You are awaiting your mission briefing with your fellow agents.
|
An incredibly charismatic person with dyed white hair done partially in braids but entirely too laid back for as burly as he is smiles as he makes his way to the briefing area.
He's clad in well-crafted and well-kept mountain pattern armor, with a dark wooden shield riding over the top of his backpack, and an average looking morningstar rides at his right hip.
Oh, today's going to be a beautiful day. Shut up you lot, stop the laughing! There's no way any of you are going to ruin this. Not like LAST time!
"Hello there! Just call me 'Sully'. I'm here to make sure that you can optimize your productivity and make your paradigm rock for the modern Pathfinder experience. I'm the one that'll keep *you* going in the fight, so if you need a little, y'know, 'pick me up'... just shout, and we'll reinforce the positive and eliminate the negative to make it all good!"
Even as he's making that proclamation, his morningstar starts moving of it's own accord and tries to make a break for it, but is stopped by the effective 'peacebinding' that holds it to his belt.
Cut that out, would you! You're scaring the straights!
|
Sumil paces anxiously while waiting for the details of his next assignment. He taps his feet and cracks his knuckles, then plays with a few trinkets in his pockets, and starts all over again. His garish clothing and gaudy jewelry clash loudly with the local flavor. He looks up at the approaching Sully and listens attentively.
"Hello, I am Sumil! What is my paradigm rock? Should I have been given one?" He starts rifling through his pockets pulling out various odds and ends, appraising each one, oblivious to the runaway morningstar. Even his jewel encrusted gloves do not escape inspection, but he shakes his head at them as well. Eventually he gives up and smiles back at the whitehaired man. "You are a Pathfinder too, yes? I hope we are sent somewhere interesting today!"
|
Oswald nods to his companions and waits for them to finish speaking before he shyly introduces himself.
"Name's Oswald, joined the Pathfinders just over 3 years ago and am fresh off my Confirmation. From a small little farmin' town in the River Kingdoms. Not much of my history is worth repeating unless you care 'bout huntin' quail or raisin' pigs."
Oswald looks like one might expect a country farmer who's taken up adventuring to look. He's got a big straw hat, tough but faded clothes and big solid brown boots. Something about him seems a bit off but it's hard to place.
|
|
Huntress Quinnwailyn Elhedril, commonly known as 'Quinn,' posses the very best (and worst) of both the elven and human bloodlines. Her uncommon beauty and elven facial features are offset by her fiery auburn hair, green eyes and powerful feminine build. Clad in her mother’s bequeathed elven scale mail and gauntlets and armed with a composite longbow, matched masterwork cold iron shortswords and dagger, she is a picture of innocence combined with wildness. Always close by is her hunting companion and best friend Bacchus, a large Ferruginous Rough-Legged Hawk.
"Well met friends, I am Quinn and this is my hunting companion Bacchus..."
|
A silent man slips into the briefing's room. He eyes the other folks cautiously, weighting their words. His skin is the color of the sea and his eyes are like made in a chunk of ice. The man doesn't seem to carry any weapon but as he enters the room, the temperature suddenly goes down some degrees (or Fahrenheits).
He sighs and opens his mouth. "I'm Alaneo. A pleasure."
His facial expression doesn't seem to match what the man says as he tries to quickly go away from the other agents' sight, backing a few steps. If he could make one with the wall behind him, he'll gladly would.
You have been sent urgent summons from Venture Captain Ambrus Valsin to meet with him at the docks of Absalom.
Water laps steadily at the pier as sailors, laborers, and merchants rush busily around Absalom’s port. The venture-captain’s summons called for a meeting aboard the Sixwing Drake, a sleek sailing ship. The Drake’s captain, a Varisian woman and fellow Pathfinder named Zarah Zendrani, stands at the helm of her vessel. “It’s not like Valsin to be late,” she mutters, furrowing her brow. As if on cue, a tall and meticulously groomed man pushes his way through the crowd and up the gangplank, cursing audibly. “Whoever supervises this mess of a port needs to be dumped in the sea!” he grumbles.
The tall man looks around at those gathered before him. “Just the group I requested. Perfect. I’m Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin, and I took great care in selecting just the right Pathfinders for this assignment.” Valsin reaches into his belt pouch and withdraws a small, folded paper before continuing. “A few days ago, I received a curious note from a rather unexpected source. It’s not every day that I get a request from an agent of the Aspis Consortium.” Captain Zendrani’s eyes widen, and Valsin smiles knowingly. “But Magali Delroya does not appear to be your typical Aspis agent. As you surely know, the Aspis Consortium pursues a variety of activities across the Inner Sea that the Pathfinder Society finds abhorrent. It seems that Delroya has been working with them for some time, but can no longer stomach the snakes herself. She wants to stop a shipment of an experimental drug from leaving Diobel later this week. It’s bound for a number of locations across the Inner Sea region. According to Delroya, she can’t ask the local authorities for help, because the Aspis Consortium has already struck a deal with a faction of the Kortos Consortium, a powerful merchant collective. Her hands are tied, so she’s come to us for help. In this note, she outlines three different tasks that would help to disrupt the Aspis long enough for her to move the shipment to a secure location, out of the clutches of the consortium. Once you accomplish two of these tasks, she’s willing to meet with you, but not before.
“Normally, I wouldn’t trust an Aspis agent at any hour of the day. But our sources in Diobel have confirmed the Aspis and Kortos consortia’s activities. Everything checks out, so we are presented with a unique opportunity. If we help Delroya, we might not only strike a financial blow against the Aspis Consortium, but we could also reveal their dealings with the Kortos Consortium—and possibly prevent their arrangement from turning into a more formal alliance. Furthermore, we hope to stop this drug from spreading across the Inner Sea region, and if we—if all of you—do a good enough job, we might even convince Delroya to join the Society. A turncoat agent would be a valuable asset in our ongoing run-ins with the Aspis Consortium.
“Take some time to look over Delroya’s note and the tasks she has set for you. If you have any questions, now is the time to ask.
Remember, the Aspis Consortium is a long-time enemy of the society, but the Kortos Consortium, while certainly suspicious, is not our enemy. It is a complex organization with many factions, and we should avoid antagonizing any of them, except when necessary to oppose the Aspis Consortium.”
Venture-Captain Ambrus Valsin,
I write to you out of desperation, and I can only hope that you hear me out, though you may consider me an enemy. Our paths crossed years ago, and though we did not see eye to eye, I trust that you will do what is necessary—what is right—regarding my request to you today.
I am an agent of the Aspis Consortium operating out of your neighbor city, Diobel. The Aspis Consortium has long been active in Diobel, but now its foothold is stronger than ever: House Locosta of the Kortos Consortium lends aid to the Aspis’s smuggling operations in exchange for valuable alchemical ointments from across the Inner Sea region.
For years I have worked as a broker and go-between for the Aspis Consortium, but my employment with them will soon come to an end. I recently discovered that the consortium is experimenting on the poor and destitute of Diobel with a vicious and unpredictable drug called whip. Next Fireday, Aspis agents will send a large shipment of this drug to many cities across the Inner Sea region, with the intention of expanding whip experiments and perfecting the drug. I intend to stop them, but I need your help. I cannot go to the authorities—the Aspis’s arrangement with the Kortos Consortium offers it too much protection.
I have made arrangements to move the shipment to a more secure location, where it can be disposed of properly. You will forgive me for not trusting you with the location immediately—first, I need proof of your Pathfinders’ skills and their willingness to help me. The three tasks I describe on the attached note will each thwart the Aspis agenda. Perform any two of these tasks and the consortium should be sufficiently delayed as to allow me to enact my plans—and I will know that you are serious about offering aid.
When I joined the consortium, I did not know the extent of its evil—their members’ willingness to do anything for gold, no matter the harm caused. I cannot stop the group, but I can be a thorn in its side. Lend me aid, Valsin. Send me your Pathfinders. Prove that you are better than the Aspis Consortium.
Magali Delroya
Dear Pathfinders,
Thank you for giving me the chance to explain myself, and agreeing to help me stop the Aspis Consortium’s foul plot. As it stands, I do not have enough time to stop the shipment, so I have compiled three tasks that would each delay the consortium’s operations. Please select two of the three tasks to perform. Two disruptions could be a coincidence, but with three disruptions, the consortium will almost certainly suspect sabotage.
The first task is to disrupt a meeting between two agents, one each from the Aspis and Kortos consortia. Somehow, a snooping Kortos agent caught wind of my plans, and has set a meeting with an Aspis agent to reveal me and ruin everything. The bad news: I do not know the identity of either agent. The good news: I know that they intend to meet at a tavern called the Overflowing Oyster at noon on Oathday—the day before the shipment of drugs is to leave Diobel. If you can disrupt this meeting, you can prevent the Aspis from taking a closer look at my plans. However, you must be discrete. Killing either agent, or revealing yourselves as Pathfinders meddling in the Aspis’s operations, would only cause them to grow more suspicious. It may help to know that the owner of the Overflowing Oyster is involved in creating fake pearls and selling them on the black market.
The second task is to steal the shipping documents from the smuggling ship that the Aspis Consortium intends to use for this operation. The ship is called Blue Dragon’s Bite, and it is scheduled to offload its current cargo in the Trawl district all day on Oathday. The documents should be in the captain’s cabin. Find a way to get aboard and obtain the documents without causing too much of a disruption, and you will cause a significant delay in their plans. Remember, the Aspis Consortium is our enemy, but the dockworkers are merely citizens of Diobel. If possible, they should not be harmed.
The third task involves the alchemist responsible for engineering the drug called whip in the first place. He has picked up the unfortunate nickname Laszo the Leper because of the drug-induced lesions and rashes that cover his skin. Laszo operates out of Diobel’s sewers beneath Rat Street. Find his lab and bring back samples of unrefined whip, along with the alchemist’s notes. These we can use as undeniable proof to the authorities that the Aspis Consortium is experimenting with the drug in Diobel. Laszo is a cruel and despicable man. Do what you must to obtain the evidence.
Complete any two of these tasks before the end of Oathday and I will give further directions the following morning, assuming you were successful. Good luck, Pathfinders.
Magali Delroya
|
|
The friendly man waves to the new arrivals, then listens to the briefing.
Nothing sticks out all that much that Sully can remember, but he nods a bit as he reads the notes.
"Not sure about everyone else, but I like the first two jobs on the list. Always better to attain synergy and group follow-through with social interactions than bloodshed, if you ask me?"
|
|
"Aspis Consortium, Kortos Consortium...this may get confusing. Let me think, these organizations have no true alliance, yes? That is all I know, I do not spend much time here on the island."
Sumil frowns as he reads the notes over, and he listens while Sully suggests a course of action.
"This meeting we should stop, definitely, but I would like to stop the Leper man. If we do not, he may get away and make more of his drug! But we are a group, no? I will do whatever we decide together. Mr.Valsin, why do you trust this Magali Delroya to tell the truth? Could this not be a trap we are headed in to?"
|
|
Quinn, being more wildling than city dweller, has no knowledge of local rumors or news. But she does have an opnion on the tasks to be accomplished.
"Task one, definitely a "must do," because without this being accomplished all else could be worthless. Between tasks two and three, the ship mission puts innocents and the Society at the greatest risk leaving the evil alchemist to deal with which suits us jet fine." the huntress says patting Bacchus' head.
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Mr.Valsin, why do you trust this Magali Delroya to tell the truth? Could this not be a trap we are headed in to?"
"I met Magali several years ago, when she was barely a grown woman. It must have been just before she joined the Aspis Consortium. She’s a wanderer, never comfortable in one place for long. I saw great potential in her as a Pathfinder, but she always preferred to work alone and felt that the society was a poor fit. Had I known that she would wind up with the Aspis Consortium, I would have put more effort into recruiting her. So when she says she is not fitting in well with the Aspis, I tend to believe her story. And she has put herself at too great a risk and revealed too much already."
|
|
"Now that we're aligning our mutual interests in a positive fashion, we should focus on key foci and how to properly adjust for potential future gains in a pro-active fashion. Imagine this as a triangle, with each of the options being a 'leg' of the triangle."
Sully holds his hands up to make a triangle, pointing two index fingers at each other and two thumbs at each other.
We're all pretty much in agreement that the first one has to be done, and first. I'd tend to agree with Quinn. Shut down your opponent's distribution and escape route, and they will need to find a new way out of town, right?"
As each point is made for the first and second missions he pulls the left then the right index finger away from the triangle.
"Aside from the benefits of this approach it will really win over our target demographic, being Miss Magali, as we're watching her back."
|
|
Sumil listens carefully to Valsin's answer and nods his head in approval.
"I will trust you're judgment on this."
When Sully speaks he finds it difficult to understand what is being said and watches the mans hands with a confused look on his face.
"She has given us all of these tasks no? Are they not all 'watching her back' as you say?" He shakes his head and waves his hands in the air, "But I am outvoted, yes? So if we are done I think we should be going. Why am I always being put on these ships? I hope the captain has a bucket for me!"
|
|
Puzzled about the organizations in the game, Alaneo raises a palmed hand.
"Sorry to bother you, esteemed Venture-Captain. The Aspis Consortium I know of them. But I have never in Farenheit's name heard anything about the Kortos Consortium. Is it a recent consortium? Could you tell us more about them?"
As he asks his question, he blushes a little.
To Alaneo the Venture-Captain answers, "It pretends to be a legitimate merchant guild dedicated to stamping out smugglers, but it participates in its fair share of illegal activities. It is powerful enough to rival Diobel’s teriarch, or governor, Lord Avid. A fair number of prominent people in Diobel are in the Kortos Consortium’s pockets, or are prominent members of the guild themselves. If possible, try not to get on the group’s bad side."
You board the ship and prepare for the short sail around the Isle of Kortos to Absalom's sister-city Diobel.
Captain Zendrani and the crew of the sleek Sixwing Drake steer the ship up to the massive barrier of broken war-barges, crumbling walls, and jetties of iron and wood that protect the port of Diobel. “Well, here we are,” says the captain. “I’ll make sure everything is in order with Diobel’s inspectors and charter you a barge to the port. You aren’t carrying anything particularly valuable, so you shouldn’t draw much attention from the inspectors or pilots, so long as you don’t run your mouth. My crew and I will wait here with the ship. You can return here to rest, if you need to, but remember—there isn’t much time!”
You arrive in Diobel during sunrise on Oathday. Zendrani slips a barge captain several gold pieces as a sign of good faith. She asks him if he could do her the favor of sticking around on shore for the day in case you need to return to the ship. The captain is a stocky middle-aged man with weather-beaten skin and calloused hands. His name is Markus Karbie, and he accepts Zendrani’s deal.
The Overflowing Oyster is a dirty, broken-looking building that barely fits between the fishing tackle shop to its north and the junk shop to its south. Hanging over the door is a creaky sign that shows a painted oyster with pearls spilling from its gaping shell.
The interior of the Overflowing Oyster displays a mix of rickety furniture and gaudy decorations, from strands of obviously fake pearls hanging over the kitchen’s entrance to wooden carvings of sultry mermaids and cheap paintings of ships at sea.
Contrary to its name, the dirty tavern is hardly crowded, even during its “busy” hours: at meal times, several local laborers hunch over cheap food and casual games of chance, cursing and muttering to the same old friends about the same old troubles.
|
|
Having been mostly quiet on the ride over Sumil rushes onto solid ground at the first chance he gets, appreciating that it does not sway beneath him.
"I hate the sea so very much."
He pulls out a comb and starts working knots out of his long thinning hair and discusses the current situation with hi fellow Pathfinders.
"This Magali does not know who is attending this meeting, yes? So what is our plan to stop it? Can we use this fake pearl information? I fear I am not so good at negotiation."
Stepping to the Oyster Sumil grimaces at the state of the bar but says nothing. Though potentially futile, he scans the bar for any evidence of the agents the were sent to disrupt.
Sumil spots a man sitting by himself, not eating but with a drink before him, looking about as if waiting for someone else. As you find a table and the barkeep makes his way over to you, you notice a second man arriving at the inn and making directly for this first man.
|
|
Sully has been an upbeat and encourage force of positive energy the entire trip. If anyone asks for a bit of space, he gives it gladly, but he's very much the group synergist, making sure that everyone's doing okay (even the ones that don't travel by sea well) without forcing any issues. He doesn't bother the crew when they're on duty, but he'll gladly chat any of the ones off duty up a bit...
The suli makes his way over towards the fellow walking over towards the seated man, attempting to intercept him. If it *isn't* the target, then he'll be out the cash for a drink, or he'll get shanked, either way, today is a great day!
"Jon! I haven't seen you in years, since that whole thing in the desert! How are you doing? Can I interest you in a drink? Couldn't stand the desert myself, it's a bit too... dry... for my tastes. How you been doing?"
|
|
In the hopes of aiding the disruption of the Kortos/ Aspis agent meeting, Quinn swipes a handful of fake costume pearls used as decorations in the establishment, and with her menacing raptor on her shoulder, marches up to the barkeep and throws the fake pearls over the bar shouting, "I demand to see the lecherous cretin who cheated me out of my life savings selling these obviously fake pearls!" She continues even louder to the rest of the patrons,
"Oh!" the man says as Sully catches him before he can sit down with his partner. You aren't sure which is from the Aspis Consortium and which is from the Kortos Consorium but the ploy seems to be working in keeping them apart. "Oh, yes, um. . . well, I'm sorry, have we met? Did you call me Jon? I'm afraid you have me mistaken with someone else, I go by Sareth."
Before Sareth can push past Sully though, Quinn starts making another distraction complaining about the quality of pearls. The man at the table turns around and watches, clearly taking some personal-or perhaps economic-interest in the accusation. The second man gets up from the table and moves over to the barkeep and Quinn. "What's this about fake pearls? What evidence do you have of that? I was assured of quality, Pal." He addresses this last one to the barkeep with a certain amount of ire behind his words.
|
|
"Just take a look at was in the bulk of my purchase order! Sure, I was told the quality of the few pearls on hand when my agent agreed on terms were nice, but this is what I found in the rest of my shipment!" Quinn says, picking up one of the stray fake pearls she absconded earlier... "I demand retribution for my losses and my time, or my friend here will feast upon your eyes barkeep! " Turning to the other patrons, she says "I recommend the rest of you check the quality of your purchases because these folks obviously take you all for fools!!"
|
|
Seeing the opportunity, Alaneo sighs, trying to gain composure, and walks behind Quinn. He speaks on a very calm tone, displaying a neutral facial expression, though ending his sentence with the hint of a smirk on his blue lips. "These pearls are nothing to suit a wonderful lady as you are. You may rather need the craft of the undines, working for decades on works of art way more interesting than these petty garments."
|
|
I certainly hope we have the right men. Sumil thinks to himself as he heads over to assist Sully in his ruse. When he faces the man named Sareth he speaks softly, so only he and Sully can hear.
"Of course you go by Sareth but that impostor you were sitting with might not have been certain, yes?" He nods to the commotion at the bar. "We could not have you getting caught in that mess, after all. Maybe it is best we postpone this meeting for today."
|
|
Sully keeps that smile plastered on his face, though that rapidly fades as there are glances to Sumil as he arrives and then any other entrances
"You're... not... wait. Oh, dangit." Their shoulders slump as they kick at the floor a little bit before raising his head once more. "We got here just in time? Yayy!"
People who were traveling with Sully for a boat trip will not that it's not the usual self-confident poise that they have, though whether it's an act or legit may be having a hard time to discern.
Sareth shakes his head at Sully. "I'm sorry, if you'll excuse me." He starts pushing past Sully to get to his business partner-the man now arguing alongside Alaneo, Quinn, and the others against the barkeep. "Ok, everyone out!" the bartender starts shouting over the din. "Out I said, or I'll call the guards!"
Sully notes that although the bartender's threats don't seem to have calmed down anyone else now leaping up to the accost the cheating barman, Sareth has stopped dead in his tracks and looked side-to-side. Slowly he turns around and quietly exits the bar without ever speaking to his contact.
|
|
When the party regroups, Sully will glance towards the Trawl.
"Blue Dragon's Bite, then? I'm not sure about you, but I think I need some good hard work to clear my head after that counter-productive display of poor customer service in there. Seriously, if one's going to do something shady like that, they really need to be a bit more.. I dunno... discreet?"
That is punctuated by a rumbling laugh and a knowing wink.
Delroya's second task asks you to acquire shipping documents from aboard an Aspis Consortium vessel. The acquisition of these documents could hinder the Consortium and aid Delroya in her own agenda.
A maze of broken ships forms an artificial reef blocking Diobel's harbor. This treacherous and erratic terrain teems with laborers, barge masters, pilots, and port inspectors, who busily conduct their businesss ferrying goods to an from the Bristles. Beyond the trawl, seagoing ships wait their turn to offload cargo or pick up new goods. One ship stands out among the others-the freshly touched-up paint on its full, blue with streaks of white lightning along the hull, marks it as the Blue Dragon's Bite. It sits moored to a dock jutting from the trawl, with several crates already offloaded nearby, and many more waiting piled on its deck.
|
|
Sumil raises an eyebrow in confusion and tries to recall the initial conversation before they left.
Perhaps I am not so good with the common tongue as I thought?
"As you know, I am wanting to stop this Leper man but I believe you said Ms. Quinn that the ship mission put the Society at greatest risk."
Sumil looks off at the Blue Dragon's Bite and shrugs.
"We are already here, but if you would like to go back I do not mind."
|
|
"I concur, this puts us and the Society at the greatist risk, and we can't do all as thy would bring suspicions."
-Posted with Wayfinder
|
|
"Well now that this is settled, we can figure out how we are getting these documents. Should we cause another commotion? Can anyone sneak on board without being noticed?"
Sumil wanders closer to where the Blue Dragon's Bite is moored and tries to see if there are any obvious points of entry or any lookouts that may be on deck.
|
|
Sully attempts to watch the dockworkers that may be loading the vessel, to see what kind of clothing they might be wearing, and also takes note of any other ships nearby.
If it's pretty non-descript stuff, he'll briefly duck into a cheap tailor shop to get a 'gently used' outfit, and change into it.
Sully finds some used clothes for about 2 silver. Despite the outfit, his geniekind heritage still shows through and he doesn't quite fit in with the rough sailor crowd. No one else has spotted anything of immediately obvious use; the ship is anchored and docked but there don't appear to be any other easy entrances to the ship other than the obvious gangplank.
|
|
Quinn whispers to her new companions, "Does anyone have any big ideas? There is always the 'distraction and sneak' method of gaining entrance, but in the daylight one best be near invisible to achieve this feat. And we have all been seen in the ruckus in the 'Overflowing Oyster' already. It wouldn't take a scholar to connect us to a rival faction and potentially threaten the Society's reputation and 'reach' in this part of Golarion."
The last of the three possible tasks requires you to secure proof of the Aspis Consortium's alchemical tests in Diobel by venturing beneath the streets of the Bristles District and into the city's underbelly.
Delroy's directions lead to an isolated alley in the Bristles, and then down into the sewers beneath Diobel. The stench of sewage mixes with the sharper odors of chemical fumes and decay and permeates the damp tunnels. From this intersection, tunnels lead west and south into the darkness. A third tunnel heading east is filled with detritus, filthy beddings, food scraps, broken glass, and rotting furniture. An alcove lies beyond a collapsed portion of the tunnel's southern wall, and further east, a statue of a giant rat rests in the dead-end passage. Countless empty flasks and discarded alchemical ingredients lie on the floor around the statue. On a nearby workbench sit several organized but empty flasks and jars.
Four people live in the tunnels and alcove near Laszo’s lab. These people have been using whip and they are in a sorry state. They suffer from malnourishment and can barely speak. In their delirium, they take little notice of you.
Laszo is cruel, meticulous, and obsessed with his experiments. Much to his chagrin, Laszo has picked up the nickname “the Leper,” a reference to the open lesions and horribly itchy scaly patches of skin that cover his body. Laszo constantly picks and scratches at his skin as he stands before his lab bench. "Eh? Who's there? What do you want? The next batch won't be ready for a few hours, if that's what you're here for."