GM Ladile's TL;DR: A Pathfinder Society Campaign

Game Master Lady Ladile

Buying hot weather outfit too

The slender elf is a little more quiet than usual

And I'm Hepsubia, doing all sort of things, when I remember what sort of things I'm good at, usually by failing at being good at the things I've just tried.

"Thank you, thank you. It is quite a pleasure to have you here at my humble lodge this day," Diya replies once your introductions are finished. "I am Venture-Captain Diya Akan, but I expect you had already gathered as much! Please, eat. Then we shall talk."

After everyone has had the time to partake of the many delicacies laid out for you, Diya clears her throat and begins to speak. "If you have spent any time in Merab these past few weeks, you have no doubt witnessed the ongoing construction as the city expands to meet its fast-growing demand for housing." She waits for a moment and then suddenly laughs and lightly slaps her forehead.

"Ah, that is right! You were able to arrive here much more quickly than I anticipated, thus you haven’t spent much time here at all! Well, that is no matter; I can easily explain. Recently, an archaeological dig team accidentally loosed an angry spirit on the city when they broke into an ancient section of the undercity. Rumors are swirling, and the creature is causing serious harm. Usually this would be left to the city watch, not the Pathfinder Society, but — well, I will let the Sapphire Sage explain."

Reaching into a pocket, she pulls out a letter and hands it to Zithembe. "Read it aloud, would you?"

Handout #1: Letter from Amenopheous

Eager to encourage others reading things for him, Rumble stops gorging himself on the offered food and drink to give Zithembe his full attention. I'll save my questions for after that note. Don't want to look a fool or impatient!
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Forgot to mention in my prior post, Rumble will be preparing/casting Endure Elements daily while in Thuvia.

Zithembe accepts the letter and once he has hold of it says, "Thank you."

The shabti's copper eyes gaze at the letter. He scans it--though it is impossible to tell without the detail of a flesh-and-blood eye--and summarizes its contents, "Amenopheus feels the being unleashed in Merab hungering for him and his sapphire jewel. He believes it must have some affinity for relics of the Jeweled Sages and is searching for something. He wants us to track the creature, determine its destination, and acquire whatever it seeks before it does."

He hands the letter to the others to read themselves if they wish, adding his own musing, "I wonder how he has determined that it is evil..."

Maria holds her hand out to Zithembe, "May I see the note?"

Pouring over the letter a couple times she shrugs, "Probably a magical aura sensed during a divination. I believe he is quite a powerful caster."

She slips the letter into her waterproof scroll box when everyone is done taking a look and turns to their host, "Where can we start looking for the trail and do we have any witnesses or other information about the creature?"

Her quill is held ready to write down any responses.

"Curious - Maria is probably right. Or it might be that Amenopheus senses the creature's evil in the same way that he senses its 'pull', whatever that means."

"Good question," Diya replies to Maria. "As it turns out, Merab’s officials have requested that your first order of business be to inspect and clear the ruin. And by doing so, you may learn something of the creature’s purpose in the process. I suggest you interview the dig team and speak with the scholar Obahar, who is probably already nosing about the site. You can trust his assistance. After investigating the ruin, follow up on these leads and any others you discover. We must discover what this creature wants, as Amenopheus asked."

Diya then hands you another scrap of paper, this one detailing said leads that she wishes you to pursue once your investigation of the ruins is complete.

Handout #2 - Suspicious Leads

"Do you have any questions? Even if you don't, you might be able to learn a little something by simply asking around the city. And if you think that you will need extra provisions or equipment Merab has many markets so you should be able to find most anything that you might need or want."
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Before you head off to the ruins, you might be able to learn more about the people and culture of Merab…

...and you might also be able to recall something about the ruins beneath the city.

Diplomacy (Gather Information): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

Zithembe reviews the list of leads and then frowns. "Interesting..."

diplo, gather info: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9 Hah! what a pair of faces Effie and Zith make today!

"Well, this sure ain't Varisia.

Let's look at these leads... anybody here speak ancient osiriani, or do we need to pick up some magic for that?"

"While I am eager to speak with these two for my own reasons," Zithembe says, "We need to head to the ruins first. And, yes, I will be able to understand it adequately."

Knowledge: Local + Inspiration: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (11) + 10 + (2) = 23

Maria waves to her allies before they head off to ask questions, "Don't worry to much, the citizens are quite skittish about answering any questions. The people of Thuvia are often quite religious and observe a number of superstitions. People may be reluctant to speak of evil creatures. The most common type of fiend encountered in Thuvia is the div, a creature spawned from a corrupted genie that seeks the corruption of all things. So we should look more into that."

Knowledge: Dungeoneering + Inspiration: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (7) + 10 + (4) = 21

She continues, "I was reading an architecture book about the city and discovered that during Merab’s millennia of continuous occupation, its citizens have as often demolished or built atop of older structures. As a result, it’s not unusual for dig crews to stumble upon long-concealed layers generally referred to as the undercity. But typically, such ruins are uncovered as the city expands outward, but this discovery was near the center of the city, where previous construction is being cleared to make way for newer, sturdier buildings. These ruins likely predate any known structures."

"A div?" the shabti comments. "Then perhaps the Sapphire Sage has assessed correctly."

Despite Rumble's best efforts, part way through the reading of the notes, he finds himself floating through his thoughts. Fortunately, at the mention of Divs, he comes to. "Then wha' are we waitin' fer? Leh's head tah tha ruins an' smash some evil!" he cheers, hefting Sledge into the air overhead. I can't keep doing this to them, I'll have to own up to it next time. Just ain't right.

Maria scrinches up her nose as a thought crosses her mind, "Yes, let's go investigate. But... do any of you know if a Div can shapeshift? Should we be more wary than usual of anyone we encounter possibly being a doppleganger? What do we know about all the people we are looking into, maybe we can confirm they are who they say they are when we talk to them?"

She looks at her notes, "The dig team, the scholar Obahar, the woman already sounds like a possibility, maybe the alchemist too?"

Know planes: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Hepsubia ponders about the eventual shapeshifting abilities of Divs

"I don't think we should discount the leads that seem suspicious, but I agree with Venture-Captain Akan. We should head to the ruins," he says, nodding to Rumble. "But we should talk to the dig crew first when we get there. They might be able to tell us more about what happened. Being forewarned is forearmed."

Between Maria's extensive knowledge of Thuvia in general and Merab in particular plus the information you've been given to work with, all of you soon agree that the best course of action would be to do as Venture-Captain Akan asks and head to the ruins to begin your investigations. Still, the knowledge that fiends are not unheard of in this region is worrisome and Hepsubia in particular attempts to recall what she might know about divs.

Though there are several types of divs that are known to exist, Hepsubia knows that all of them share a few characteristics. In particular, they are evil outsiders that strive to sow ruin and misfortune among mortals. Spawned from corrupted genies exiled to the accursed depths of Abaddon, divs harbor an ancient hatred against all mortalkind, doing all in their power not simply to destroy but also to torment all that lives. Patient and vicious, divs seek to spoil all things beautiful and joyous, dooming their victims to existences full of frustration and suffering before succumbing to lengthy, painful deaths.

While she's not immediately aware of any divs that have innate shapeshifting powers Hepsubia does know that divs are often able to summon more of their kind to aid them in a battle, that they possess telepathy, and that many of them can also see in darkness - even that created by magical means.
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Another post to follow, please stand by~

After making any additional preparations that you feel might be in order you make your way to the construction site where workers recently unearthed more than they bargained for. At the site, nearly a dozen workers mill about the area as a wide array of excavation tools gather dust in the corners and an older, bearded man busily examines charts and objects laid out on a wooden table shaded by temporary awnings.

A muscular young man in his late teens, having spotted your arrival, practically races up to greet you. "Hello there, strangers! I am Anaref. If you’ve come to cleanse the ruins of evil, I’ll tell you all you need to know!"

"Hello. We are," Zithembe answers. "What is there to learn?"

Rumble happily stands behind the group while the talking devolves into less interesting topics than Sledge's brand new upgrade. "Jus' poin' us in tha righ' direction thah's all, haha!" Looking back at him, you see him making several practice swings as he spars an invisible foe.

Maria nods along as Zith handles their intro and first question, ready to write down any pertinent information shared.

"Well, hello Anaref" Effie beams at the muscular and enthusiastic young man. "I'm Effie. You look like you could learn your way around a sword, if you're after battling evil. And if you already know all that we need to know then you're obviously very smart too."

Effie flatters the youth whilst playing with her hair. The boy's just showing off, surely. Handsome, though.

"Oh, there's all sorts of things I can tell you," Anaref replies, puffing out his chest a little bit as Effie beams at him. "I saw the creature with my own eyes! There I was, just digging away in my corner and then I felt a chill run up and down my spine. When I looked around, there it was - a floating head, with a tongue as long as my arm and eyes like ice!"

The young man shudders. "It tried to lick me but I fought it off with my pickaxe and it zipped away. Probably went looking for easier prey - and based on some of the stuff I've heard around the city it sounds like it found it, too!"

"Later that night I told my gran all about what had happened and she says it was a vargywheel, whatever that means. I'm lucky to be alive!"

"You did not see where it came from? Originally?" the shabti asks.

Sense Motive: 1d20 ⇒ 8

Maria writes Vargywheel? down and attempts to recall information about it, or about a floating head creature with a long tongue.

All Knowledges: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (8) + 10 + (6) = 24

"Er, no," Anaref admits, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Must've come from somewhere deeper in the ruins but it was flying and all, so makes sense no one heard it coming, right?"

Meanwhile, Maria silently continues taking notes. At the name 'vargywheel' she pauses, trying to recall any creatures that might fit that name and the description that Anaref gave. There is one such creature that comes to mind - a small, evil outsider known as a 'vargouille'.

sense motive: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (20) - 1 = 19

Effie is well accustomed to young men boasting of their prowess.

"Oh Anaref, come on now. That's as tall a tale as I ever heard, and I used to live on a traveling circus! Admit it, you're just showing off for me aren't you?"

Then Effie grins and whispers "I don't mind you know. I'm sure you're full of surprises. But my friends do need to hear the truth if we're going to help."

"Whuh...buh..." Anaref stammers, face flushing pink as Effie calls him out on what she perceives to be some creative liberties with his eyewitness account - and judging by his response, it seems that she's perceived correctly.

He glances around, clearly chagrined, and whispers, "Okay, okay, maybe I exaggerated just a little bit," he admits. "Um, I really didn't get a very good look at the thing at all, only a glance. Kehl - she's our leader - she saw it first and got the best look, but I don't know that she'd want to talk about it. But her or that old man, Obahar, they'd be your best bet if you're curious."

"But...could you keep this between us? The others," he tips his head to indicate his fellow workers, "they actually seemed interested when I said that I'd seen that crazy monster. Like they respected me a little more for it or something. And it's been...well, nice. To be taken seriously, you know."

"It's okay, honey, your secret is safe with us. And there's no need to lie to your peers to get respect - it's better to be honest, really. You already realise that if they knew that you'd lied they'd respect you less. You're young and enthusiastic. Hold on to that enthusiasm and I'm sure good things will happen."

Effie winks and gives Anaref's bicep a squeeze, then turns to her fellows. "My good friend here suggests that we speak with Kehl or Obahar for more information, and I'm sure he's right. How about Kehl first?"

Zithembe nods.

Maria angrily crosses out the name Vargywheel and lightly strikes through the information she had recalled about a 'Vargoul', in case it accidentally becomes relevant later.

She glares at the minor miner and turns to follow the group. The little doodle she had drawn in the margins of the scary head with drooling long tongue is left unmarred though. The elf at least feels a bit of pride in her artistry.

With talk of flying beasts, Rumble swings Sledge to the sky, seeing how high up he could smash the head into an Agent of Evil. Hrm... Gonna have to work on jumping or speak with the others about tossing me up. I'm sturdy, but nobody's marveled at how tall I am except for Grand Mammy...

"Where're they now?" he asks Effie, stopping only temporarily from his jumping practice. "Kehl sounds jus' as good tah us as tha other!"

"Right, thanks," Anaref nods, still looking a bit sheepish but otherwise relieved. Louder, he adds, "Kehl's right over there, can't miss her. And if you're here to look around she'll probably want to at least check in with you anyways."

Anaref points to a Garundi woman standing on the other side of the encampment, speaking in a low voice to some of the other excavation workers.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

Oh, look at her bracelet, she's a Pharasman.. Nice to meet you, miss Khel!

The woman, Kehl, looks up in response to Hepsubia's cheerful greeting and sighs. One hand passes over her eyes, fingers pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation.

"More people to ask ridiculous questions - and they're always the same questions, too - and waste my time? You’ve already heard about what happened so there’s no need for me to repeat it," Kehl responds curtly, making a strange gesture with her other hand as she does. "And it bodes ill to talk of such dark things, inviting trouble to gaze our way."

Knowledge: Religion + Zith Boost + Inspiration: 1d20 + 10 + 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (5) + 10 + 1 + (4) = 20

Maria smiles, "Oh, yes. But what if we are here to help you ward away the evil and keep that nasty little fate thing far away from you?" She pauses and introduces everyone adding, "And we are the pathfinders sent to investigate what happened AND put an end to any evil we find. Could you tell us about what you saw?" Her pen is ready to write down any responses.

Finally! A logical one, Pharasmans are always cool-headed.

"Sledge an' aye'll crush whahevah Evil is darkenin' yer gaze an such," Rumble boasts, gesturing to Sledge. Seeing that Maria has this handled, the authority of a clipboard is not to be trifled with, he wanders off to Parison's side.

"'ow high do ye think ye can throw meh? Like, uppa ways. Tah the sky. Thar's ah joke abouh the Quest fer Sky in thar, buh aye'll trust thah ye'll spar meh tha indignahty, haha!" he says with a playful nudge of his elbow.

Knowledge (religion): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

"We do not yet know from where the spirit originated within the ruins or what action set it free," the shabti says to the overseer. "If you could answer those questions for us, it would help us to deal with the div before it can bring you any more trouble. As Maria says, it is what we do."

My insightful advice only lasts 24 hours, so the effect from last scenario is expired, and I would need to make a roll for anything that isn't Diplomacy. It takes time, and you could have gotten it on the ship as we made our way to port.

Knowledge (religion), Insightful Advice for Maria: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22

That succeeds.

Know local: 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 6 + 2 = 18

For a few seconds, it seems as Hepsubia is about to say something.. then she bites her lips, but you can see she's thinking about something that won't be too diplomatic. Maybe she learned some lessons in Heaven after all...

I'm sorry, with all due respect I'm not one to accept my Fate. I won't cross fingers when I can take matters in my own hands!

Kehl stops as she considers Maria's words - and those of Zithembe and even Rumble. Nervously, she bites at her lower lip and then finally offers a nod of assent.

"Very well. I admit, it's reassuring to see people taking this as seriously as it warrants," Kehl replies, shooting a glance towards Anaref. "So I'll tell you what I can. The...creature? It was a floating head, thin and ugly," she admits, clearly still uneasy of speaking on the matter. "And it was strange because it seemed to be in quite a bit of pain. Reminded me of a rabid animal. I heard it in my mind. It said it was looking for the dungeons, and that ‘she who wears the spiral of death’ would be there. I have no idea what it meant. I’ll admit, I don’t scare easy, but it scared the skin off me," she shudders.

The woman makes the same sign with her hand again, shaking her head. "That's all that I can tell you. I pray that it will be helpful to you. In the meantime, may I ask a favor?"

Kehl pauses a beat.

"When and if you find it, please kill it."

"I'll be able to toss you all the way up to the clouds.....not!" Parison grins to Rumble as he gives Sledge a pat with his hand. "I don't think I could throw Sledge twenty feet in any direction, so you have no worries about me trying to throw someone's weight around."

When the cleric hears Kehl's words, he turns back to his friend. "And we just got Kehl's blessing to eliminate the monster from the ruins when we find it. Let's see if Obahar can tell us more about this creature that could possibly help us."

Rumble scowls at the sky with Parisons words. How am I supposed to fly then?

"HAHA! Now thah's wha' aye'm talkin' abouh. Leh's go kill tha thing in tha name o' all thah is HOLY!" he cheers, his discontent temporarily abated. "Isn't tha whole spiral o' death thing one o' yer Boneyard Lady's things?" he asks Kehl.

Zithembe considers the woman's request with a stoic expression. Without answering he turns to Rumble and nods his head to the dwarf's question.

"We've got experience handling fiends, ma'am." Effie pats her holstered pistol. " If it's trouble, I'll shoot it!"

Maria nods and writes down after her notes about the creature, kill evil floating head... duh.

She tries to recall what type of enemy they might be facing from the new description.

Knowledge: Any + Inspiration: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (19) + 10 + (5) = 34

She looks around, "Which one was Obadar again?"

"I wonder about its motives, given what you have described," he says.

"When we find the creature, we will make sure that it will not bother you or your workers again," Parison says to Kehl. "Right, everyone?" he says as he looks around at his companions.

Hepsubia mumbles

Maybe we should try to be sure it's evil first? Or has everybody already forgot about Valais?

"Isn't tha whole spiral o' death thing one o' yer Boneyard Lady's things?"

"Yes...it is," Kehl nods, approvingly, though her expression remains troubled. "But I have no idea why a creature such as the one I saw would have any truck with someone who worships the Lady of Graves. Perhaps the thing was mad, or mistaken? After all, it had probably been sealed away for thousands of years, maybe even millennia."

"As for Obahar, he," Kehl heaves a mighty sigh, "is right over there, puttering about with his things under the awning over there," she points. "Hopefully if you all put your heads together you can figure out a way to end this mess so me and my men can get back to our jobs."

As you approach the man examining the charts and objects on the table under the shade of the awning you note that his ill-fitting clothes are an odd mix of styles and colors and are in various states of disrepair; the only aspect of his appearance he seems to care about is his neatly trimmed beard. The sound of your approaching footsteps, different from those of the workers, catches his attention and he looks up.

"Ah! You must be the Pathfinders. I am Obahar, local expert on archeology and ancient history. I’m glad you’re here!"

He eagerly steps forward and effusively shakes everyone's hands. "With our combined expertise, we’ll have this all figured out soon enough! While I am eager to learn more about the ruins, I am afraid my adventuring days are long behind me. Please go inside and take careful note of what you discover. This is possibly the most important find in Merab’s history — aside from the sun orchid elixir, of course! Where was I? Ah yes. The ruins spat out one fiend already, so there’s no telling what awaits you. Whatever you find, return it as-is. When you report back, we can find out where this monster is from and what it might be up to!"

Effie whispers to Hepsubia "The Sapphire Sage's letter said he sensed evil - and he wanted us to track it and find out what it wants, so I don't plan on shooting it as soon as I see it at any rate."

Then she addresses the scholar: "What can you tell us about these ruins, Obahar? What makes them so important? And why might there be fiends here?"