A Pathfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 1-5.
Less than a decade ago, the Pathfinder Society established a lodge in Nirmathas, an act that infuriated the nation's expansionist rival Molthune. The latter outlawed the Society soon after, and ever since Pathfinders have relied on smugglers like the Varisian entrepreneur Guaril Karela to slip supplies past the Molthuni blockade for both the lodge and the Society's war-torn neighbors. Something has intercepted those shipments. Can the PCs uncover the culprit and save the Society's reputation in Nirmathas?
Content in "Trouble in Tamran" also ties into a special metaplot element from Pathfinder Society Special #6–98: Serpents Rise. Players who have completed that special event are encouraged to bring its Chronicle sheet when playing this adventure.
Written by Benjamin Bruck.
This game is by invite only and is sub-tier 1-2. Expected Start Date 3/28.
The party has been summoned to Fangwood Keep near the border of Molthune and Nirmathas. The keep has become a Pathfinder stronghold after an incident in recent years.
You are all afforded the luxuries of dignitaries as you await the arrival of Ambrus Valsin.
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Approaching the keep on short legs while squinting up at the afternoon sky a gnome, small for even a gnome, mutters happily to himself. As he gets closer to the gathering place he lets out a small sneeze and the various scrolls he was carrying fly in all directions.
”Oh no! Bert save the mushroom research! I had a great note on oyster fungi!”
Prizm runs around gathering his scrolls in the wind only to finally come to a rest with fists full of papyrus. He then notices that others are watching him and his eyes brighten visibly.
“Hi there! You look like some of the people I am supposed to meet! There is apparently trouble in this area and my superior skills as a herbalist are required! Did you know….. Oyster mushrooms are delicate woodland fungi native to many temperate forests throughout the world. Familiar to northern mushroom hunters, they are also widely cultivated into a variety of agricultural byproducts. A particularly elegant and colorful group, Oysters are also aggressive colonizers of many substrates, making them among the easiest edible fungi to cultivate!”
The small fey practically stumbles over himself as he continues to ramble about seemingly boring things.
But then a small shadow appears from behind him.
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A small silly looking bird peeks out from behind the rambling gnome, its head suddenly tilting to one side in a somewhat quizzical stare. His tiny black beady eyes blink rapidly as he takes in the scene – and then they narrow.
The dodo makes a dash then an acrobatic roll to arrive at the feet of a man wearing… a poncho..
He then starts to speak – ”bert-bert- bert-bert- bert-bert- bert-bert- bert-bert!!!”
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A table brims with empty plates, dirty silverware, and empty bottles. Laying atop a bench in front of the table is a humanoid figure who seems to have heavily indulged in the keep's hospitality. A strange hat rests atop his face, obscuring it from vision. Even more strange is the man's cloak, appearing to be little more than a knit blanket with a hole in its center. One of his hands rests on his belly, which rises and falls in time with his snoring, while the other hand dangles towards the floor, an empty goblet inches from his fingers. He lets out a murmur as the dodo nears him but is not otherwise roused from his sleep.
"zzZZzz.....don't touch my piñata Drandle Dreng....zzZZzz......"
In the mid-morning, the pathfinders are called into the main foyer. There Ambrus Valsin and another individual await.
“Pathfinders, I’m sure you know our associate, Guaril Karela, if not personally then by reputation,” says Ambrus Valsin while gesturing to the Varisian man seated across from him. “We’ve had reports from a confidential informant in the Aspis Consortium that trouble is brewing in Tamran. Probably not coincidentally, several of Karela’s shipments bound for Tamran have gone missing.”
Guaril adds, “You see, the Molthuni navy maintains a rather tyrannical blockade around the city—a blockade past which my associates and I have helped Ambrus move items numerous items. It’s not so difficult; the Molthuni are not the brightest stars in the sky. Or at least it wasn’t difficult until recently. An unknown party has intercepted my last dozen shipments, and I doubt Molthune is responsible. When I lose shipments—”
“—Our lodge in Tamran loses much needed supplies.” finishes Ambrus. “Not to mention the fact that Guaril provides many important goods to the people of Tamran, such as food and medicine. Your mission is to accompany Guaril to Tamran and investigate the disappearances and thefts. Hopefully Oraiah Tolal, our venture-captain in Tamran, will have more leads."
“You depart with Karela in two hours. If you have any questions, or any supplies to purchase, I advise you do so now.”
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Poncho extends a hand towards Karela, speaking in Varisian "Mucho gusto, Señor Karela. Poncho Rodriguez, at your service". Poncho has already met Valsin and gives him a nod in respect.
After the briefing, he scratches his chin at Prizm's question. "It's a good question, no? Maybe it's the Aspis, the Molthuni, or a new player on the scene....What are your thoughts, Capitan?"
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"Hi Mr. Karela, I'm Fhlangorn Spiritrock. Can you share with us one of your previous shipping manifests? Knowing exact items and quantities might help us in tracking down who's taking the stuff. Unless you think my Dowsing Rod here," Fhlangorn holds up his forked stick, "could help us find the ne'er-do-wells?"
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A short, extraordinarily dark skinned man walks in with Venture Captain Ambrus Valsin and Guaril Karela, initially mistaken for a guard in his demeanor. Once in the room he moves to stand near his fellow Pathfinders.
Protruding from the top of his head where one would expect hair you see sapphire blue crystals. He wears a similarly shaded leather lamellar and keeps his hands folded in front of himself as he stands listening intently during the briefing. As his eyes raise you are immediately taken aback by their peculiar shade of ice blue.
There's a loud crash as a heavily armored female dwarf pounds through the side door with her lucern hammer.
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"Wow! That had to have been the first door in this entire crypt that wasn't magically bound shut", a young half orc woman follows the dwarf cautiously. Her ill fitting clothing and large backpack seem to restrict her movement and make for an odd adventurer, but her hands move deftly over the pouches and vials strapped to her belts. She quickly pulls some as she notices movement in the room... Then eases bit when she she's the Pathfinders gathered around.
"Fhlangorn? How the heck did you get up here ahead of us? For that matter, where the heck are we? This doesn't look like Kaer Maga."
"Yeah! How did we get here? I'm a bit perplexed? Oh well, I'm Augusta Undermountain! Nice to meet all you find folks. Anyone want to tell me what the plan is? Or better yet, where we are?"
Ambrus Valsin motions in the last of the party to join. "Welcome. I heard Zarta was playing with a new teleport trinket. We are at Fangwood Keep in Nirmathas."
Ambrus turns to Prism "We hope Venture Captain Oraiah Tolal has leads for us."
Guaril turns to Poncho:
“If it’s not the snakes, then it could be the Church of Razmir. We’ve had unpleasant dealings with them in Tamran in the past, and I wouldn’t put it past the Razmiri to hold a grudge. We also can’t rule out any of Guaril’s enemies or rivals, of which I’m certain he has many.” Guaril does not comment, merely offering an innocently apologetic smile and shrug.
Guaril answers Fhlangorn: “The list of stolen goods is extensive. Mostly mundane supplies, food, medicine, alchemical and magical crafting materials, and the like. We’ve also been having trouble receiving reports and artifacts from the Tamran lodge.”
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"What? Oi!" Fhlangorn looks a bit flustered as shocks of hair sticking out at odd angles bob crazily when he whips his head around, "Zavra, you Ol' tough gal! An Augusta! I'm not sure, I was just following my dowsing rod here," he holds up his forked stick, "When I ran into this guy," points at Poncho, "takin' a siesta outside under a big umbrella!" He then whips his head back around toward Guaril, eyes wide as though he's just thought of a brilliant idea, [b]"Do you think my dowsing rod," holds up his stick again, "will lead us to your stuff!?"
Guaril chuckles and gives a wry smile "At this point, i'll take anything if it means no more... missing.. shipments. Though traveling by boat may throw off the accuracy of your device." He chuckles again but is very polite with his words.
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Zavra pays close attention to every detail presented in these few brief statements, piecing together this new mystery. "So, our new job is to take a boat into Tamran with Gauril, sneaking past snakes and Razmiri, meet with Venture Captain Oraiah Tolal for any updates, then track down missing supplies and find out who's been taking them?"
"At least that means we're done breaking through doors!" She says, seeming excited for a new challenge.
Ambrus smiles at Zavra "That is the jist of it."
The bulk of Nirmathas surrounding Tamran is forest and marshland. Tamran also borders the large Lake Encarthan.
Guaril will elaborate on Nirmathas "The Nirmathi are outmatched by the Molthuni in numbers, and so they rely on guerilla tactics to win their war of independence. To this day, the capital Tamran and its surrounds are not protected by a single army but by loose collection of militias."
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"I have heard of these Razmiri from my friend, Harv Burgleton. He spoke of their tendency to be crooked men...he seemed to like that about them...but he is a strange man. Anyways, we should keep our eyes peeled around the Razimiri."
Poncho will pet Bert's head in an effort to comfort his fine feathered friend. He whispers to the dodo: "It's going to be okay, Bert. If it makes you feel better, I'm less worried about you falling overboard than I am about Prizm."
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Zavra shrugs, excited for a new adventure. As she starts to follow, slinging her heavy bag over a shoulder, she pauses.
"Give me just a couple minutes, I don't think I want to be on a boat in all this." She starts quickly unbuckling and taking off the leather armor, sticking to ragged Travelling clothes instead. She adds the extra gear to her already heavy backpack, then follows after, half carrying, half dragging her load.
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Prizm walks to the boat side by side with Fhalangorn speaking extremely fast and excited about completely uninteresting things.
"And that's why the green poppy is the answer to the problem! It has tiny thorns that cause visions of purple poppys! which if you know anything about purple poppys... you would know that they also have thorns that can make you see green... so in light of that - which is really green... AND WHICH IS REALLY PURPLE?!?!?!"
Coming to an abrupt stop the tiny gnome looks up so hard he almost falls over. "OH! a BOAT! I sure hope I don't fall overboard.. I didn't bring my floatation device!"
With a look of inspiration he grabs his spellbook and begins to mutter to himself as he selects spells for this most dangerous mission.
Ambrus stands up. "if there is nothing else, i shall return to Absalom. You leave in a few hours under cover of night. Good luck pathfinders."
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At the mention of a ship Okzat looks down, frowns, then walks forward hesitantly.
"I'm with you Fhlangorn. Not sure about this ship thing... Pretty sure I would sink like a..... " His voice trails off.
He stands upright, collecting himself "But I will do as the party requires" He says, convincing himself, as much as anyone else.
The voyage is quiet through the night. The pathfinders are not awoken until near dawn. Guaril braggardly tells you his plans to bypass the Multhuni Blockade was successful once again. Upon making port, you are greeted by a human named Reginar Lacklan. Guaril takes his leave saying "You proceed ahead. I have other inquiries to make. I'll meet up in three days at the lodge."
Like much of the city, Ashfall Lodge rises above the marshy ground; however, whereas most other buildings stand atop piers and pilings, the Pathfinder lodge straddles three broad cypress trees. Rope bridges and wooden slat ladders wind across its outer branches, leading to a handful of tiny cabins for storage and visiting agents. Two bell pulls hang from the southern tree—one weighted by a medallion depicting the Glyph of the Open Road and the other weighted by a bronze symbol of two faces in profile.
Reginar takes hold of the Open Road rope and gives it a sharp pull, sounding a high-pitched bell in the lodge above.
From above, a gray-haired halfling woman examines the visitors, smiles, and drops a rope ladder. She nimbly clambers down and gestures grandly to the elevated structure. “Welcome, Pathfinders. May Ashfall Lodge be your home away from home and your welcome to a new land. If you’ll accompany me, I can answer any questions you might have.”
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Zavra looks up at the lodge with wide eyes, "You live in a treehouse? This is amazing!" She get ready to climb, but then looks quizzically at her backpack. She drops the heavy bag to the ground, fishes out a long length of rope, and ties one end to the bag and the other to her belt, then starts climbing.
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"Thank you senior! Bert is nearly as big as me so me getting up the ladder with him would be difficult. He really seems to have taken a shine to you. He keeps going on about how he likes to dance to your music."
Suddenly a look flashes over the gnomes eyes and he looks very excited.
As if the dodo can tell what sense what his master is thinking the small bird glares at Prizm as if to say - no you can not ride me.
Prizm frowns and goes back to trying to climb the rope himself. It takes roughly eight times as long as anyone in the group. When he finally does get to the top, he is covered in sweat and huffing in puffing in ragged squeaks.
"Ohh.... myy.... that... was... *cough* hard"
The halfling laughs at the party's antics. "it's been awhile since we've had a team of pathfinders with such a good sense of humor. I am Oraiah, venture captain of this Lodge. And yes - it is cool to live a tree house, a necessity in a bog such as this."
She scurries up the rope with ease (despite her years). She leads you all to a small meeting room inside. "Reginar and I have made some inquiries into the shipments disappearing. Unfortunately, whenever we seemed to find a lead to follow, a new slandering rumor would make the rounds and make the Pathfinder Society look like Molthuni sympathizers. Well... that didn't go well for us and we have to be careful when and where we show up in the Tamran proper."
She sighs, "The sad part is we haven't taken a side in this war - but we have attempted to mediate peace talks. And both sides see it as backing the other side."
"Anyways, the mission at hand. I suspect the rumor mill is connected to the disappearances. Luckily the entire city is turned entirely against the Pathfinder Society yet. I have several places you can begin you investigation..."
She slides a note across the table.
1) The Docks
2) The Gar's Last Meal
3) Forest Bounty
4) The Market District
The Forest Bounty: “That’s the town’s most popular feast hall. These days it’s seen a lot of traffic from members of the city’s various militias. You probably won’t get a very friendly reception, what with the rumors around town, but talking to the militia patrols is your best bet at learning what’s going on outside the city.”
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Zavra looks over the paper, excited at the prospect of an investigation. "What can you tell us about the other places? Are there any contacts friendly with the Pathfinder Society that may be helpful in passing us information? Anyone that owes us money or a favor?"
"Why haven't we taken a side in this war? Seems like we are on the losing side either way by not taking a side. If we take a gamble, we may turn the tide and win over the victors."
"This forest bounty place sounds intriguing! I say we check that out first! I usually get along great with soldiers! You know, passing along battle stories and the such. What do the rest of you think?"
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"I doubt the feast hall really has much in the way of a forest's bounty. No raspberries, thistles, glimmercaps, milkweed, lillypad root, or my absolute favorite - licorice bark! Silly tall folks and their naming. But it does sound like a fair place to start.. reasonable even!"
Prizm looks upbeat as usual and nods at Zavra. "We should pick a side, yes - the one that has the best hats is the one I tend to lean toward!"
The halfling woman takes a more stern look at Zavra and Prizm. "These people have been killing each other for decades... there is no winning anymore. We must encourage them to transition to a peaceful resolution and avoid further bloodshed. The Society has enough enemies without adding another here.."
She sighs and takes a deep breathe. "I've exhausted those contacts I can trust. I can't tell you much about the docks... but Karela’s shipments across the lake haven’t been getting through, which means the bandits must have a ship. If they have a ship, they’ve probably visited Tamran’s docks.”
"While you are welcome to stay here, and my casting services are at your disposal... Many consider The Gar's Last Meal the only inn in town worth staying at—a harsh verdict but a great place to dig up rumors.”
She steps outside the door and calls for a platter of tea and fruit for her guests that arrive promptly.
"I'm with Zavra as well! Let's get a move on!"
“Ah the marketplace.... We haven’t been getting our supplies, but several of the more… illicit… items Karela used to bring into the city are still appearing in the market. That suggests someone in town is fencing goods for the thieves.”
Oraiah sighs... “A marker no.. that wouldnt be good for a smuggler to brand the merchandise... but... Drugs. Perhaps in light of these recent troubles, Guaril will reconsider his involvement in that trade.”