tied together. He tries to cause as least trouble as possible, while taking a look around at the other slaves to get an idea of what they’ll have to work with.
The gnolls don't seem to mind a bit of chatter among the slaves and the halfling begins talking about her time before becoming a slave, mostly talking about farming and gardening.
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Sündr strikes up a conversation flirts with the Kellid, first trying Kelish to see if he picked up any in Katapesh before switching to Common if he did not. She asks about Numeria in particular, knowing that it's an area of interest for the Society at the moment. If he becomes friendly, she'll try to gauge his fighting skills and secretly informs him that he may have a use for them soon.
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"Oh hello there, Mahjub! They've got you working under cover now, I see." The skald flashes the nervous man an ear-to-ear grin. "Well, maybe clean out your basement first next time!"
We discovered the involvement of Mahjub pretty quickly and decided to go check him out. We arrive to find him being shaken down by local thugs. We get into an altercation with the thugs, killing all three. We get what info we need from Mahjub, but I, being the slavery-hating Ulfen I am, decided to try to convince him to get out of the slave-trading business and take up something more respectable.
It didn't work (shock). And that's when Grumpy came up with a brilliant plan.
Up until this point, Grumpy had been Grumpy and we spent much of our interactions with NPCs saying "please ignore the dwarf," but at that moment he had a stroke of inspiration. Here's what went down:
We dumped the bodies down the stairs in Mahjub's place, told off the slaver, and left. Outside, we went up to the first Misery Row guard (who are notoriously corrupt) that we could find and informed him that Mahjub Mahdi was hiding the bodies of our murdered friends in his basement.
I roll a ridiculous Bluff.
The guard's reaction? "This could make my career!"
Mahdi gets arrested for murder, and there's one fewer slavers on Misery Row. It was only later that we found out we needed Mahjub's ledger, so when we returned we found an empty building surrounded by caution tape and a sign that read "Crime Scene, Do Not Enter."
It was glorious.
The halfling smiles and nods knowingly at Naiar as she continues to chat about mundane things like the weather and local news.
To take his mind off of things he turns to the keleshite man. How did you end up in this prediciment?
"Bad decisions," the man says with a heavy dose of regret in his voice. "Bad decisions and no way to pay for them. I was not as good a merchant as I had hoped. Eventually I was too far in debt; I had no choice but to sell myself to pay off my loans."
The Kellid man, though gruff, speaks easily enough with Sundr. "The machines and the robots; you can never trust them. And you especially can't trust their masters. They'll take you from your tribe, beat you into submission, and force the work out of you. Such is the way of things for the unfortunates like me."
Along the way you also learn that the two gnolls leading you are Hargur and Vangru. From the way they talk about the other gnolls, you can discern that they are at the bottom of the heirarchy in their clan.
With slaves in tow, Hargur and Vangru lead their tiny caravan northeast past cultivated fields of pesh cacti that surround Okeno and to a small ruin near the road with just enough of a superstructure left to provide some shade. Here the gnolls, who are naturally nocturnal, decide to stop for a rest.