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Just moments ago, Venture-Captain Adril Hestram stood beside you inside the great hall of the Grand Lodge in Absalom and said, Good luck and gods speed. Find out what you can and get back in one piece.
With that, a masked member of the Decemvirate, gender and race impossible to determine under black cloth and an ornate face mask, muttered an incantation and teleported you nearly a thousand miles south, to the northern frontier of the necromantic nation of Geb.
Just 24 hours ago, messengers from the Decemvirate banged on your door and demanded your presence at the Grand Lodge. Venture-Captain Hestram, it seemed, had received an important bit of news about work that a Nethys cleric Pathfinder named Rijana was doing in the Mana Wastes— important enough to summon you at such an early hour and demand your preparedness for a new mission assignment.
[b[]Rijana is one of the best scholars on arcane mysteries that we have,[/b] said Hestram as he paced back and forth. He shook a thin sheaf of papers in his hand. This missive from her hand just a month ago tells a daring tale of hidden dimensions in the Mana Wastes that could be used to return magic once again to that failed, desolate garbage heap. I could care less about restoring magic there—but I care a lot about what bizarre ruins and hidden sanctums might have been concealed there while magic lay dormant. I haven’t the time to waste to send another message back and await its answer—I’ve asked a Decemvirute member, a powerful wizard, to teleport you to Rijana’s last known location, a dusty hamlet on the edge of the Wastes in northern Geb called Geb’s Rest. I’m sending the lot of you because Geb is dangerous, the Mana Wastes are deadly, and I want this thing done right. Hestram snorted. Well, I at least want it done. You lot will have to do. Get to Geb’s Rest, find Rijana, and bring back whatever notes she’s got in her journals about the Mana Wastes. She should have four journals if my memory of her bizarre organizational skills is correct—I want all four of them. Tell her I’m reviewing them for inclusion in the Pathfinder Chronicles, I don’t care. Just bring them back. Now get yourself ready to go—you can’t buy a decent potion within a hundred miles of this backwater dust pile.
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You are teleported in quick fashion, right on the outskirts of the town of Geb’s Rest.
In the distance lies a squat, tumble-down hovel comprised of a few turrated domes, a collection of ramshackle huts, a solid, two-story inn, dusty red streets, and a large central fountain. There are maybe four dozen intact buildings scattered about the town, with the central hub largely surrounded by weedchoked ruins of a time when the town was more prosperous.
As you all approach Geb’s Rest, you see no signs of life at all. No people, no animals, no birds—nothing. The entire town is silent and vacant.
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A Tengu with a cloak hood covering the majority of his head comes running into the grand lodge out of breath and showing obvious consternation.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is to park the better part of a Caravan around here on short notice? For once I would have been happy with one of Drunkard Dreng's midnight wake-up calls... At least the streets are empty enough to get the important stuff through then."
He looks around, realizing that half-way through his tirade he's no longer anywhere near the grand lodge. Probably for the better since insulting high ranking Pathfinders in the middle of the grand lodge rarely ends well.
"%&@$!"
He takes a seat, brushes off his cloak and boots and checks his weapons one by one. He carefully inspects his powder horn to ensure that it is still dry, then cleans his blunderbus, his dagger, his pepperbox, another dagger, and slowly and methodically checks his large assortment of ammunition. "Looks like everything is in order..."
He grimaces, then pulls his hood back. "Korai Shardwing, Varisian transportation specialist."
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Korai slowly in turn looks over each of his new compatriots.
"Well... If we are to be coworkers in this wretched land, we should make sure we understand each other's specialties...."
He looks over at Rhuul and with a wry smile continues "...each other's forte as it were. All I ask of you is to keep our interactions private. My business thrives off of my reputation... a reputation I have spent several years working to create. It is a reputation that may not be entirely... descriptive of myself. The more my customers know about me in the feather the less weight my reputation carries, so please leave my reputation as words alone."
Part way through that dialogue a small pistol appears in his hands. When it was drawn only the keen of eye are able to note.
"As for me, I am a firearms specialist, business negotiator, scout and burgler when necessary. When the good constable/bad constable game is required, I prefer the position of bad constable. I prefer to use words until force is needed, but when force is needed I am well willing to engage. I am fluent in the tongue of the my people, dwarves, elves, and... erm...."
He hesitates a moment. "...I am fluent in Aklo."
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"I see that you are a talkative one... hopefully that misplaced energy is used better in combat." Wyrgan says to the newcomer. "I suggest searching the areas where villagers tend to congregate first to look for any sings of what occurred. We can bust into private dwellings afterwards if need be." he says to the others.
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Korai chuckles at Rhuul's pun. "Alright then, so you're good cop and I'm bad cop. And by what name should I refer to you? And your compatriots for that matter?"
As he queries his new compatriots he looks about for suspicious watchers and tries to remember if he's already made any business dealings here. Especially any that went south...
Not having any real idea about his whereabouts, he keeps his firearm ready for use at any moment.
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As you make your way toward the center of the town, you all keep seeing the same kind of strange signs- things like dinner plates still set at tables with spoiled food on them, clothes hung out to dry, mugs of ale still resting on the bar in the inn, and feed set out for the animals in the barn and the nearby animal pasture. Not a single person is on sight, though, and you continue to hear absolutely nothing. You keep feeling more and more... apprehensive as you move through the hamlet. It's disturbingly empty. You start to think you see things over your shoulder, but nothing is ever there, you think you might hear things that no one else hears, and you start to think that this town is cursed, or haunted, or.... something. Just not something good!
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Korai seems to have a bit of an itchy trigger finger at the moment. In a hushed tone he looks back at Wyrgan. "This ain't good... When a town up and leaves there are only bad reasons."
He eyes the plates, noting the spoiled food and hanging laundry and narrows his eyes.
"If they've been taken by force we should be able to find signs of struggle, and possibly survivors. Since the food is spoiled it's pretty clear that they didn't duck and hide just as we 'ported in. If they were consumed by plague or fiends there may be signs of blight or infestation. If it's the latter we should keep our heads down... Also remember... they may have left swiftly but these are people's homes and we should exercise care. They may have laid hasty wards or rigged crude traps to protect what little they may wish to come back for."
Slowly, carefully, and quietly he moves up to inspect the structures. He checks the walls and doors, looking for blood, arrows, or claw marks that would signify that a struggle took place.
He keeps his pepperbox in a clawed hand, hooked and ready to whip out at a moments notice but carefully concealed under his cloak's sleeves.
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"This place feels like a ghost town" agrees Rhuul. Every now and then he stops to try and sense the presence of magic in the area, and then hurries ahead to catch up with the rest of the group.
"Sends a right shiver down me back it does."
"Hello! We come in peace, and in search of a drink." calls out Rhuul, more than happy to direct any attention onto himself and away from the stealthy pathfinders.
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Korai Perception: 14
Rhuul Perception: 28
As you all approach the center of town, you see the first sign of another life form for the first time! A body is slumped over at the fountain, one arm hanging off the side and the rest turned away from you, half in the stagnant water!
At the same time, everyone but Sihir and Korai notice four skeletons stalking toward you, from inside the buildings directly surrounding the town square. Two of them throw empty potion vials to the ground as they silently laugh at their new prey. The skeleton's dressed in yellow and blue rags move faster than the rest, and begin to move forward, their scimitars cutting menacing arcs in the air as they do! The yellow-garbed one, however, doesn't stop until it's already in Korai's face, and swings its scimitar at him in a waist high arc, meaning to split the bird in two! The blade cuts deep, taking a lot of flesh and blood with it, as the skeleton strikes true. Its partner, the blue garbed skeleton, moves forward, and takes up a semi defensive position, its eyeless skull mocking you with its fleshless grin.
Round 1!
Yellow Skeleton- Charges, whacks Korai something good!
Blue Skeleton- Moves next to its partner! (Double Move)
Wyrgan- Up!
Red Skeleton-
Korai-
Sihir-
Maldoc-
Green Skeleton-
Rhuul-
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Round 1!
Yellow Skeleton- (15 Damage) Charges, whacks Korai something good!
Blue Skeleton- Moves next to its partner! (Double Move)
Wyrgan- Attacks Yellow, hits!
Red Skeleton- Moves next to the group! (Double Move)
Korai- Up!
Sihir- Up!
Maldoc- Up!
Green Skeleton-
Rhuul-
Wyrgan hits the yellow skeleton, making up for some of the punishment that it dealt Korai, and the blue garbed creature makes its way to the fray, though isn't able to get a swing in! (Blue Double Move to get into combat range.)
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Round 1!
Yellow Skeleton- (15 Damage) Charges, whacks Korai something good!
Blue Skeleton- Moves next to its partner! (Double Move)
Wyrgan- Attacks Yellow, hits!
Red Skeleton- Moves next to the group! (Double Move) (Dominated!)
Korai- Atacks, misses, and gets out of the way!
Sihir- Command Undead!
Maldoc- Tumbles, Attacks!
Green Skeleton- (Double Move)
Rhuul- Up!
Sihir mind controls the red-garbed skeleton, and it looks at him expectantly. Maldoc attempts to tumble past the skeletons, but they are much quicker than he realizes, and a scimitar slashes at him!
The attack misses, and Maldoc finds his own strike is true, as well as his spell, as he destroys the yellow skeleton in one go! The skeleton in green rags steps up to take its place, however, keeping the bottleneck going!
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Round 1!
Yellow Skeleton- (15 Damage) Charges, whacks Korai something good!
Blue Skeleton- Moves next to its partner! (Double Move)
Wyrgan- Attacks Yellow, hits!
Red Skeleton- Moves next to the group! (Double Move) (Dominated!)
Korai- Atacks, misses, and gets out of the way!
Sihir- Command Undead!
Maldoc- Tumbles, Attacks!
Green Skeleton- (Double Move)
Rhuul- Inspires Courage!
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Round 2!
Yellow Skeleton- Destroyed!
Blue Skeleton- Attacks Maldoc, misses!
Wyrgan- Up!
Red Skeleton- Dominated!
Korai-
Sihir-
Maldoc-
Green Skeleton-
Rhuul-
The skeleton in red rags stands still, waiting for its commands, while the blue garbed one presses the attack! It brings its rusted scimitar down in a vicious attack aimed at Maldoc's Shoulder, but the warrior easily dodges!